Here I am!

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14, 36-41

I Peter 2: 20-25

John 10:1-10

Today’s readings come at an excellent time for me! My Dad is not doing well, and the five of us are all coming home today and staying a few days to see Dad and to make some decisions while we are all together.

But here is the thing! As a priest, I know there are some things that I need to do, like to anoint him and, upon his death, celebrate his funeral. But what makes this hard in my mind is each of us kids has a place in the family. My sister Lynn being the only girl is up here, my brother Jim being the extrovert and Dad’s favorite, was also way up here, then there is me, the middle child suffering from all the middle child syndrome. There is my brother Kenny, and then there is Steve, Dad’s best friend. So going from way down here to up here will take a lot, but I know I must do it.

We all love each other very much and tell each other that we love each other all the time, but here are the three little words that will move me to do what I need to do: “Here I am!” Knowing what to do and doing it is half the battle, and what is helping is I know it is going to be messy, but I don’t have to be perfect. I need to show up and let God do the rest.

Here is why I say our readings are so timely for me as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday!

In our Gospel, Jesus is referred to as the Good Shepherd. There are three things I want to point out to help us in our faith journey.

The first thing is the sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow him. The sheep are not passive. They are active. It takes a listening ear to hear the voice of the Shepherd. The sheep are not listening out of fear but out of love. The sheep know the love of the Shepherd as they put their trust and hope in him.

The second thing the Shepherd does is he calls the sheep by name. To call someone by name in Hebrew thought is to have power over them and to know them well.  

The last and final thing is that the Shepherd does not walk behind the sheep but in front of the sheep. So, therefore, I need to look forward to always seeing Jesus Christ.

My friends in Christ, as we gather today, our homework for the week is how often we show someone we love them by saying, “Here I am!’

In the Eucharist, Jesus says it to us: may we take what we have learned and show up this week for another.

Where do you go to talk about God?

Third Week Easter Weekday Friday

Acts 9: 1-20

John 6: 52-59

Q.) Where do we go to talk about Math?

A.) We go to a classroom. (Put up picture)

Q.) Where do we go when we want to talk about a messy room?

A.) We go to a bedroom. (Show messy bedroom)

Q.) Where do we go when we want to talk about football?

A.) We go to a football stadium. (Put up the picture of U of M)

Q.) Where did Paul and Jesus go to talk about faith?

A.) Both Paul and Jesus go to the synagogue. (Put up the picture of the synagogue in Capernaum.) A synagogue is a place to gather to talk about faith. I have been to this synagogue!

Q.) Where do we go to talk about Jesus?

A.) Here in this Church?

My friends in Christ, we talk about Jesus here in this Church. So you are correct in saying this!

However, we talk about Jesus not only here in this Church but we go to talk about Jesus in our excellent Catholic School, in our homes, on a football field or playground, and anywhere we go!

May we never miss an opportunity to share what we know about Jesus anywhere!

Lost and found vs Lost but not found!

Third Week of Easter Wednesday

Acts 8:1-8

John 6:35-40

As you exit the building to the south, we have a “Lost and Found” space on the shelf. There is a “Lost and Found” box in the school. These are better named the “Lost but not Found” because most items are there until they get thrown away.

In our spiritual lives, are we the last but not found, or are we the lost and found? Our readings help us to be lost and found, but we must believe in the resurrected Christ!

In our Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” I hope we notice that we need to come to the Lord! How often do we beg God to come to us?

Jesus continues, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise them on the last day.”

This powerful message of Jesus must have gotten through to the apostles because, after the martyrdom of Stephen, there was pandemonium in Jerusalem as Christians were fleeing the city for fear of being persecuted.

We are told of Philip, who goes to Samaria, and he brings them the Good News of Jesus, and there is ‘great joy in the city.’

Are we lost but not found, or are we lost and found? I would bet it all relates to how much we put our faith in the resurrected Christ. There is still time to come to believe!

The Blessings of St. Mark

Feast Day of St. Mark

The Evangelist

I Peter 5:5-14

Mark 16:15-20

Our readings today become very personal to me. My father is not doing well, and our five siblings are coming home this weekend to make some decisions about his care and to begin cleaning the house.

Without getting into too much family dynamics, I am the middle child. I know I need to offer the sacraments to Dad, but asserting myself and taking control of a situation takes a lot of energy. Our readings provide much consolation.

In our reading from St. Peter, the first line captures my heart. Peter says, “Cloth yourself with humility in your dealings with one another.” Peter continues, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.” Humility comes when we know who we are in the eyes of God.

