Pentacost Sunday:[C]: Acts 2:1-11; I Cor 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn. 20:19-23

Pentacost Sunday:[C]: Acts 2:1-11; I Cor 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn. 20:19-23

Pentecost literally means 50^th. It is a feast celebrated on the 50^th day after the Passover feast by the Jews and a feast celebrated on the 50^th day after the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus by the Christians. The Jewish Pentecost was originally a post-harvest thanksgiving feast.  Later it was celebrated to remember God’s covenants with Noah after the Deluge and with Moses at Mt. Sinai.

Exegesis:  “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.  Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.”(Acts 2:2-4)  On that day, 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.

Event:  An old beggar lay on his deathbed.  His last words were to his youngest son who had been his constant companion during his begging trips.  “Dear son," he said, “I have nothing to give you except a cotton bag and a dirty bronze bowl which I got in my younger days from the junk yard of a rich lady.”  After his father’s death, the boy continued begging, using the bowl his father had given him.  One day a gold merchant dropped a coin in the boy’s bowl and he was surprised to hear a familiar clinking sound.  “Let me check your bowl,” the merchant said.  To his great surprise, he found that the beggar’s bowl was made of pure gold.  “My dear young man," he said, “why do you waste your time begging?  You are a rich man.  That bowl of yours is worth at least thirty thousand dollars.”  We Christians are often like this beggar boy who failed to recognize and appreciate the value of his bowl.  We fail to appreciate the infinite worth of the Holy Spirit living within each of us, sharing His gifts and fruits and charisms with us. 

Joke: A young man finally got a job at the Post Office. He was full of energy and eager to please. The supervisor agreed to work with the new employee, even though he had been warned that he was still immature and knew nothing of the job.

The first job the supervisor gives the young man is in sorting, and much to everyone's surprise, the new employee separated the letters so fast that his motions were literally a blur. The supervisor was very pleased and asked the young man to come into his office at the end of the day.

He said, "I just want you to know that we are all very proud of you. You're one of the fastest workers we have ever had."

The humble young man said, "Thank you, sir. And tomorrow, I'll try to do even better."

"Better?" the supervisor asked with astonishment. "How can you possibly do better?"
The young man smiled proudly and said, "Tomorrow, I am going to read the addresses."

Practical applications: 1) Permit the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives: a) By constantly remembering His holy presence and behaving well.  b) By praying for His daily anointing so that we may fight against our temptations and control our evil tendencies, evil habits and addictions.  c) By asking His daily assistance to pray, listening to God through meditative Bible reading and talking to Him.

2) Ask the help of the Holy Spirit to do good to others and to get reconciled to God and others every day.  To be moved along with Holy Spirit.

Introduction: Pentacost Sunday

Message: All of us have been baptized into one and the same Spirit, and live by that same Spirit.  That same Spirit, the Advocate, was given as gift to the disciples to remind them of all that Jesus said and did, and 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: 20-Monday-Ordinary time, 7^th week begins; Saint Bernardine of Siena, priest; 21-Tuesday-Saint Christopher Magallanes, priest and companions, martyrs; 22-Wednesday-Saint Rita of Cascia, religious; 25-Saturday-Saint Bede the Venerable, priest, doctor of the Church; Saint Gregory VII, pope; Saint Mary Magdalene de” Pazzi.

VII Sunday Easter:[C]: Acts 7:55-60; Rev.22:12-14,16-17,20; Jn 17: 20-26

Introduction: The first reading describes the martyrdom of Stephen and how he bore witness to the forgiving love of Jesus by his last prayer.  In the second reading, from the Book of Revelation, Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, is pictured as having all the forces of heaven and earth at his disposal, and standing ready to help us in our Christian witness-bearing.  It is relatively easy to acknowledge our oneness with Stephen, and to long for the experience of eternal oneness with “all those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb."  But to remain truly one with all of our brothers and sisters continues to be a daily challenge.  Today’s gospel is the last part of the “priestly prayer” of Jesus after the Last Supper. This chapter of John has been called “The Testament of Jesus” or “Jesus’ High Priestly” or “Jesus’ Intercessory Prayer.” During that long prayer, Jesus prayed first for himself - for his own glorification (vv 1-5) – as he faced the cross.  Then, he prayed for his disciples that they might be unified and protected in the face of opposition from the world. (vv 6-19), and finally he prayed for those in distant lands and far-off ages, including ourselves, who would enter the Christian faith.  Thus, this is Jesus’ prayer for each one of us.  We have complete faith and certainty because Jesus put his confidence in God.

