In a homily Pope St. John Paul II gave on an apostolic trip to America, he offered this inspiring description of the Eucharist as the fullest expression of God’s love: “The Gospel of God’s love…finds its highest expression in the Eucharist. In the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration we meet the merciful love of God that passes through the Heart of Jesus Christ.” Take a moment and imagine how this might work: God sends us…
Our Gospel reflection for this Sunday (John 15:9-17) is awe-inspiring. It’s part of the Last Supper discourses where Jesus spoke directly to His disciples about the most important aspects of discipleship, as well as the mysteries of salvation and the Holy Trinity. Jesus and the eleven apostles (Judas had already left to betray Him) had finished the Last Supper and He imparted these important truths to them before His Passion. This passage is part of…
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) Just what is a missionary disciple? A simple answer is a disciple who has a mission. In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, Jesus changed Simon’s name when he became the foundation of the Church. Simon’s new name, Petros–Rock, reflected his new mission to be the solid ground for the Church to be built upon. God also…
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. – John 21:3 In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples after His Resurrection in a familiar way. He first called them when they were fishermen in this same place (see Luke 5:1-11). Sometimes the Bible names the Lake…
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. – Matthew 28:17 The Gospel reading for today is from the very end of Matthew. At the tomb on Easter morning, the Risen Christ told Mary Magdalen: “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Matthew 28:10). Then the…
Here is a list of 7 practical tips for how to live out the new evangelization in your own walk of life. First, in case you missed them, here are the last two blog posts for some context: Mission of Mercy and Christian Witness. 1. Encounter the Mercy and Love of God Witnessing to Christ means that you have a relationship with Him and want to invite others to encounter His love and mercy for…
You are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:48 When you hear the words “new evangelization,” what do you think of? Knocking on doors to tell strangers about Jesus? Or is it not about you at all, but more about the priests, bishops, authors, and Catholic media working to spread the Gospel to more people? What’s wonderful is that each and every Christian has a part to play in helping Jesus fulfill His mission of mercy…
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” John 20:21 Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! God the Father sent Jesus on His saving mission. It was a mission of mercy. He came to free us from the captivity of our sins and death, sin’s logical consequence. Jesus’s victory over sin and death was His gift of mercy to us. Mercy is God’s name. God revealed…
In today’s Gospel reading, Peter recognized and professed the truth of Christ’s identity: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). He proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of the living God, the Messiah, the King of heaven and earth. I can imagine Peter, who was sometimes impulsive, replying with fervor but without fully understanding the depth of his words. Jesus pointed out that Peter did not study to learn this.…
Christ spent the forty days before His Ascension preparing the apostles for their mission by teaching them about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Their mission was the same as ours; we are to help establish and extend Christ’s Kingdom: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”…