god

The Son has come down from heaven, to show us the way to heaven.

Jesus continued to teach Nicodemus and with these words, “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man” (Jn 3:13), Jesus expressed the truth about who he is, the Son of the Living God. He called himself the Son of Man back in the first chapter when he described how angels will be ascending and descending on him, how in his very person, he opens up heaven for humanity (John 1:51). Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of man. From all eternity and for all eternity the Son is begotten not made. The Son has always existed with the Father and at the appropriate time, the Father sent his Son to be one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity.

We have been loved into existence, along with all of creation, by the outpouring of the love shared between God the Father and God the Son, who is God the Holy Spirit. The Son came to invite us back to restore our relationship with his Father, to show us where we have strayed, so that we may correct the course of our journey and return back to who we have been created to be. We have been created to be in communion, in an intimate relationship with God and one another.

Jesus, the Son of God became incarnate, took on flesh, and entered into our human condition that we would be deified, transformed into the very likeness of God by our participation in the life of Christ. This is why Jesus tells Nicodemus that we are to be born from above because through our baptism we are born again as daughters and sons of God our Father. The one who has come down from heaven has, as St Irenaeus wrote, “opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed.”

It is important to make time each day to savor the truth that we have been loved into existence. As we do so, we will realize that our lives are gifts from God and we have been created to receive God’s love and love others in return. During these present, uncertain times, we are given an opportunity to be more aware of what is important to us as well as Who and with Whom our true stability lies. It is in times like these that we are given a chance to appreciate and grow closer to God, our family and friends, as well as begin to be more aware of those who are in dire need around us.

The gift of all life is precious. May we resist taking this precious gift for granted, and love others today in our own special and unique way. Jesus has loved us from the beginning, more than we can ever imagine and more than we can ever mess up! Just as the sun shines on the good and bad alike, so God loves each one of us with a love that is beyond all our understanding. The flow of our lives as disciples is to receive and share the love of God.

Photo: With each sunrise, may the Son of God rise in our hearts!

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, April 14, 2025

“By means of baptism, we are born into communion with Jesus and the Father through the Holy Spirit”.

Nicodemus came to Jesus in the night. He was a Pharisee, showing that not all Pharisees refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Most likely, Nicodemus was not there alone as he shared, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God”. Although, Nicodemus did not reject Jesus outright, he did not understand the fullness of who he was either. His heart and mind was open to what Jesus was teaching and he recognized that Jesus was sent by God. His coming at night most likely showed he was also not yet willing to support Jesus publicly and also on the spiritual level conveyed his lack of understanding regarding the message of Jesus.

He was not alone. For throughout the gospels, it is rare that anyone gets Jesus’ teaching on the first presentation, or second or third, if they are willing to stay with him that long. Nor do they get his deeper meanings if they do have some comprehension. Jesus though recognizes the opening that Nicodemus offers and he approaches Nicodemus as he did with his disciples. Where they are willing and open to learn, Jesus met them where were are and sought to stretch and expand there understanding to move from the things of the finite and below to lift them to spiritual insight and the things from above.

Jesus offers the image of being “born from above” to Nicodemus to help him to exercise his spiritual sight and muscles. Nicodemus takes Jesus words on the literal level and asks how someone can be born again and go back into their mother’s womb. Jesus taught Nicodemus that we as human beings are in need of receiving a new life, a life “born of the Spirit.” When we are born from above we are born again a second time. Jesus is speaking of baptism. We are given our life the first time through our parents, being born from below, and through the water and the Spirit are born again and made new. We are baptized into the death of Jesus and born again in the newness of his resurrection.

“This second birth from heaven is baptism. which is an action of the Holy Spirit. Through the water rite, the believer is joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Rom 6:4-5) and receives the indwelling Holy Spirit. If the kingdom of God is Jesus himself, then to enter the kingdom is to be given a share in Jesus’ own life. By means of baptism, we are born into communion with Jesus and the Father through the Holy Spirit” (Martin and Wright, 71).

What Jesus has begun to convey to Nicodemus, he will continue. He has done the same with his Apostles, other disciples, as well as anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear. His teachings have continued because there are those who have stuck with even while struggling with his teachings, have been willing to be transformed by them through the Holy Spirit and so have passed Jesus teachings, such as, the life of being born from above through baptism and the other sacraments, on. This continued for generations and in each age up to us our present day.

