Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:17:19 -0700WeeblyFri, 10 Apr 2026 09:09:57 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts2885913​Today’s Thoughts: Periodically you hear people asked the question, “If you could meet, have dinner with, spend time with anyone in history whom would you chose?” I am sure there is a different answer for every person asked. As we listen to our Gospel today we might ask the question, “If you could have breakfast with anyone from history who would be your choice?”
 
I know what my answer would be – Jesus! First of all, I would choose Jesus because he brings and prepares breakfast which is always a plus in my book. But more importantly I would choose Jesus because having breakfast with him means my day could not start any better!
 
Even though they have encountered the Risen Christ a few times since Easter Sunday the disciples find themselves back in Galilee trying to figure out what to do next. Peter believes getting back to his usual routine is the best way to put life and the events of Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection into perspective. So off he goes, to do some fishing, with the others tagging along.
 
However, the night doesn’t go as planned. No fish after a long hard night’s work. Enter Jesus. “Have you caught anything to eat?” “No!” is the rather tired answer. “Well then try dropping your nets again but do it on the other side of the boat.” What do you think went through the disciples’ minds? Probably some resistant thoughts to what the man on the shore proposed or a few choice words muttered under their breath toward the man on the shore. Perhaps they were just too tired and said what have we got to lose. Whatever they felt or thought they at least went with the flow and cast their nets one last time and the rest is history. They encountered a catch so big that it was now a struggle of joy to get it to the shore. They encountered a catch so big that it could only be one person, “The Lord!”
 
Yes, if I could have breakfast with one person from history it would be Jesus because when he enters our life whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner or anytime in between good things have a chance to happen. The struggling disciples learn that the Risen Christ will enter their lives at any moment and is always willing to nourish them for the journey; they just have to be willing to have faith and trust that all things are possible.
 
As an Easter people this story is a good reminder to us that in the midst of our struggles, our unsteadiness in life, at those times when we feel our nets are empty all it takes is for us to recognize the presence of God to steady us, fill our nets and make all things possible on this journey through life.
 
Perhaps as we begin this day or any day, for that matter, we should consider inviting Jesus to breakfast. And as we enjoy his company we might ask his advice as to where we should cast out nets.  Because as our Gospel story reminds us great things are possible especially when Jesus makes breakfast!
 
Have a blessed and holy Friday everyone!
]]>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:04:31 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts8005178​Today’s Thoughts: Pope Francis in an address on April 1, 2013 said the following: "The grace contained in the sacraments of Easter is an enormous potential for the renewal of our personal existence, of family life, of social relations. However, everything passes through the human heart: if I let myself be touched by the grace of the Risen Christ, if I let him change me in that aspect of mine which is not good, which can hurt me and others, I allow the victory of Christ to be affirmed in my life."
 
In our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles Peter and John challenge the people about not being open to the presence of God in their lives, about not being open to the Easter mystery, the Easter sacraments as Pope Francis put it. They ask those gather to open their hearts to the grace of the Risen Lord, to let it pass through their hearts and change them.
 
In the Gospel the disciples at first are afraid of the presence of the Risen Lord but Jesus offers them peace and the assurance that he is really with them so that by the end of his visit they have opened their hearts to the grace and the spirit of the ultimate Easter sacrament, Jesus. Their transformation has begun. They have become the witnesses of this great sacrament and the power that it can be in a person’s, a community’s life.
 
Our readings and Pope Francis ask us to be open to the awesomeness of Easter, to be open to the countless ways in which God becomes present in our lives each and every day. Openness to the grace of the sacraments of Easter, openness to the presence of the Risen Lord, openness to the awesome potential that God’s presence and grace offers us can make all the difference in our journey through life.
 
Thus, the question or the challenge at the beginning of this new day is – Are we open to the grace of the Easter sacraments? Will we allow that grace to change us?
 
A blessed and holy Easter Thursday everyone!
]]>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:15:55 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts8458905​Today’s Thoughts: “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” We encounter two famous stories in our readings today. In Luke’s Gospel it is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and in the Acts of the Apostles it is the story of Peter and John curing the man at “the Beautiful Gate.”  In some ways putting the two stories together on this Easter Wednesday can help us to enter the mystery and power of the Resurrection.
 