Event: The 1973 movie, Message to My Daughter, is the moving story of Miranda, a completely disoriented teenage girl who saw the world as “meaningless, cruel and stupid.” Miranda did not know her mother. She died when Miranda was only two years old. Miranda felt unloved and was incapable of loving anyone. Then she discovered some tapes on which her dying mother had recorded a “message” for her. As she listened to the words of her long-dead mother, she realised that she was not the unloved child she thought she was. Her mother had thought of her and had loved her very tenderly. This discovery brought about in her a complete change in the way she saw herself and the world around her. She was finally able to acceptance herself and put her life together again.

Exegesis:  It makes a lot of difference for us to know that Jesus thought of us, that he had us in mind as he died and gave his life for the salvation of the world, that he actually prayed for us. We know that God always hears the prayer of Jesus. So, if Jesus prayed for us we would like to know what it was that he prayed for us about. What Jesus asked the Father in our behalf is basically one thing: unity.

Joke:   1) A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood.

Trying to make the matter clearer, he said, "Now, boys, if I stood on my head the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I should turn red in the face."

"Yes, sir," the boys said. 

"Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?"

A little fellow at the back shouted, "Because your feet aren't empty."

Practical Applications:  1)We need to pray for unity and serve one another in unity.  We must pray for unity and discuss the similarities we share with others as well as our differences. Along with prayer, we must put our words into action. This means that we are to serve one another and to love one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord.  2) Let us try to make peace and unity wherever we are.   3) Let us also pray for all our mothers.

Introduction:  Seventh Sunday of Easter; Ascension of the Lord; Mothers Day

Message:  Jesus commissions his disciples to baptize in his name, reminding them that he is always present through his Spirit.  Jesus ascended to his Father amid cries of gladness, entering into the heavenly sanctuary.  We are to be his witnesses, mindful of the great hope to which we are called.

Saints and events in this week:   13-Monday-Our Lady of Fatima; 14-Tuesday-Saint Matthias, Apostle; 15-Wednesday-Saint Isidore(USA); 18-Saturday-Saint John I, Pope, martyr.

VI Sunday Easter:[C]:Acts 14:1-2, 22-29; Rev 21:10-14, 22-23; Jn 14:23-29

VI Sunday Easter:[C]:Acts 14:1-2, 22-29; Rev 21:10-14, 22-23; Jn 14:23-29

Event: In Africa young girls who consecrate themselves to God as nuns dress up as brides for a wedding and sing love songs to Jesus. A few years after such a religious ceremony, a young nun who had been having a rough time in her mission assignment comes back to the convent and asks the Mother Superior: “Mother, is it really true that we are spouses of Christ.” “Yes, it is true, my daughter,” replies the Mother Superior, “Why do you ask?” “Well,” stammered the young nun, “Since I was professed five years ago, I haven’t actually felt anything!”

Our poor nun may not have felt anything, yet she remains on the right track in understanding the relationship between Jesus and his devotees in terms of an intimate love relationship. When Jesus speaks in today’s gospel of “those who love me” he is referring to his followers. For Jesus “those who love me” is another way of saying “my disciples” or “those who believe in me” or simply “Christians.” The relationship between the Christian and Christ is essentially a love relationship. That is why Jesus said in John 15:15 “I do not call you servants any longer ... I call you friends.” Yet many of us feel more comfortable serving Jesus as boss rather than relating to him as a friend. There is a limit to what a boss can demand from you. There is no such limit when it comes to friendship and intimacy.

