Reflections on the Gospel Reading for the Day

When we encounter Jesus for ourselves, we too will have some good news to share!

Today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark, 16:9-16, is commonly called, “The Longer Ending.” Most ancient manuscripts of Mark end at 16:8. Whether this Gospel ended there or the original ending was lost is not definitively known. Many biblical scholars also recognize in these verses a different writing style, so attribute this longer ending to a different author. This ending recounts that Mary Magdalene and two disciples, presumably the same on the road to Emmaus as recorded in Luke, met the risen Jesus. When both Mary and the this pair share their experiences with the eleven, they are not believed, and then, “later, as the eleven were at table, he [Jesus] appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart”

How many times had Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for being hard of heart? Now he is saying the same to the eleven for not believing the accounts of Mary and the two disciples. We do not have a reason for their unbelief and maybe that is well and good because that gives us the opportunity to ponder for ourselves when has someone brought us a message from Jesus and we responded to them with hard hearts and were unbelieving? Are there certain people we would not believe no matter what good news they had to share with us? Have we brought the good news of our encounter with Jesus and it was met with coldness or even disdain?

Mary a woman and a woman that has had seven demons exorcized from her would not have been considered a credible witness in the ancient near East. And yet, Jesus chose her to appear to first and to bring the message of his resurrection to the Apostles. And that such an “unreliable” source, Mary’s witness, has been retained in all four gospels has something to also say – Mary encountered Jesus, believed, and shared what she saw and experienced and although initially not believe, her testimony was preserved.

Jesus does not belabor the point. His conviction helped them to see that as his followers their hearts needed to be open to him working through others, as he told John when someone was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, “whoever is not against us is for us” (cf. Mk 9:40). He was also preparing them for those who would believe their testimonies.

Christianity is not a secret sect, it is a universal call and proclamation to be shared with all. We are celebrating in this Easter Octave, as we continue to do so each year, the fullness of the Paschal Mystery. Not only did the Son of God became incarnate and live the fullness of a human existence, he suffered, died, conquered death, and rose again, for all of humanity and creation.

This was no mere resuscitation like Lazarus who would die again. Jesus conquered death and became the firstborn of the new creation and he invites us to participate in his reign. He invites us to share in his divinity. The resurrection is the Good News he wanted his eleven to proclaim when he said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15).

Do we believe the apostolic claim that was first shared by Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles, and has been passed on generation after generation? Will we, like those who have gone before us, receive, abide in, and share the love of God? Jesus is calling us to do so not for a select few in our pew, but for all in our realm of influence. We are to build relationships by bringing the light, joy, and love of Jesus to each individual that we meet, person to person. Let us also be open to God working through others and receive his message from them as well! Alleluia!!!Alleluia!!!

———————————————————————

Photo: Elizabeth Tabish, playing Mary Magdalene in the series The Chosen.

Link for the Mass readings for April 11, 2025

Jesus reveals us a better way so that we may learn from our mistakes and sin.

There are a handful of incidents in today’s Gospel reading from John that refer back to encounters Jesus had with his Apostles before his death and resurrection. Jesus waits on the shore as seven of his disciples; Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two others, return from a night of fishing. This is reminiscent of when Jesus first came to Andrew and Simon, James and John as they were casting and mending nets and he invited them to follow him.

The disciples are on their way back to shore with their nets empty, and Jesus suggests that they cast their net over the right side and they quickly find that they “were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.” Peter had this experience in one of his first encounters with Jesus when he had been fishing all night and Jesus encouraged him to put out into the deep water, and they were able to fill two boats with fish.

After their great catch “of one hundred fifty-three large fish,” John told Peter that the Lord was the one who had instructed them. Peter again “jumped into the sea.” He couldn’t wait for the boats to come to shore, he dove into water and swam to shore. An echo of when Jesus approached his disciples one night walking on the stormy waters and Peter jumped out of the boat and walked on water until he took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink.