The story of the two disciples on the road, in my book, is a classic. It has all the elements of our faith life. The struggle with the things of the world, of life, the missed opportunities of encountering Jesus because we are so focused on our struggles; the moments in time when we sense God’s presence, when our hearts burn but we don’t realize it until the end of the experience and those instances when Jesus becomes present to us in the breaking of the bread.
 
We have all been where these two disciples have been. We have been on that road in our life. We have been blinded by our own lack of hope, our own disappointments, our own struggles. The gift, the hope of this story is that God that Jesus never gives up on us. He is always trying to enter our lives to remind us of the story and open our eyes to his presence.
 
Peter and John understood that as they entered Jerusalem through “the Beautiful Gate.” They opened the eyes of the crippled man who wanted silver and gold but ended up with much more. The power of the Risen Christ can transform our lives sometimes profoundly and sometimes simply but when that moment comes, we just need to be ready and not be blinded by our own lack of hope, our own disappointments, our own struggles.
 
Let’s not be the only ones who do not know the story, who have given up hope especially during these difficult times in our world, our country and our Church. Let us be people of faith and hope today whose hearts are burning with the word and presence of God and through the living of life who proclaim – “Jesus is Risen, Alleluia!”
 
Have a blessed and holy Easter Wednesday everyone!
]]>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:57:42 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts2400314Today’s Thoughts: We find ourselves today standing between Easter and Pentecost. In the first reading we look ahead to the day of Pentecost, and we encounter Peter and the others boldly proclaiming the Good News. All fear seems to be gone, and thousands of people come to believe in a single day because of their preaching. In the Gospel, we find ourselves at the tomb on Easter Sunday morning once again in one of the most beautiful scenes of the Easter Gospels – Mary Magdalene’s encounter of the Risen Jesus. It is from this profound encounter that Mary Magdalene becomes known as the Apostle to the Apostles.
 
It is through these two very different scenes that we are reminded of the transforming presence and spirit of the Risen Christ. On that Pentecost morning the Spirit descends upon all gathered in the Upper Room and pushes them out into the world proclaiming the Good News. It is a powerful Spirit, a life-giving Spirit, a Spirit on fire with the love and presence of God, it is a Spirit that cannot be missed or stopped. On Easter Sunday morning the presence and Spirit of the Risen Christ gently and lovingly invited Mary Magdalene into the Mystery of the Resurrection.
 
St. Paul’s words from his First Letter to the Corinthians come to life in our readings today – “There are different gifts but the same Spirit….” We are reminded today of the many gifts of the Spirit. Gifts that push us forward in faith and gifts that comfort us and remind us of the gentleness of God presence in our life.
 
Like Mary Magdalene we enter this day looking for the Spirit of the Risen Christ in our life and when we hear him speak our name we might want to just hold on to that moment. However, Jesus will send us forth like Peter and the others to boldly proclaim the Good News with joy!
 
Have a blessed and holy Easter Tuesday everyone!
]]>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:50:08 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts4897076​Today’s Thoughts: Easter Sunday is the highpoint of the liturgical calendar, the key to the season of Lent. The resurrection of Jesus is what centers our faith, the mighty deed done by God in relation to us and our need for salvation.
 
That’s all the facts of the matter; but what really matters is how each one of us lives into the mystery of the resurrection of Jesus. This season of the resurrection beginning today, Monday of the Octave of Easter, provides the opportunity to understand the depths of that mystery by discovering how it impacts our lives.
 
Wherever and whenever we encounter Christ, the effects of his resurrection extend to us. Encountering Jesus clearly flows from the sacraments. When we celebrate the Eucharist; when we receive forgiveness for our faults and failings in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to name but two of the sacraments, we encounter the Risen Christ.
 
