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As we prepare to celebrate the highest feast of the liturgical year during this evening’s Easter Vigil, we joyfully proclaim: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:55)

It is said that death is a terrible enemy, and it wounds all of us in one way or another. Christ was also afflicted by death, but through it demonstrates the necessity of offering everything to our Father in Heaven at all times. We must pray for the grace to also surrender our crosses to God. Such trials are not intended to weaken us, but rather bring us closer to our loving family in Heaven.

There are many examples of the inherent goodness in suffering and, paradoxically, sorrow. It often takes time and patience to recognize the connection. For example, when we have lost a loved one or are going through other difficult times (physical, financial or emotional struggles), they remind us just how much we rely on God. When bearing witness to the suffering of others, we can and should reach out to help them during their difficult times. These are the opportunities to act as God’s messengers of the Good News.

We can be confident that Christ has already done the heavy lifting for us. He has removed the stone guarding the entrance to the tomb. We should not be surprised or “puzzl[ed]” as the women at the empty tomb were. He will take care of our concerns. The tomb is empty and Jesus has been raised, just as He said. 

Christ, help us to love and believe in You at all times, both in our lowest of lows and highest of highs. May we always bask in the joy of that moment when You appeared in your risen glory and displayed to us eternal life!

Happy Easter!

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Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

One Bread, One Body

Evangeli

Living Faith

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During this Triduum, we are focused closely on our Savior’s last and most difficult days on earth.

Reading St. John’s narrative of Christ’s Passion and Death, no more words are needed, and yet our hearts are overflowing with gratitude and awe at this graphic expression of the great love that overflows from the Heart of Jesus for each one of us.

He freely laid down His life for us, the life of the only Son of God in the flesh. He allowed His pure Heart, the Heart of Incarnate Love, to be pierced and poured out for us. As the great High Priest, Jesus offered the supreme Sacrifice to our eternal Father to atone for our sins, the Sacrifice that is offered each day on the altar at every Mass. Because of this great Sacrifice, we are able to become sons and daughters of God.

And as we look on Him whom we have pierced, whose beauty was distorted by our selfishness and whose wholeness was crushed for our sins, we begin to understand that he bore the guilt of us all. His serenity and his obedience to the Father were steadfast in spite of cruelty and mockery and torture. “Like a lamb led to the slaughter,” He allowed himself to be condemned and killed. He freely laid down His life, He “surrendered himself to death,” to give us the abundant life for which we are created.

Today, I look at the scene on Calvary and know that it is I who have crucified my Lord. My own selfwardness and refusal to love him and my neighbor as I should have caused the sufferings I see as He is sentenced, scourged, mocked, crowned with thorns, and nailed to the cross He embraced for love of me. Forgive me, Lord. Open my heart to this scene and teach me how to suffer with you, to be one with you, for others.

St. Paul tells us that we can make up in our own bodies what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ (Col 1:4). What was lacking? Did Jesus hold anything back? No. He gave everything for us. So what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ is the suffering of his Mystical Body – what is lacking is MY suffering. He did not hold anything back; Jesus just “left me a little room” to join Him there on the Cross. 

Lord, help me to understand that in bearing life’s difficulties with patience and generosity and offering them in union with your own Passion, you allow me to join you there, to take my place near you in this act of redemption, and in some mysterious way to help relieve the pain your heart bore. Teach me how to take up my own cross each day (Luke 9:23), and follow you more closely, in love and humility.  Lord, I thank you for dying on the cross for me.

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Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

One Bread, One Body

Evangeli

Living Faith

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We have arrived at the Easter Triduum, the summit of the Liturgical year, when Christ’s Paschal Mystery is unfolded for us in a continuous stream of worship, from the Mass of the Lord’s Supper this evening all the way through Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday.

The Scripture readings for Holy Thursday begin with the story of Passover, which might seem like a finicky set of directions for getting a lamb for dinner, but the eyes of faith reveal so much more. The Israelites can’t get just any lamb, it must be male and unblemished. The lamb then serves more than one function: It is food – nourishment for the Israelites’ coming journey; it is sacrifice – slaughtered to provide blood to mark the Israelites’ doorways; it is deliverance – the blood at the door will save the Israelites from death.

