"STAY WITH US, LORD" (Luke 24:29)

1st Reading                  Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Psalm                            23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (R. 1) R:// "The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want" 2nd Reading               1 Peter 2: 20b-25 Gospel                          John 10: 1-10 YOU ARE CALLED BY NAME Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 4th Sunday of Easter (Year A), and the last Sunday of the month of April. More interesting is the fact that the 4th Sunday of Easter has been earmarked as Good Shepherd Sunday. Talking about Shepherd, this Sunday is also called Vocations Sunday. We pray that the Lord of the vineyard will call men and women to work. May these people also respond generously to God's call. Let us quickly begin with the Gospel passage from John 10:1-10. We should remind ourselve...

1st Reading             Acts 2:14,22-33 Psalm                        16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 (R. 11a) R:// "Lord, you will show us the path of life." 2nd Reading           1 Peter 1:17-21 Gospel                      Luke 24: 13-35 STAY WITH US, LORD (MANE NOBISCUM, DOMINE) Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 3rd Sunday of Easter (Year A). As a reminder, we shall be journeying through Easter in 7 weeks. Let us also remind ourselves that, traditionally, in the Catholic Church, April is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament (Holy Eucharist) and the Holy Spirit. Let us dive then into the readings.  Our first reading is from Acts 2:14, 22-33 and the Gospel is from Luke 24: 13-35. Let us focus on the Gospel and pay attention to a few details.  By way of preliminary words, the Gospel passage under consideration i...

  1st Reading              Acts 2:42-47 Psalm                          118: 2-4, 22-24, 25-27a (R. 1) R:// "Give praise to the Lord, for he is good; his mercy endures forever" 2nd Reading            1 Peter 1:3-9 Gospel                        John 20: 19-31 LET THERE BE PEACE Beloved, today we celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Year C), also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. This was established by Pope John Paul II on April 30th, 2000, during the canonization of Sr. Faustina Kowalska. Divine Mercy Sunday is a beautiful occasion that celebrates God's love and mercy. Upon examining today’s readings, we observe that the Gospel is the same across all three liturgical years. The Gospel passage for today is from John 20:19-31, while the other readings differ. The Gospel narrative tells us about two...

1st Reading                  Genesis 1:1-2:2 (Ps. 104; R. cf. 30) 2nd Reading                Genesis 22:1-18 (Ps. 16; R. 1) 3rd Reading                 Exodus 14:15-15:1 (Ps. Exod. 15; R.1b) 4th Reading                 Isaiah 54:5-14 (Ps. 30; R. 2a) 5th Reading                 Isaiah 55:1-11 (Isa. 12; R. 3) 6th Reading          Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4 (Ps. 19; R. Jn. 6:68c) 7th Reading          Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28 (Ps. 42; R. 42:2) Epistle                            Romans 6:3-11 Gospel                            Matthew 28:1-10 COME AND SEE THE PLACE HE LAY Friends, Pax et Bonum! We welcome ours...

  1st Reading         Acts 10: 34a. 37-43 Psalm                     118: 1-2, 15c-17, 22-23 (R. 24) R:// "This is the day the Lord had made; let us rejoice in it and be glad" or Alleluia 2nd Reading       Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5: 6b-8 Gospel                    John 20: 1-9 THE EVIDENCE LIES IN THE TOMB This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad (Ps. 118: 24).  Dear friends, the much anticipated day, the day for which we have been preparing for a length of 40 days has finally come. Today is Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord. This Sunday is the mother of all sundays. The other Sundays are "little easters." Our Lord is risen, and this strengthens our hope that the Messiah came and has done the work of redemption. The Lord is truly risen, alleluia.  Let us drink from the treasury of t...

  1st Reading                Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Psalm                      31: 2 and 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17 and 25 (R. Lk. 23:46b) R:// "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" 2nd Reading             Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Gospel                          John 18:1-19: 42 BE STRONG Beloved, as we experience the silence of the Triduum, let us keep a few points from the Gospel passage from John 18:1-19:42 in mind to help our meditation. The Passion narrative according to John is read every year on Good Friday.  I suggest that we focus on Peter's denial. This has much to teach us about the various areas that we can also deny the Lord. In all, the final question will be, "Will I also deny the Lord?" We need to understand that Peter is a man of extreme zeal and faith. He is like many of...

  1st Reading            Exodus 12: 1-8, 11-14 Psalm                      116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18 (R. cf. 1 Cor. 10: 16) R:// "The cup of blessing is a participation in the blood of Christ"  2nd Reading         1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 Gospel                    John 13:1-15 THE WORK AND THE WORKER ARE INSTITUTED Friends, today, we commence the Sacred Paschal Triduum with the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. In this Mass, we recall the gift of the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood. Therefore, we celebrate the work and worker. Let us take a few noteworthy details from the first reading and the Gospel narrative. Let us begin with the first reading from Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14. This is a passage that is read on every Holy Thursday at the Mass of the Lord's Supper. The narrative is found within the surgence of the plague...