When Peter and the disciples came to shore “they saw a charcoal fire.” The most recent event with another charcoal fire was outside the gate where Jesus was led for his judgment. To keep warm Peter joined the servants and slaves huddled around a charcoal fire. It was at that charcoal fire that Peter denied Jesus three times. The final scene in today’s account was when Jesus offered cooked fish and bread to his disciples, this is reminiscent of Jesus feeding the five thousand with two loaves and a few fish and also an echo of the Last Supper and the road to Emmaus account we just read a few days ago in which Jesus was made known in the breaking of the bread.

Throughout our lives, we will have encounters with people and experience incidents that we have experienced. We may not have been as present as we have wanted to be when attempting to comfort someone, we may have been involved in some task and made a mistake, may have given in to temptation or fear that we regretted, just as Peter had denied Jesus three times at that first charcoal fire. Peter wept when he heard the cock crow. The sound brought back Jesus’ prediction, brought to light Peter’s own denial and cowardice. How many times must he have berated himself, as we have done when we have sinned, fallen short of our goals, or made mistakes?

Making mistakes and taking risks, are necessary for learning and growing in any endeavor in life. Jesus does not want us to beat ourselves up when we fall short or fail. What is required for maturation is an honest assessment of the situation, an acknowledgment of our mistakes and sins, and then a movement to correct and learn from them. Often we overcompensate in the beginning, but as we remain persistent we reach a healthy balance. Jesus does not seek to condemn or shame us when we make mistakes or sin. He shines his light that we might see to identify where we have missed the mark so we can identify and confess our sins, and improve going forward.

Jesus returns to his disciples after his Resurrection, meets them in very similar settings as he had before when he had first called them. All of his disciples failed him, yet Jesus did not condemn or shame them. Jesus helped to show them how far they had come since he first called them, while at the same time helped them to see how far they still had to go. Jesus was not only their teacher but the divine source of their own transformation. Apart from Jesus they and we can do nothing. In fishing all night on their own nothing happened, but as soon as they did what Jesus called them to do, they caught fish to bursting.

Jesus shows us a better way and empowers us with his love and encouragement. He reminds us we can’t nor ought we to go it alone. When we are with Jesus, grow in our relationship with and trust him as the disciples did, we will be more present to someone the next time we are in a position to provide comfort or understanding, have greater resolve when tempted, breathe more and resist reacting in kind during times of conflict, and be able to identify our sins and mistakes as well as learn from and be free from them.

Jesus has risen, appeared to his disciples to guide, encourage, and empower them to be who God has called them to be. Jesus offers us the same teaching, guidance, and power shared from the wellspring of his humanity and divinity so that we will be able to participate in his life. Our repentance and Jesus’ forgiveness go beyond helping us to become better people. Through the love of Jesus, our minds, hearts, and souls change, we are transfigured, and conformed to Jesus and his life of resurrection. This is good news to share not only in word but in deed. Alleluia!!!

————————————————-

Photo: Let us follow Jesus and leave our sin behind.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, April 10, 2025

Jesus will open the Scriptures to us when we make the time to spend with him.

Just as we read yesterday, Jesus came among Cleopas and the other disciple on their road to Emmaus, Jesus does so again as the pair was recounting their encounter with the risen Jesus to the apostles. To assuage the fear brought on by his sudden appearance he said and to assure that he was no ghost, “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have” (Lk 24:39). He then requested some fish and he ate and talked with his disciples as he had done in their times together before his death and resurrection.

We have heard about the resurrection of Jesus, maybe for years, but it is important not to get complacent with the amazing miracle that this is. Also, we need to resist the temptation to diminish in any way the significance of the transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus was and continues to be a hypostatic union, meaning Jesus is one divine person subsisting in two natures, the human and divine.

The humanity of Jesus through his resurrection was fully actualized and transcended the limitations of the three-dimensional realm that he had experienced in his humanity before. This is how he could disappear after making himself known in the breaking of the bread and how he just came through a locked door to interact with his disciples.

