Pentecost - Coming of Age

Since Christmas we have been following a chain of events which has allowed us to recall the life, death, resurrection from the grave, and the ascension into heaven of Jesus Christ.

This has not simply been a history lesson of what was done by God two thousand years ago. 

>The Christmas season was a reminder that, because God became flesh, our humanity has been born into a new supernatural level of existence.

>The season of Lent reminded us that our souls are worth fighting for, and this is what Christ did, putting his life on the line for you and me.

>The weeks of Easter, the time we celebrated Christ rising from the grave, and then his 40 days afterwards when he continued to encourage his disciples before he stepped up into heaven, we have come to know that God is merciful and just, and wishes for our peace and true happiness. 

>And now, on the day of Pentecost, Christ puts the finishing touches on our new and constantly renewing Christian lives – he brings it to maturity.

Pentecost marks a “coming of age”.  In a way, this is what we talk about by being “born again”, begun at baptism, sealed through the sacrament of confirmation, and strengthened by the food of heaven from the Holy Mass.

Christ sending forth the Holy Spirit – the breath of God, accomplishes this “coming of age”.

Pentecost reminds us that our lives, our breathing, must cooperate with the breath of God.  Is this not the first thing we have to learn to do, the first thing a baby must do when born – breathe?  And since that first gasp of air, our lives have been a constant challenge of breathing with the right rhythm, as if we rowing a boat through a great ocean. And when our work was done, without panic, we might give back to God our last breath – our Christian lives reaching perfect maturity.

But it does take time to get into sync with the Holy Spirit of God and when one does, to be able see how much we have grown in our faith. 

Consider what the apostles were like at the beginning.  They were first full of doubts and fears - they wanted proofs and would only believe if they could see with their eyes and touch with their hands. 

Even their minds- they could not get their minds at first around Christ’s preaching about the Kingdom of God. They only thought of earthly kingdoms.  They even became ambitious wanting to be great in the eyes of the world. We remember how the apostles were easily scared and intimidated by the cross of Christ, running and hiding when he was crucified.  And even when Christ rose from the dead and appeared to them, they still could not fully grasp what he was asking of them.

But the resurrected Christ promised them to send his Holy Spirit, power from on high to teach them everything and bring them to full knowledge and to be able to live the whole truth of Christian discipleship.

And this is what we saw happen.  The mighty wind of Pentecost – the powerful breath of God filled them. Through the Holy Spirit, they “grew up”. Once shy and timid, they were now ready and eager to be public witnesses of their faith. 

Once afraid, they were now courageous and strong, unshakable even in the face of persecution and hostility.  Twelve uneducated men from northern Palestine revolutionized the world. They did so with nothing else than their new faith, and their readiness to die for that faith.

When we gather here for Mass, the power of Pentecost is unleashed.  The visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit has, of course changed, but the reality of his power has not. 

On the day Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came as a mighty wind.  Now, the Holy Spirit is communicated through the breath of priest at the altar as he carefully articulates/whispers the words of Consecration used by Christ at the Last Supper. 

Instead of tongues of fire descending and separating to rest on the heads of each of the disciples, the Holy Spirit is communicated through the distribution of Holy Communion to each one who is prepared and ready to be shaped into Christ’s image and likeness by sharing in his body and blood.  And with the final blessing, the Holy Spirit sends us into the world to do battle with the forces of evil regardless of the circumstance.

Our Blessed Lady, who welcomed the Holy Spirit as her spouse, and by whose power she conceived and brought Christ into this world, comforts us. Our Blessed Mother, who on the day of Pentecost welcomed the Holy Spirit upon the Church, that would bring Christ into the world, encourages us. 

Let us pray for a renewal of the Holy Spirit in our lives, so that we might never be afraid of a mature and courageous Christian identity for the sake of our own salvation and that of the whole world.

Ascension

In the timeline of the Holy Scriptures, forty days after Christ’s bodily resurrection from the grave, the Lord continued to meet with his disciples in various places, and in particular, during meals. Here, Christ, who was crucified, died and was buried, and on the third day rose again, eat and drank with his closest friends in the familiar way they were so used to doing. 

But now, through the power of the resurrection, his human body reveals new properties and characteristics. Although still physically present, Christ can now enter into locked and sealed rooms, or walk through a crowd unrecognized. He is able to appear to various disciples at different locations. The forty days after his resurrection from the dead are marked with all these events. 

