In today’s Gospel, we encounter the Apostles eagerly sharing with Jesus all that they accomplished in their first foray into ministry. As you recall, Jesus had sent them out two-by-two to teach, anoint the sick, and drive out demons. They are excited as they return to Him and share their stories about their experiences. (One can almost picture the apostles all clamoring for Jesus’ attention at the same time.)

Summer Vacations! Who does not love them? Growing up in NJ, my family’s go-to summer vacation spot was Ocean City, MD. But the Ata family did not travel like Jesus asked the disciples to travel. I think we traveled in the opposite way. We had no walking sticks; we had tons of food, more sacks then possibly needed, and money to spend. We did wear sandals, but not carrying a second tunic, my family, we had bags and bags of clothes.

Jesus returns to Nazareth, accompanied by His disciples. On the Sabbath, He begins to teach in the synagogue, and His wisdom and miracles astonish those who hear Him. Yet, their amazement quickly turns into skepticism. "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" they ask. And they take offense at Him.

In today’s Gospel we hear stories about individuals who face hopeless situations, turn to Jesus with faith and in return discover that the impossible is very much possible. They show resilience and strength to embrace this faith when all seems lost. It is this call to embrace great faith in the face of impossible odds that the over 200 young men and women who have said yes to a year of service with FrancisCorps have answered.

In our prayer and in our preaching, we usually concentrate on the Good News that we are made in the image and likeness of God. This revelation gives us great hope and comfort as we face the ups and downs of our daily life. It is an aspect of our Faith that St. Francis stressed in his preaching and in his life. St. Francis was in awe of our God who surrenders His divinity to fully embrace our humanity and thus offers us a pattern for living and praising our Heavenly Father. Jesus freely emptied Himself of His divinity to become fully human and we are made in His image and likeness. In His embrace of our humanity Jesus fulfills all of our needs and desires.

Like many traditional pillars of our society, fatherhood has fallen on hard times. 1 in 4 children in our country grow up without a father in the home. There is really no need to list all of the consequences that follow from this tragic reality.
However, it is important to remember that the entire family structure has its origin in God. St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians 3:14-15 tells us, “ … I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.” In other words, fatherhood is integral to the family structure. Something not always appreciated in today’s culture.

In this week's Gospel, Jesus faces misunderstandings from His family, accusations from religious leaders, and redefines what it means to be part of His family. This passage is rich with lessons about faith, community, and the radical inclusivity of God's kingdom.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi). This feast was established for the Universal Church in 1264 by Pope Urban IV. By the 15th century, it became one of the principle feast days of the Church.

For 40 years, I have begun my day with a renewal of that prayer of consecration to Mary. She has kept me on the straight and narrow road and protected me from temptations and poor judgment. In my times of loneliness, she has reminded me that every Christian’s vocation is to follow in the footsteps of Her Son, Jesus; and His path led Him to the cross. Mary has helped me appreciate the countless blessings and joys of these 40 years – from the privilege of ministering to God’s holy people in one assignment only to be embraced by His people in the next assignment.

Today is Pentecost. As the Church, we come to the end of the Great 90 Days: the 40 days of Lent and the 50 days of Easter. We have recalled the ministry, passion and death of the Master, Jesus Christ. We have celebrated His resurrection from the dead and his ascension into glory. Today, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the day that the Church was born.

The readings for this Sunday tells us the story of Jesus' departure and the promise (and necessity) of the Holy Spirit. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26), we witness the early Christian community grappling with the vacancy left by Judas Iscariot. However, they don't despair but turn to prayer and discernment, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit to choose a replacement. This narrative underscores the importance of communal discernment and the reliance on God's wisdom in making significant decisions.

Why the month of May for Mary? May is often the season of the year when spring is in full bloom and we see the height of nature's beauty. Spring is an example of nature renewing itself. God renewed humanity and all of creation when Mary gave new life to the world in giving birth to Jesus. Without Mary giving birth to Jesus, all the events that followed: Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, would not have happened. The month of May is when nature is showing signs of life - the ideal month to honor the woman who gave life to our Savior.

I am not a gardener, so I went to Google and searched “Why is it important to prune branches of a vine?” I learned a lot from the articles I read and that particularly for grape vines, the vine grower prunes the branches of the vine that have reproduced fruit already because grapes produce fruit on a branch only once. The branch of the new year's growth grew from the branches of last year's harvest. So, when a branch bears fruit one year, the vine grower must trim that branch, being aware that buds left on that branch are where the new shoots will grow for the following year.

Every year on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Church invites us to reflect on the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel and the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Jesus underscores the fact that the sheep of His flock recognize and respond to His voice. The Good Shepherd calls His sheep to Himself and loves and protects them. We may not realize it, but we are called to imitate Jesus in His role as Good Shepherd.

Have you noticed how we human beings get caught up in all the events we think are so important? But are these things really that important? Did our lives change dramatically because we experienced a solar eclipse or felt the aftershock of the earthquake? Probably not, although the doomsday peddlers among us wanted everyone to rush to gas stations and grocery stores in anticipation of the end times.

As a Church we put much emphasis on our need for penance and conversion but we also need to emphasize our need to celebrate and share the good news that Christ is Risen from the dead. On that first Easter Sunday over 2000 years ago, the tomb of Jesus was empty, he had conquered death, defeated Satan, and rose from the dead. I think that is pretty awesome!

“He (the young man) said to them, ‘Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; He is not here. But go and tell…” (Mark 16)

In these few short sentences, Mark the Evangelist captures the essence of the Christian vocation. Do not be amazed: Why? Because from the beginning of His ministry, Jesus promised that He would be crucified and raised on the third day. He is not here: Look, see and believe everything He told you about Himself, His Father, and His salvific mission. But go and tell: Share the faith that we have received. Share a faith that is filled with conviction and joy.

Happy Holy Week! Our Lenten journey truly is just the Beginning as we enter into the holiest of weeks in the liturgical calendar with today Palm Sunday and to come Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday, and the entire Easter season.

We hear in the Gospel before the blessing of the palms,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Hosanna in the highest!”

Happy Lent! We are over halfway through Lenten journey and ever closer to the Solemn celebrations of Holy Week, Easter and the entire Easter Season (which last for 50 days).

Last week we were reminded of God’s love for us in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

At the heart of this passage lies a poignant analogy drawn from the Old Testament. Jesus refers to the story of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, a symbol of healing and redemption for the Israelites. By drawing this parallel, Jesus foreshadows His own sacrificial death on the cross - His own lifting up - which will become the ultimate source of healing and salvation for all who believe.