Mass Readings – Friday of the 7th Week of Easter
“Do you love me?” This is the question that the Lord puts to Peter three times following the resurrection. It’s a good reminder, for in the end our lives are measured by the love – shared and received – that’s found in our hearts.
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Mass Readings – 6th Sunday of Easter
With proper diet and exercise our bodies grow stronger. Over time what seemed difficult becomes easy through discipline and hard work. The same is true for our spiritual lives: we grow stronger as we draw near to Christ and grow in his love…thus allowing us to love in difficult and challenging times as we carry out the Lord’s command to love as he loves us.
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Mass Readings – Friday of the 5th Week of Easter
Jesus teaches us by his example how to love, and then he commands us to do it – even when it’s hard, inconvenient and uncomfortable. May we call upon his grace for the strength we need to love one another as he loves us!
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Mass Readings – Thursday of the 5th Week of Easter
Jesus speaks about how love connects us to the Father and flows through us to one another. This connection reminds us that the love we share draws strength from our relationship to Christ.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Study: Recall the people in life have loved us unconditionally. How did their love help you change and grow?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the grace to recognize the people in our midst we are called to love.
Serve: Love takes many forms. What can I do today for another person out of love?
For the last few months the eyes of the world have directed to the words and actions of Pope Francis. It has been a time of extensive media coverage on the Church and its message of hope to a new generation.
During this time many people have experienced the rich treasure of Roman Catholicism. The history, symbolism, and global significance have helped provide a deeper understanding of the internal structure of the Church.
Many people have responded to the Pope’s teaching and example. It is an exciting time to participate in the Church, and I personally am renewed and energized in my desire to grow in my vocation to the priesthood – even in the midst of transition and change.
Change is a part of life. Through our experiences and encounters we develop and discover new perspectives and resources within our lives. Change happens when we open our hearts to those around us and put into action our new insights.
In the Gospel Jesus states that to love him means to keep his commandments. There are two:
1. Love God
2. Love one another.
It is important to note that these commands are not just about being busy. To love means to be in relationship with others; love invites us to grow in our awareness and understanding for one another. This knowledge leads to greater respect and value for all life.
In the Gospel love is a verb. It must be acted upon, practiced, and carried out in all parts of life. To love means to work at a relationship – and thus be open to spend the time and effort necessary.
Yet when we open our hearts to love we are changed. As we experience love, as we work at it, we discover that our hearts get stretched. We become challenged to grow, to make room so that we can love more deeply, more completely.
Jesus promises that we will have help. As we open our lives to the power of love, the Spirit will come to help us and guide us. Transformed by love, we trust that God will continue to direct us, until the cycle of love and change brings us one day to the Kingdom of Heaven.
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This post was first published on May 20, 2014.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent
Paul testifies at Antioch that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation, descendant of David and heralded by the prophets…the Lord of all creation. And he taught us to serve one another – giving us the example of the foot washing – that we might understand that God’s love is comprehensive and accessible to all.
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Study: Reflect on a challenging time in your life. How did you give and/or receive strength from others?
Pray: For what particular strength do you need to ask the Lord? Come to the “Living Stone” who is Jesus and seek the strength you need!
Serve: Where can you cooperate with others right now? How can your strength help others ?
Imagine a piece of construction brick or stone. At a distance the pieces look the same, with similarities in color, texture, shape, and size. Yet on closer examination we perceive that every piece of brick or stone is different; when seen clearly each stone is unique.
We use stones all the time in our building and construction. We use them in walls, fireplaces, foundations, and paving. Stones possess an inherent toughness – they are the bones of the earth – which makes them useful and vital in life.
In the second reading we hear how the Scriptures use the image of a stone in our life of faith. Peter writes that all people should come to Jesus, a living stone, so that we might be built into a spiritual house. Following the example of Jesus, we become “living stones” that all might see God’s kingdom here on earth.
Stones remind us of two important points. First, stones are strong, and we are called to live our faith with the same durability and toughness. Life is not easy, and there are times when we recognize our weakness and failures. Yet through our relationship with Christ we gain strength and power that we do not have by ourselves. Through Christ our talents and gifts become strong resources to be used by God.
Second, in construction stones are used in cooperation with others, and this same cooperation is part of our human experience. Take a stone or brick out of a wall and it becomes weaker; take a person out of a community and a change is felt. Simply put, just as a stone adds strength to those around it, so to our lives make a profound difference on those around us.
As living stones we offer our God-given strengths and abilities to build up God’s people here on earth. Sharing our lives, we become a powerful tool through which Jesus Christ continues to be revealed to all people through time.
Stones teach us about strength and cooperation. These insights are part of every human experience and are used throughout our lives. As God’s living stones we discover that our faith gives us power when we work together with those around us. May that power help us to build God’s kingdom, leading others to Christ.
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This Post was originally published on May 11, 2014.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Easter
“God so loved the world…” These words remind us that Christ comes to us in love, transforming our lives and empowering us to go forth with God’s grace to share this love with those around us.
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Photo credit: The Passion of the Christ, 2004.
Mass Readings – Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
Mary Magdalene is transformed from sorrow to joy in the light of the Risen Lord. She is sent forth by Jesus to proclaim a message of hope to the disciples, reminding us that we are also called to share the Good News of the resurrection through the witness of our lives.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Study: When have you experienced a profound moment of change and growth? What brought it about?
Pray: Open your heart to Jesus Christ. Let the joy of the resurrection transform your life.
Serve: Claim your faith! Let your love for the Lord direct your thoughts, words, and actions – in whatever you face today.
Easter Day Readings Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast (posted April 20, 2014)
In the early hours of that first Easter Day we celebrate an incredible hope as word spread through the city of Jerusalem – Jesus is alive.
His followers had been crushed by the agony of the Cross. Lost – beyond all sense of pain, sorrow, and grief – from the darkness of their fear and despair they passed on the message: we have seen him, we have touched him, we have eaten with him – the Lord has been raised!
I have always been struck by the transformational effect the resurrection of Jesus had upon his disciples:
The same disciples who once fled for their lives will now go out into the world to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. They will face persecution, suffering, and martyrdom in order to testify to the truth of Easter Day: the Resurrection of Christ. What’s more, they will do this with an overwhelming sense of conviction and strength.
No one can ignore the power of this effect. The encounter with the Risen Lord changes everything. What is there to be afraid of? Jesus has broken the chains of sin and death – we can face anything in this world with confidence. Jesus has triumphed, and in the light of Easter Day we now draw on his strength to face our battles with joy.
The death of Jesus on the Cross was for our sins; the resurrection of Jesus was for our lives. The power of Easter Day directs our attention to the sacred and precious gift of life. Life is worth fighting for, worth dying for, and worth living for – in this world and the next. The resurrection reveals God’s love for our lives; we are worth the sacrifice of the Cross and empowered to live with faith, hope, and love.
How will we live this great promise of faith? How will we allow the power of Easter to transform us? For remember: the moment we acknowledge the truth of the resurrection our lives fundamentally change. Directed by the saving work of Christ we now engage the world on new terms: we witness through word and action the love of Jesus each and every day. With our eyes fixed on heaven we boldly walk this earth as his disciples. We live our lives with real truth and power. We live our lives as God’s sons and daughters.
The authentic witness of our faith is THE WAY that people truly discover Jesus. It was true for the disciples on that first Easter Day, and it is true for disciples today.
Perhaps today is the day that our faith takes on a deeper meaning and purpose in our lives – placing Jesus first in all that we say and do. May this Easter Day fill our hearts with grace and power to live in the light of Christ. May we let the Lord into our hearts and allow our lives to be transformed by his love.
Christ is alive! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 