Sometimes loneliness overwhelms us.  It overwhelms everyone at times.  Sometimes we think about our mistakes, our sins, and we become despondent.  Everyone at some time or other asked himself or herself, “How could a person like me, a person who is inclined to sin do God’s work?”  Everyone suffers from crippling guilt at times in his or her life.  Everyone makes the mistake of letting the past destroy the present and eliminate the future. When we feel we are all alone, when we feel that we are not good enough, we need to remember that Jesus did not ascend and then leave us destitute. He didn’t leave us with His Power, His Presence, His Life.    And he didn’t leave us to spend the rest of our lives contemplating our belly buttons.  He empowers us to bring His Presence to all, beginning with our families and then extending to the entire world. 

“Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23).

Joke:   A 2 ½-year-old, Kelli, went with a neighbor girl to church for First Communion practice. The pastor has the children cup their hands, and when he gives them the Host - in this case, a piece of bread - he says, “God be with you.” Apparently this made quite an impression on her. She came home and told her mother to cup her hands and bend down. Kelli took a piece of bread from her sandwich, placed it in her mother’s hands, and whispered, in her most angelic voice, “God will get you.”

Practical Applications:  1)We are not alone.  One of the great social and ethical problems of our time is isolation.   Spouses, parents and children often live as virtual strangers to one another.   This is unfortunate because we never need to be alone.   Jesus can always be present to us.  2)Let us live our daily lives appreciating the abiding presence of God within us.  It is the abiding presence of God within us that enables us to face the future with undying hope and true Christian courage.  

Introduction:  Sixth Sunday of Easter

Message: By listening attentively to the Spirit promised by Jesus, the early Church resolves the question whether Gentile converts need to observe certain Jewish ritual practices.  All are called to dwell in the heavenly Jerusalem, founded on the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Saints and events in this week:   9-Thursday-Ascension of the Lord; 10-Friday-Saint Damien de Veuster, priest from USA;

V Sunday Easter[C]: Acts 14: 21-27; Rev 21: 1-5; Jn 13: 31-33, 34-35

V Sunday Easter[C]: Acts 14: 21-27; Rev 21: 1-5; Jn 13: 31-33, 34-35

Introduction:  Jesus tells his disciples in this passage from the Last Supper Discourse that now he is glorified, and God is glorified in him and will soon glorify him further. Jesus says that he will be with them only a little while longer. Then Jesus gives them a new commandment: "As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." This is the sign whereby people will be able to recognize disciples of Jesus -- their love for one another.

Exegesis:  The word "glory" appears about 375 times in the Old Testament and about 175 times in the New. The key to grasping its elusive meaning is to understand that, like a sacramental sign, its purpose is to create or to deepen personal relationship. "The heavens declare the glory of God...the whole earth is full of his glory" (Ps 19:2 and Is 6:3). It is possible, however, for an individual to express deep awe in the presence of the beauty of the heavens and the earth, yet not recognize the beauty as a gift of God's glory. For its inter-personal meaning to be realized, glory (like a sacrament) must at the same time be objectively given and subjectively received. To recognize the glory of divine presence in gratitude -- now doubling the meaning of the term -- is to give glory to God.

The Gospel according to John tells the good news that Jesus is the complete, human manifestation of God's presence among us: he is the glory or sacramental sign of the divine presence. John structures his gospel around seven major signs or expressions of divine glory: changing water to wine at the wedding feast ("Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him" [Jn 2:11]); cure of the noble's son; cure of the paralytic; feeding the multitude with bread; showing power over the sea; giving sight to the blind man; raising Lazarus from death. Through these signs some began to recognize the divine presence in him. Others, however, remained blind and did not perceive these events as the presence of God's glory.

In his farewell address, Jesus speaks of the eighth event that will be the summary and climax of the seven previous signs. This will happen when he is lifted up for all to see, giving himself in love even to death on a cross. This sign is the ultimate revelation that God is love -- the complete expression of God's glory. God is thus manifested or glorified in him. Jesus on the cross declares the supreme glory of God to be love. God then glorifies him through resurrection.

