GOD OF THE OPEN ARMS

Savior, King, Messiah, LORD, 

JESUS, our Emmanuel

So many names, such mystery!

But on this Christmas morn I see 

Another name You are to me

And have been throughout history:

You're the GOD of the open arms.

 

Since Eden You've extended grace

So we could turn and seek Your face.

Your people failed and turned away,

But when they turned to You and prayed,

If only with a fleeting glance, 
You'd offer them a second chance:

You're the GOD of the open arms.

 

At last You came at Bethlehem

To Mary, shepherds and Wise Men.

Your tiny arms were open wide

To welcome all who came inside 

The stable, then the house.

God Incarnate, in Your flesh we see

What You've been from eternity:

The GOD of the open arms.

 

You grew, and then as a grown man

You proved that all could come to You

With burdens, sorrows, sin and pain

And in You we'd be born again.

You taught us the unchanging love

Comes from the Father up above,

For prodigal returning home

Find the GOD of the open arms.

 

Then one dark day at Calvary

Your loving arms stretched open wide

Were nailed upon the Cross to be

Embracing all humanity.

You died to save the world from sin

For anyone who'll let You in.

Your death to be the seal to prove

You're the GOD of the open arms.

 

And when You rose from death You came

To frightened friends who saw Your face,

And once again felt Your embrace

As the GOD of the open arms.

 

And still Your arms are open wide

To welcome all to come inside.

You touch us in Your Word and prayer

And Sacrament abiding there.

 

Someday I trust I'll see Your face

And run into Your warm embrace,

When I am finally HOME to dwell

With my GOD of the open arms.

 

(c) Copyright 2014 by Arlene B. Müller (Arlene Clare Müller, OSF).

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Daily Bible Reading - April 8, 2026 | USCCB

In our gospel for today we read of another Resurrection encounter with Jesus.  This story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus has always been one of my favorite stories of an encounter with the Risen Jesus. 

These two disciples, grieving over the death of Jesus, have no idea that he rose from the dead. They seemed to have forgotten the times before Good Friday when the Lord predicted his death and resurrection. Then a beautiful thing happens on the Road to Emmaus: Jesus joins them and enters into conversation with them and starts explaining scripture to them about all that was predicted about His Death and Resurrection. Wanting to hear more, as they approached where they were staying in the village, something wonderful happens: Jesus blesses the bread, breaks it, and gives it to them. It was then that their eyes were opened. Then Jesus vanishes. They were so overjoyed that they had to return to Jerusalem to share the good news with the other disciples, who in turn had their own resurrection story.

This gospel story of the Apostles on the Road to Emmaus reminds me of what we encounter each time we go to Mass. First, we hear scripture readings, then the priest or deacon attempts to explain the meaning of the Scripture, then we move on to the Eucharist, the Breaking of Bread. We, like these men on the Road to Emmaus, encounter Jesus each time we attend Mass, both through Scripture and through the Eucharist. We are called, like these disciples, to go and bring the Good News of the Risen Jesus to all those in our lives. 

As we live out our lives as Christians, let us always be open to share with others the Good News that Jesus took our sins to the Cross, died for us and rose glorious on Easter Sunday. Let us always say, like the apostles, “The Lord has truly been raised..." (Luke 24:34)

Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord."

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Daily Bible Reading - April 7, 2026 | USCCB

On this Tuesday in the Octave of Easter, we hear in the Gospel of John Mary Magdalene's encounter with the Risen Jesus at the Tomb. She's there in front of the empty tomb, crying and weeping due to the death of Jesus on Good Friday. Then she has a vision of angels telling her that the Lord has been raised from the dead. At first, she finds it hard to believe. Then Jesus approaches her. At first, she doesn't recognize him. She only comes to recognize him when he calls her by name. After her encounter with Jesus, he instructs her to share the Good News of His Resurrection with the disciples!!

Overjoyed, she runs to the disciples to bring the Good News of the Risen Lord. We, like Mary, are each called by name by Jesus to bring the Good News of the Risen Jesus to those in our lives. We experience the Risen Jesus each time we receive Him in Holy Communion at Mass and each time we study scripture and meet him in our daily prayer routine. 

During this time of Easter, let us not be afraid to share the Good News of the Risen Jesus with all those in our lives. Say to them, “I have seen the Lord,” and share with them the Love that Jesus has for each one of us. 

They paid him thirty pieces of silver…

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Wednesday of Holy Week | USCCB

Every year the Wednesday of Holy Week is known as Spy Wednesday. It’s the day when we hear of Judas meeting with the Jewish leaders to turn Jesus over for the cost of 30 pieces of silver.

I often wonder what made Judas betray Jesus to those in authority. He was one of the 12 apostles and spent three years with Jesus hearing him preach and seeing him heal people and bring them back into relationship with God. Couldn’t he see that Jesus was indeed the Messiah? Why was he disappointed with Jesus?

