Peter & Paul:[A]:Acts 12:1-11; II Tim 4:6-8, 17-18 Mt 16:13-19

Introduction: Today we observe the feast of martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. The Depositio Martyrum, in the year 258, places the Solemnity of these Apostles on June 29th.  Eventhough they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. Both are the principal patrons of Rome and are mentioned in the Roman Canon.

Peter was son of Jonah and brother of Andrew. He was a professional fisherman from Bethsaida, a fishing town on the Lake of Galilee.  He might have been a follower of John the Baptist. It was his brother Andrew who introduced him to Jesus, and Jesus who changed his name from Simon to Cephas or Peter. Jesus made him the leader of his apostles and the rock on which he would build his Church. Peter was the first to preach the risen Lord on the day of Pentecost. He also convened the first Church Council in Jerusalem and wrote two epistles to the whole Church. He was crucified by the Emperor Nero in A. D. 64, and over his grave was built St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. Patron of those in the fishing industry.

Paul, the fanatical Pharisee and scholar of Judaism was miraculously converted and chosen by the Holy Spirit to be the “apostle to the Gentiles.” He wrote 14 epistles, made several missionary journeys and spent his final days in prison in Caesarea and Rome.  He was beheaded at Tre Fontane. Over his grave was built St. Paul’s Cathedral in Rome. After Jesus, Paul is the most prominent person in the New Testament. 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament are letters attributed to Paul and more than half of the Acts of the Apostles is devoted to Paul’s conversion and to his apostolic activities in spreading the Good News. Patron of the lay apostolate, the Cursillo Movement, and Catholic Action; also of Malta and Greece.

Mission: Our Lord called Peter and gave him a charge, a charge that we Catholics consider a real blessing. Immediately after St. Peter acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus declared to him: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 17-20)  St. Peter’s job was that of giving us unity and the rock-like strength that is found in unity. This job is likewise the job of St. Peter’s successors… the popes, the successor Bishops of Rome. “so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me”. (John 17:21)

St. Paul was tasked by Jesus to bring the diversity of the gentiles into what had begun as an essentially Jewish community of believers. The first believers were, of course, Jews. He became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, he himself having been a Jewish Pharisee. But Paul was careful to carry out his mission not on his own but as a member of the College of Apostles. Paul’s message and teachings were not his own; they were the message and teachings of the Apostles led by St. Peter.

Joke:  A priest settled into a chair in an office. “Is it true,” said the priest, “that your firm does not charge the members of the clergy?” “I am afraid you are misinformed,” stated the officer. “People in your profession can look forward to a reward in the next world, but we people have to take ours in this one.”

Practical Applications: 1) Accept Jesus as Son of the living God. As Jesus is son of the living God, let us be brothers and sisters for the living. This can be achieved only through accepting Jesus as Messiah, the Savior. 

2) It is not the power of being pope in Authority that leads peter to die for Jesus, but having a feeling of unworthiness of death on the cross like Jesus.  And so Peter asked the executioners to crucify him upside down on the cross. Positions are for servicing Jesus and it is not authority.

3) Let us be dutiful as St. Paul was in commissioning Good News to the Gentiles instead of his own. Taking difficult task for Jesus as a mission is the real mission work. Christian duty is to spend life for Jesus among others who are needy.

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul – Introduction

Message: Peter, rescued from the power of Herod, and Paul, protected from his enemies, proclaim with their lives that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

Saints and Events in this Week: 13-Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time; 30-Thirtieth-Monday- The First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church; 1-First – July –Tuesday-Blessed Junipero Serra, priest; 3-Third-Thursday-Saint Thomas, Apostle; 5-Fifth-Saturday-Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria, priest; Saint Elizabeth of Portugal; 

Corpus Christi:[A]: Deut 8: 2-4,14b-16a; I Cor 10: 16-17 Jn 6: 51-58

Corpus Christi:[A]: Deut 8: 2-4,14b-16a; I Cor 10: 16-17 Jn 6: 51-58

Introduction: During the liturgical year there are at least two feasts that invite us to meditate on the mystery of the Eucharist: the Maundy Thursday and the Feast of the Precious Body and Blood of our Lord (Corpus Christi - that is today!).  On the Maundy Thursday, the reflection on the Eucharist is centered on the memorial of the Passover meal and the institution of the priesthood.  The feast of today gives us yet another opportunity to contemplate the mystery of the Eucharist. 