Anecdote: Jesus says, "I give you a new commandment: Love one another - as I have loved you..."

An incident from the life of Blessed Mother Teresa illustrates this new way of love: Once a journalist accompanied her as she made her rounds, caring for the dying. One of the men had a wound that oozed decay and gave off a foul odor. Mother Teresa calmly washed the wound, all the while speaking softly to the man.

After Mother Teresa finished and they were walking away, the journalist said, "I wouldn't do that for all the gold in the world."

Mother Teresa replied, "Neither would I." She did it for something - or someone - worth more than the entire world's gold. Her strength and love came from the time she spent before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - an hour or more each day.

You and I are not Blessed Mother Teresa - but Jesus may call us to a similar love. One of my friends is caring for his elderly father. His dad always said that, more than anything else, he feared two things: dementia and incontinence. Now, both those afflictions have befallen him. His children, including my friend, take turns caring for their dad, one or two days a week.

"I give you a new commandment: Love one another - as I have loved you."

Joke:   There was an old woman on a plane, sitting next to the Pope. It was stormy outside, and the plane was being rocked by some severe turbulence. So this kindly old lady looked upon Death's door, and said to her papal neighbour. 'Father, surely you can do something about this...' To which the Pope replied, 'Sorry lady, I'm in sales, not management.'

Practical Applications: 1) Let us learn to love ourselves so that we may learn to love each other. The old commandment (Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18) says: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  How do we learn to cherish others and care for them if we  have never learned to do the same for ourselves?  2) Let us love others in our daily lives:  We are asked to love as Jesus loved in the ordinary course of our lives.  This means that we should love others by allowing ourselves to be moved with pity for them. 3) Let us demonstrate our love for others: When we are assembled and have guests, we have an opportunity to demonstrate our love for another.  They must see Christians as people who are glad to see one another, who are willing to take the time to visit with each other and who know each other. 

Introduction: V Sunday of Easter

Message: At the conclusion of their missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas tell the Antioch community all that the Lord had accomplished in their preaching the kingdom of God.  This kingdom, to be marked by our love for one another, will reach its fulfillment in new heavens and a new earth.

Saints and events in this week: 29-Monday-Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, doctor of the Church; 30-Tuesday-Saint Pius V, Pope; May-1-Wednesday-Saint Joseph the Worker; 2-Thursday-saint Athanasius, bishop, doctor of the Church; 3-Friday-Saint Philip and James, Apostles

IV Sunday Easter:[C]:Acts 13:14, 43-52; Rev 7:9, 14-17; Jn. 10:27-30

Introduction: The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday, and it is the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.”  The scripture lessons for this day concern the role of the shepherds of God’s flock in the Church. Each year on this Sunday, we reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who devotedly and kindly takes care of his flock. The title "pastor" means shepherd.  A shepherd leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects his flock—responsibilities that belong to every Church leader.  The earliest Christians saw Jesus as the fulfilment of the ancient Jewish dream of the good shepherd.  

Readings: In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we are presented with the apostolic work of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch. They boldly preached the Gospel of Christ to the pagans; of course, this did them no good whatsoever in the eyes of the world —they were cast out.  But they were happy to be cast out because they had sowed the seeds of the Gospel among the people and won many converts. They are presented to us as a model for ministry in the Church.  In the second reading we are told about what it will be like in heaven under the care of The Lamb who will be our shepherd and who will lead us to springs of living water.  For our Gospel reading we have the last part of Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel. In the other two years of the liturgical cycle we take in turn the other two sections of this chapter dedicated to the Good Shepherd. This year we have just the last few verses from Chapter 10.

Exegesis: Jesus plainly tells us three things, namely: 1) that we are the gift of the Father to Jesus; 2) we are his and no one can steal us from him and 3) he will give us eternal life.

First, we are the gift of the Father to Jesus. We don’t come to Jesus by ourselves - no, we are led by the Father. What a wonderful reassuring thought this is. That the Father is so interested in us and finds us so precious that he chooses to entrust us to his Son.