Yes, the Passover lamb prefigures the Paschal Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, His only Son. Jesus institutes the Eucharist, His very Body and Blood, as spiritual food to feed us on our way through life. Jesus is sacrifice, dying for us on the cross on Good Friday, shedding His blood to reunite us with the love of God the Father. And He is deliverer, for His death and resurrection conquer death and deliver us from our sins.

I have always found it interesting that Holy Thursday Mass does not use the Last Supper account of Matthew, Mark or Luke, which all tell us how Jesus said, “This is my Body.” Instead, we learn of the institution of the Eucharist from St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians.  Paul was not at table in the Upper Room, but he was told the story, and he tells it to us, in the same way the faith was spread in the early days of the Church.

So what we do hear in this evening’s Gospel instead is part of John’s account of the Last Supper. And while John was at table, he doesn’t mention the institution of the Eucharist. His Gospel was apparently written many years after Matthew’s, Mark’s and Luke’s, so perhaps he decided people already knew that part of the story, and he wanted us to know what else happened.

As John tells it, Jesus spent His last night with His Apostles teaching them — about faith, about love, about service. Jesus gave us His Body and Blood, but John reminds us He also gave us a new commandment: Love one another as Jesus has loved us. And He washed their feet to remind them, and us, to serve one another. 

Jesus did His job of feeding us, sacrificing Himself for us, and delivering us from sin and death. He also told the disciples to do their job of believing, loving and serving. Let us spend this Easter Triduum entering even deeper into the Paschal Mystery’s importance in our lives, and our roles in the world because of it.

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Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

One Bread, One Body

Evangeli

Living Faith

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I recently told Jesus that if “x”, “y”, and “z” were true about Him, then I didn’t want Him. Those words echoed in my mind for days with an anguish deeper than the pain that caused me to utter them. How could I speak to my Lord with such hatred? How could I treat my best Friend with such harsh and bitter distrust? Some of life’s trials are too hard for me to bear on my own and my behavior is obviously not always in line with my beliefs. 

But, thank God it’s Wednesday of Holy Week (also known as “Spy Wednesday” due to Judas’ betrayal) and the hope of new beginnings is just around the bend. Judas’ story may hit hard if we recognize that all of us at one point or another have been in his shoes and have rejected our Lord. Today is a beautiful opportunity to let Jesus root out those wounds of sin to restore our loyalty to Him. We must first examine the reasons why we, like Judas, might betray Jesus.

Judas was a part of Jesus’s inner circle, an apostle entrusted to carry out the mission of growing the infant Church. I propose that Judas, like most of us, lost sight of God for a moment. Sometimes in our grief, self-centeredness, cynicism, and hopelessness we lose sight of who God is and what He is about. We forget that we are His and we are made for relationship with Him. 

Was Judas hoping to gain something by following Jesus? If Judas really believed that Jesus was the Messiah, perhaps he was disappointed when he realized that Jesus wouldn’t become a political ruler. There would be no status change for the Jews and no political gain for Judas. Many of us can relate to the anger and pain of dashed hopes. It may not be about social status, but the loss of a child, a job, the feeling of being stuck, or something else. Sometimes we allow life’s let downs to blind us from God and His plan. We hold too tightly to our dreams and unknowingly turn our backs on Jesus by slowly hardening our hearts, stonewalling God, and disbelieving that God has good plans for us.

Fear also motivates our sin. What could Judas have been afraid of? Maybe as Jesus’ imminent death sank in, the fear of wasting three years of his life prompted a yearning to get something out of the deal. Or, maybe he finally felt like he belonged to something greater and the impending doom of his Rabbi caused him to panic, so he tried to wiggle his way into another circle of belonging. Fear instigates many peculiar behaviors such as gossiping, betrayal, and altogether rejecting the other. 