Today’s celebration of Christ’s Ascension, marks that historical event when the Lord, concluding his visible ministry among us, now enters into the realm of heaven, not as a spirit, but in the perfection of the human body. Because the totality of heaven surrounds him, to see him as is truly is, is naturally “beyond” us. (cf. Comp. CCC 132)

"Con esto, el Señor Jesús, después de hablarles, fue elevado al Cielo y se sentó a la diestra de Dios" (Mc 16, 19). El Cuerpo de Cristo fue glorificado desde el instante de su Resurrección como lo prueban las propiedades nuevas y sobrenaturales, de las que desde entonces su cuerpo disfruta para siempre (cf. Lc 24, 31; Jn 20, 19. 26). Pero durante los cuarenta días en los que él come y bebe familiarmente con sus discípulos (cf. Hch 10, 41) y les instruye sobre el Reino (cf. Hch 1, 3), su gloria aún queda velada bajo los rasgos de una humanidad ordinaria (cf. Mc 16,12; Lc 24, 15; Jn 20, 14-15; 21, 4). CCC 659 

Because heaven is, from our own perspective, “beyond”, we often presume there is a great distance between our world and heaven. Any distance between us and heaven is created by our choice to sin, our running away from God and hiding from his presence. Instead, the prayers of the church point to the right relationship. We pray “through Christ’, we pray “in and through Him”. To be “in Christ”, we find ourselves in a place of encounter between heaven and earth, the same earth that God created and blessed. If I am now one with Christ who is in heaven, then I am one with heaven insofar as I maintain communion with him. This is our challenge, to remain one with Christ. Remember what he said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

La última aparición de Jesús termina con la entrada irreversible de su humanidad en la gloria divina simbolizada por la nube (cf. Hch 1, 9; cf. también Lc 9, 34-35; Ex 13, 22) y por el cielo (cf. Lc 24, 51) donde él se sienta para siempre a la derecha de Dios

To be in Christ, who has entered, ascended into the realm of heaven in bodily form, we can no longer say, “I’m only human”, as an excuse for our sins or sinful behavior. To be human, to see the world through our senses, to have passions and appetites, thoughts and feelings, if we dare allow our minds and bodies to be aligned with Jesus Christ, Lord of heaven and earth, then we recognize the privilege of sharing in the same humanity that God himself took upon himself.

If we think clearly of the consequences of the irreversible entry of our humanity into divine glory accomplished by the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, then our contact with God is more personal and intimate than that of even the angels in heaven who are pure spiritual beings!  As one of the great saints of past days said, “Today we are not only established as the rightful owners of paradise, but in Christ, we have entered into the heights of heaven itself.” ( St. Leo the Great, Sermon 73.) 

Indeed, this was the cause for one of heaven’s angels to protest our privilege over theirs. Not only are we now enabled to able to look upon the divine glory, in our own resurrection and ascension we will be able to actually touch God, embrace him body and soul, something which no purely spiritual being could possibly do until now.

The Church’s ritual does not build a tower to reach into the heights of the heavens - instead a bridge, a pathway to heaven is opened, the veil is pushed aside. Our bread is not replaced, suppressed or exchanged for a heavenly gift. Nor does it become simply become a holy symbol. Nothing can resist God’s power. As all creation will ultimately become, the bread and wine take on the bodily reality of heaven itself - which is Jesus Christ himself, fully human and fully divine in one person. To receive from this altar one “crumb” is to receive the fullness of the heavenly body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. 

Understood this way, Heaven is therefore not a place. It is the totality of God in Jesus Christ. Insofar as we are here and now in this world faithful to Christ and are united with him through his Church which is His Body, we can confidently say, today we go to heaven!

Sunday after Ascension (1962 Calendar)

La liturgia de este domingo después de la Ascensión nos sitúa entre los

dos hechos históricos: la Ascensión del Señor al cielo con su glorificación

a la diestra del Padre y la venida del Paráclito.

La Epístola (Pedro 4, 7-11). El apóstol nos da dos palabras claves: caridad fraternia y vocación .

El Evangelio (Jn 15, 26, 16,4). El texto del Evangelio tomado del

discurso de despedida de Jesús en la última cena también nos

ofrece conceptos claves: el testimonio del Espíritu y el testimonio

de los cristianos.

In the new calendar for the Mass, today is the Mass commemorating the Ascension of the Lord into heaven, after his resurrection from the dead. In the old calendar that we are using tonight, our Lord has made the “jump” and we are waiting for the next big event – Pentecost – the sending down from heaven of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.