Second, that no one can steal us from Christ. Yes, we can reject him ourselves, if we are foolish enough to do so, but no one can take us away from him. With this in mind we need have no real fear of persecution or temptation.

Thirdly, he will give us eternal life; indeed it is his own life that he shares with us—the divine life. There is no greater thing that could happen to us than to be taken up into heaven to live with God forever.

Joke:   A man in an Armani suit, Ferragamo shoes, the latest Polarized sunglasses and a tightly knotted power tie emerges from his shiny silver BMW car, approaches a shepherd guarding his flock, and proposes a wager: "Will you give me one of your sheep, if I can tell you the exact number in this flock?"  The shepherd accepts.  "973," says the man.  The shepherd, astonished at the accuracy, says, "I'm a man of my word; take the sheep you have won."  The man picks a ‘sheep’ and begins to walk away.  "Wait," cries the shepherd, "Let me have a chance to get even.  Will you return my animal if I tell what your job is?”  "Sure," replies the man.  "You are an economist for a government think tank," says the shepherd.  "Amazing!" responds the man, "How did you deduce that?”  "Well," says the shepherd, “you drove into my field uninvited.  You asked me to pay you for information I already know, answered questions I haven’t asked, and you know nothing about my business.  Now put down my dog; it is not a sheep.”

Situations: Jesus also states very clearly I and the Father are one. This is Jesus declaring openly his divinity. That he is human is clear to his hearers, but for him to say I and the Father are one is a declaration of divinity beyond all doubt. The next line in the text, not part of our reading today is: The Jews fetched stones to stone him. They see this declaration as the highest form of heresy and, of course, this is what ultimately leads to his passion and death.

Practical Applications: 1) And we think about the need for Good Shepherds for the local communities scattered throughout the world in towns and villages. We think about our need for priests, good priests, priests who will lead us and serve us and bring us the sacraments.

2) This is the living community of the Church. This is how the faith is handed on, not by the preaching of sermons but the living sermon of our faith lived out in our communal celebration of the mass every week. Each person is vital; each person is a living part of the Body of Christ here on earth; each person giving an example to the next generation that being part of the Church is the most important thing they do.

3) Don’t worry about inspiring young people to be priests or religious; they will come along somehow or other. No, concentrate on the next generation in our Church; concentrate on handing on the faith to all the young people who live among us.

Introduction: IV Sunday of Easter

Message:  Know that Jesus is the Lord, the Lamb on the throne who will shepherd his flock and give them eternal life.  In his name, Paul and Barnabas proclaim the word of God to Jew and Gentile alike.

Saints and events in this week: 23-Tuesday-Saint George, martyr; Saint Adalbert, bishop, martyr; 24-Wednesday- Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest, martyr; 25- Thursday-Saint Mark, Evangelist.

III Sunday of Easter:[C]: Act 5:27-32,40-41; Rev 5:11-14; Jn 21:1-19

III Sunday of Easter:[C]: Act 5:27-32,40-41; Rev 5:11-14; Jn 21:1-19

The Sacrament of the Eucharist is known by this and other titles, discussed in the Catechism.  "The Lord's Supper, because of its connection with the supper which the Lord took with his disciples on the eve of his Passion and because it anticipates the wedding feast of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem.(1Cor 11:20; Rev 19:9)

"The Breaking of Bread” because Jesus used this rite, part of a Jewish meal, when as master of the table he blessed and distributed the bread, (Mt 14:19; 15:36; Mk 8:6,19) above all at the Last Supper. (Mt 26:26; 1 Cor 11:24) It is by this action that his disciples will recognize him after his Resurrection, (Luke 24:13-35) and it is this expression that the first Christians will use to designate their Eucharistic assemblies; (Acts 2:42, 26; 20:7, 11) by doing so they signified that all who eat the one broken bread, Christ, enter into communion with him and form but one body in him.(1 Cor 10:16-17). So also called, “Holy Communion”.