We know that Jesus was destined to die for our sins on the cross. As a result, Judas had his part in having that come about. We do hear in today’s gospel Jesus saying, “Woe to the man would betray me.” (Matthew 26:24) Judas did regret betraying Jesus and attempted to return the 30 pieces of silver. The scribes and pharisees refused to accept the money back, and unfortunately Judas would go off and commit suicide.

Had Judas not committed suicide, when Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, he, like Peter would have received forgiveness.

As we meditate upon Judas’ part in the betrayal of Jesus, let us remember that we, too, betray Jesus every time we sin. But, fortunately for us, the Risen Lord is waiting for us to turn to him in the sacrament of confession to forgive us.

In confession the Lord is asking us, like he asked Peter, “Do you love me?” We respond, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Please forgive me.” Jesus then forgives our sins.

As we approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday, let us turn to the Lord with love in our hearts and know that he is always waiting for us to bring us forgiveness and salvation.

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032626.cfm 

In our gospel for today we see another confrontation between Jesus and the Jews. Jesus was teaching that he is indeed the Messiah and God and to believe in him mean that you have eternal life.

The Jews had a problem accepting the fact that Jesus was both God and Man. They only saw the fact that he was man and considered him possessed for teaching that he is God and as a result were ready to stone him to death.

During this time of Lent as we journey towards Holy Week and Easter Sunday, we can ask ourselves what is our attitude towards Jesus? Is our faith strong in believing that he is the Messiah and our Lord and Savior? Or do we sometimes have doubts as to who Jesus really is in our lives.

There could be many reasons why we would doubt Jesus and his divinity. We daily face issues that we feel frustrated over and may not feel his presence in our day-to-day existence. In our own confusion and pain, it can be hard to hear, hard to see God with us. What might you be clinging to so tightly that you’re not seeing? What’s getting in the way of receiving Jesus?

During the remainder of Lent and during Holy Week, turn to Jesus and pray for help in our issues and pain. Ask the Lord for an increase your faith. Pray: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” Amen.

"By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons."

 

Scripture for this reflection can be found at  Thursday of the Third Week of Lent | USCCB

In our gospel for today, we see how people had a problem with who Jesus was and what he was doing regarding the healings he was performing. They assumed it was through the Evil One that the Lord was doing these healings. They had trouble accepting the fact that he was the Messiah they have been waiting for and had power over good and evil. Because he is both fully God and fully man, he had this power to heal people and to expel demons. Yet the people were blinded to this truth and rejected him. Jesus rightly points out, “…if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?”

What is our attitude towards Jesus? Do we accept him as Messiah and God? Or do we have our doubts about who he and what he can do in our lives. In today’s gospel and throughout all the gospels we can see and come to know that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. We just need to put our trust in him and know that he will be there for us in all our needs. Our needs may not be as dramatic as in today’s gospel where Jesus is expelling a demon, but Jesus is there for us in all our problems, whether emotional or physical. We just need to turn to him and ask him for his help and healing in whatever we are facing, whether for ourselves or for our families or friends.

In our first reading we hear Jerimiah give us this message from God: “Listen to myvoice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the waysthat I command you, so that you may prosper.” Let us always have God in the center of who we are so that we can receive the emotional or physical healing we need. God will always answer our prayers in a way that we need. We my not get the answer we expect but we will always get the answer or healing God feels we need. We just need to be open to God’s voice in every aspect of our lives.

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever.

 

She came and fell at his feet.

 

Scripture for this reflection can be found at Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In today’s gospel Jesus originally just wanted to be there unnoticed, but as soon as people heard he was there, it was hard for Jesus to be left alone. The gospel goes on to tell us of Jesus paying attention to a non-Jewish woman who needed her daughter to be healed of the demons that were plaguing her. As we hear, he was reluctant at first to respond to the woman.

Jesus saying to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs” sounds harsh to my ears. At this point, Jesus had been mainly ministering to people who were of Jewish background. But what I think was happening here was that Jesus was starting to reach beyond the Jewish circles and reaching out to the Gentiles to bring his teachings of faith in God and the fact that He’s the savior not only of the chosen people, but for everyone. Once she responds that “even dogs get the scraps from the children’s table,” Jesus sees her faith and grants her request. Central to all of Jesus’s healings in the gospels is faith in Him and His power to cure. He saw in this non-Jewish woman faith in His power to cure her daughter and He granted her request.

This woman is also an example for all of us who may have children that may need our prayers. This woman’s daughter is seriously sick with a demon, and Jesus heals her. We may not have children or relatives as sick as this child, but they may be away from the practice of the faith and still need our prayers for healing and to return to the church. This woman serves as an example of what we should be doing for those people we love: our prayers for them.

During this upcoming season of Lent, let us encourage all those in our lives to return to church on Ash Wednesday, or anytime throughout Lent, to receive the healing that is waiting for them in the sacrament of confession and of Holy Communion. Our prayers and encouragement for those away from Church can be all they need to come back into relationship with God through his Holy Church.