It’s a bit like setting sail. There’s the excitement of leaving the harbor. There’s the excitement of reaching your destination. But what happens if somewhere in the middle, the wind dies down and you don’t have fuel to kick in the engine.   There is an uncomfortable calm. 

It’s easy to feel a bit vulnerable. The disciples have been so used to having the Lord right before them – hanging on to him, following him wherever he went. But now – he is beyond our sight – heaven seems so far away.

So what do we do?  Like anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one, we hold onto and read again their last message. This is the Gospel we have just listened to.  In his farewell discourses Christ tells us, in so many words, not to worry, that he will send another to befriend us – an Advocate to tell us more about him. This is, of course the Holy Spirit. 

But we are also told, in his apparent absence, to be brave and be prepared for hardship. We may think ourselves as vulnerable without Christ standing visibly in front of us, protecting us from harm, as we would expect from a good shepherd.  Because Christ is now in heaven and he sends us his Holy Spirit to enter into our mind, body and soul, we do not hide behind him, he, Jesus Christ, hides in us!

To appreciate how the Christ hides in us by the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us place ourselves in the hands of our mother Mary.  Before the Holy Spirit came down upon her at the Annunciation  she lived between two worlds - the world of the Old Testament and the world of the New Testament.  She waited. She was prepared. The Holy Spirit came down upon her and she conceived. For nine months, the Lord Jesus remained hidden inside her. He gave her strength.  She gave him body. As we too wait for the celebration of Pentecost, may we too, like the Virgin Mary accept the Holy Spirit and in doing so, allow Christ to live in our minds, body and soul, so that, like Mary, we too can bring him into this world and make him visible.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Ever since Christmas, with the readings and prayers of the Mass since then, we have been meditating on the mysteries of Christ’s life, his death and his resurrection.

Through the first half of the Church’s calendar, the Scriptures we have listened to and prayed about, have demonstrated how vast numbers of people, from children to adults, the rich and poor, those sick, those plagued by darkness, those faithful and sinners – they all flocked to him, to hear his words and witnesses his miracles. In a way, we can sometime wish that we had the same opportunity the people of old did, to see him as he stood before them – the sound of his voice, a touch of his hand, the fire in his eyes.

Now two thousand years after the events of his earthly life, if it is our temptation to be, in a manner of speaking, envious of those first disciples who were privileged to see and experience Jesus Christ up close and personal, then the Gospel we have listen too today is for us.

Christ explains to his disciples that although he is going away in visible form, he will send the Holy Spirit to be continually with his disciples to fill the same role he fulfilled in his visible life among us – to be our Guide, our Consoler, and even our Defender.

Whereas two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was restricted in time and place to a particular corner of the world, now, through the gift of the Holy Sprit, he is as present in the here and now, especially through the Blessed Sacrament, as he was present to his disciples back then.

What will be the signs that Christ is still a reality? The same signs of his presence we note from the Scriptures – he is loved and he is hated.

Because the Holy Spirit has been breathed into the body of the Church, the Church is his Body. Through His Body the Church, he still teaches, consoles, reminds us how to get to heaven, he still prays for the world he loves. Through the power of his Holy Spirit that he breathed into the Church, his presence stirs up conversions, repentance and, of course hostility wherever the Church is visible and her message heard.

But most importantly, the words of Christ we hear recorded two thousand years ago assure us that through the power of Holy Spirit to come, he will be present to us in a most and more intimate and personal way, not even experienced the crowds who reached out just to touch him.

The bread and the wine, through his word and the power of his Spirit, are changed into the substance of his greatest presence not experienced by everyone who had flocked to him during his public ministry - his resurrected, heavenly and glorious presence. As he is now standing before his heavenly Father, Jesus Christ through the Blessed Sacrament, stands before us in the miracle of the Mass. In Holy Communion, we literarily step into that presence. We literally join our fragile body and blood to his resurrected body and blood, which is made present by the Holy Spirit in a real and substantial way through the Holy Mass that not even the curious bystander of two thousand years ago could even imagine.  For this honor, may we be truly grateful and demonstrate it, as always, through reverent reception of Holy Communion if we are truly prepared.