We are led to the Easter Christ in the Eucharist by this beautiful and moving account of our Lord's appearance to the disciples.  There are two accounts that show the risen Christ in communion sharing with the disciples: i.e. 1) Eating at the seashore (John 21:1-19) and 2) Breaking the bread at the completion of the travel to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-35)

Joke: A four-year-old was in church when the precious blood and the body of Jesus were passed out. He was very interested in this, and started to get up. His mother leaned over and told him that he was not old enough to partake in the Communion.

Later, when the collection plate came by, he ignored it. His mother again leaned over and tried to coax the nickel out of him. He steadfastly refused, stating, “If I can't eat, I’m not paying.”

Anecdote: A well-known speaker began a seminar by holding up a $20 bill.  He asked the audience, “Who would like to have this $20 bill?"   Hands started going up.   He then said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, “Who still wants it?”   The hands remained in the air.  "Well,” he added, “What if I do this?”  He dropped it to the floor and proceeded to grind it with his shoe.  He picked it up, crumpled and dirty.  "Now who still wants it?” Still a few hands were raised because the bill had not decreased in value.  It was still worth $20.     Many times in our lives, we feel crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.  We feel as though we are worthless.   No matter what has happened to us, however, we never lose our value in God’s eyes.   The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we are, but from Him to whom we belong!  We are special – let us never forget it!  This is the lesson of today’s gospel, which tells us how Jesus chose Peter to be the leader of his Church, even though Peter had denied him three times.

Shattered as they were by His crucifixion and death, news of which had been passed throughout the cities and towns from Jerusalem, the disciples were in need of the greatest gift of heaven, to fill them again with hope, to give them undying faith in the Risen Lord. And so the Catechism leads our thoughts to the presence of the risen Lord whom we worship, adore, praise and receive in the Mass, the "Lord's Supper."

We need to start with our own relationship to Christ. Before Jesus tells Peter to tend his sheep, he asks, "Do you love me?" Prayer has to come first. When St. Monica asked the Bishop Ambrose what to do about her pagan son, he told her, "Before you talk to Augustine about God, make sure you talk to God about Augustine." It’s a great advice and Prayer - especially before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Hear him and then ask, "Do you love me?"

Practical Applications: 1) Holy Eucharist strengthens us; give us courage in life to witness Christ Jesus. It demands a dedicated life of faith. 2) Holy Eucharist clears our doubts and makes us learned. 3) Holy Eucharist lead us to examine our conscience by answering his question of love and receive him worthily. 4) Our feeling of unworthiness to receive Holy Eucharist shows our love of Jesus.  Many a times Holy Eucharist helps us to live a worthy life of faith.

Introduction: Third Sunday of Easter

Message: Jesus appears to seven of his disciples, among them Peter who proclaims his unfailing love for the Lord.  Jesus commissions him to feed the sheep.  Later, in face of persecution, Peter and the apostles proclaim the name of Jesus, the lamb who was slain and who rescues us from death.

Saints and Events in this week: 17-Wednesday; Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin; 18-Thursday; Blessed Mary-Anne Blondin, Virgin

II Sunday Easter[C]:Divine Mercy Sunday:Acts5:12-16;Rev:1:9-11,12-13,17-19;Jn20:19-31

II Sunday Easter[C]:Divine Mercy Sunday:Acts5:12-16;Rev:1:9-11,12-13,17-19;Jn20:19-31

It is surely an understatement to say that the disciples were filled with joy as Jesus appeared to them, alive and well, on that first Easter day. It will take years for them to draw out all the wonderful implications of this dramatic moment in their lives but for now it is sheer joy. Jesus then gives them a mandate to bring peace to the world by translating their happiness into the difficult but rewarding gift of forgiveness.

The story of "doubting Thomas" is presented as a warning to those of us who have trouble trusting the spiritual side of life. Thomas is called the "twin," possibly because he had a striking physical resemblance to Jesus, but he discovers that this does not give him any advantage at all. What counts now is a spiritual relationship. We often assume that those who knew Jesus in the flesh had a great advantage over the rest of us and we may even envy them. In fact, however, the risen Lord is far more present to us now in the Spirit than he ever was in the flesh.

