Category: easter

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

From the Gospel acclamation: “The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 3:7b-15)

Jesus answered [Nicodemus] and said to him, “If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains to Nicodemus the purpose of being “born from above” in order to enter the kingdom of God. He emphasizes that spiritual rebirth is not something that should be surprising to Nicodemus. And he goes on, saying, “The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Just as the Israelites looked at the bronze serpent, so people look to Jesus lifted up on the cross to receive eternal life.

God, help me understand what Jesus conveys to Nicodemus in teaching him about spiritual rebirth. In the risen Christ, the lifted cross becomes the means not of death but of the way made ready for us to eternal life. Give me the grace to trust in your mercy, that what Jesus says to Nicodemus about heavenly things I can trust with complete assurance. Help me live out today as Jesus instructed Nicodemus: “You must be born from above.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

From the responsorial psalm: “‘In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!’” Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:26-38)

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

When the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, he first tells her not to be afraid. Why? Because she has found favor with God. He goes on to tell her how she will conceive a son and name him Jesus and that of his kingdom there will be no end. Mary questions how this will come to be, and the angel answers her. Mary asks no other questions but simply says yes, trusting in the Lord to accomplish his will through her. Mary’s fiat is an example for every person seeking to do the will of God. Not all of the specifics are given; there is no step-by-step manual. But in seeking to do God’s will, two things are necessary: to be unafraid and to trust that nothing is impossible for him.

God, I see in Mary a high standard, even an impossible one, to live up to. Yet, Mary who is the new Eve, was conceived without original sin and conceived and gave virgin birth to Jesus. Give me the grace through Christ your Son to take one step at a time in hearing and responding to your voice. “May it be done to me according to your word.” As you spoke to Ahaz in the first reading, Lord, you also speak to me. In striving for holiness, help me remember the name Emmanuel, “God is with us.” And “nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Second Sunday of Easter | Sunday of Divine Mercy

From the Gospel acclamation: “You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; Blessed are those who have not seen me, but still believe!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 20:19-31)

Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

As the disciples are behind locked doors, afraid to come out and face persecution, Jesus appears to them. His first words are “Peace be with you.” Immediately afterward, he tells them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” In his appearance to them and in “many other signs done in the presence of the disciples,” Jesus gives them the strength and courage necessary to proclaim the good news of his resurrection. Why was all of this done in this way? It is God’s mercy that all would know that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.”

God, help me take the example of Thomas in exchanging lack of faith with faith professed: “My Lord and my God!” I find myself to be one behind locked doors, yet you come to me in the Eucharist. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed,” Jesus says. Give me the grace to depend not on material signs to shore up my faith but on believing without seeing. From the sequence from today’s reading: “Yes, Christ my hope is arisen; to Galilee he goes before you.” Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Saturday in the Octave of Easter

From the responsorial psalm: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 16:9-15)

But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

Mark summarizes the three appearances of Jesus to the disciples: to Mary Magdalene, to the disciples on the way to Emmaus, and to the Eleven. The risen Christ instructs the disciples to go out and proclaim the Gospel to the whole world. Jesus, who has fulfilled the will of his Father in conquering death and opening the way to salvation for all, commissions the disciples to spread the good news of his resurrection with others. As Peter and John profess in the first reading: “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”

God, I see that Jesus rebuked the disciples for their hardness of heart. It’s easy for me to say that was them but that’s not me. Yet, I know that there are times when my supply of faith runs thin, and I question how you work all things for the good. Help me trust in the risen Christ, that his appearance to the disciples and his presence in the sacraments is always available and effective in daily life. Obedient to the instructions of your Son, may I have the courage and never be ashamed to proclaim the Gospel to others. From the sequence from today’s readings: “Christians, to the Paschal Victim  / Offer your thankful praises! A Lamb the sheep redeems; / Christ, who only is sinless, / Reconciles sinners to the Father.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.