Author: admin

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Gospel: John 21: 15-17

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and
eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint John Paul II. Many of us remember where we were when we heard the news that he had died, entering eternal life on April 2, 2005. 

It was my brother’s 21^st birthday.

I was a sophomore at Seton Hall University, just a few months away from becoming Catholic. I remember being inspired by his life and example, especially his mantra: “Do not be afraid.”

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The Lord commands us more than 300 times in the bible to not be afraid. It’s a call John Paul was reminded of throughout his life.

When he experienced the death of his mother at 9 years old, and then his father, and then his brother; when he was left alone without his deepest familial roots, the Lord said to him, “Do not be afraid.”

When the Nazi’s invaded his homeland, closed his university, and forced him to work in a factory, he remembered those words, “Do not be afraid.”

When war broke out and he risked his life entering a clandestine seminary to study for the priesthood, he remembered, “Do not be afraid.”

When he became a professor teaching at the only Catholic university behind the Iron Curtain in Lublin; when he was called to become a bishop for the persecuted flock in Poland; when he was elected pope in 1978, called to feed God’s sheep…

“Do not be afraid.”

And when he breathed his last on April 2, 2005, he must’ve felt those words ring in the deepest chambers of his soul, words which guided him since his youth:

“Do not be afraid.”

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John Paul’s journey is, in a sense, our journey. At certain times in life, we all need to remember these words of the Lord.

May John Paul intercede for us, that God would give us the strength to follow him, free from any fear of the present or the future.

Pope Saint John Paul II, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Redbubble (2) Catholic News Agency (3) X

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Gospel: Luke 12: 35-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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At the time of Christ, the night was divided into three different parts – the first, second, and third watch.

Once the sun fell, soldiers would literally pace back and forth along the perch of the city walls looking for thieves or invading armies.

The third watch was always the hardest post, because it lasted from roughly 2 – 6 am, the darkest part of the night.

Anyone who’s ever had to stay awake that long knows how hard it is. As the night drags on, you must become more and more focused; otherwise, you’ll succumb to sleep.

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This is the type of vigilance the Lord asks of us spiritually in today’s Gospel. Live as if Jesus is coming by the end of the night. 

Statistically speaking, that’s highly unlikely. It’s already been almost 750,000 days since he first spoke of his return!

Still, he wants us to, “Be alert! Stay awake!” Act as if his judgment is on the way.

So, how should we prepare for the Lord’s return? 

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Personally, I’d want to resolve any conflict; forgive wrongdoings; offer an apology wherever needed; and go to confession. 

I’d tell my family and friends that I love them; thank those who’ve been good to me; hug a friend; and say a prayer.

“Blessed are those servants,” Jesus says, who do these things.

Even if the Lord is delayed in his return, seeking reconciliation, extending forgiveness, praying, and being grateful for those whom we love, is the healthiest way to live.

Whether it’s tonight, or seemingly forever away, come Lord Jesus.

We will be ready.

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Image credits: (1) YouTube, How To Pronounce (2) Pinterest (3) Three Great Things

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Gospel: Matthew 16: 24-27

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and  forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each one according to his conduct.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Our faith is filled with paradoxes.

Jesus teaches us that the only way up is down; that the hungry, poor, and persecuted are blessed; that in our weakness, his power is made strong; that his yoke is light, even though he bleeds and dies upon a cross; that in giving our own life away, we save it. 

As he says in today’s Gospel, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.”

To the world, this is an absurdity. 

Christ’s words will never make sense without faith. Christians must contemplate them, dig deeply into them in prayer, and put them into practice before we discover that these teachings are, in fact, true.

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Today we celebrate the life of Saint Paul of the Cross.

Born in 17^th century Italy, he was the second of sixteen children, only six of whom survived infancy. From an early age, Paul experienced the uncertainty of life and the reality of death. 

In an effort to make sense of his family’s suffering, he turned to the paradoxes of our faith – above all, that even in death, there is life.

By the time he was 26 years old, the Lord revealed to Paul in prayer that his life’s mission would be to establish a religious order devoted to our Lord’s Passion. So, Paul was later ordained a priest and, shortly thereafter, he began writing his community’s rule of life.

The first person to join his religious order, the Passionists, was his brother, John. By Paul’s death, there were nearly 200 Passionist priests living in 12 different monasteries. Nearly 2,000 of his letters on spiritual direction have also been preserved.

Today the Passionists continue serving the poorest among us, while living a life of poverty, penance, and prayer.

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What might Saint Paul of the Cross say to us today?

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The same thing Jesus says in the Gospel, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.” 

How might we give part of ourselves away today?

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Image credits: (1) Headway (2) saintpaulofthecross.com (3) Christ Church Pensacola, YouTube