Reflecting on the dispositions of our soul is essential to a relationship with God. I encourage you to enter into the Triduum with humility, honesty, and contrition. Know that God’s mercy is greater than our sins and his friendship is sweeter than any earthly gain.

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Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

One Bread, One Body

Evangeli

Living Faith

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Here we are on Tuesday of Holy Week. Take a wild guess as to what happens on this day. Really? It’s National, “take a wild guess day.” Do you think the Apostles had any guesses as to what lay ahead for them? 

I’ve always wondered what can be done to include Tuesday into the essence and activities of Holy Week. What are you doing today? Some follow the Jewish tradition of cleaning houses in preparation for the Passover. Sounds good, but I would much rather clean up my soul than my whole house. 

I am searching for that one ah-ha moment to add to today. Today is also called “Fig Tuesday”, based on Matthew 21:18-22. Jesus was returning to Jerusalem from Bethany and encountered a figless fig tree. He cursed the fig tree and it withered to show them the power of God. He ends by proclaiming that whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive. Now that’s an idea. 

Let’s start today by spending our Tuesday of Holy Week in prayer and blessings. Maybe we can even call it “Follow Tuesday”. Like the Apostles, you and I can follow Jesus to the Mount of Olives. We can start by going on a journey of prayer, planning, preparation, and blessings to guide us into the Tridium. First, we can pray for current needs and special intentions, and add a prayer for all those preparing to enter into the Catholic faith this Easter. Second, we can plan out how to follow Jesus to the Resurrection, maybe stopping by a local Catholic church and privately saying the Stations of the Cross? Third, we could clean our houses and say the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. Typical ideas during Holy Week are fasting and contemplation, but maybe we could invite friends over and enjoy their presence like Jesus and the Apostles did on that Tuesday. Bake a fig dessert, and chat about what is to come. 

As Catholics, we respect Holy Week. We appreciate the tradition of observing our faith. It also gives us a sense of community as we gather together. Many of us have spent our whole lives enmeshed in these traditions, yet we haven’t incorporated the Tuesday of Holy Week. We don’t know much about it.  Jesus knew what lay ahead. His parables were presented to help the Apostles understand the journey of His Passion and Death. We can take all these examples and begin our journey with Him into His Passion, Death, and Resurrection this Tuesday of Holy Week. Now to look up a good fig recipe!

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Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

One Bread, One Body

Evangeli

Living Faith

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For 40 days of the sacred season of Lent, we have been renewing and purifying our hearts, practicing self-denial and imitating God in his kindness by sharing with those who are in need, practicing virtue and fasting, overturning what the Preface for the First Sunday of Lent calls, “all the snares of the ancient serpent.”

Today, as we step over the threshold into the holiest of weeks, we encounter Mary of Bethany, her sister Martha, and their brother Lazarus. The Church puts the brakes on our preparation so that we may turn our gaze to Jesus, so that we may learn to serve Him, and love Him, and console Him, and surrender to Him. 

There is a silence and calm inside this little home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Step into Holy Week by stopping in the house of Bethany. Martha is quietly providing for Jesus and His band of apostles. Unruffled by the demands placed on her as hostess, and also quietly confident in Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life, she finds a prayerful peace within her loving service of the Friend who has meant so much to her. 

Mary breaks a jar of costly nard and anoints the feet of Jesus. She had purchased the perfume with all the resources she had. Drying her Lord’s feet, not with a towel, but with her hair, she gave to Him all she was. Nard is a powerful fragrance used in preparation for burial. When applied to the skin or hair, its scent would fill an entire house and the aroma would remain for weeks. 

In a few days time, Jesus would be arrested, brought before the Sanhedrin, mocked and scourged and crowned with thorns, condemned by Pilate and crucified on Calvary. When He was alone in prison, when He sat on a mock throne and received the jeering of the guards who robed Him in purple as they pressed thorns into His head, as He struggled and stumbled to Calvary, the scent of Mary’s loving gift comforted Him. Even as He died, He knew that countless souls through history would, like Mary, seek to love and console Him.   

