Tuesday, April 14, 2026

 

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7b-15)

“’How can this happen?’” Nicodemus asks Jesus in the gospel.  It’s the same question many would ask of the first reading.  How can people sell their houses and property and donate all the proceeds to the community? 

The Acts of the Apostles tells of Joseph’s generosity to illustrate the power of the Holy Spirit.  Under the Spirit’s guidance people put aside self-interest for the good of all.  It should be noted that the wholesale mutuality of the primitive Christian community is not perfect and does not prevail for long.  The story of Joseph’s selflessness is followed by the sober tale of a believer’s deception out of self-concern.  In the next chapter of Acts, the altercation between Greek-speaking and Hebrew-speaking disciples is related.  It may be concluded that the innocence of human nature is not restored by the Holy Spirit without an inclination to sin.

Christian shortcomings have caused scandal both in the world and within the community.  At the end of the Middle Ages the selling of indulgences by clerics gave rise to the Protestant Reformation.  Today many are reserved about receiving the sacraments because of the revelations of child abuse by clergy.  And certainly, Christians have been guilty of racial and religious bigotry over the centuries.  There is need for investigating these matters lest too severe judgments are made.  Yet repentance and penance are also in order.  It is not that the Spirit has abandoned the Church but that Church members have failed to follow its lead.  We must regularly turn back to the Spirit with sincere hearts.

Monday, April 13, 2026

 

Monday of the Second Week of Eater

(Acts 4:23-31; John 3:1-8)

The daily masses of the Easter season feature a review of the Acts of the Apostles.  Last week it told of Peter’s preaching after Pentecost and how he cured a cripple in the name of Jesus.  As a result, he was arrested and brought to the Sanhedrin.  The court told him not speak of Jesus anymore. Today’s first reading relates Peter’s report of the trial to the community of disciples in Jerusalem.

The community responds with a prayer of support for Peter.  It recalls how foreign nations defied King David as the Jewish leaders are now challenging Jesus’ apostles.  And it asks the Lord to fortify the apostles with “boldness” to continue preaching.  God evidently assents to the request as the earth shakes, which is taken as a sign of the Holy Spirit.

The proclaiming of Jesus to unbelievers has been carried on for two thousand years.  It seems to some today as an old message that is losing traction.  We have family and friends who have stopped going to church.  However, not only are there masses of people being baptized in Africa, but many serious thinkers are rediscovering the wisdom and relevancy of Christ. Two weeks ago, for example, Vice President J.D. Vance published a book about his conversion to Catholicism.  Christianity will not pass away because Jesus Christ is the eternal God.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

 Second Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy Sunday

(Acts 2:42–47; 1 Peter 1:3–9; John 20:1–9)

The Gospel calls Thomas “the Twin.” No one knows why, or whose counterpart he might have been. Perhaps he is our twin, insofar as, like him, we too have harbored doubts in faith. For that reason, we would like to address him with the following questions.

Thomas, why do you not believe your companions when they tell you that Jesus has risen? Did he not hint at His passion, death, and resurrection several times in your presence? When he spoke of the Good Shepherd, did he not say that he would lay down his life for his sheep (John 10:11)? Did he not also say that he had the power not only to lay down His life but to take it up again (10:18)? And did he not tell you and others that he would be lifted up from the earth to draw all people to himself (12:32)?

Above all, do you not remember what happened at the tomb of Lazarus? When Jesus asked that the stone covering the tomb be removed and Martha worried about the stench because Lazarus had been dead four days, did you not see the dead man come out walking?

Why do you want to be like the Sadducees, who tried to trap Jesus with the ridiculous story of the woman who had seven husbands because they did not believe in the resurrection? Does it not disturb you to sound like many people of the twenty-first century who doubt everything and, in doing so, gradually lose the values necessary to sustain a stable and meaningful life?

Remember the story of Abraham, who left his land, his people, and his father’s house out of faith in God’s word. Was God not faithful to His promise to this patriarch? Recall also Jeremiah and the other prophets, who suffered disgrace and punishment for proclaiming God’s word as true and inviolable. Do you think they preached in vain?

Also, look to the future. See how the disciples live in perfect harmony, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. Is this not the fruit of the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit? Notice also what happens years later, when Peter urges Christians to remain steadfast in hope even in the midst of suffering. Does this not convince you of the centrality of faith in the resurrection?

Yes, it is true that faith requires sacrifice, especially when we live among people who do not seek God’s justice but material satisfaction. We feel like strangers, as though something essential were missing, until we discover the true source of fulfillment. It does not come from passing sensations, but from the awareness of living according to God’s will.

No, Thomas, doubt no more. Accept the presence of Jesus who stands before you. He is not present only in the human body with which he walked on earth. He is also present in the poor who live according to the commandments of love. He is present in the sacraments that offer us His forgiveness, strength, and grace. And he is present in the ordained and women religious who represent the Church. They are not always perfect, but they teach us the ways and commandments of the Lord.

More than that, stop insisting on seeing the mark of the nails in His hands and putting your finger into His side. Be a model for all of us when our faith weakens. Help us to say with you, with full confidence before the Lord Jesus: “My Lord and my God!”

 

Friday, April 10, 2026

 

Friday within the Octave of Easter

(Acts 4:1-12; John 21:1-14)

You might think that the Beloved Disciple recognizes Jesus before the others because of keener eyesight.  But this is not the case.  He knows that the figure on the shore is “the Lord” because of his great faith.  Just as he believed that Jesus had risen from the dead when he saw the burial cloths in the tomb, he identifies Jesus on the shore based on the huge catch of fish Jesus just engineered. 

Faith is a deeper way of seeing.  With the support of tradition, faith enables people to transcend appearances to discern deeper, spiritual realities.  Jesus remains an obscure figure to the other disciples until their faith is engaged by his invitation to “Come, have breakfast.”

It is the same meal to which Jesus invites us in the Eucharist. At it we review the tradition in the reading of Scripture.  Then we sense his presence as we eat the consecrated bread and drink the transubstantiated wine.

Thursday, April 9, 2026

 

Thursday of the Octave of Easter

(Acts 3:11-26; Luke 24:35-48)

During the years of Communist rule in Russia the peasants were controlled by local commandants.  Once the commandant of a village gathered the people for a lecture on the truth of atheism and the benefits of Communism.  After speaking for an hour or so, the commandant gave the parish priest an opportunity to say something in response.  He told the priest that he might speak no more than five minutes.  The priest said that he wouldn’t need so much time.  Standing before the people, the priest said, “The Lord is risen.” The people responded in unison, “Yes, he is truly risen!” The priest sat down after making a more than satisfactory rebuttal to the commandant.

In today’s first reading Peter speaks in a similar vein to the people who witnessed the cure of the paralytic.  He says that the man was not healed by any inherent power of his but through invoking Jesus’ name.  He then boldly accuses the people of delivering Jesus for execution.  But, he says, they may be forgiven the sin if they too invoke Jesus’ name. 

The Lord is waiting for us to call on his name in faith.  He will come to our aid when we are in need.  Even more importantly, the invocation of his name in faith will prepare us for eternal life.