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35

Part One

This portion of the Gospel we have listened to begins with the departure of Judas from the Upper Room and his descent into the darkness of the street with his mind made up to betray the Lord. Christ remarks “now is the Son of Man glorified”. Is not Christ glorified while he performed the miracles, in his cross, or by his resurrection, St. Augustine would later ask? (Cf. Tractate 68 ) Why “now”, with the simple departure of Judas from the Upper Room?

It is possible to see a bigger picture that is enhanced by contemplating the vision retold in the second reading from the Book of Revelation (John 21: 1-5) when we hear that John “saw a new heaven and a new earth.” Now that Judas had left the company of the other apostles and had departed that sacred space where the Church would gather to celebrate the sacrament of Christ’s priesthood, now it is finally possible to “taste” the glory that awaits the whole world on the great day of Judgement. On that day when all enemies of God will be cast away, the glory of the Lord will shine without distraction.

A sixth century Christian philosopher, Oecumenius, comments further on this portion from Revelation allowing us to see the stirring of a cosmic event taking place in the today’s Gospel with the departure of Judas from the Upper Room. The philosopher Oecumenius meditates on creation itself being now able to cast off its old soiled garment, finally free from every corruption that is “contracted” from human disobedience. Even liturgically we spell this out. When we gather together in this sacred place where heaven and earth are renewed, do we not first confess our sins – sending “Judas” out into the darkness, so we can celebrate this sacrament of love in all its glory and without distraction?

It follows then, that one of the enduring characteristics of the Church gathered in her sacred space, her rendezvous place with Christ, is a unity and a love that is modeled after the Lord himself.

(Note - Here it will be helpful to study and reflect on the virtue of charity, modeled perfectly in Christ. Para 1822 - 1829 of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church is particulary helpful.)

Fourth Sunday After Easter (1962 Calendar)

The context for the gospel we have just listened to takes place after the last Supper when, in preparation for his death and resurrection, Jesus prepares his disciples for what is ahead. Having already observed his death and resurrection during Holy Week and Easter, bringing us back to his words after the Last Supper, allow us to hear our Blessed Lord in a new light – in the light of the Holy Spirit and the relationship between God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

728 Jesús no revela plenamente el Espíritu Santo hasta que él mismo no ha sido glorificado por su Muerte y su Resurrección. Sin embargo, lo sugiere poco a poco, incluso en su enseñanza a la muchedumbre, cuando revela que su Carne será alimento para la vida del mundo (cf. Jn 6, 27. 51.62-63).

Even though when the disciples listened to the words of Our Lord before the day of Pentecost, Christ's whole work is in fact a joint mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

727 Toda la Misión del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo en la plenitud de los tiempos se resume en que el Hijo es el Ungido del Padre desde su Encarnación: Jesús es Cristo, el Mesías.

When Christ walked among us the Holy Spirit was invisible. He tells his disciples in the Gospel that after he must depart form their sight, they will not be alone, the Holy Spirit will be made visible in their lives and through the Church.

To understand how, let us consider the language of the Holy Scriptures as it describes how Old Adam became a living being. God breathed his Spirit into him and he became a living being reflecting the image and likeness of God through his body, soul and mind. In the Biblical language of Hebrew, the word for breath and spirit are the same. Jesus the New Adam, filled with the breath of God prepares his disciples to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that they might be re-created in to credible witnesses of the Gospel.

Our Savior may not be visible to us in the same way the disciples saw him two thousand years ago, but through the sacraments, Baptism (renewed through regular Confession), through Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist in particular, Jesus Christ can be made visible in our lives.

747 El Espíritu Santo que Cristo, Cabeza, derrama sobre sus miembros, construye, anima y santifica a la Iglesia. Ella es el sacramento de la Comunión de la Santísima Trinidad con los hombres.

The greatest example of and a model to us of a Christian disciple who was filled with the Holy Spirit, off course our mother Mary. At the first moment of conception the Spirit of God ensure she her own body would become a worth temple for the Son of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit, her body enfleshes God’s Word, gives God body, makes God visible – Jesus Christ.

721 María, la Santísima Madre de Dios, la siempre Virgen, es la obra maestra de la Misión del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo en la Plenitud de los tiempos. Por primera vez en el designio de Salvación y porque su Espíritu la ha preparado, el Padre encuentra la Morada en donde su Hijo y su Espíritu pueden habitar entre los hombres.