Lazarus, called out from the tomb four days after his death, sat beside Jesus. He knew that many were believing in Jesus now because of this miracle, and he realized that others wanted Jesus dead because of him. Perhaps he felt confused about what he should feel. Nevertheless, Lazarus remained at table with Jesus, staying near him, supporting him in any way he could.

So as you begin this Holy Week and you turn your gaze to Jesus, take a moment of peaceful prayer. Are you like Martha with her quiet service? Like Mary with her extravagant love? Like Lazarus, remaining near him? Or is there another way in which you are with Jesus this year as you enter Holy Week?

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Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

One Bread, One Body

Evangeli

Living Faith

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Today we begin Holy Week, when we walk beside Jesus during the long and painful journey of His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Today we read the account of the Passion, and it can seem as long as this week. We don’t like to face the hard, the difficult and the painful, but if we want to grow, it is necessary.

One thing that strikes me is how they ripped off Jesus’ clothes before crucifying Him. He was a person who respected Himself and others. He was a man of modesty, and they left him hanging there naked. I can’t imagine the humiliation He suffered, all for us… at the same time it makes me think of how our society no longer values ​​modesty, and it makes me even more sad.

We should dress appropriately according to where we are, but we should always have respect for ourselves and others. A phrase from the philosopher Confucius comes to mind: “Respect yourself so that others will respect you.” Also, the second great commandment our Lord gave us is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Many phrases from different sources could be analyzed more deeply regarding this topic and conclusions can be drawn.

I once heard a priest say in one of his homilies, “Girls come to church naked and boys come in shorts and sandals!” It may sound harsh, but the reality is that we should go to church to seek God, not a boyfriend or more attention by wearing short clothing, showing more skin than necessary or very short or tight shirts that leave nothing to the imagination. I have even noticed how uncomfortable many girls are, pulling down on their skirts or shorts to see if they will stretch any further.

Although all this may be controversial, it seems to me like sin at its finest. I understand that we are all different and not everyone has the same intentions, but dressing like this can be a temptation for those around them and a poor example for younger girls.

If we leave the church environment and go out into the “real world”, many will view them as sexual objects, a means to satisfy the flesh. There are many wolves in sheep’s clothing looking for their prey. So if you dress provocatively at church what can you expect when you are out in the world? Do not wait until you have a horrible experience to dress modestly. Although many think they know everything when they are young, they should listen to their closest relatives and true friends who will tell them the truth.

In conclusion, love yourselves more, so that others will respect you. Look at Jesus Christ on the cross to realize what true love is. He will help you love yourself more and find pure love with someone who loves you for who you are, not because you have shown off parts of your body. May the outpouring of grace from Christ’s Passion and Death help us to love God and love ourselves more.

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Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

One Bread, One Body

Evangeli

Living Faith

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Do you ever feel that some people are only with you in the happy moments of your journey but disappear when things get hard? I’m sure we’ve all felt that way. However, I wonder how many of us have felt the opposite? I have. Some people have come into my life during the difficult times because they want to see me fail. Now, that’s a hard pill to swallow. 

I notice this same concept in today’s Gospel. When Mary and Martha were mourning, many members of their community came to help and grieve with them. However, some of them came with ulterior motives; when they saw that Jesus was there, they went right to the Pharisees to turn him in. In this situation, Jesus knew who was there to mourn, and who was there only for their own benefit and to gossip. Even so, Jesus didn’t withhold His miracle of love for Lazarus because he understood deeply something Saint Mother Teresa so eloquently put into words:  

“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway. 

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway. 

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway. 

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway. 

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway. 

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway. 

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway. 

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.”

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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

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Living Faith

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus is in Jerusalem and His opponents try to stone Him. They question, challenge, and accuse Him. Although there is an abundance of evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, they resist. No amount of evidence will open their minds and hearts to the Truth. 

Emile Zola was like that. He was an avowed atheist who lived at the time of Mary’s appearance at Lourdes. He traveled there with a woman who was sick and disfigured, expecting to prove that it was a hoax, but the woman was completely healed before his eyes. Like the opponents of Jesus, Zola, in the hardness of his heart, refused to believe. 

