May 3, 2026: 5th Sunday of Easter

We see in Christ the path to continue following in the new way of Life the Resurrection has made possible for us.

In the powerfully rich part of the Gospel according to St. John, Jesus has so much to say to us about our relationship with Him, declaring Himself "the Way, the Truth, and the Life", Who fully reveals the Father to us.  Because of the Resurrection, we no longer need to fear, because Christ has opened for us the presence of God, which we will experience in fullness one day, and we experience even now.

God has transformed us to be a holy people who offer spiritual sacrifices in praise of our Savior Jesus Christ, Who died and rose again for us, just like St. Peter writes in the 2nd reading.

This reality helps us to see the needs of the world and work to meet them, as described by a situation in the first reading when the early Church had to find the best way to address a gap in supporting those in need and work to effectively assist them.

Furthermore, Jesus remains mystically present with us, doing even greater works.  It's amazing to realize that Jesus can be at work all over the world making His Presence known.  Today we celebrate the birthday of St. Carlo Acutis, who created a website on Eucharistic miracles, proclaiming the glorious Presence of God with us through a medium that makes it worldwide, and did so much else to evangelize.  Truly, God is alive and active among us as we cooperate with His grace that expands upon the earthly ministry of Jesus.

Like St. Peter writes in the 2nd reading, we are all living stones, each of us taking our part in the Church of God, upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, so we may live to the praise and glory of God.

April 26, 2026: 4th Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, Who leads us on the path to Eternal Life.  He has served as a faithful Shepherd even to the point of laying down His life.

It is sobering to realize that our sins were the reason He was crucified, as the audience in Acts is "cut to the heart".  Yet they don't stay in a state of guilt.  They ask what they should do.  They heed St. Peter's call to repent and change their lives through baptism so they could receive forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit to guide them in the ways that lead back to their Shepherd.  Amazingly, 3000 people joined the Church that day.

With our Good Shepherd's guidance, we need no longer fear the troubles of this world.  Instead, we listen for the voice of our Good Shepherd, and follow His way to Eternal Life.  In following this path in this life, we can experience the Abundant Life that comes from our relationship with God as He fills us with abundant graces that give us true purpose.  So we rejoice that Christ is alive and powerfully present with us.

We give thanks for those who have responded to the call of the Good Shepherd to take on leadership roles in the Church.  As I near the anniversary of my baptism, I recall Father Pacocha, who baptized me.  While he has recently departed Earth for the realm of Eternity, I give thanks for his dedicated service to the church.  He is an example of a leader who reveals the heart of Jesus Christ, Who cares deeply for His sheep.

April 25, 2026: Feast of St. Mark

The Good News proclaiming the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ sends us forth.

We are meant to testify to what God has done in our lives and preach it to the world.

God continues to accompany us and as He displays signs that He is working through us as we take the Gospel forth.

It is for all the world.  Like a lion, we proclaim it boldly.

April 19, 2026: 3rd Sunday of Easter

The Risen Christ appears in powerful ways in the days after His Resurrection.

The two disciples on the way to Emmaus struggle with what has happened.  Christ comes alongside them, and seeks to help them understand the new reality in which they've entered.

They feel stirred by Christ, and then they recognize Him in the breaking of the bread.  It's a scene I saw on display, of all places, in the parlor of Montpelier, the estate of James Madison--please see photo below.

Indeed, Christ is present powerfully in the Eucharist, because He was the Lamb Who shed His blood and was slain, but then came back to Life to be powerfully present with us.

And exalted to the right hand of God, He has sent forth the Holy Spirit to make this Good News a reality in us.  It's Good News I have seen in a special way this day as I've served as a Confirmation sponsor for the first time in my life, one of my greatest dreams.

We no longer fear death, because we are alive in Christ.  We keep growing in this new Life as we open ourselves to the ways that the Risen Christ is present around us, and we respond to this reality, putting faith in action.

April 12, 2026: 2nd Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday

The Resurrection of Christ is a glorious new reality, and it lives even in us.

We are constantly called to respond to the invitation to open ourselves up to the graces of this reality.

The apostles struggled to embrace it because they were still in great fear in the wake of the Crucifixion, and were in a locked room.  Showing the power of His Resurrection, Christ passed through the locked door and entered the room.  They rejoiced, realizing the great reassurance that He was indeed alive again.  Furthermore, He brought them peace, and the Holy Spirit.

Thomas expressed doubt when the apostles shared the news, reflecting the struggle all of the apostles had in grasping news of the Resurrection.  St. Thomas even want to see and touch the wounds of Christ.  A week later, they were all in a locked room, still struggling with fear.  Christ broke through the locks and their fear to present Himself, and gave Thomas exactly what He sought.  Thomas moved beyond seeing to believing.

As we continue to celebrate the Easter Season, we open ourselves ot the ways that the Risen Christ makes Himself real to us and the power of the Resurrection.  We may not see, but we can still embrace the joy that Christ is Risen and is with us in a powerful new way as we see by faith the ways He presents Himself to us.

His Presence shows how He has overcome evil, sin, and death.  He now bestows mercy in abundance on the Church and the world, so that we can experience forgiveness.  (Today marks the beginning and end of the Sectional War of the 1860s, and today's Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday offers us an opportunity to embrace anew the power of Divine Mercy by which we are forgiven.)

He is present when we gather as Church and when we strive through the struggles of this life with hope that God is bringing us closer to Himself.

April 5, 2026: Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

We rejoice that Christ is no longer in the tomb but is alive, having triumphed over death gloriously, and it's a reality that lives within us.

In the spirit of what St. Paul writes, we now turn our gaze above, becuase we are no longer bound down by sin and evil in the world.  We can now focus upward and seek to join ourselves to God, Who has opened the way to Paradise through Christ.  Even now, we experience Heaven because He lives in us.

Furthermore, in the spirit of what St. Peter said to those gathered in the first reading, God has shared the best news of all with specific witnesses, including us today, who profess this reality.  We now go forth to share this Good News that is working gloriously in us.

We go forth in Christ our Hope and participate in advancing this joy in all the world.

April 4, 2026: Holy Saturday

As the Church once again awaits the Resurrection, so God's people have waited throughout the age for God's redemption.

He created the Earth in goodness, and sought to restore it from a fallen state.  God revealed His works in various ways, ultimately culminating in the Resurrection of Christ.

This event is a reality that lives deep within us as we join ourselves to Christ, seeing in Him the Savior and the One Who makes possible for us newness of Life.