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 blind 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 this as they entered Jerusalem through “the Beautiful Gate.” The 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. 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!
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Today’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! 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 last year 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! Today’s Thoughts: "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.” (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 of Magdala and disciple whom Jesus loved to believe and proclaim that belief to all we meet. There is goodness and newness of life today 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? I heard an interesting thought a couple of years ago on today's Gospel. The question was posed as to why when Peter and the other disciple (John) get to the tomb, Peter goes in and John goes in but it is only John who believes? The answer was that after three years of traveling with Jesus, seeing him day in and day out when John saw how the cloths where left he knew that Jesus had risen because Jesus folded his bed lines in just the same way every day. It is an interesting theory, one that is only speculation; however, it does lead to an important aspect of our faith journey. Believing, having faith is much easier if we have a relationship with Jesus, with God. If we spend time with God, if we share ourselves, if we allow God to share himself with us, it is much easier to have faith, to believe. The mystery of Easter is about relationship it is about friendship with God so that when we encounter the empty tomb we too will believe! Easter Sunday blessings to all! Today’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. In the Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil the two men in dazzling garments who meet the women at the tomb ask them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?” The women are amazed and afraid. They don’t know what to think. But they remember Jesus’ words. Amazement and fear can be crippling emotions. They 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 to live our life in amazement or fear. The message of our Easter celebration is not to see but to remember, to hear and to not be amazed, not to 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! Conclusion:
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world Reflection: Jesus, you gave your life freely on the cross for every person that has ever lived. We believe in your deep personal love for each of your children. With heartfelt gratitude, we give you our total love in return. We seek to be obedient to the Father’s will in the trials of life, to look beyond suffering and death to the glory of heaven. Show us how to keep alive in our hearts the memory of your love and to proclaim joyfully the victory of your resurrection. Prayer: May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts. Amen! In the name of the Father…. Amen! Thank you everyone for joining me tonight. Continue to have a blessed and holy Triduum and may you have a Joyous and Happy Easter! – Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul Acknowledgement This text was adapted from: The Way of the Cross, written by Fr. Michael Salvagna, C.P., a member of the St. Ann’s Monastery Community in Scranton, PA. The Fourteenth Station:
Jesus is laid in the tomb. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Scripture: Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body and in accordance with Jewish burial custom bound it up in wrappings of cloth with perfumed oils. In the place where he had been crucified there was a garden and, in the garden, a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. (Jn 19:40-41) Reflection: The close disciples of Jesus were too frightened to take his body down from the cross. Two secret admirers prepare him for burial in the silent tomb. His sorrowful mother, Mary, takes one last look at the bruised, lifeless body of her Son. It must have seemed like a bad dream. What went wrong? Why did he have to die like this? What about the promises he made? So many unanswered questions, confusion and discouragement surrounded Mary and the disciples. Prayer: Lord Jesus, when they placed you in the tomb everyone thought it was all over. The faith of your disciples was severely tested. Death is so final. Lord, sometimes we are fearful about our own death and what lies beyond. We too will be placed in the cold earth and it will seem all over. But for the faithful we believe that life has changed not ended. To be united with you is the beginning of eternal life. Like you we choose to go through the jaws of death to the glory of everlasting life. The Thirteenth Station:
Jesus is taken down from the cross. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Scripture: Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore, I will give him his portion among the great…because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many and win pardon for their offenses. (Is 53:11-12) Reflection: The broken body of Jesus is reverently lowered from the cross. Who could have imagined that the wood of the crib would lead to the wood of the cross? Yet this holy cross is hope for the world. It endures as a permanent symbol of love, an eternal plus sign for those who seek the ways of God. When the cross of suffering enters our lives, may we unite our suffering to that of Jesus for the sake of the world. For God’s power is at work amid the tragedies and heartaches of human existence. Prayer: Lord Jesus, the world flees from pain, sickness and sorrow because it does not believe in the redemptive role of suffering. Though we do not understand it fully, we accept this mystery of saving grace through your passion. Your word and deeds inspire us to take up our crosses daily and to follow you. We ask for courage to be faithful to our calling through the joys and sorrows of life. May we bring hope and consolation to those who carry heavy burdens today. The Twelfth Station:
Jesus dies on the cross. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Scripture: It was about midday and darkness came over the whole land until midafternoon with an eclipse of the sun. The curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two. Jesus uttered a loud cry and said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” After this, he expired. (LK 23:44-46) Reflection: Jesus is wrapped in pain and exhausted from the ordeal of the crucifixion. Death would be a relief for him. He came to do the will of his father even to the point of shedding his blood. Jesus taught us, “Greater love than this no one has than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 He considers us his friends even though it is our sins which have caused his death. Now his act of sacrificial love was completed. Jesus surrendered his life to his heavenly Father. The end has finally come. Prayer: Lord Jesus, you seemed crushed and defeated on the cross but really it was your greatest hour of triumph. Thank you for saving us from eternal death and for offering us eternal life. We claim you as the Savior and Lord of our lives. We wish to commend our life’s journey into your hands. Teach us how to die to our selfishness and to live for others as you did. We unite our sufferings to yours on the cross for the sake of the Church. May the passion and death of Jesus be always in our hearts! The Eleventh Station:
Jesus is nailed to the cross. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Scripture: When they brought Jesus to the site of Golgotha, which means ‘Skull Place’, they tried to give him wine drugged with myrrh, but he would not take it. Then they crucified him and divided up his garments by rolling dice for them to see what each should take. (Mk 15: 22-24) Reflection: Upon arriving at Golgotha, the soldiers make fast work of nailing Jesus to the cross. Each thump of the hammer brings excruciating pain to the body of Jesus. Crucifixion was a horrible form of torture and death. Such inhumane torment to the Lord of life! The final ounces of strength flow out from Jesus. What more can he give? The words of the psalmist ring true: “They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones.” (Ps 21:17-18) Prayer: Jesus, it is sinful humanity and we that deserve to be crucified for our sins. But your infinite love impels you to lay down your life for all of us. You have taken our place on the cross, so that we may gain everlasting life. We can never offer you enough thanks. Forgive us, Lord, for our blindness and hardness of heart. Heal us of the evil that lurks within us and turns us away from your grace. Show us how to bring the good news of your saving grace to the people around us. |
Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P. "Preacher on the Run"Just a few thoughts to help you on your journey through life...let me know from time to time what you think... Archives
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