In our Gospel, two verses catch my heart. The first is Jesus says, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” The second line is, “After he spoke to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” Jesus sits down, so we will stand up and go!

May we be on fire for the Lord, and may the Holy Spirit give us the courage to share the Good News with others.

Introduction: Today, we celebrate the great high feast of St. Mark. I am very fond of celebrating the Feast Day of St. Mark. The symbol of St. Mark is the loin, and long before I knew that, my favorite character in the Wizard of Oz was the loin. St. Mark is known as the loin for how boldly he proclaims the Good News and because he is the first to say we need to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Christ. May we be bold in proclaiming Jesus on this day?

Are our hearts on fire for the Lord?

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 14:22-23

Peter 1:17-21

Luke 24: 13-35

Do you want to know what it is like to celebrate the Eucharist with you? It is nothing short of a miracle! I love it. It is joyful, and it is exhilarating. But, because I try and celebrate every Mass as if it is my first, I am drained at the end of each weekend.

Here is why it is so exciting to be a priest. I stand before you in “Persona Christi” – in the person of Christ. Now this is very humbling.

As the person of Christ, I celebrate the Mass, not just leading you in prayer and hopefully give a nice reflection. Instead, what happens in the Mass is Jesus offers us his entire very self. This is to say that Jesus offers us everything that happened on Calvary: the scourging, the thorns, the cross, and the nails – yes, all of the ruthless slaying of the Sacrificial Lamb in atonement for our sins – that’s the Mass.

In the person of Christ, I hold up the Body and Blood of Christ, and say, “This is my Body this is my Blood.” How amazing it is to be a priest.

In the person of Christ, I lift the cup of Christ’s precious blood and the Body of Christ and say, “Behold the Lamb of God.” I repeat the very words of John the Baptist. How can we not get excited about the Eucharist? This is never to be taken for granted, so it takes careful preparation and prayer.

Our Gospel is an outline of the Eucharist; there is the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Our story begins with two disciples returning home sad because they thought Jesus was the Savior of the world. Jesus appears to them and tells them all about himself, but they do not recognize that it is the Lord. As he appears to be going on further, they ask him, “Stay with us a while longer.” Then, in the breaking of the bread, their eyes and hearts are open, and they recognize him and say, “Were not our hearts burning inside of us while he opened the scriptures to us and in the breaking of the bread?”

Homework: Can we say, “Our hearts are burning for you, Lord!”

In sacred scripture, time and time again, when Jesus touches people’s hearts, they don’t hesitate because their hearts are on fire for the Lord. So may our hearts burn for the risen Lord!

Think big. Think God!

Easter Weekday Friday

Acts 5:34-42

John 6: 1-15

Walking through the pews where the kids are sitting, say, “Excuse me, coming through. Excuse me, coming through! Then, as I go, have some students join me in going through the pews.

This is happening in our readings today. God is coming through, and we either need to get out of the way or join him.

In our first reading, the apostles have been arrested, and the court is trying to determine what punishment they should give them. A man stands up and says, “If what these disciples of Jesus are doing is human, it will go away on its own. But if what they do and say is from God, we must either get out of its way or join them because there is no stopping God.”

In our Gospel, 5000 people have been following Jesus and are hungry. So Jesus turns to Philip and asks, “Where can we get enough food to feed this many people?” He said this to test Philip because he knew what he would do. Philip has no idea how to get enough food to feed this amount of people. Therefore, Philip must get out of the way and let Jesus do his thing.

My friends in Christ, we either need to get out of the way or join Jesus! I believe many times. We think too small about God and what God can do for us. When we believe too small, we need to get out of the way of God and let God be God!

We come today to know that all things are possible in God. Therefore, we celebrate this Eucharist as simple bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ!

How do we trust in the Lord?

Thursday Second Week of Easter

Acts 5:27-33

John 3:31-36

What has God taught us? What has God done for us today? Maybe it is better stated, “What has tried to teach us and done for us that we have not learned or accepted?”

I pray for peace, wisdom, and courage in my morning prayer. These are things I feel I am lacking, but they could all be said differently: “Lord, teach me to trust in you.”

Putting our trust in someone is like the air we breathe. We don’t think about it until we don’t have it. However, we learn to trust people, and trust is often broken. We tend to transfer this broken trust into our spiritual lives and do not trust in God as we should.

In our Gospel, we have John the Baptist talking to his disciples, saying, “Whoever believes and puts their trust in God will have eternal life.”

In our First reading, the disciples are arrested a second time, and they are before the Sanhedrin. They are being punished because they were told not to speak the name of Jesus Christ, and the apostles went out and continued to preach in the name of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine a world without the name of Jesus being spoken?