A young man made up his mind to attend Easter vigil midnight service. The service was to begin at 9:00 pm, so he decided to watch some Saturday night movie on television to occupy himself before time for service. While watching the movie he fell asleep and woke up much later in the night. It occurred to him that he must be late for church service so he got up and ran all the way to the church. When he got to the church, there was no one in sight. The service was over. All that he saw was a big banner in front of the church which reads: “He is not here, he has risen!” Without meaning to do so, the banner was announcing the important truth that the risen Lord is not confined to church buildings, he is everywhere. The resurrection marks an important shift in the way Jesus makes himself present to his followers. In his earthly life Jesus was in one place at a time. After the resurrection there is no such limitation. Before the resurrection the usual way to encounter Jesus was in the body. After the resurrection the way to encounter Jesus is in the spirit.

The author of the gospel reminds us that everything he has written is intended, not primarily to give us information about Jesus, but rather to bring us to faith in him and thereby to lead us to real "life in his name."

Joke:  There was a congregation that was struggling to build a new church. Almost all the members had stepped forward generously with their pledges. But there was one major holdout, the town banker, and he hadn't given a penny. So, very reluctantly, the minister decided to make a personal call on the banker to plead his case. The banker responded candidly. "I know you must think I'm a cheapskate, Reverend, but I'm really under terrible financial pressures at the moment. My son's at an Ivy League school at a cost of $25,000 a year. My mother's bedridden in a rest home at $60,000 a year. My daughter's husband abandoned her and the nine kids and she needs $40,000 a year. Now you gotta understand, Reverend. If I've said 'no' to them, how can I say 'yes' to you?"

St. Faustina and the Image of the Divine Mercy:  St. Faustina of Poland is the well known apostle of Divine Mercy.  On the 30^th of April, 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter, at 10:00 a.m., His Holiness Pope John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in Saint Peter’s Square and proceeded to the canonization of Blessed Sister Faustina.  The new Saint invites us by the witness of her life to keep our faith and hope fixed on God the Father, rich in mercy, who saved us by the precious Blood of His Son.  During her short life, the Lord Jesus assigned to St. Faustina three basic tasks: 1. to pray for souls, entrusting them to God's incomprehensible Mercy; 2. to tell the world about God's Generous Mercy; 3. to start a new movement in the Church focusing on God's Mercy.  At the canonization of St. Faustina, Pope John Paul II said: “The cross, even after the Resurrection of the Son of God, speaks, and never ceases to speak, of God the Father, Who is absolutely faithful to His eternal love for man. ... Believing in this love means believing in mercy."  “The Lord of Divine Mercy,” a drawing of Jesus based on the vision given to St. Faustina, shows Jesus raising his right hand in a gesture of blessing, with  his left hand on his heart from which gush forth two rays, one red and one white.  The picture contains the message, "Jesus, I trust in You!" (Jezu ufam Tobie).  The rays streaming out have symbolic meaning: red for the blood of Jesus, which is the life of souls and white for the Baptismal water which justifies souls.  The whole image is symbolic of the mercy, forgiveness and love of God.

Practical Applications: 1) We are told that the whole gospel of John is intended to bring us to "believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God."  To believe in Jesus means also that we accept the message, found in his words and in his example, of total self-giving for the sake of others.  When we truly accept this message, we pledge ourselves to live and love as much as possible Jesus did.

2) One way the Church celebrates God’s mercy throughout the year is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Finding time for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is another good way to receive Divine Mercy.  The Gospel command, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful," demands that we show mercy to our fellow human beings always and everywhere. 

Introduction:  II Sunday of Easter: Divine Mercy Sunday

Message: As Thomas believed because he saw the risen Jesus, so too were many brought to faith through the various signs and wonders wrought by the apostles.  They proclaimed as Lord “the stone rejected by the builders”, “the First and the Last of the One who lives”

Saints and events in this week: 8-Monday-The Annunciation of the Lord; 11-Thursday-Saint Stanislaus, bishop, martyr; 13-Saturday-Saint Martin I pope, martyr.