Christianity is not like Gnosticism, some secret sect of knowledge that is shared with a select, elite few. Neither is Christianity a form of dualism or Manicheism such that our body and all that is material are bad and we need to shed the physical as soon as possible to attain the fullness of our potential through the absolute embrace of the spiritual only. Nor is Christianity Pelagianism, where we just need the proper discipline, will power, and persistence to follow the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus offers us a universal invitation for all to “be born from above”, which means to be baptized in his name, to follow him into his death, to die to our our false sense of self, to our sin, our pride, that attitude and disposition that strives to set apart, diminish, devalue, dehumanize, divide, and polarize, and to rise with him. In being “born from above”, we receive the offer to participate in his divinity through the purifying fire and love of the Holy Spirit and so, instead of rejecting our humanity, embrace the fullness of our humanity, as we are being perfected by our participation in the life of Jesus.

The grace of God builds on our nature, the goodness of the creation he has made and formed into existence through an outpouring of his love. We accomplish this the same way his mother Mary, the Apostles, Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and Nicodemus did. We answer the call to holiness and sanctity. We say, “Yes” to Jesus and give him all we are and recognize all that we have is a gift from God the Father.

Day by day we need to be willing to be lead by the hand of Jesus, the firstborn of the new creation, he will lead us to our healing and guide us to offer our hand to others. May we resist the temptation to put up barriers, to keep others at arm’s length. We are all, every one of us, invited to become saints through our participation in the life of Jesus.

I agree with Pope Francis who in his exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), wrote that we cannot “claim to say where God is not, because God is mysteriously present in the life of every person, in a way that he himself chooses, and we cannot exclude this by our presumed certainties. Even when someone’s life appears completely wrecked, even when we see it devastated by vices or addictions, God is present there. If we let ourselves be guided by the Spirit rather than our own preconceptions, we can and must try to find the Lord in every human life.”

God is present to us in each of our lives. For those of us who have been, may we embrace the gift of our baptism, so to better understand what Jesus was teaching Nicodemus, that we have been “born from above”. Through our dying and rising in Christ, we have better access and a share in the breath and life of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we are transformed and made new by the Holy Spirit when we believe and follow his guidance. We are invited to share and draw deeply from this spring of living water and lead others to the same source.

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Photo: My baptism, July 18, 1965 and my journey to the priesthood begins.

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

Link for the Pope Francis article on “Rejoice and Be Glad”

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, April 13, 2026

May our Lord and our God grant us forgiveness and mercy.

The disciples locked themselves in a room fearing further persecution from the Jewish leadership. Jesus was crucified and as their followers, they believed that they would be next. The distinction needs to be made that Jesus and his disciples are Jewish. When John referenced the fact that the disciples were locked in the room because they were “afraid of the Jews”, John was referring to the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus and his followers were Galilean Jews from the north.

The Apostles were not only afraid of the potential persecution, they were also most likely ashamed of having turned away from Jesus during his time of dire need, as well as mourning his death. While they gathered in the darkness and were locked away experiencing fear, shame, and grief, Jesus “came and stood in their midst”. As a light shining in their darkness, Jesus returned as he promised. Their reaction of amazement and fear of the possibility of Jesus’ impending judgment had no time to form in their minds. As quickly as Jesus arrived and stood in their midst, he said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus forgave them for their betrayal. He did not rub their nose in their shame or say that he had told them so. Jesus came among them and immediately bestowed upon them his mercy. He then commissioned them to be his Apostles as he said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” As Jesus is the Son of God, he has the power to forgive, and he is now sending his Apostles to be bearers of his forgiveness and mercy in his name. Just as the Father sent his Son and gave him authority to act in his name, Jesus was now giving the same authority to his brothers.

Thomas was not among the eleven and when they shared with him the good news of their encounter with the risen Lord. Thomas did not believe. Just like the apostles did not believe Mary Magdalene’s nor Cleopas and his companion’s account that they had encountered the risen Lord. The following week, Jesus returned again, and seeing the marks on Jesus’ hands and his side, Thomas too believed, saying, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus acknowledged Thomas’ affirmation but also built on it for those who would come after: “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Today, we still have access to the gift of God’s mercy and forgiveness instituted by Jesus as is recorded in today’s Gospel of John. Jesus is just as present to us as he was to his disciples. He is present in his word when we receive it proclaimed in the Mass or read, meditate, and pray with his word on our own. Jesus is present in the Eucharist that we receive, where we behold again the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is present through our priests who hear our confession, and he is present in each one of us through our Baptism.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, may we spend some quiet time with today’s Gospel and imagine ourselves in the locked room with the disciples. May we allow Jesus to appear to us in the midst of any sorrow, grief, fear, or doubts and challenges that we may be struggling with. May our minds and hearts be open to hear his words, “Peace be with you!” and allow the radiating light of his mercy, peace, and forgiveness to wash over and through our whole being. May we allow ourselves to be healed and transformed by the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

Jesus sends us out as he sent his apostles to practice mercy and forgiveness. We do so when we react less and breathe deeply more as well as become advocates for peace, healing, joy, and reconciliation. Is there someone who could benefit from the presence of Jesus through our being present with them, someone who may in the words of Pope Francis, the Pope of Mercy, who we lost just about a year ago, need “to hear God’s good news of forgiveness and love” (Francis, 25)? Allowing ourselves to be loved by Jesus we can then be filled to overflowing to share a smile, radiate his joy, and share God’s love and mercy as he did. Alleluia!