Sometimes, in the hardness of our hearts, we refuse to believe what we read and hear in the Bible and what we see with our own eyes. We believe in God, but what about His teachings? Are there truths that we resist? Perhaps one of the following misbeliefs hits home:

Do I believe that God loves me, even when I am a hot mess? I can accept that he loves all of humanity, but I resist the idea of his particular love for me. 

Do I believe in miracles? I can accept the miracles described in the Gospels, but I am skeptical about miracles happening today, in my life. I think miracles ended with the death of the apostles. 

Do I believe in the gravity of sin? I can accept that historically evil people will go to Hell, but I think if I’m a good person as I define it, I’m going to Heaven. My sins don’t have much impact on my eternal soul. 

Do I believe that Hell is real? I can accept that Jesus spoke about Hell, but that was only to scare us into being good. Hell is empty. 

In each of these areas, we resist truth by believing the lies of Satan. There is abundant evidence supporting the truth, yet we believe the lie. 

Where is the evidence? 1) In Scripture: Jesus tells us the truth. 2) In our personal experiences: God is active in our lives and the lives of those we love. 3) In the witness of others we know: people share their testimony about God’s miracles in their lives. 

If the evidence is there, why do we resist? It could be because we’ve been conditioned that way: If I have not known love, I might believe I am unloveable. It could be because we don’t want to change: I like my life as it is and to believe in more would require me to change. It might be wishful thinking: everyone goes to Heaven so I’ll live my life as I like. 

The Psalmist tells us, “ I called upon the Lord and…he heard my voice”. Spend time in prayer today calling upon the Lord. Ask Him to show you where your heart is hardened and give Him permission to heal you. End the resistance and embrace the abundant life Jesus promised. 

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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

One Bread, One Body

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Living Faith

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C.S. Lewis famously asserted in Mere Christianity that Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. These are the three options that, for Lewis, we have available to us when we stand before the claims Jesus made about Himself. In today’s Gospel, we can see the Pharisees struggle with the same three options. 

First, Jesus tells them that whoever believes in Him will never see death. The Pharisees scoff at this, telling Jesus He is acting like someone who’s possessed, or we could say, acting like a lunatic. This is crazy, everyone dies after all. Jesus must be claiming that He is much more than the human man they can see before them. 

Jesus presses his point further. He explains His relationship with the Father, and tells the Pharisees he would indeed be a liar if He didn’t highlight the truth of who He is. Still, they cannot understand what He is saying. They are hearing his words with human ears and try to make logical sense of them. How can He know Abraham, he’s not even 50 years old and Abraham died generations ago! He’s got to be lying about the things he claims to know. Jesus tries one more time, and that is what sends the Pharisees over the edge. 

In my imagination, Jesus looks them each in the eye and boldly proclaims his identity: “Before Abraham came to be, I AM.” This is a huge statement, because Jesus is using the same name for himself that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Jesus is God, the Lord. And this is the moment when we have to choose, just like the Pharisees did. When they heard these words, they couldn’t accept them. They picked up stones to kill Jesus. They could keep talking, debating, even trying to understand a lunatic or a liar. But, they couldn’t accept the possibility that He could be the Lord. 

What will we choose? Will we continue to dialogue with Jesus even when we don’t understand? When we doubt? When we are fearful, angry, or hurt? Will we stay close to Him because we know that He is the Lord, or will we recoil like the Pharisees who were unable to be open to the mysterious ways of the Lord? 

Jesus shows us today that He can’t be fully defined by human understanding. We can study, learn, discuss, and pray about the mystery of the Incarnation and we absolutely should. But at the end of the day it is a mystery of our faith that we cannot fully define with our human intellect and language. Nonetheless, we can still join our voice in faith with C.S. Lewis and with those who have come before us and boldly proclaim, “Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!”

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Saint Hunna, “the Holy Washerwoman,” washed and cared for the poor in Strasbourg, earning her name through her noble acts of service.
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The Word Among Us

Regnum Christi

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