Category: Uncategorized

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Acts: 8: 1-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

The Word of the Lord

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The Acts of the Apostles, which we’re reading from throughout the Easter Season, describes the life and liturgy of the early Church, answering questions like: 

“What did the first Christians do after the resurrection? How did they worship Christ? What were their lives like?”

Often, it wasn’t pleasant. 

As we just heard:

“There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside, except the Apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him. Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church.”

Life for these early Christians was hard and often dangerous.

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But we also see responsiveness of the Holy Spirit.

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Because these Christians were persecuted for their faith, many fled to new, sometimes distant lands. As a result, by the end of the first century, the Gospel message spread as far east as India.

Meanwhile, the Apostles stayed put for the time being as they continued preaching the resurrection in spite of serious threats against their lives.

Their example reminds us that nothing can stop the growth of the Church, which is sustained by the Holy Spirit and the courageous witness of ordinary believers like us.

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Think of ways we continue to witness to our faith today.

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Almost every week, I meet people at church who were invited by others to “come and see.”

Plenty of others participate in Bible study, are catechists, soup kitchen cooks and drivers, ministry leads, intercessors, and so on.

May we continue to build upon the tradition of the early Christians, who proclaimed in word and deed, Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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Image credits: (1) Relevant Community Church (2) Bible Gateway (3) Sharing Horizons

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Gospel: John 6:30-35

The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”

So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.” 
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In the office, I’m becoming known as the “Amazon pastor.”

Do we need something? Let’s just Amazon it! 

Pens, paper, big items, small items, whatever it may be.

The truth is, you can Amazon almost anything.

Imagine if we could Amazon happiness. Buy now with one click! How many of us would add that to our cart? 

Name the price. We’d pay it!

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Unfortunately, we know that isn’t possible. Human happiness cannot be purchased because we’re not that shallow; we were made for more. 

We need friends; love; support; purpose.

Ultimately, we need intimacy with God.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Unlike Amazon, which may satisfy us for a day, Christ promises to satisfy for a lifetime.

That doesn’t mean that we pray once and are filled. The Lord gives us our “daily bread,” enough grace to satisfy us for a day. 

Then we must return to him tomorrow.

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Have I found that Jesus satisfies me?

As the Psalmist says, “Of you, my heart has spoken, ‘Seek his face.’”

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I may be the “Amazon pastor.” If there’s something material I need, that’s often where I’ll shop.

But one thing we all want, which Amazon can never sell, is a share of human happiness. For that, we must turn to Jesus.

As Saint Ignatius of Loyola once said, “Your love and your grace. That is enough for me.”

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Image credits: (1) Open Cart (2) Holly Cardew, Medium (3) Sacred Heart Catholic Parish, Punta Gorda

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Gospel: Jn. 6:22-29

[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Augustine once wrote, “Our hearts are restless, O LORD, until they rest in you.” 

Augustine’s words ring true throughout the centuries. Regardless of where a person is born or when, how much fame, fortune, or lack thereof they may have, there remains a restlessness in the human soul which the world cannot satisfy.

Another author described it as, “a piece of night inside, which can never be filled – not with all the good food or sunshine in the world.”

We all know it. 

Some fight it. Others ignore it. Still others stuff it with things.

Christians seek to fill that void with Christ.

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In today’s Gospel, thousands of people are looking for Jesus. The Lord just fed them with five loaves of bread and two fish. Now they’re looking for more.

Peering into their hearts, seeing that their minds remain fixated on physical things, the Lord gently rebukes them, saying, “Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.”

Otherwise, more will never be enough.

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Are we satisfied with only the things of this world? Or do Augustine’s words resonate?

We may have the best of marriages, the best of friendships, all the creaturely comforts we need. While these are blessings – and can help draw us closer to the Divine – they cannot bridge the gap.

We need Jesus himself. 

As the Psalmist prays, “Hear my voce, LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me. ‘Come,’ says my heart, ‘seek his face’; your face, LORD, I seek.”

May Christ reveal himself to us in the still, silent moments of prayer … and in this Eucharist which we are about to receive.

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Image credits: (1) I Still Haven’t Found, LinkedIn, U2 (2) Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford, WordPress, Quotefancy (3) Digital Songs and Hymns