Sunday Reflections

We celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven as if we were those first disciples, left staring into heaven as the Lord Jesus is taken up into the heavens.  We are those disciples of today, and the witnesses of the Good News today.  Jesus bestowed upon them, and us, the power and grace to not only share in His life, but to share it with others.   This mandate is a great responsibility, but we do not do it alone.  Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to work within us and to produce the gifts and charisms that will build up His Church.  So, now ...

What with newspapers, CNN, Twitter and “fake news” it is not hard to recognize that negativity is what attracts our attention.  Let’s face it “good news” does not sell newspapers or hold our attention! How often is the front page covered with good news? Unfortunately the good news is delegated to a few pages in, if there is any to be found! Have you ever seen a picture of a couple celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary on the front page or the healthy birth of a long awaited child after numerous miscarriages? No! What part of the newspaper are you?

             The first of our eight principles of Resurrection spirituality proclaims that God loves us unconditionally.  Reflecting upon this principle, we recognize that God has taken the initiative with us, and loves us beyond our understanding and imagining.  This can be difficult for us to believe because we are often deeply shaped by our own experiences of not being loved, not being valued, and not being forgiven.  Or, similarly, God’s unconditional love for us can be difficult to believe because we find it har

Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and we rejoice in sharing in the life of His flock.  He calls us each by name to share in his life.  However, in our human condition we sometimes do not listen, and wander off from the flock, and from his life of grace.  Then we are in peril, as we think that we know better, and put ourselves into the hands of strangers and thieves.  Our challenge, though, is to truly listen to the voice of the Shepherd.  We may 'hear' his voice, but 'listening' speaks of an acceptance of what we hear, and a following of it.  'Lis

The third Sunday of Easter has one common, encouraging theme: No matter what happens in our lives, the risen Jesus is always with us.  God is near to those who seek Him and who want to live in His presence, doing His will.  The Emmaus incident is the story of a God who will not leave us alone when we are hurt and disappointed. In the gospel, we see the disciples living in the past, the old ways (better?), but hoping for future ways of living. The bottom has fallen out of their dreams. Shattered dreams now! They miss Jesus in their presence.

Resurrectionists are called to build, and to teach others to build, a Christian community “in which all can experience the hope, joy, and peace of Christ’s Resurrection” (Charism Statement of the Congregation of the Resurrection).  Our gospel today focuses on the peace that the Risen Lord longs to bestow upon the early disciples and upon us today.  Like the early disciples, we can find ourselves anxious and disturbed, not only by the trials and tribulations of our daily lives, but also by the troubling events of our world.&

Finally, after a long Lenten season we can say those joyous words, and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.  His resurrection to new life is also our resurrection.  Through our Baptism we share in that new life.   The virtue most associated with the resurrection - and the Charism of the Congregation of the Resurrection - is hope.  Just as God did the impossible and the improbable in raising Jesus from the dead, we believe that God can also do the impossible and the improbable in our life here and now.  That is the basis of our hope

We do not earn or deserve God’s love; it is a gift given freely and unstintingly.  When we feel most alone, most unworthy, most unlovable, the all compassionate heart of God remains open to us.

We are called to love God wholeheartedly, and to love thy “neighbour” as myself. God will do anything for us and never leave us. Do you have someone you do/would do anything for?  Has someone gone above and beyond for you? God loves us without limits. How do you respond to this amazing gift by reflecting that love to others and to ourselves?

While many of us treasure the season of Lent as a time of preparation for the renewal of our Baptismal promises at Easter, there are some among us who are preparing for Baptism at the Easter Vigil. We witnessed these people in our parishes on the First Sunday of Lent as they took part in the Rite of Election and entered into the third stage or period of preparation which the Church calls a time of Purification and Enlightenment.

Those of us who are getting older are aware of the challenge of failing eyesight.  So, we can only imagine the joy and relief of the young man who was given sight – for the first time – by Jesus.  The Pharisees try to trap the young man and his parents to discredit Jesus, however the young man has called him a prophet.   In the Jewish mentality physical illness or handicap was an outward sign of an sinfulness within.  Such was not the case, as Jesus says, but to reveal the glory of God.  Then Jesus turns his attention to the Pharisees and calls