The relevance of the bodily resurrection of Jesus for us is that he, in dying and conquering death, is now the reality of who we will one day be. We will be perfected in Jesus to be as God has created us to be. The good news is that we do not have to wait to go to heaven for this process to begin! The path of becoming fulfilled and whole begins in this life, now, as we accept Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. Jesus in his encounter with his disciples from today’s reading from Luke continues the message he began at the beginning of his ministry, which is one of repentance and forgiveness.

When we were baptized we were born again as an integral part of the new creation given to us by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Through this grace, our humanity has been redeemed. Each day we are to live in humility, calling to mind our sins and repenting daily. God loves us as we are as his beloved daughters and sons, but he does not want us to stay where we are. Jesus will help us to identify that which stunts our growth and healing, that which leads us astray and diverts us from growing in closer relationship with him. Jesus suffered and died for each and every one of us, and he also seeks to live through us. Jesus is the foundation and source of our lives and he is our means to salvation. Jesus has come to show us that we are not in competition with God, but that his Father, our Father, seeks to be in communion and solidarity with us.

One of the best ways to grow in our relationship with God is to rest and renew in God’s word. We are blessed that the Church gives us daily readings at Mass that we can read, meditate, and pray with each day. We can also certainly work through one of the Gospels or any book of the Bible at our own pace. God has a word to communicate with each of us when we make the time to be still, breathe, read, and pray.

Jesus opened up the minds of Clopas, his companion, and the Apostles. Jesus will open our minds as well, help us to understand the Scriptures, and reveal himself to us when we are willing to slow down long enough and are committed to doing so daily. Even when we feel tired, let us resist scrolling through social media or surfing channels, which actually don’t help us renew, but instead continue to overstimulate our nervous system and can get us hyped up on dopamine.

May we instead rest and abide in God’s word which will help our minds to come to rest, renew, and discern better how to resist frittering away the precious time that God gives us each day. In reading the words of the Bible, in meditating and praying with them as well as just resting in God’s presence, we will slow down enough to remember who and whose we are. When we can rest in that truth, healing continues, and wholeness is possible.

——————————————————-

Photo: Where I end that majority of my evenings now. Breathing, reading, meditating and praying with the Bible.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, April 9, 2026

May we allow Jesus to open the Scriptures to us!

Despair was creeping in on the pair. The hope of Jesus being the Messiah, the promised one who came to redeem and deliver his people Israel had died a brutal and humiliating death. Even though Jesus sought to prepare his followers for this reality, they could not conceive, believe, or thought possible that the promised Messiah could die.
Cleopas and his companion are in mourning as they walk along the road to Emmaus. They have left Jerusalem and are commiserating among themselves about their dashed hopes. They were so sure that Jesus was who he said he was, now what were they to do? Even though they had heard about the empty tomb from the women, they did not believe, and they left Jerusalem. Jesus met them where they were and wove his way into the conversation and their journey.
When the time for them to part arrived, Jesus motioned to them that he was going to continue on. The pair of disciples urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over” (Lk 24:29). Jesus did just that and he revealed himself to them “in the breaking of the bread”(Lk 24:35).
The account of the road to Emmaus has significant relevance for our own spiritual journeys. How many times have we had an inaccurate understanding of Jesus in such a way that we felt let down? Have we domesticated Jesus, or limited who he is, seeing only one aspect of his totality, attempted to shape or conform him into our image and likeness? Have we prayed for something and then that petition or intention was not fulfilled in the way we had hoped? Have we sought Jesus and felt that he wasn’t there for us in our time of struggle or during those times that we felt that we needed his guidance most?
Jesus is the Son of God and we are not. He meets us as we are, accepts us as we are, walks with us even when we are walking in the wrong direction, but he also calls us to repent and be transformed. He invites us to stretch out beyond our comfort zones, to let go of our safety nets and take off our training wheels. Jesus invites us to nothing less than being transfigured by entering into the participation of Trinitarian Love. This begins when we resist withdrawing into and curving in upon ourselves, and instead are willing to be loved and to be expanded outward beyond ourselves and so to love in return.
We would do well to spend some time each day reading, praying, meditating and contemplating the wonderful daily readings of the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels. In doing so, our hearts and minds like that of Cleopas and his companion, may also be set aflame. Once this pair encountered the risen Jesus, they corrected their course immediately and returned to the community of Jerusalem, even though it was evening and not safe.
As we put into practice what we hear and receive, we too will begin to: see Jesus more active in the midst of our everyday activities, recognize him in our daily events and even in the interruptions, be more inspired to share the sacrificial love we have received from Jesus, and come to realize that Jesus is among us, closer to us than we are to ourselves. We just need to invite him to walk with us, even when we are heading the wrong way, we can turn around. When we invite Jesus into our lives God will happen and we will come to believe. Alleluia!!!
————————————————————-
Painting: “Road to Emmaus” by Robert Zünd
Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Mary recognized Jesus when he called her by name.