Origin: Today is the Solemnity of “The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.”, the Feast of Corpus Christi, owes its existence to Blessed Juliana, an Augustinian Nun, in Liege, France, who had a great veneration for the Blessed Sacrament around 1230 and longed for a special feast in its honor. Largely through her insistence, in 1264 Pope Urban IV commanded its observance by the Universal Church, on Thursday after Trinity Sunday; however, where it is not a day of obligation it is usually celebrated on the Sunday following Trinity Sunday.

Corpus Christi is the celebration of the abiding presence of a loving God as Emmanuel – God with us – in order to give collective thanks to our Lord living with us in the Eucharist. The feast gives us an occasion to learn more about the importance and value of the “Real Presence” so that we may appreciate the Sacrament better and receive maximum benefit from It.  We explain the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist by the word “transubstantiation” which means that the substance of the consecrated bread and wine is changed to the substance of the risen Jesus’ glorified Body and Blood by the action of the Holy Spirit, and its accidents (like color, shape, taste etc.), remain the same.

Readings: The First Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy tells of Moses' advice and warnings to his people not to forget the deeds God had done for them when they travelled through the desert after being freed from the slavery of Egypt. He recalls the way in which God fed the people of Israel in the desert with manna, that miraculous food which Christians were later to see as a prefiguration of the Eucharist. As they relied on manna for life in the desert, so they must also continually depend on the Word of God. St Paul in the second reading says, the Eucharist builds the Church, whose head is Jesus Christ. Participation in the body and blood of Christ is the source of the life and unity of the Church as one body. From this Eucharistic fellowship with Christ follows the real union of all the faithful with one another in one body. In the Gospel passage, Jesus identifies himself as “the living bread that came down from heaven,” thus linking himself with the manna in the wilderness, while assuring his disciples that, unlike those who ate manna, “One who eats this Bread will live for ever.”    

Anecdote: Two soldier friends served together in Iraq. One was a dull fellow. The other was sharp. Yet, there was a chemistry that made them inseparable. The slow one was wounded. His friend gave his blood. When the wounded fellow learned whose blood had saved his life, he said to his companion, "I feel like a new man."

Something similar should take place each time we receive the Eucharist. We drag ourselves into the Liturgy looking for a spiritual transfusion, a pick-me-up, a refueling. We need an adrenaline rocket that will jump start us and get us through the next six days. 

Joke: Seems an elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years.
He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased you can hear again."

To which the gentleman said, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will five times!"

Practical Applications: 1) Let us appreciate the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, by receiving him with true repentance for our sins, due preparation and reverence.

2) Let us be Christ-bearers and conveyers: By receiving Holy Communion, we become Christ-bearers as Mary was, with the duty of conveying Christ to others at home and in the workplace, through love, mercy, forgiveness and humble and sacrificial service.

3) Let us offer our lives on the altar along with Jesus’ sacrifice, asking pardon for our sins, expressing gratitude for the blessings we have received and presenting our needs and petitions on the altar.

Introduction: Corpus Christi

Message:  The cup we share, is it not the blood of Christ?  And the bread we break, is it not his body? Just as God fed the Israelites with manna from heaven, so too do we feed on the best of wheat, the bread of angels, food for the pilgrim journey.

Saints and Events in this Week: 24-Twenty Forth-Tuesday-The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist; 27-Tweenty Seventh-Friday-The most Sacred heart of Jesus; 28-Twenty Eighth-Saturday-The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Saint Irenaeus, bishop, martyr; 29-Twenty Nineth-Sunday-Saints Peter and Paul. Apostles; 

Holy Trinity Sunday:[A]: Ex 34: 4b-6, 8-9; II Cor 13: 11-13; Jn 3: 16-18

Holy Trinity Sunday:[A]: Ex 34: 4b-6, 8-9; II Cor 13: 11-13; Jn 3: 16-18

Introduction: Holy Mother Church’s Magisterium (the highest teaching authority) teaches on the Trinity. Definitively, she teaches that the Trinity is first a mystery and as such a Dogma which must be believed. This dogma on the Trinity could therefore be summed up as follows: “The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the “consubstantial Trinity”. The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire…The divine persons are really distinct from one another. “God is one but not solitary.” “Father”, “Son”, “Holy Spirit” are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being, for they are really distinct from one another…The divine persons are relative to one another. Because it does not divide the divine unity, the real distinction of the persons from one another resides solely in the relationships which relate them to one another (CCC253-255, p.82-83). We believe in this Mystery of Holy Trinity because Jesus who is God taught it clearly, the Evangelists recorded it, the Fathers of the Church tried to explain it and the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople defined it as a dogma of Christian Faith.