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Copy of the painting of Divine Mercy image by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski that is hanging in my office. “Have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

McCann, Deborah. 30 Days of Reflections and Prayers: What Pope Francis Says About Mercy. New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2015.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, April 12, 2026

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!!!

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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.

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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

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.

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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.

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

Link for the Mass reading for Holy Thursday Evening

“Not as I will but as you will.”

Today, we celebrate the Passion of Jesus. The scene from the Passion account that I would like to reflect upon is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26:36-46). The disciples follow Jesus to the Mount of Olives and once arriving, Jesus withdraws about a stone’s throw from them, and kneeling, he prayed, saying, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will but as you will.” Jesus would pray this prayer again after finding his disciples asleep.

He probably reviewed his life, his simple beginnings with Mary and Joseph, his simple life as a carpenter, and then the past three years of his ministry. Jesus had done all that the Father had asked of him, he preached, taught, healed, exorcised demons, built relationships, and each time his Father requested something of him, Jesus said yes. Now as he pondered one more request, he could probably sense Judas and the Temple guards drawing close. He would be turned over to those who had rejected the will of his Father.

Jesus would say yes yet again, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!”

Jesus could have refused, but he was sent by his Father to become one with us in our humanity so that we could become one with him in his divinity, and that meant all that he assumed, all that he took upon himself in being fully human, he could redeem.

This meant Jesus would also take upon himself our sins, although he himself never sinned. Jesus was willing to follow the will of his Father all the way into utter godforsakenness, experiencing as much as he was capable of experiencing the separation between him and his Father even into death.

With these words of surrender Jesus echoed a verse from Psalms 42 and 43: “Hope in God, I will praise him still, my savior and my God.” Even faced with his death, he trusted that there would be a greater good from the sacrifice of giving his life. Jesus would surrender all.

The God-man, Jesus, arose, and as he approached his disciples he found them sleeping from grief. Jesus was ready to face the cross even if his apostles were not. As he did with the Apostles, Jesus commands us to watch and pray this Holy Week. How many times have we also been in a situation of facing something that is too heavy to bear? We, like the disciples, fall short, for our flesh is weak. Yet, Jesus has faith in us that we will actualize who his Father calls us to be. Jesus still had faith in his apostles who persisted despite their failures and fulfilled their role in God’s plan.

No matter what challenges are before us, let us place our trust in God, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.

No matter what personal trials or tribulations, doubts or uncertainties, temptations or needs for healing and forgiveness, let us allow ourselves to be loved by God as we are right now as we are in our poverty, imperfections, and our sins. We are beloved children of God and he loves us more than we can imagine or mess up.

No matter what medical, psychological, physical, mental, emotional, social or spiritual issues, come what may, we are not alone. Let us not be afraid, and place our trust and hope in Jesus, let us praise him still, our savior and our God.

Photo: Let us ponder this Passion Sunday, all that Jesus has sacrificed, suffered, and surrendered for us.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, March 29, 2026

The setting sun helps us to remember how Jesus’ life set.

A core group, the Sanhedrin, within the leadership of Israel has decided. They will not deny themselves, their power, prestige, their place. They will not take up their cross and follow Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. They will not allow the teaching and momentum of the growing number of those following Jesus to continue unchecked. As Passover drew nearer, thousands of people were coming to Jerusalem to purify themselves for the great feast.

This meant that many more centurions would be in place to keep the peace. The division and commotion that Jesus was causing could escalate conflict, unrest, and then swift and violent retribution from the Roman presence. Also, messianic hopes were at a fever pitch during this time. The foundational hope was that the Messiah would come, and amass followers to overthrow the Roman occupiers.

The Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council, followed the lead of the high priest, Caiaphas, who said, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish” (Jn 11:49-50). Caiaphas was looking to protect his people. Even if the image of followers amassing around Jesus was people, the Roman leadership could take this for a mounting rebellion, and would come down with swift, cruel force that would not be an eye for an eye.