As we continue through the readings for Easter we will be given glimpses of encounters with the risen Jesus. This is good news for us, as the risen Jesus of the Gospels is the same Jesus who we have the opportunity to encounter each day in his word proclaimed, the Eucharist, and in our experience of one another.

Today’s Gospel account from John picks up where Sunday’s account left off. Peter and John have come to the tomb and left. Mary did not return with them after they observed the empty tomb. Mary stayed by the side of the tomb and wept. She then peered into the tomb and witnessed two angels. As she turned back she saw who she believed to be the gardener. Why a gardener? Because the tomb was in a garden. Maybe a hint of Jesus going back to the beginning and restoring what God had planned from the beginning, before the Fall.

Mary questioned the “gardener” as to the whereabouts of Jesus. She was still holding onto the loss and grief of his death and the reason why she most likely came to the tomb in the first place which was to anoint him. To find his body now gone, just added salt to the already wide open wound. When he did not immediately answer, Mary must have turned away, because: Jesus said to her, “Mary” (Jn 20:16)!

Just as a sheep recognizes the voice of its shepherd, upon hearing her name, Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus.

Peter and John left the empty tomb. We do not know why. Maybe they wanted to share with and confirm to the other disciples that Mary was correct about the empty tomb. Mary could have gone back also, but something moved her to stay. It could have been the sorrow that brought her to tears, it could have been her dedication and faithfulness to Jesus to find him, to anoint him as she had come to do that first early Easter morning, it could have been that she did not know what to do next, or there was a sense beyond her understanding that held her in place.

Shortly thereafter, Jesus came to her, she recognized him not at first, but when he called her by name. When she called him “Rabbouni”, Jesus asked her to, “Stop holding on to me”.

What was Mary holding on to? Though mistaking him for the gardener at first, she came to recognize that he had indeed come back to life. But in calling Jesus Rabbouni, teacher or master, Mary was going back to the relationship she had with him before. Jesus was transfigured, he was different than he was before, in Paul’s words, Jesus was now in “his glorified body” (cf. Philippians 3:20-21). Jesus had remained fully divine when he became human, and now having taken another major step to complete his Father’s work through his death and resurrection, he assumed the perfection of his humanity. His mission would not be complete until he returned back to the Father at his Ascension.

There was not only a newness to the appearance of the resurrected Jesus, but his relationship with his followers would also be transformed. He did not return to avenge those who betrayed him. Jesus charged Mary to go to his “brothers”. He no longer called them disciples but his brothers. Once Jesus returned to the Father at his Ascension, he unleashed the power of the divine communion of the love shared between him and his Father, who is the Holy Spirit which his new brothers and sisters received at Pentecost.

We are heirs to the same promise that Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles, shared with the Twelve. Jesus has become the firstborn of the new creation and through our baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we participate in his death and Resurrection as well. We too are his brothers and sisters, we too can be configured and transformed more and more into the Body of Christ, healed, perfected, and divinized, because Jesus shares with each of us the relationship he shares with his Father.

As long as we don’t turn away from Jesus, we have cause for joy and celebration this Easter Season because “the resurrection of Jesus has changed absolutely everything, including the relationship between him and his followers. The disciples such as Mary, can relate to him no longer as an earthly teacher but the risen Lord. Jesus’ order, “stop holding on to me”, is meant in a figurative sense: Mary can no longer hold onto her past notions of discipleship” (Martin and Wright, 337).