Anecdote: The shamrock, a kind of clover, is a leguminous herb that grows in marshy places. St.  Patrick, the missionary patron saint of Ireland, used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.  The story goes that one day his friends asked Patrick to explain the Mystery of the Trinity.  He looked at the ground and saw shamrocks growing amid the grass at his feet.  He picked one up one of its trifoliate leaves and asked if it were one leaf or three.    Patrick's friends couldn't answer – the shamrock leaf looked like one but it clearly had three parts.  Patrick explained to them: "The mystery of the Holy Trinity – one God in Three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - is like this, but more complex and unintelligible.”     St. Cyril, the teacher of the Slavs, tried to explain the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity using sun as an example.    He said, "God the Father is that blazing sun. God the Son is its light and God the Holy Spirit is its heat — but there is only one sun. So there are three Persons in the Holy Trinity but God is One and indivisible." St. John Maria Vianney used to explain Holy Trinity using lighted candles and roses on the altar and water in the cruets. “The flame has color, warmth and shape. But these are expressions of one flame. Similarly the rose has color, fragrance and shape. But these are expressions of one reality, namely, rose. Water, steam and ice are three distinct expressions of one reality. In the same way one God revealed Himself to us as Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Exegesis:  On this Most Holy Trinity Sunday, our celebration is a song of praise to the Almighty God who has taken us up to share in the very life of the Trinity. Two of the most complete, heavily loaded, and yet very concise prayers and blessings are this: “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you!” and “May the Almighty God bless you the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit. I call these Trinitarian formulas and fellowship. In these prayers, and blessings, the Trinitarian God unite to perform this function for which they are being consulted. Paul knew this and so, constantly employed this Trinitarian formula in concluding of most of his letters to the churches he wrote to (1 Cor, 16, 23; 2Cor 13, 14; Gal 6, 18; Phil 4, 2).

Joke: At Sunday school they were learning how God created everything, including human beings. Johnny was especially intent when the teacher told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs.

Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, “Johnny, what is the matter?”

Johnny responded, “I have pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife.”

Practical Applications: 1) Let us respect ourselves and others because everyone is the temple of the Holy Spirit where all the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity abide. 

2) Let us practice the Trinitarian relationship of love and unity in the family relationships of father, mother and children because by Baptism we become children of God and members of God’s Trinitarian family.

Introduction: Holy Trinity Sunday

Message: God sent his son to save us and to forgive us, making us his adopted children.  Like the Trinity, may we be united in peace and love through the Spirit, through whom we offer God praise and glory.

Saints and Events in this week: 15-Fifteenth - Fathers Day; Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time; 19-Nineteenth – Thursday- Saint Romuald, abbot; 21-Twenty First-Saturday, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious; 

Pentecost Sunday:[A]:Acts2:1-11;ICor12:3b-7,12-13;Jn20:19-23

Pentecost Sunday:[A]:Acts2:1-11;ICor12:3b-7,12-13;Jn20:19-23

Introduction:  Today we celebrate the birthday of this Church – the universal church.  We celebrate the presence of the Spirit in this believing community today, just as it was present among the community in Jerusalem.   In some countries this day is celebrated as the feast of the laity.  It is the feast of every believer.  The liturgy of the Word on this day suggests the theme of unity of the Church.

Exegesis:  Evangelist Luke considers the event of the resurrection (Easter) and the decent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) as two significant events, not necessarily as separate events.  As the resurrection of the Lord is associated with the Jewish feast of the Passover, Luke considers it meaningful to situate the coming of the Holy Spirit within the Jewish feast of the Pentecost – a harvest festival that was celebrated fifty days after the Passover.  Strongly prejudiced by this Lukan tradition we tend to consider the Pentecost as a separate feast, and the descent of the Holy Spirit also as a dramatic event always and fail to see that no other Gospel has this separate narration.  On the other hand, according to the Gospel of John – as we heard it read in today’s gospel text (Jn 20:19-23), the descent of the Holy Spirit is on the day of the resurrection of the Lord.  It reads: “In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week… Jesus came and stood among them… he said to them: ‘Peace be with you…’After saying this he breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’!