With these words, they began to plan how to put to death the carpenter of Nazareth. With the words of Caiaphas, the sun began to set on the life of Jesus. These words even affect us still today as they usher in the sunset of our Lenten observance. The gift of our liturgical readings allows us to relive the story of our faith. Lent has given us a time to reflect, to meditate upon who Jesus is. Is he just a carpenter, another teacher, or a holy man from the past? Is he each of these, but someone so much more, the Son of God who became one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity?

Do we see Jesus’ teachings and life as a threat as did the Sanhedrin? Do we like our life the way it is, such that we do not want Jesus to come into our home and start turning over the tables and disrupting our order and comfort? Do the Gospels cut us to the heart and inspire us to shake off our complacency, our indifference, our cynicism, our fear, so to be inspired to acknowledge our sins, to repent, and to begin anew? Are we willing to have our hearts opened such that we see the needs of our brothers and sisters and so are moved with compassion to help?

As Holy Week begins with the Vigil Mass for Passion Sunday may we meditate on the words of Caiaphas, “consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish” (Jn 11:49-50). Caiaphas did not know that what he proclaimed would be so true. The one, Jesus, would die, not only so the nation would not perish, but that all of humanity would not perish and be saved.

Jesus died for each and everyone of us that we might have life and have it to the full. As the sun sets this Saturday evening (or even Friday if you are reading now), may it not be just another rotation of the earth on its axis, but an opportunity to commit once again to make time to ponder and appreciate Jesus dying for us. Let us take up our crosses with Jesus this Passion Sunday, so to die to our false selves, our egos, our self-centered postures, fears, pride, and vices. In dying with Christ, we shall put to death our vices, so to live a new life of virtue and love.
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Photo: As each day ends, may we examine where we have been blessed, said yes to God, and be grateful, as well as acknowledge where we have fallen short, resisted God’s invitation, ask for forgiveness and help to begin again.

Link for the Mass for Saturday, March 28, 2026

Are we walking away or closer to Jesus this Lent?

In today’s account from the Gospel of John, we see as we have been seeing, a division. There were those about to stone Jesus for blasphemy and those who began to believe. The first group did not recognize Jesus as the Son of God. Although Jesus sought to create an opening through reminding them of the good works he had done. These works came from his Father, and so Jesus sought to reason with them, “even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (Jn 10:38). They listened to the claim that Jesus was making but they refused to accept the fulfillment of his assertion: Jesus did the works of his Father because he was then and still is today the Son of God. Jesus knew the voice of his Father, was obedient to his Father’s will, and did what the Father asked him to do.

The more that Jesus sought to help them to understand that he was who he says he is, the more they dug in their heels. They may have left the stones on the ground but then moved to have him arrested. Jesus evaded their grasp and moved on to the region across the Jordan where John first baptized. John did not preach in the Temple precincts either, even though he was the son of a priest. John followed the lead of God to prepare the way for Jesus and his eternal priesthood. The Temple had not been the seat of God for some time. Jesus would become the new living Temple.

Jesus returned to the place of his baptism, where he joined in solidarity with sinful humanity. This visible image of consecration revealed what happened silently in his conception and birth: the Son of God took on flesh and became man to open up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed. As people came to John in the Jordanian wilderness, so too, people came to Jesus. Not all rejected his message. Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” And many there began to believe in him (Jn 10:41-42).

A question that arises for us as our steps take us closer to Palm Sunday and Holy Week is to which group will we align with? Will we label Jesus as a blasphemer or believe that Jesus is the Son of God? The scriptural record does not reveal indifference as an option, the accounts do not leave any room for Jesus being only human; no matter how good a teacher, a wise man, or a revolutionary radical.

We either accept Jesus is fully human and fully divine or we don’t. If he isn’t who he claimed to be, the Son of God, then Christianity is just another philosophical, theological pursuit. If we accept that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, then we are invited to align our lives to his. Opening our minds and hearts and believing the deeper truth of this reality, as did the apostles, will take time and experience with Jesus. Our thoughts, words, actions, and even our faces will slowly begin to be transformed as we answer Jesus’ invitation and spend time with him.

A way to begin or continue our walk, is to call Jesus to mind more often as St. Francis de Sales suggests: “pronounce either on your lips or in your heart whatever love suggests to you on the spot because that will provide as much as you wish… there are certain words that have a particular power to satisfy the heart in this situation… psalms of David… invocations of the Name of Jesus… bursts of love written in the Song of Songs. Spiritual hymns… sung with care” (p. 103). One thought and phrase I have been recently been using is, “Jesus, I choose you.”

Spiritual Stepping Stones