These weeks of celebrating Easter invite us to set our sights on Jesus, raised from the cruel death of the Cross by God’s loving hands only to come alive again as the Risen Christ present to us all in so many remarkable and simple ways. Our task is to open ourselves to the Risen Christ, to the many ways that he is present to us, even in these unusual times, and to continue to grow as women and men of faith, hope, and love because of his presence in our lives. Our task these next few weeks during the Easter season is like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary in our Gospel today, to keep our eyes on Jesus, our ears attuned to faith, our heart compassionate toward the world, our hope beyond the reach of frustration, anger and the struggles of these difficult and unusual days. No virus, rumors, lies and scandals will detour us, no human attempts at explanation, no payoffs, no bribery will compromise us. No social distancing, masks and gloves will take way the presence of God in our lives. We are simply yet profoundly called to “not be afraid!” To go and carry the Good News to our sisters and brothers as best we can even in these unusual times.
 
One other aspect of our Gospel reading today is the fact that it is the women in Jesus’ life who are the first to encounter the Risen Christ. They become the first proclaimers of the Good News. They are the Apostles to the Apostles.
 
In a mediation I read a number of years ago at this time the author asked the question – “Who are the women who have most impacted your own life? Have you done justice to the contributions they made to your well-being, perhaps your status? Have you ever stereotyped women or denigrated them because of their gender? Pray for women today – and include the fearless Mary Magdalene.” (Ronald D. Witherup, PSS)
 
So, to all the women who have touched my life and who continue to be a part of my life I say thank you! Thank you for your life, your witness, your faith, your love and your presence in my life!
 
Happy Easter and have a blessed and holy Easter Monday everyone!
]]>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 09:20:32 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts1810859Today’s Thoughts – Easter Sunday
"The Lord is risen, Alleluia! Happy Easter everyone! I have chosen some words from Pope Francis to give us a little food for thought as we celebrate this Easter morning “If we think that things are not going to change, we need to recall that Jesus Christ has triumphed over sin and death and is now almighty. Jesus Christ truly lives…. Christ, risen and glorified, is the wellspring of our hope, and he will not deprive us of the help we need to carry out the mission which he has entrusted to us.
 
Christ’s resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated this world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force. Often it seems that God does not exist all around us we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty. But it is also true that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit. On razed land life breaks through, stubbornly yet invincibly. However dark things are, goodness always re-emerges and spreads. Each day in our world beauty is born anew, it rises transformed through the storms of history. Values always tend to reappear under new guises, and human beings have arisen time after time from situations that seemed doomed. Such is the power of the resurrection, and all who evangelize are instruments of that power.” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel)
 
These words of resurrection today from Pope Francis remind us of what Easter is all about. He challenges us to believe in the empty tomb and like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, we are to believe and proclaim the risen Christ to all we meet. There is goodness and newness of life today and the question before us is do we believe?  The Messiah is among us, the Messiah is one of us. Are we willing to bring the risen Christ to the world?
 
This Easter Sunday hopefully we take the opportunity to celebrate with Easter Sunday Mass and a family gathering. And within these celebrations we take up the challenge to be like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and believe in the Risen Christ and proclaim that belief in the living of our lives. We believe in the mystery of Easter and that it is about relationship it is about friendship with God so that when we encounter the empty tombs of life we too will believe, proclaim and live!
 
Easter Sunday blessings to all! Have a blessed, holy, and joyous Easter Sunday! 
]]>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 09:14:50 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts7433574Today’s Thoughts: Once again Pope Francis offers us these words to help us on our journey through Holy Saturday – “There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved. I understand the grief of people who have to endure great suffering, yet slowly but surely, we all have to let the joy of faith slowly revive as a quiet yet firm trust, even amid the greatest distress: “My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is… But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness… It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lam 3:17, 21-23, 26).” (Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel)
 
I offer you these words from Pope Francis because I think they reflect what Holy Saturday is about. We sit and wait. Will there be an Easter? Yes, we know that there will be but those disciples and friends of Jesus who lived through this day many centuries ago did not. They lived this day in their grief, but they also lived this day in hope. It was a time when they remember the story, it was a time when they hoped, it was a time when joy was conceived in their hearts. Today we live in the hope that once again joy might be conceived in our hearts!
 
