Fifth Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Patrick Leyden

Jesus’ full command is, “do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”  It is only through faith that we can continue as disciples of Christ, following Him even though we do not see Him with bodily eyes, striving to love as he loved, even though we know that we, like His first disciples, fall woefully short.  It is only through faith that we can be peaceful instead of troubled and anxious.

Our faith is this: Jesus of Nazareth is the word—made—flesh, the one who came into the world in order to give us everlasting life.  Our faith is that Jesus is God’s revelation of  Himself to us, so that whoever sees Jesus sees the Father.  Our faith is that  Jesus has  blazed a path through death for us.  He has  gone  ahead of us to prepare our eternal reward so that where Jesus now is, we also may eternally be.  Our faith tells us that Jesus is drawing us, despite our frailties and failures, to Himself and His Father.

God Bless.

Msgr. Powell

 

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Patrick Leyden

A sheepgate allowed a shepherd to lead his flock into a sheepfold or corral, where it would be safe and secure. By identifying Himself as a sheepgate, Jesus claims that anyone who comes through Him will be safe.

They would be safe from harm. This could mean protection from harm in our outer world (from accidents, injury or sickness). It could also mean safety from harm in our inner world (from discouragement, depression or despair).

A second kind of safety would be from negative influences. There are all kinds of sinister influences in the world trying to rob us of our faith and ideals. For example, corrupt government officials threaten our quest for justice and freedom; greedy investors undermine our desire to share with and help the poor; misguided entertainers distort our sense of decency. It is not easy to follow Christ faithfully in a world hostile to gospel values. We need Christ’s reassurance that our faith and ideals will ultimately prevail.

A third kind of safety we need is safety from worry, anxiety and self-pity. Excessive concern can drain our energy and immobilize us. If we get to worried about our health, finances or relationships, we can’t function productively, advance in personal growth, or deepen our life in the Spirit. Only Jesus can make us safe from being dominated by worry, overwhelmed by anxiety, or paralyzed by self-pity. Only Christ can help us to live fully with joy and enthusiasm.

Jesus is not just like a sheepgate. He is the sheepgate. He is our safety in any trouble. He is our fullness of life.

God Bless

Msgr. Powell

 

 

Third Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Patrick Leyden

God Bless the children receiving First Communion today and their families!

Cleopas and his companion were disciples of Jesus who put their hopes in Jesus.  But those hopes were dashed on Calvary.  They were returning home to get on with their lives.

Although Jesus walked with them, they did not recognize His presence.  Jesus’ explanation of Scripture to them hit home but they were still blind to who was making Scripture come alive for them.  Only after they invited Jesus to stay with them were their eyes opened, for they recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.  Luke clearly wants His readers to interpret this scene in terms of the Eucharist.  Just as Jesus revealed His presence to these two disciples in Emmaus,  so He reveals Himself and gives Himself in the Eucharist wherever it is celebrated.

Grasping the reality of the risen Jesus is more than a matter of seeing an empty tomb and hearing that He lives; it is even more than understanding how this fits into God’s plan as revealed in Scripture.  It is ultimately a matter of a personal encounter with Him who is raised and now lives, an encounter that takes place in a privileged way in the Eucharist.

 

God Bless
Msgr. Powell