Category: Bible

Pentecost is here! We celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. These men and women had locked themselves inside since the Ascension of Jesus, but with the prompting of the Holy Spirit they burst out and start preforming miracles in the street. The early church goes from a few hidden followers of Christ, to a group of people spreading the good news around the world. Interestingly, Pentecost marks the end of the Easter Season, and the beginning of “Ordinary time.” This makes me wonder if the “ordinary” life of the people of the church should be walking through the streets working miracles?

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Traditionally, this would have been celebrated last Thursday (40 days after Easter), but in resent times the observants has been moved to the Sunday before Pentecost. The Ascension must have been a frightening time for those first followers of Christ. Just when they thought that they had Jesus back after he rose on Easter, he leaves them again. Now, seeing him rise on a cloud was probably not as traumatic as seeing him crucified on a cross, but none the less today’s reading leave him standing there staring up into the sky. Next week, we will hear that they spent the next ten days locked inside their house.

This weekend’s Gospel (John 20:19-31) is full of many important events. We have the establishment of the Sacrament of Confession, we get the story of “doubting Thomas,” and we get John’s explanation about why he wrote his Gospel. Yet at the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus says, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” This is Jesus sending us, his Church, out into the world to both live out, and share, the Gospel message.

I would like to wish each of you a Happy Easter! While Lent 2020 seemed to stretch all the way through Lent 2021, I hope this Easter is the turning point. I know the world can often seem overwhelming, but I hope that we can each find something that we can “rejoice and be glad” about in our lives. Maybe it is the fact that more people are getting vaccinated. Or the fact that it is getting warmer outside. Maybe there is something in your life that I could never guess, but I hope there is something. Easter is a season to rejoice! And don’t just stop rejoicing on Monday, remember that the Easter season runs all the way to Pentecost which is May 23rd this year.

In today’s second reading, (Heb 5:7-9,) we are told that Jesus, “learned obedience from what he suffered.” I think obedience is one of the virtues that we have the most difficultly with in the American Catholic Church. We have Priests who are not obedient to their Bishops, Bishops who are not obedient to the Pope, and lets be honest, most lay people like you and me don’t really want to be obedient to any of them. It doesn’t help that many Catholic “personalities” seem to fan these flames to push their agenda.

I wonder how many people watching sporting events see that guy holding the “John 3:16” sign and actually take the time to look up that passage? Today, this verse from John is part of our Gospel, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

In this week’s Gospel (Jn 2:13-25) we hear about Jesus cleansing of the temple. Jesus says, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” I often wonder what Jesus would say if he walked into the “Catholic Church” (or any denomination honestly) today. We have people on the right and on the left selling their “oxen” and “doves” for us to buy and sacrifice on the “true” altar.

Today’s Gospel (Mk 1:12-15) opens with Jesus being driven into the desert, and being tempted by Satan for forty days. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel that better describes my last forty years. For me, the beginning of lent always seems like it will last for another forty years.

In this weekend’s Gospel (Mk 1:40-45) Jesus tells the healed leper to say nothing about the miracle that was preformed. This seems strange at first because you would think Jesus would want everyone to know he was God incarnate, and share the Good News.

My two sons are now three and four years old, and if there is anything in this world that love it is dinosaurs. They eat, sleep and breath dinosaurs. If we go on family walks, they stop strangers on the street to preach the ‘Gospel of Dinosaurs.’