The word that I always use for Holy Saturday is hope. After a long Lent, after the gift of Love which we call Good Friday, we wait in Hope on Holy Saturday. The elements of the Easter Vigil which we will celebrate later today all point toward the virtue of Hope.
 
We retell the story of creation, our creation, of how God so loved us, of how we are created in the image and likeness of God. We retell the story of our release from slavery; How God with a mighty arm brought us from slavery to freedom. We hear how God provides for all those who are thirsty, who are hunger. The rich table, the rich food God provides for us.
 
On Holy Saturday night we light a new fire. We bless new water. We welcome people, through baptism, confirmation, Holy Eucharist into the community of faith. It is a night of hope for us, for our church, for the world.
 
I once read that the most common one-liner in the scriptures is, "Do not be afraid." Someone counted, and it occurs 365 times. This is not really accurate but “Do not be afraid” does appear often in the scriptures. In our Gospel for the Easter vigil this one-liner appears twice. First the angel who meets the women at the tomb just after the earthquake tells them, “Do not be afraid.” Then as they go running from the tomb, they run right into Jesus who also tells them, “Do not be afraid.” Fear can be a crippling emotion. It can sometimes hold us back from seeing, experiencing and proclaiming the Good News.  The world can throw many experiences, situations and encounters at us that can cause us to live our life in fear. The message of our Easter celebration is to not be afraid, but to have hope!
 
“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tune without the words and never stops at all!” (Emily Dickinson) We wait in faith today, we wait in love, and we wait to hear the tune of hope that perches in our soul singing a tune of love that never stops. Yes, today we wait...in hope!
 
Have a blessed Holy Saturday!
]]>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:09:41 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts4771748​Today’s Thoughts: “To be evangelizers of souls, we need to develop a spiritual taste for being close to people’s lives and to discover that this is itself a source of greater joy. Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for his people. When we stand before Jesus crucified, we see the depth of his love which exalts and sustains us, but at the same time, unless we are blind, we begin to realize that Jesus’ gaze, burning with love, expands to embrace all his people. We realize once more that he wants to make use of us to draw closer to his beloved people. He takes us from the midst of his people, and he sends us to his people; without this sense of belonging we cannot understand our deepest identity.” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel)
 
Pope Francis’ words remind us today of what the Cross is all about. He asks us to stand before the Cross of Christ today. He asks us to see and feel the depth of God’s love, of Jesus’ love for us. We are reminded that Christ’s love cannot remain just within us but that it is to be shared!
 
As I reflected on John’s Passion (John 18: 1-19:42) and the other readings (Isaiah 52: 13- 53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5: 7-9;) that we encounter in today’s liturgy I began to think about the image of gesture that Pope Francis used in his Holy Thursday homily a many years ago. He said the Last Supper reading provide us with two gestures. Jesus’ gesture of love and service and Judas’ gesture hate. What gestures do we find being played out as we listen to St. John’s Passion today?
 
The gesture of love or the gesture of hate. The gesture of mercy or the gesture of violence. The gesture of compassion or the gesture of indifference. What gesture do we see and live when we gaze into the eyes of Jesus on Good Friday?
 
The words of Pope Francis that I began with remind me of why I am a Passionist. Each day as I arise, I try to stand before the Cross of Christ and I look through the lens of his Passion to see his burning love. Each time I put on my habit and attach the simple sign that only Passionists wear I am reminded that Christ’s great love must be in my heart. Each time I wander into a new day I am reminded because of that sign over my heart that I am to bring Christ unrelenting love to every person that I meet. Because I am a Passionist and a man of faith I am connected to Christ’s Passion story.
 
I think we all need to find our own way of connecting to the Passion story. We need to find our own way to understand, to feel, the mystery of Jesus' Passion. We need to make the connection with the characters of the story and with Jesus. We might not understand but we need to make the connection, we need to feel the story. We need to find our own liturgy sometimes.
 
At this point in life as I pause to keep Good Friday holy I am truly blessed and honored to be a Passionist and a priest. Often in the past, I have been privileged to lead a community in the liturgy of the Lord's Passion. I have had the honor of preaching, of sharing the Good News on this day. I have been given the opportunity to help others look through the lens of the Passion of Jesus Christ. This year I not only remember the Lord Passion with a community of faith but also through these words on my web site.
 