I remember while still in seminary praying in the chapel and asking Jesus why I couldn’t feel about him the way I felt about my wife, JoAnn. Jesus said, “You have to let her go.” He did not mean forget about her or our memories together, but to not hold on to her any longer. It took awhile, but in doing so, and no longer grasping, there have been brief moments when I have felt her close. Learning to let go of the attachment I had, even putting her before God while she was still alive, I continue to heal and like Mary better know his voice.

Painting: Like Mary then, we are called to, “Go and announce the Good News of the Resurrection” in our everyday lives! Alleluia!!!

Martin, Francis and William Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, April 7, 2026

All agree the tomb was empty, the question is whose story do we believe?

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were bewildered from their encounter with the angel and the empty tomb. As they ran to get the news to the disciples, they were also dealing with mixed emotions, feeling both “fearful yet overjoyed,” (Mt 28:8) when in the midst of their travel they were greeted by Jesus. Jesus assured them and then sent them to, “tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Mt 28:10). Off the pair went to share the message that Jesus had risen!
At the same time, some of the guards who witnessed the event at the tomb took a different way and headed into the city to meet with the chief priests. They relayed the incident about the earthquake and the angel appearing to them and the two women. After deliberating, the chief priests and the elders paid the guards a large sum to perpetuate the tale that his disciples took Jesus away.
Who would be believed, the two women or the guards? Apparently both! Mary Magdalene and the other Mary fulfilled their first apostolic role and passed on Jesus’ message to his disciples. Galilee was where the public ministry of Jesus began. They would all go back to the beginning. The tale spread by the guards would also be believed, because by the time of the writing of the Gospel of Matthew, the community, to which he wrote, were aware that, “this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day” (Mt 28:15).
Did Jesus really rise again from the dead as the angel, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary claim or was this an elaborate plot by the disciples of Jesus to stage his resurrection, as the guards portrayed? How we answer these questions ought to make a difference in our lives. If we say yes, that we believe in Jesus and that he rose again, do we live our lives any differently than those who say they don’t believe?
We, who follow Jesus who rose again, are to be like the angel and each Mary. We are to be an Alleluia people, allowing the risen Christ to proclaim to and through us to those facing death – the promise of hope and life; to those living in the darkness of sin and addiction – the inviting light of healing and a new direction; to those who are weak and indifferent – that they are not alone, and Jesus will be the source of their strength and through Jesus we and they will overcome. Each day, during this Easter Season, may we become less, so that the risen Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, becomes more.
—————————————————————–
Photo: “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed”. How do we respond to the news that he tomb was empty?
Link for the Mass readings for Monday, April 6, 2026

Jesus is risen! Let us place our hope and trust in him and we will experience his peace and joy!