Therefore, the Holy Spirit cannot be separated from the Risen Lord.  Pentecost cannot be separated from Easter!  Holy Spirit could be considered as the continued presence of the Risen Lord.  Jesus, after his resurrection is not present with us as he was present for 33 years in his incarnate form – as Jesus of Nazareth.  But He is alive, and the Spirit completes His work.

The event: On the day of Pentecost 1) The Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and Blessed Virgin Mary as fiery tongues. 2) The frightened apostles were transformed into fiery preachers and evangelizers by a special anointing of the Holy Spirit. 3) The audience experienced a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues, hearing Peter speaking in their languages. 4) The early Christians became powerful witnesses and brave martyrs for faith.

Joke:   Seeing her friend Sally wearing a new locket, Meg asks if there is a memento of some sort inside.

“Yes,” says Sally, “a lock of my husband’s hair.”

“But Larry’s still alive.”

“I know, but his hair is gone.”

Practical applications: The idea Paul suggests is that being a part of the body of Christ, we each have a function for the common good.  We need to find out what that function is that the Spirit has given us, develop it, trust God the Spirit to activate it, and then appreciate and not be envious of the gifts of others which work to further our own good.

I am suggesting, with Paul today, that each of you has been given a gift to advance the community here. You may not have discovered that gift yet. You may have been afraid to discover that gift. But with your confirmation, it can be discovered and activated. It may even surprise you. This week I would love for you to think about what gift or gifts you may have been graced with, and whether you are using them for the good of this community or in building Christ’s kingdom beyond us. You may want to think of it as a talent for something or just simply something you are good at, but it is important to bring it to our table, to use it, to function as part of Christ’s body.  I promise you, when you use it properly it will feel very satisfying and good and you will know you have contributed to the unity of this parish and this community through the grace of God.  This is the Good News you need to discover within yourself and use.  Happy Birthday to our Church.

Introduction: Pentecost Sunday

Message:   All of us have been baptized into one and the same Spirit.  That same Spirit, the Advocate, was given as gift to the disciples to strengthen them to go forth in the name of the Lord, “to renew the face of the earth”.

Saints and Events in this week:  Ordinary Time continues in A liturgical cycle-10^th (Tenth)-week; 9-(Nineth)-Monday-Saint Ephrem, deacon, doctor of the Church; 11-(Eleventh)-Wednesday-Saint Barnabas, apostle; 13-(Thirteenth)-Friday-Saint Anthony of Padua, priest, doctor of the Church; 

VII Sunday Easter-Ascension:[A]:Acts1:1-11;Eph1:17-23;Mt28:16-20

VII Sunday Easter-Ascension:[A]:Acts1:1-11;Eph1:17-23;Mt28:16-20

Introduction:  Today is the 7th and the last Sunday of Easter Season. The feast of “The Ascension of the Lord” that we celebrate today was actually last Thursday – exactly 40 days after Easter, but because of its importance and for pastoral reasons we are allowed to move it to this Sunday, as we have done today.

Exegesis: In Luke and Acts of the Apostles the Ascension takes place in Bethany, near Jerusalem, whereas in Mathew and Mark it takes place in Galilee. However, both agree that it takes place on a mountain.  Today, we have St. Luke's account of the Ascension as described in the First Reading of today from the Acts of Apostles. Jesus led his disciples as far as Bethany and we are told that on a mountain “As they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” Then, they joyfully returned to Jerusalem praising God. There are two details worth noting in this description:

Firstly, it took place in 'Bethany,'  the place from which Jesus entered  Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Now it is also from Bethany that Jesus enters the 'heavenly Jerusalem' - the 'dwelling place' of His Father.

Secondly, the 'cloud' mentioned is no ordinary cloud. In the Old Testament, the cloud was a sign not only of the Father's closeness to His people but also of His presence. So, we are told that it is the Father who is at work in the Ascension of Jesus.

Ascension is a glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ, ascension marks the end of Jesus' earthly work of redemption and ascension can also be seen as Jesus parting from his disciples.  This feast is the hope of our glorification and a guarantee to meet our Lord in heaven. It is a reminder of our salvation, a reminder that our true home is in heaven. So, today, we are challenged to look beyond this world to the destiny which we are to share with Christ in heaven. This world is only a place of temporary refuge; a world of passage and not a world of permanence.

Joke:  1) The ascension mission to preach the gospel: After attending a convention led by Billy Graham a woman wrote to him. “Dear Sir, I feel that God is calling me to preach the gospel. But the trouble is that I have twelve children. What shall I do?” The televangelist replied: “Dear Madam, I am delighted to hear that God has called you to preach the Gospel. I am even more delighted to hear that He has already provided you with a congregation in your own home.”