The apostles have complete trust in God to see through their hardships.

May we place all of our trust in God and walk in his ways.

How imprisoned are we?

Easter Weekday Wednesday

Acts 5:17-26

John 3: 16-21

How are we imprisoned today? What are our doubts and fears that are holding us back? Today we get a “Get out of jail” card to set us free!

In our first reading, the apostles are arrested and put in jail, and an angel releases them. The angel tells them, “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about me.”

If you have ever been to the Holy Land, you know that the streets and roadways are very narrow and crowded. The temple is this massive building that sits on thirty-one acres of land. Our campus consists of nineteen acres. The angel tells the disciples to stay at the temple, the most prominent and expansive space, and tell the Good News of Jesus Christ and not be afraid.

In our Gospel, Nicodemus, a religious leader, is drawn to Jesus Christ, and he comes to Jesus in the night, for he is afraid of what the other Jewish leaders will think of him if they see him with Jesus. As Nicodemus asks his questions of Jesus, he is told, “God so loved the world he gave his only-begotten Son, so everyone who believes in him may know eternal life.” This is a message that we all need to be drawn to today.

But how do we hear it today? Will this wonderful message of Jesus Christ be enough to dispel our fears?

May we know that nothing can contain God’s great love for us and that love overcomes our fears.

How are we living the resurrection of Christ?

Easter Weekday Tuesday

Acts 4:32-37

John 3:7-15

What are the things in our lives that we may not fully understand now? For example, my siblings and I are trying to figure out the best place to put our father now that he is too much for my stepmother to care for him. Our readings have a few things that may be hard to understand.

In our Gospel, Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, and he tells him, “You must be born from above.” Nicodemus does not understand what Jesus is saying, so Jesus gives him an analogy to help him understand as Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit being like the wind that blows about.

How do we come to understand, “We must be born from above?” The question is not “Are we born again?” But, “Are we living like we are born again!”

We don’t live two lives, the spiritual and one in the world. We live one life, which is spiritual! When I was a young boy, all of us, kids had clothes that we wore only to Church. While this was a good idea, it could lead to thinking I act one way when I am in Church, and I act another way when I am not. We live one life, we live for Christ, and whether we are in Church or not, we should be acting the same way.

We come to Church to be nourished in God’s Word and His Body and Blood. We go to and leave Church, not as two separate events! It is one event! We walk out of Church to live what we just professed in Church. We don’t walk out and leave everything in the Church. We take what we hear and eat into our homes, workplaces, cars, and neighborhoods.

The disciples eventually grabbed hold of this, as evidenced in our first reading, where we are told, “They held everything in common.

May we catch hold of what Jesus has done for us by rising from the dead?

The Joy of Easter!

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:42-47

Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

What a handsome and beautiful group of people we have here today! Some of you are in the same seats as you were last week. Thank you, that is good for my attendance chart. But I want to know this: “What is different in our lives because last weekend was Easter? What in our lives has changed?”

I had the worst case of cranky pants this week. I took Monday and Tuesday off but returned not rested from all the liturgies last week. I went to my spiritual director on Wednesday, and the first thing I said to him was, “Buh humbug on Easter joy!”

On my way back, I called my stepmother to see how my dad was doing, and the first thing she said was, “Thank goodness you called when you did. I can’t take care of your dad anymore and am checking on putting him in a long-term care place. My dad is 97, and my stepmother is 96, and we have been telling Jean that it is ok when you know that you can’t care for him to find a good place to have him live. After this conversation, it started a rampage of emails and phone calls every day with my four siblings on what we will do and what everyone thinks.

So what is different in our lives?

In our Gospel, Jesus appears to the disciples on the evening of the first day. The disciples are gathered together behind locked doors. Jesus gives them his peace, breathes on them, and he gives them authority. Jesus returns and appears to them the following week, but what has changed? NOTHING! The disciples are still behind locked doors, and they are still afraid.

Jesus is free, but the disciples are not. The tomb is empty, but the disciples are locked away. The stone is rolled back from the tomb, but the doors are locked. The disciples are afraid of what is beyond those doors.

Our first reading gives us a clue about what helped the disciples to change their lives. We are told the disciples devoted themselves to prayer, breaking of the bread (Eucharist), and striving to live in a community.

We are challenged in the same way: to be people of prayer, receive the Eucharist as much as possible, and strive to live in a community. I want to add one more thing, and it is what my spiritual director said to me on Wednesday. To live in gratitude for all that we have. I make a list each night of what I am grateful for in my life.

Homework: So, what will be different this week from last week? What do we need to do to have our lives know the joy of Easter?