My friends in faith, however you remember the Lord's Passion of this Good Friday my prayer for you is that the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ will always be in your heart!
 
Good Friday peace and blessings to all! I hope you will at least take a little time to sit before the Cross of Christ today and remember God’s great love for you!]]>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:30:04 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts9341579​Today’s Thoughts: In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis writes, “If we are to share our lives with others and generously give of ourselves, we also have to realize that every person is worthy of our giving. Not for their physical appearance, their abilities, their language, their way of thinking, or for any satisfaction that we might receive, but rather because they are God’s handiwork, his creation. God created that person in his image, and he or she reflects something of God’s glory. Every human being is the object of God’s infinite tenderness, and he himself is present in their lives. Jesus offered his precious blood on the cross for that person. Appearances notwithstanding, every person is immensely holy and deserves our love. Consequently, if I can help at least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the offering of my life. It is a wonderful thing to be God’s faithful people. We achieve fulfilment when we break down walls and our heart is filled with faces and names!”
 
These words of Pope Francis reflect the spirit of this most holy day that we celebrate. Yes, Holy Thursday is about the institution of the Eucharist. Yes, Holy Thursday is a special day for priests as we look to this day as a starting point for our life and ministry as priests. Yes, Holy Thursday is a day when we remember the beginning of Christ Passion which will lead to his Death and Resurrection. Yes, Holy Thursday is about a meal, Christ’s last meal and a meal that calls us to remember the history of our faith as God’s people released from slavery and beginning a journey to freedom.
 
Today, is also about service, about looking beyond ourselves to the gift of God within us and sharing that gift. Pope Francis reminds us that all of us are God’s handiwork. All of us reflect the glory of God.
 
It was on this day that Jesus showed his infinite tenderness by washing the feet of his friends and by sharing himself in the Eucharist. It was intimacy, tenderness and a gift that defined Jesus life and ministry. As Pope Francis reminds us, it is this very way of life that Jesus calls us to as people of the Gospel.
 
I pray that this Holy Thursday may truly help us to break down the walls and open our hearts that they may be filled with face and names!
 
Have a blessed, holy and grace filled Holy Thursday everyone and please give a little personal time to God before the day is over!
]]>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:30:22 GMThttps://www.preacherman.org/thoughts-for-the-journey/todays-thoughts1721544​Today’s Thoughts: Spy Wednesday, (Isaiah 50: 4-9a and Matthew 26: 14-25), the day when we pause to remember Judas’ actions many years ago. A companion, a friend of Jesus yet he allows the forces of darkness, the forces of evil to become more a friend than Jesus.
 
We do not truly know what motivated Judas. Was it his desire for money? Was it that he truly thought he would scare Jesus into changing his approach to life? Was it that he saw Jesus as a threat?  Was it that he was angry with Jesus? Had he been caught stealing money? Was he upset that Jesus challenged him at Lazarus’ house? We just don’t know the motive.
 
What we do know is the Judas sold Jesus out to the religious leadership of his time. What we do know is that Judas could not admit to Jesus what he was about to do. He could not tell the truth and that until the end he continued to see himself as Jesus’ friend.
 
The Prophet Isaiah today reminds himself of who his friend truly is, God. That no matter what happens God is there to protect Isaiah in his ministry as prophet. It is not easy, but Isaiah is faithful to his ministry and God is faithful to Isaiah, helping him through the struggles.
 
We encounter Isaiah’s words and in them we see Jesus. We listen to Isaiah’s words and hear Jesus speaking. Jesus is the servant who suffers, the servant who trusts in God, the servant who is abandoned by everyone except by God.
 
The questions for today – Are we with God or against God? Can we remain friends of Jesus or will the trappings of the world, will anger and hate, will the uncertainly of the times, will the fear of the unknown, cause us to betray him once again? Can we trust in God even in the midst of our struggles, the world’s struggles? It is often said that every person has her or his price, what is our price?
 
Blessings and peace to all on this Wednesday of Holy Week!
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