Practical: This feast of the Ascension is a reminder for all of us, not just of what awaits us when we die, but also what we need to do while still on earth alive. Jesus before his Ascension commissioned his disciples, and us too, to be his witnesses and carry out his mission to the ends of the earth till his return. We have to make time to become more and more like Christ in everything. Then we can proclaim the Good News to others not only through our words and deeds, but also though our lives, so that Jesus will also reign in their hearts and one day we all will be with him in heaven.

Introduction:  Seventh Sunday of Easter-Ascension

Message: Jesus commissions his disciples to baptize in his name, reminding them that he is always present through his Spirit. Having ascended to his Father amid cries of gladness, we are to be his witnesses for we have been gifted with his Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Let us, therefore, live in a manner worthy of the call we have received.

Saints and Events in this week: 2-Second-Monday-Saints Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs; 3-Third-Tuesday-Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, martyrs; 5-Fifth-Thursday-Saint Boniface, bishop, martyr; 6-Sixth-Friday-Saint Norbert, bishop; 8-Eighth-Sunday-Pentacost Sunday;

VI Sunday of Easter:[A]:Acts 8:5-17; 1 Pet 3:15-18; Jn. 14:15-21

VI Sunday of Easter:[A]:Acts 8:5-17; 1 Pet 3:15-18; Jn. 14:15-21

Introduction: We are at the end period of Easter Season and today is the 6^th Sunday. The Gospel Reading of today from St. John continues the Farewell Discourse of Jesus. Ideally situated in the Liturgical Year to anticipate the coming feasts of Ascension and Pentecost, the reading tells both of Jesus’ immanent departure and his promise of the Holy Spirit.

Exegesis: The theme of today’s Scripture Readings is the proclamation of “The Divine Presence of the Holy Spirit” and they refer to the missionary age of the Christians and the presence and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit to be given to them. In the Gospel Reading Jesus calls him the Advocate, the Spirit of truth who will live in the hearts of Christians to console and to guide them. While the presence of the Holy Spirit is a free gift of God’s love, it is only received by those who want and prepare themselves for it. The First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles begins with the persecution of the early Church in Jerusalem and yet speaks of the spread of the Church to the surrounding places. Deacon Philip preaches successfully in Samaria and the Apostles are called to lay their hands on them so that the community receives the Holy Spirit. In the Second Reading from his first Letter to the scattered Christian communities, St. Peter urges them to be ready to engage others in order to explain Christian expectations. He implies that suffering is a likely consequence of preaching. It is interesting that St. Peter characterizes Christianity by its hope, its expectations of what is to happen because of Christ.

Explanation: And he promises them that even afterward he will remain with them but in a very different way from now. The context once again is the Last Supper. The reading picks up where last Sunday we left off. But whereas last Sunday’s passage centered on believing in Jesus, this week’s passage centers on loving him. Those who love Jesus keep his commandments. In other words, covenant fidelity is an outpouring of love. Jesus is about to leave the world and return to his Father and when he is no longer physically present, he promises to send them another Advocate, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth to be with them always. 'Advocate' is a translation of the Greek word 'Paraclete' and it carries a range of meanings – Counselor, Comforter, Helper, Intercessor, Strengthener. It literally means 'one called alongside to help' whenever necessary. In other words, the disciples need not be troubled or afraid because they will never be alone. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, will always be with them to defend them, to intercede for them, and to comfort them.

Joke:  Three buddies die in a car crash, and they go to heaven to an orientation.
They are all asked, "When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you? The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man."
The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher which made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."
The last guy replies, "I would like to hear them say, "Look! He's moving!"

Practical: Do we earnestly and genuinely wish for the Spirit of truth to enter into our hearts and stay with us always? If we are at all uncertain about any of our answers to these questions, then let us pray - pray that we might truly be open to the scriptures, open to God, open to Jesus and what he asks of us in love. And pray that as Pentecost approaches we too might become filled with “The Divine presence of the Holy Spirit” and completely open to the love and freedom in Christ that is promised to us as a result.

Introduction:  Sixth Sunday of Easter

Message: The people of Samaria come to worship the Lord and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is this same Spirit that leads us into the truth.  In the body, Jesus was put to death; in the Spirit, he was raised to life.  We are called to this same glory.