Mary of Magdala comes to the tomb during the wee hours of the morning while it is still dark and finds the stone rolled away. She runs to Peter and John to share with them the news, that: “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him” (Jn 20:2). Peter and John retrace the steps of Mary, running to find the tomb empty as well. All three are stunned because “they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (Jn 20:9).
How can we blame them? Do we fully understand the reality and fact that Jesus has risen from the dead? There are conjectures tossed about today such as Jesus did not really die, but woke up three days later, aching all over from the excruciating effects of the crucifixion. Others say that the accounts of the resurrection were mass hallucinations, or that the Gospel accounts of Jesus rising from the dead are a mere myth. These propositions do not stand up to the fact that Jesus, fully God and fully man died, entered death, and conquered it. In so doing, he entered into a new life, a new reality. Jesus, in becoming the firstborn of the dead, was transfigured from our three-dimensional reality that we all know and experience, such that he now resonates at a higher pitch and dimensional reality. Jesus is the firstborn of a new creation!
All of human history changed in that tomb because of this new fact of the resurrection of Jesus. How this has happened is indeed a mystery, but in our seeking understanding, we will fall short and be frustrated if we only approach the mystery of God in the same way that we tackle a problem to be solved. The Apostles and disciples of Jesus struggled to find meaning and understanding about how Jesus crucified was now gone from the tomb. They came to understand the mystery of the Resurrection, the same way that they would come to believe in the mystery that Jesus is fully human and fully divine. This happened when they encountered Jesus again. The mystery of the Resurrection is not a problem to be solved, but a person to encounter, a relationship to embrace, as it was for the Apostles and is so for each of us today.
Faith seeking understanding is grounded in having an encounter with a person, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Pope Francis writes: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness” (Francis, 9).
Easter Sunday is the day where this joy first truly became possible, and this joy is needed now more than ever. For in each age there has been darkness in the world. Sin, suffering, violence, division, and death continue to be present in people’s experiences. Yet, because of this day, we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death. We celebrate the truth that the light has overcome the darkness, that suffering and death do not have the final answer, Jesus does. We can place our hope in Jesus so that no matter what challenges we are experiencing he will guide and accompany us.
We are an alleluia people, meaning that no matter what anguish or trial, we are a people endowed with hope in the One who conquered death. God has loved us into existence and continues to love us in such a way that the promise of eternity is real, where suffering and death are no more! Also, Jesus reminds us that he cares, that we are not alone now this side of heaven, and we will persevere and overcome sin, suffering, and even death when we surrender our minds and hearts to him. In that surrender, we will have access to his peace that surpasses all understanding.
Mary of Magdala shared the good news with Peter and John that the tomb was empty and the stone was rolled away. Jesus rolled back the stone, rolled back death, and he opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed, the death he conquered, and the resurrection we celebrate today! Alleluia! Alleluia!
May God bless each of you and fill you with his joy and peace! Happy Easter!!!
————————————————–
Photo: A quiet holy hour Saturday afternoon preparing to celebrate the Easter Vigil in which I was blessed to baptize 7 and confirm 17 joy filled disciples of Jesus!!!
Francis. Evangelii Gaudium, Joy of the Gospel, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press, 2013.
Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, April 5, 2026

Holy Saturday has much to teach us.

Holy Saturday.
Jesus lies in the tomb. I can’t even imagine the anguish that Mary experienced watching her Son die such a horrific and humiliating death. The disciples of Jesus must have felt that their hopes had been dashed by the death of their teacher and friend, they hid in fear that they would be next. Where fear and anxiety dwell, doubt often creeps in. Could Jesus really have been the Messiah if he died? Anguish, fear, doubts, and despair weigh heavy.
Yet at some point that Saturday, a glimmer of hope arose. As they huddled together they would have recalled some of Jesus’ words that he shared to prepare them for this moment. Peter, James, and John were especially privileged to have seen the transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus had raised Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son, and his friend, Lazarus from the dead. Was Lazarus with them now? Could he have provided some possible hope that since he was raised, that Jesus may indeed rise again as he had said?
A powerful claim. But could it really happen?
We often find ourselves in similar, emotional maelstroms as did the disciples. We have or are right now may be experiencing dire situations and/or unexpected events. Even if not as dire, the daily wounds that attempt to arise and cry for healing, our anxieties, insecurities, and fears seem to keep us bound, and knowing we want to be better, we have good intentions, but don’t seem to rise to our deepest aspirations. As St. Paul articulated well, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate” (Rom 7:15).
Yet, Paul and the other disciples, except Judas, persisted and did not give totally into despair and hopelessness. They continued to turn to and so help us to turn to and trust in Jesus. Even knowing that, doubts arise, and there are times that we don’t see how we can possibly get through what we are in the midst of or what looms before us. We have heard that he is with us no matter what, but there is this period of dead silence…
Holy Saturday is a time of waiting, a time of silence, and a time to draw deeper into believing what we cannot see or experience with our senses. Holy Saturday is a time to ponder and embrace the Passion of Jesus: his suffering, crucifixion, and death. Holy Saturday gives us the opportunity to make some time to learn the intimate language of the Father’s silence.
We have an advantage that Jesus’ followers did not have as they huddled together so many Saturday’s ago. We know that Jesus rose again. The question, do we really believe that he did? When faced with chronic or debilitating conditions, horrible violence, wars, the death or imminent death of a loved one, loss of a job, a surprising diagnosis, health issues, division, family strife and conflict, homelessness, isolation… each of us experience the Holy Saturday’s in our life.
Our minds tend to be drawn to focus on the worst case scenario, and in these times, when we don’t feel or experience Jesus’ presence, let us remember that he is not absent nor has he abandoned us. Jesus is right by our side and he cares. In the times of silence, he just may be challenging us to go deeper in our trust and faith in him, to embrace the silence with him. Let us trust in Jesus this day that he accompanies us in our moments of challenge. When we do, instead of feeling like we are sinking in the mud, we will come to set our feet on solid rock so as to be able to stand firm.
Photo: Walking in the quiet of the night to spend time in silence during Holy Hour with Jesus.
Meditation on Holy Saturday not any specific readings as we prepare for the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday this Saturday.