Let us remember how the Holy Spirit used her to bring those who searched for God into greater communion with her Son – the shepherds, the Wise Men, the married couple at Cana on their wedding day and the first disciples. Is it any wonder that our Blessed Lord, before he breathed his last on the cross, told us all that she was our mother and that we were her children. As Jesus is the New Adam, Mary indeed is the New Eve and as she draws us to intimate union with her Son, we recognize her also under the title of Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

Fourth Sunday of Easter (First Holy Communion)

First Holy Communion 2013

1. The concept of hiding

Question.

Have you ever played “Hide and Seek?”.

Do you remember playing Hide and Seek?

Have you ever played Hide and Seek with your family?

Have you ever played Hide and Seek with your mother?

How long was the longest time you remained hidden? (30 seconds, five minutes?)

2. A natural example of hiding.

Question:

Did you know that the longest time each one of us hid from someone else was

for 280 days? (23,641,000 seconds)

Do you know how long that is? It is 38 weeks.

That’s 9 months.

Where did we hide?

You and I were hidden inside another human being for nine months, hidden inside our mother.

3. Concept of presence.

Question. Even though she did not see you, where you there? YES?

4. Trusting when we cannot see.

Action: I want you to close your eyes.

Question: Can you see me with your eyes closed? NO

With your eyes closed, you know that I am here because you can hear me talking to you.

Question: But what if I told you,

“I want you to keep your eyes closed.

But I am not going to say anything.

And even if you cannot see me (and I will be quiet),

I want you to trust that I will not move from where I am.”

5. The Sacred Host

Now here is a little round piece of bread (we call it the host).

When you hear the bell ring,

this little piece of bread is going to allow itself

to be used to hide God from our eyes.

So when the bell is rung, I am going to show you where God is hiding.

In a way, I will say, He’s here, even though you cannot see him – here He is. 

God is very good at hiding, but He always wants us to find Him.

He makes it easy for us to find him.

6. The Soul Longs for Holy Communion

But now that we know where to find God,

where He we can offer Him a safe place to stay with us. 

Question: Where is the safest place for God to stay so that He can be the closest to you?

Where is the safest place you hid for 9 months so that you could be close to your mother? Remember?

Inside your body, in your heart, in your soul, in your mind - hidden within!

7.  Jesus hides Himself in us

Your first Holy Communion will be the first time that you will invite God

to come and hide with you

in the secret place of your heart and soul. 

So that when you receive Holy Communion you can close your eyes and,

even though you know that Jesus is there, hiding,

you know where to find him - in your heart and soul.

So when we pray to Jesus, sometimes it’s good to close our eyes, be quiet, and look for him!

Soul of Christ, sanctify me 
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within thy wounds hide me
Permit me not to be separated from thee
From the wicked foe defend me
At the hour of my death call me
And bid me come to thee
That with thy saints I may praise thee
For ever and ever.   Amen. 

Third Sunday After Easter (1962 Calendar)

Through the Gospel, our Lord tells His disciples, what will happen “in a little while”. Of course he is speaking to them of His own death and resurrection. But if we have listened to his words in the context of the Mass, does He not speak these words presently to us. Through the Sacrifice of the Mass, in a “little while”, our Blessed Lord will reveal Himself to us in His death and resurrection.

Of course it is always death and resurrection. And we can never be passive onlookers. When we meditate on His passion, if we truly love our Lord, then we will enter into the anguish of His suffering. And this is what Christian love must do – it opens our heart to the heart of Jesus, to the heart that was pierced through on Calvary, while the world rejoiced that it had overpowered the once powerful one. To bear the name Christian, we must also bear the marks of Christ and not be afraid of the cross we must endure. By trusting Christ’s words, we are assured that the sacrifices we make in His name are worth it.

This is summarized in our catechism in anwer to the question, "Why does God permit evil to exist?"

"Faith gives us the certainty that God would not permit evil if he did not cause a good to come from that very evil. This was realized in a wondrous way by God in the death and resurrection of Christ. In fact, from the greatest of all moral evils (the murder of his Son) he has brought forth the greatest of all goods (the glorification of Christ and our redemption).

¿Por qué Dios permite el mal?

La fe nos da la certeza de que Dios no permitiría el mal si no hiciera salir el bien del mal mismo. Esto Dios lo ha realizado ya admirablemente con ocasión de la muerte y resurrección de Cristo: en efecto, del mayor mal moral, la muerte de su Hijo, Dios ha sacado el mayor de los bienes, la glorificación de Cristo y nuestra redención.