Saints and Events in this week: 26-TwentySixth-Monday-Saint Philip Neri, priest; 27-TwentySeventh-Tuesday-Saint Augustine of Canterbury; 31-ThirtyFirst-Saturday-The Visitation of the Blessed virgin Mary; June-First-The Ascension of Our Lord;

V Sunday of Easter:[A]:Acts 6:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:4-9; Jn. 14:1-12

V Sunday of Easter:[A]:Acts 6:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:4-9; Jn. 14:1-12

Introduction:  Jesus invites us to let go and trust in him. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through him. A first reading helps us to understand the priesthood we all share and that leads to the responsibilities of total surrender.

Exegesis: The word priesthood is traced to the descendants of Levi, the third son of Jacob by Lia. The whole tribe of Levi by the command of God was set apart for the service of the sanctuary. Therefore in the apportionment of the land of Chanaan, the tribe of Levi received no tribal territory [Jos.13]. In lieu of land they received the tithes and also four cities with suburban pasture lands from each of the other tribes of Israel. As most of their duties required a man's full strength, the Levites usually entered active service at the age of 30. At the exodus from Egypt the male descendants of Levi from a month old and upward numbered 22,000. In the journey through the wilderness the number of the Levites from 30 years up to 50 years, the year of superannuation, was 8580. [Numb.4]

In Exodus 40:12-15, we read that God commanded Moses to set Aaron and his sons apart and to anoint them so that they may serve Him as priests, going from generation to generation. Their anointing would admit them to a perpetual priesthood. From this, we learn that those who belonged to the priesthood, a class that had been set apart in society, had been personally chosen by God to serve Him in a perpetual priesthood. When combining both words, "royal" and "priesthood," we learn that those who possess that title are persons of royal blood who have been personally chosen by God to serve Him in a perpetual priesthood that enjoys a different status in society.

Turning to the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus commanded the Sacrament of Baptism as a condition to being admitted into the Kingdom of God. He said, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit."[Jn. 3:5] Turning to the First Letter of John, we read that the seed of God abides in those who are born of God. [1Jn.3:9] From this additional knowledge we learn that those who have been baptized and admitted into the mystical Body of Christ that forms the spiritual Kingdom of God on earth, their royal blood is traced to the seed of God. They are set a part from the society for the welfare of the society.

Joke:  As a lead-in to today's Gospel, I would like to begin with a humorous story: It's about a man who falls off a cliff. On the way down he manages to grab a tree limb. With both hands grasping the limb, he looks down into a deep canyon. He cries out, "Help, please. Is anyone up there?"

After an unbearable silence, a voice answers, "Yes, I am here."

"Who are you?" the man shouts.

"It’s me, the Lord!"

Greatly relieved, the man says, "Oh, thank you! Have you come to rescue me?"

"Yes," says the Lord. "But you will have to trust me and do exactly what I say."

"Anything!" the man says.

The Voice says, "Let go. I will catch you.”

The man thinks for a second, looks down into the canyon, then asks, "Is there anyone else up there?"

Explanation: Well...the story indicates the dilemma we face in today's Gospel. Jesus says clearly, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus, the eternal Son of the Father, is the only Way. Jesus himself is God. There is no one else up there. He alone can rescue us. But there is a hitch: We have to let go, trust totally in Him.

Sometimes people hold back from Christianity because they fear that it is "exclusive." In one sense that is understandable - Jesus does make some absolute claims. Jesus himself, however, is perfectly inclusive. He includes in Himself the entire Jewish faith. He also includes the monotheism and surrender of Islam, as well as the self-abnegation of the Buddha. He even embraces what is good and noble in paganism.

As Christians we follow Jesus - the one way to salvation, who is himself the fullness of life and truth. This does not mean that we claim to be oracles of truth. Or that we know all the answers or are always right. No, our approach to the truth requires humility. Our royal priesthood is to serve without exclusivity.

Practical: Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Total surrender should be reflected through our true faith, which should be seen by others as all inclusive. Jesus’ all inclusive nature leads us to follow him through the true way to Eternal life.

Introduction:  Fifth Sunday of Easter

Message: We are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood” called to place our faith and trust in the Spirit of Jesus who guides the community of faith.

Saints and Events in this week: 20-Twentieth-Tuesday-Saint Bernadine of Siena, priest; 21-TwentyFirst-Wednesday-Saint Christopher Magallanes, priest, and Companions, martyrs; 22-Twenty Second-Thursday-Saint Rita of Cascia, religious;