Because of how and what Jesus suffered, he understands and cares like no other.

Jesus was betrayed, arrested, falsely accused, tried, scourged, and beaten. Jesus carried his cross, was crucified, and with his words, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30), Jesus died. The gift of a crucifix is that it is an icon of the suffering and death of Jesus. Having a crucifix is not a morbid fascination with death, nor is it a rejection of his resurrection. The crucifix is not a magic talisman either, but a sacramental that helps us to remember the reality of what the Son of God, who became one with us in our humanity did. Jesus embraced humanity all the way even unto his death, even dying on the cross and giving his life for us that we might have the opportunity to be born again, to be one with him, to be deified, and live with him forever. Without the crucifixion, there would have been no resurrection.

Jesus was betrayed, arrested, falsely accused, tried, scourged, and beaten. Jesus carried his cross, was crucified, and with his words, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30), Jesus died. The gift of a crucifix is that it is an icon of the moment of the death of Jesus. Having a crucifix is not a morbid fascination with death, nor is it a rejection of his resurrection. The crucifix is not a magic talisman either, but a sacramental, that helps us to remember the reality of what the Son of God, who became one with us, did. Jesus embraced humanity all the way even unto his death, even dying on the cross and giving his life for us that we might have the opportunity to be born again, to be one with him, to be deified, and live with him forever. Without the crucifixion, there would have been no resurrection.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Romans 4:14-15). The crucifix reminds us that we have a God that loves us so much that he sent his Son to experience all that we experience. Even though he did not sin, he experienced on the cross a time of separation with the Father, the consequence of sin, he experienced what sin feels like, that separation. He can then identify with our own struggles and challenges. We have a God who understands us, intimately. Such that St. Augustine wrote that Jesus understands us better than we understand ourselves.

On this Good Friday, let us spend time venerating Jesus on the Cross, meditating before a crucifix, before this expression of the most intimate act of Love ever expressed in human history. This icon expresses the wonderful bestowal of the grace of God upon humanity, in that it reminds us that we have a God who has experienced and understands betrayal, loss, suffering, pain, anguish, and even death. Jesus is relevant to our lives because he meets us in the chaos and suffering of our own lives.

In making time to be still and looking upon the cross upon which he died, seeing his body slumped and lifeless, we can call to mind the times we have been betrayed, the struggles, trials, pains, sorrows, and losses that we have or are experiencing and enduring right now. We can also recall those times we have betrayed and hurt others with our actions or inactions, as well as caused pain and suffering. With each conflict or experience of injustice, we can be comforted in knowing that Jesus understands because he has experienced them all.

Making time to gaze upon or hold the crucifix in our hands, in times of fear, anxiety, temptation, indecision, and/or when we are in need of forgiveness, can give us the strength and courage to endure or go through what lies before us. Jesus with his arms outstretched represents for us his eternal welcome, that he loves us more than we can ever mess up, that he does not define us by our sins or worst mistakes, and that he loves us more than we can ever imagine.

