At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. … Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.' (Lk 10:1, 7-9) The mission of the 72 disciples of Jesus has been spoken about by the Fathers of the Church in several ways.  St. Augustine thought the 72 to be the first priests of the Church working in concert with the 12 Apostles (bishops).  Other saints, such as St. Cyril, saw the 72 as the first worshipping community of Christians sent out to teach.  Either way, the 72 brought the Gospel (Good News) of Christ to those whom had never received it.  Theirs was the work of “evangelization,” from the Latin … [Read more...]

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Lk 9:18) We might skip over the first part of today’s Gospel without thinking too much. Jesus asked: “who do the crowds say that I am.” We might not think about it because we already know who Jesus is. We know He’s the incarnate Son of God. He’s the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He’s the suffering servant. He’s the Good Shepherd. He’s the Son of Mary. He’s our Savior. He’s our Redeemer. He’s God. But that’s the point. Since Jesus is God, He’s “everything.” And He came to proclaim Himself as the fulfillment of all of our dreams and desires. As Scripture said: He came “to bring glad tidings to the … [Read more...]

Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.  (Lk 8:1) This Sunday’s Gospel recounts one story in the life of Christ.  It’s one visit to a household, one sinner anointing the feet of Jesus, one lesson taught, and one sinner forgiven.  When Jesus was on earth in the flesh, He limited Himself to being in one place at a time, and those encounters – so beautifully recounted in Sacred Scripture – reveal him reaching out and touching and healing specific individuals through the power of His love.  And Jesus was accompanied by the Twelve Apostles and some women who were witnesses to His love. After the Ascension and Pentecost, the Apostles obeyed the commands of Christ to go out to preach, sanctify (by the … [Read more...]

Brothers and sisters, I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes." (1 Cor. 11:23-26) In terms of a feast in the Catholic Church, today’s Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ  (“Corpus Christi” in Latin) is a fairly recent one.  We all know that the Body and Blood of Christ are present at each Mass, but the addition of this special feast to … [Read more...]

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you." (Jn 16:12-15) Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. In the early days of the Church there was no special day to honor the Holy Trinity, but that changed in the 3rd century when the Church was confronted with one of the first great heresies: Arianism. Although this heresy seems strange to us … [Read more...]

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them.  As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.  They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God. (Lk 24:50-53) Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension, which is the elevation of Christ into heaven by His own power in the presence of His disciples.  In Sacred Scripture, this occurred on the fortieth day after the Resurrection – which was actually last Thursday, traditionally called “Ascension Thursday.”  However, the celebration of the Ascension has been moved to Sunday to encourage a more active participation in the Feast.  In terms of modern air travel, I guess Jesus’ flight got postponed for three … [Read more...]

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’  If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. (Jn 14:27-31) How do we define peace? Politically, it can be defined as an “absence of conflict.” If we are busy at work, it might mean “no interruptions.”  Some parents might equate peace with their kids being asleep or at their grandparents for the night. Peace happens to some people when their cell phone finally runs out of batteries or when a power outage knocks out the internet and the … [Read more...]

My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (Jn 13:33a, 34-35) The Gospel of John could be called the “Gospel of Love.”  It condenses the stories about Christ into one succinct passage in the third chapter, the verse seen often on signs at football games:  John 3:16:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  It gives us the reason and purpose of the first coming of Christ.  He came because God loves us, and He came to give us eternal life in His love. The word “love” that is … [Read more...]

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.” (Jn 10:27-28)  For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Rev. 7:17) This week is the Fourth Sunday in Easter, and it is traditionally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because of the Gospel reading today in which Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd. We’re all familiar with the images: Jesus standing, staff in hand, with the lamb across his shoulders.  Or perhaps we think of Jesus sitting under a tree – a little lamb on his lap. These are beautiful images, but they are incomplete. For … [Read more...]

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus 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.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus 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.” (Jn 21:15-17) Simon Peter is one the most intriguing characters in the New Testament.  Unlike people like John the Baptist, Mary … [Read more...]