Author: admin

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Acts: 11: 19-26

Those who had been scattered by the persecution
that arose because of Stephen
went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,
proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 
The hand of the Lord was with them
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord. 
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. 
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.

The Word of the Lord.

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Our first reading describes one of the most important events in human history. But without close attention, we’d miss it.

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The death of Saint Stephen, the first known Christian martyr, caused many Christians to flee Jerusalem. While they left almost everything behind, one thing they clung to was their faith.

As it’s written, “Some of them came to Antioch and spoke to the Greeks and told them the good news of the Lord Jesus.”

This is the moment when the Gospel is first shared with the Gentiles. 

Until now, all Christians were converts from Judaism. They either encountered the Risen Christ himself or came to understand Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures through the teaching of the Apostles.

All of a sudden, Christians started evangelizing the Greeks, who had not known the God of Israel. Leading them to Jesus demanded courage and creativity as they convinced many that Jesus was, in fact, LORD.

These early Christians – many poor and illiterate – started a movement that changed the world…and we don’t even know their names.

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Perhaps there’s a point in that for us.

Our ancestors remind us that spreading the Gospel is possible; that the Church in America can prosper; that non-believers can come to faith. 

Most of that work is done by ordinary people like us who bear witness to the Gospel through creativity, mercy, openness, dialogue, kindness, and personal witness. Qualities which our new pope, Leo XIV, also seems to embody.

For us – the arms, the hands, the voice, and the feet of Christ on earth – we pray: 

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.”

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Image credits: (1) The Movements of Pentecost, Psephizo (2) Notre Dame Sites (3) Vessel4him

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Acts: 11: 1-18

The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea
heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. 
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem
the circumcised believers confronted him, saying,
‘You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.” 
Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,
“I was at prayer in the city of Joppa
when in a trance I had a vision,
something resembling a large sheet coming down,
lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me. 
Looking intently into it,
I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth,
the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’ 
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 
But a second time a voice from heaven answered,
‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’ 
This happened three times,
and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.
Just then three men appeared at the house where we were,
who had been sent to me from Caesarea. 
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating. 
These six brothers also went with me,
and we entered the man’s house. 
He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying,
‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
who will speak words to you 
by which you and all your household will be saved.’ 
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 
If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us
when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard this,
they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying,
“God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”

The Word of the Lord.

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After Christ’s ascension into heaven, the Apostles were charged with carrying on his mission of “making disciples.” However, Jesus didn’t answer every question that the Apostles would have about who is saved, or even how. 

As we see in our first reading, occasionally heated debates arose.

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Peter has just returned to Jerusalem after going on mission. While preaching the Gospel, he “ate and drank” with Gentiles outside of the city, welcoming them into the Church. 

But some of the others are not convinced that what Peter had done was right. Did Christians have to follow the laws and rituals of the Old Testament? Was baptism enough?

The answers to these questions seem easy to us today. Yes, we are saved by baptism and love fulfills the law of Christ.

But throughout the centuries, the Church has debated a host of other issues relevant to that time and place. 

Today, for example, we are asking: 

What is the role of the laity in the Church? What does it mean to have a merciful Church? How do we evangelize fallen away Catholics? Who can receive Communion, and under what circumstances? Where is the line drawn between science and morality? 

And the list goes on.

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Ultimately, the Church discerns the answer to these questions in the same way that Peter and the others did – through prayer, reliance upon the Holy Spirit, and unity amongst the body of Christ.

As we continue our journey together, we should pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that the Church may continue to serve as God’s relevant and appointed voice in the world, even in our own lives.

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Image credits: (1) IEEE-USA InSight (2) fairviewindy.org (3) Catholic World Report

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Gospel: John 10: 27-30

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. That makes us his sheep. 

But why not a different animal, something a little more majestic like an eagle that soars? Or a powerful lion that roars?

Why must we be sheep?

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In some ways, sheep are pitiful creatures. 

They’re defenseless. They have neither claws, nor paws, nor venom, nor fangs. No way of protecting themselves. When a wolf comes along looking for its next snack, sheep are an easy target.

When attacked, sheep will literally run around in a big circle, hoping not to be eaten. Can you imagine these poor little creatures thinking, “Catch him! Catch her! Just don’t catch me!” 

That furry frenzy reminds me of musical chairs. Someone’s going to lose. Make sure it’s not you! Cowardice at its best.

Sheep need a shepherd in the most literal way. Only he can lead, protect, and defend them.

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Jesus is telling us in the same way, we need him. As he says in the opening lines of his first public sermon, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” those who know their need for God.

Don’t we need the Lord to defend us from the occasional “wolf” lurking in our midst? A certain person, temptation, or event that threatens us, causing us to fret and run around in circles. 

For some, it’s a health scare. For others, marital or financial stress, fear, anxiety, or another trigger. We know that feeling of being overwhelmed. Flustered. Afraid.

“Don’t run around in circles,” the Lord says. “Come to me! I will place you on my shoulders and keep you safe for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Sheep need a shepherd.

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During this Easter season, we’re also reminded of our need for the Lord to defend us against the most terrible “wolf” of all, death. 

Today’s Gospel imagery fits perfectly. 

Sheep only listen the voice of their shepherd. They’ll follow him wherever he goes. If he descends a mountain and walks into the valley below, then they’ll follow him. 

Similarly, on Good Friday, our Shepherd went to the tomb. He then passed through the valley of death and rose again on Easter Sunday, teaching us that, if we follow him, we, too, shall find eternal pastures. 

As the Psalmist proclaims:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff give me courage.”

Sheep follow their shepherd wherever he goes, even unto eternal life.

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They also have a strong herding mentality. 

If one sheep gets separated from the flock, then it literally stands in place and shivers, waiting either for its shepherd or for death, because sheep cannot defend themselves – and they know it.

Their strength lies in their closeness to the shepherd, thus in staying with the flock, which is why Jesus will leave the 99 for one who is lost. It would die without him.

Now, when the Lord finds a stray sheep, what does he do? 

He brings it back to the flock – back to the Church – where it belongs. This is where we receive the Holy Spirit in baptism; God’s mercy in confession; his most holy Body and Blood in the Eucharist. 

Our soul needs the Lord and his Church, now led by our newly elected pope, Leo XIV.

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How does it feel to think of myself as a sheep, who follows both Christ and his representative on earth, the pope? Do I feel I belong to this flock? 

Personally, I felt evermore connected to the Church as I saw 150,000 people from all over the world gathering Saint Peter’s Square this morning to receive the pope’s blessing. 

But this also begs the question: What are we doing for those who say, “no,” who feel disconnected from the Lord and his Church?

While we’ve done a great deal as a parish, there’s still much work to be done to engage high schoolers trying to connect with their faith, young adults, the newly married, the divorced, people who live alone and have no one to care for them, those on the margins.

People of “all generations.”

They need to be invited, included, and welcomed. This is the work of our new strategic plan, which we continue working on together.

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As our vision statement reminds us, “We are all generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”

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Image credits: (1) Sacred Heart Catholic Church (2) Christianity.com (3) Medium