When we resist running from our trials, our suffering, and our pain, and instead face them, breathe, and slow down, we will find that Jesus is waiting for us with his arms outstretched and wide open, just as he did on the Cross. Jesus meets us in the depths of the whirlwind of our deepest agony, hurts, and confusion, as well as when and where we need him most.

I still remember thinking vividly, in the final weeks of JoAnn’s life when she was just skin and bones, that her suffering was like watching a crucifixion. Yet, she never lost her dignity, beauty, or her grace. JoAnn radiated love for me, our children, and any of those who helped to care for her in her final days. Jesus held each of us up and drew us closer together. Our twenty-three years and especially those final months together has helped me to be a better priest. Able to now better walk with people in their times of challenge and struggle, even death and mourning. God indeed does bring about a greater good from even the worst of circumstances.

This is why we venerate Jesus on the cross today, this is why today is Good Friday, so we remember that death does not have the final word, for Jesus conquered death. This is why we can say with St. Paul, “Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting” (1 Cor 15:55). Jesus did not leave us orphans when he died on the Cross. Jesus conquered death and became the firstborn of the new creation. We are not alone because as St Irenaeus wrote, “Jesus opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed.” Jesus is present whether we feel him or not, he is present, understands, and cares, now, always, and forever.

——————————————————————–

Painting: Holy Hour with Jesus, my Lord and Savior, who died for me and for you, for each of us.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, April 3, 2026

We too ought to wash one another’s feet.

A key focal point of the last supper narrative in the Gospel of John is Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Washing feet was certainly a custom in the ancient Near East, for either people walked barefoot or wore sandals. In either event, people’s feet became quite sore and dirty getting from here to there. What accumulated on a person’s feet was also substantial. Washing of the feet was a hospitable way to welcome guests into one’s home. This action though was the most menial of tasks and often performed by slaves or the lowest of servants.

After washing his disciples’ feet and sitting down, Jesus said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet” (Jn 13:13-14). Jesus shared with those who were to carry on his message and ministry that they were not to feel so high and mighty in this appointment. The Apostles, those sent by Jesus, were to look at their ministry as seeking how best to serve others, not seeking to be served themselves.

The ultimate service will be displayed in only a few more days. Jesus’ washing of his disciples feet was a foreshadowing of the ultimate act of humility and service that Jesus would show in giving his life for them on the cross. The most degrading, humiliating, and painful of deaths. Jesus gave his life on the cross as did Peter: “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me” (John 13:8). Peter did not grasp what Jesus was talking about. He followed Jesus on the literal level of the feet washing and much as he did when Jesus told him that he must die, Peter did not understand then either.

Traditionally, this evening at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, select members of the parish will come to have a foot washed by the priests, following the model set by Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. This would remind all of us, as members of the Church, that we are all an integral part of the Body of Christ. Reenacting the actions of Jesus proclaimed in the Gospel, brings the vivid reality of Jesus’ invitation. We are at our best when we are willing to serve, support, and lift one another up. This is to be true when all is well and rosy, in addition to when conflict and challenges arise in the messiness of our daily lives.

Pope Francis, in his homily on April 5, 2020 highlighted this same point: “Dear brothers and sisters, what can we do in comparison with God, who served us even to the point of being betrayed and abandoned? We can refuse to betray him for whom we were created, and not abandon what really matters in our lives. We were put in this world to love him and our neighbors. Everything else passes away, only this remains. The tragedy we are experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. For life is measured by love.”

We best exemplify Jesus’ washing of the feet when we resist the allure and temptation of pride because our life is not about us. We are not the center of the universe. Jesus shows us a better way and invites us to walk away from the table presenting a buffet of false substitutes for God: pleasure, wealth, fame and power. We are not to curve in upon ourselves either, afraid that our sins are not forgivable. Jesus has not abandoned us and he never tires of loving, forgiving, and serving us. Jesus gave his life for us, and is with us every step of our journey. As we receive and experience his love and forgiveness, may we be more willing to love and serve one another.

————————————————————

Painting: “Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet” by Ford Madox Brown

Link for the Mass reading for Holy Thursday Evening