(Comp CCC 58)

It is indeed terrible to be asked to endure pain, hardship and suffering, be it mental anguish, physical hardship or even spiritual conflicts. But if we trust the words of Christ that one-day we will rejoice, then we must believe that our anguish, hardships and sacrifices do, in themselves have value and meaning even when we can not see what waits for us ahead.

Our Blessed Lord offers us the example of a pregnant woman who must endure the discomfort, the pain and the anguish of giving birth. The whole family can also feel this. But Our Lord tells us that no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, when a new life is born, there is rejoicing, relief, and finally peace of mind and heart.

La compasión de Jesús hacia los enfermos y las numerosas curaciones realizadas por él son una clara señal de que con él había llegado el Reino de Dios y, por tanto, la victoria sobre el pecado, el sufrimiento y la muerte. Con su pasión y muerte, Jesús da un nuevo sentido al sufrimiento, el cual, unido al de Cristo, puede convertirse en medio de purificación y salvación, para nosotros y para los demás

(Comp. CCC 314)

Only in the light of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead – only in the light of His defeat of death and His victory over sin, and willing to share in this victory, does our own present endurance of this world have meaning. For this reason, as Christians, even though we are only passing through this world as pilgrims, our sight and our attachments must not be on the things that are passing. (During the month of May, coming soon, it is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother), we can take inspiration from her example. She is known under the title of ‘Our Lady of Trust”. During times of apparent uncertainty and when conflicts of interest might have arisen, we remember how the angel greeted her when he announced that she would become pregnant and give birth, “Do not be afraid”. Mary points us to her Son, who in turn tells us “Do not be afraid”.

Third Sunday of Easter

The pages of the Gospel are offered to us, not simply for insight into human nature. Using the language of symbols and sacred imagery, the Gospel provides us with a powerful reflection on the essence of Christ's holy Church, the direction the Church is going, and her mission. Remember! This is about us. This is about the family, our own family - a little "church". Through baptism, we have been baptized into a domestic family and universal family. That’s what the world “catholic” means.

We have read this portion of the Gospel. Beyond the impact of ink upon paper, how do its words resonate in our soul? The resurrected Christ stands on the shores of the great sea. He looks out into the whole world. In the midst of the great sea of the world, we find the Church. What does Christ see us doing? We are working hard for the salvation of souls. We are preparing ourselves, and each other, for the journey to heaven. And in this great sea, we rescue those abandoned, those adrift.  We invite them into the company of the Church. The gospel tells us that the Lord stands on the shore and looks out at the horizon, and he sees this big boat, hard at work. And from where he is, the Lord has a great perspective. He can see the whole world. He can see the weather approaching. He can see danger on the horizon. He can also see the distant lands yet to be visited. Christ guides the Church in our mission.

It is common to see the Church, at times, overwhelmed by storms. Much of the time the media want to be in charge of the weather, so they can provoke the reactions of those on board the ship. With so many distractions, outside and within, it can be easy to loose sight of Christ who continually guides us in His Church. 

Christ has guided his Church through every sort of danger. He alone knows where all the fish of the ocean are and how they will respond when the nets are lowered. He knows the location of the hidden dangers we face. If we trust him, nothing can sink his ship. He will always get us to the shore. (cf. Comp. CCC 758-769)

Christ always waits for us to come home. When the apostles reached land, they did not speak much. There was no need for many words. They stood, quiet and humble before the mystery of God. In the same way, we too must sometimes be silent before God. He allows us time to catch our breath, to find our legs again.

For strength, for endurance and for the challenges ahead, the Lord prepares a sacred meal for us. It is not “comfort food”. It is the risen Christ himself, his glorious and heavenly body. This Holy Eucharist forms us more and more into the image of Christ the Good Shepherd.  Although we cannot, at times, see the world from God's perspective, we trust the Lord who guides us with gentleness and patience. 

Gentleness and patience! These are two qualities Christ experienced for himself, from his mother Mary. She is our mother too. She has a mother's heart, especially for her children. This is why we give her the title, Mother of the Church. Protective of her children, she will always look to her Son to guide the family of the Church through every storm, and after our work is done, to bring us all home safely at the end of the day.

Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. Our Lady of Refuge, pray for us.

Second Sunday After Easter Sunday (1962 Calendar)

El Buen Pastor nos conoce personalmente. El Buen Pastor que nos conoce personalmente por nuestro nombre y nos abre la puerta de la vida, es el Cristo resucitado, el Jesus de nuestra fe, el mismo Jesus historico de Nazaret. El no queda en mera nocion mental o solamente en un articulo de doctrina, sino que alienta en nosotros una esperanza indestructible que nos impulsa a convertirnos a un amor sin limites, a un aguante alegre y a una accion siempre en marcha.”

Peter is able to shepherd, because he has configured himself completely to Christ in the Lord’s role as the Good Shepherd. It was at the Last Supper that Christ told Peter that by his brotherly care he was to strengthen and support the rest of the apostles. And when Christ resurrected from the dead, he told Peter that in his love for him, he was to feed his flock and care for them. Peter the fisherman, would become Peter the shepherd imitating in a visible way the invisible Christ the Good Shepherd. We pray in particular for St. Peter’s 265th successor to that role of visible Shepherd of the flock, Pope Francis.

In the Epistle, we hear St. Peter clearly pointing us in the direction of the Resurrected Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for His sheep. And again, here we are encouraged to trust the Good Shepherd and to stay within the protection of His flock, which the Church is. Only within the security of the Christ’s unique flock, His Church, which is best, described as “catholic”, do we avoid wandering down the wrong path attracted to the incitements of false shepherds who, like pied pipers, know how to manipulate.

And this must always be a concern to the Church, as we know it was to Christ as we reflect on the Gospel. He knows as we know only too well, how delicate and sensitive human emotions are – how our minds can work and how we can convince ourselves of the correctness of our own choices, finding excuse after excuse to justify the distance we can create between ourselves and the one flock He shepherds over and guides.

Sunday after Sunday we gather as a flock united to our local shepherd, the Bishop of San Diego, a successor to the one of the original apostles. In every Mass we celebrate here, we pray for Robert our bishop and for Cirilo, who will succeed him in September.

I too, as your pastor, must have Christ the Good Shepherd before me as my model. As a shepherd must protect his flock, keep them united and provide for them nourishment from heaven, I ask you too to pray for me, that I might continue to have the strength to be a good shepherd and the courage to lay down my life for the protection and salvation of those entrusted to me.

Through the careful oversight of Christ the Good Shepherd, we were rescued from the predator who glories in sin and death. Let us pray that we will remain faithful to the unity of the Christ’s flock and never stray away from the security of the faith handed down to us at such a great price.  Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.

Divine Mercy Sunday

It is no accident that this Sunday we call Divine Mercy Sunday. The image of Divine Mercy is one that we make available today. It is the resurrected Christ who assures us, that even after we have betrayed our Lord and savoir by our cowardly faults and sins, and in our guilt find ourselves, like the apostles locked up in a dark room of our choice, he enters into our darkest prison to release us. With the assurance that our sins have been forgiven through the wounds of Christ now raised from the dead, an opening, a channel of powerful grace can now flood into our lives and those words of “peace be with you” will resonate.

And as if to make this point through an example, we are told about Thomas, who was called “the doubter”. It seems that he was determined to keep his heart securely closed. Even the talk of Christ’s resurrection could not unhinge him. It took Christ himself to do so.

Before Thomas could experience the resurrection of his Lord, he first had to reach out and touch his wounds – he had to join his suffering, his hurt, his pain to Christ’s. Only then could he be one with Christ, not just in his death, but also in his resurrection. Thomas was called to reach out in faith and join his own personal woundedness to the redeeming wounds of Christ. It takes courage to put ones hand into a fire, but it takes faith to do so knowing that you will not be burnt. Thomas could only have been moved to put his hand into the open side of the Risen Lord, by Christ’s initiate, not his own (cf. Sixth century Song of Romanus Melodus).

For this reason, the image the Church has adopted of Christ’s Divine Mercy shows a light that, while coming from the sacred open side of Christ, it also allows us to be drawn by that same light into its very source. Here we can grasp the secret of divine mercy, the understanding that in Christ’s light, our own wounedness is not erased from our bodies, but purified.

The Gospel today ends with “Blessed are those who can not see but yet believe”. It is a reminder to us that even in a world where we experience much darkness, we must never allow it to bully us into despair (cf. St Ambrose’s sermon "Blessing Hidden in Suffering", Duties of the Clergy).

Like St Thomas, we must allow, if not expect, our faith to be tested and purified (cf. Second Reading). For if we endure in perseverance and continue to love Christ, even though we do not see him, think of how much we will love him when we do see him face to face in all his glory. This is Christian hope.


CCC 643-45, 659, 730, 858, 976, 1087, 1120, 1441, 1461, 2839