Fr. Ed Meeks on Conscience in the Election

Going Along to Get Along

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter | USCCB

I have always found these words of Jesus very comforting. There have been times in my life when there were worries that seem to be impossible to resolve. Whether it was a family problem, or a problem that I may have faced at work. Things happened in my life that worried me, and it seemed like there was no way to resolve the problems I was facing Whether it’s a problem with one of my children, or a problem I was facing with my wife, there were times when I have felt that Jesus was not there in my life helping me with whatever it was I was dealing with. I’m sure all of us can relate to these worries.

But Jesus in today’s gospel is reminding us to not let our hearts be troubled. We need to place our faith in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus. Whether we feel God present or not, God is indeed present to us, waiting for us to call upon Him to give us comfort and strength in whatever we are facing.

Our Lord reminds us in the gospel for today that he is going to prepare a place for us. That place is within our hearts. We need to allow Jesus to enter into our hearts to guide us, to give us his peace, and to help us in whatever issues we are facing. I’ve discovered that once I turn to our Lord during those difficult times in my life, the problems are resolved, maybe not in the way I was hoping, but in a way that was best.

Thomas in today’s gospel, in his usual good way of asking the right question at the right time, asks Jesus, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus responds with something absolutely true and comforting to all of us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Our Lord is teaching us that in all aspects of our lives, we are to have God at the center of all we do. In this way, whether we are facing problems, or happen to be at peace in our lives, Jesus will be there to help us grow ever closer to God through our trust in His presence in our life.

Let us at every mass we pray at, as the priest elevates our Lord during the Eucharistic prayer, invite Jesus into our hearts to give us that peace that can only come from God. And as we receive Holy Communion, let us be grateful that He is truly present within us: body, blood, soul, and divinity. It will be then that we can have a heart that is not troubled. And we will have that faith that God is truly present within us.

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Friday of the Third Week of Easter | USCCB

As we continue to read about the early church from the book of the Acts of the Apostles in our first reading, we today hear of the conversion of Saul (who will later become Paul). Earlier in the week we heard of the stoning to death of St. Stephen because of him proclaiming that Jesus was the Righteous One of God. Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, had a vision of the glory of God and Jesus, the Son of Man, sitting at the right hand of God. This infuriated the religious leaders, who considered it blasphemous, and they started to stone him to death. As he was about to die, Stephen prayed two things, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Stephen, in imitation of Jesus on the cross, was forgiving those putting him to death. And one of those that participated in stoning Stephen was Saul. After Stephen was stoned to death, we read “Now Saul was consenting to his execution.”

In today’s reading from Acts, we hear of how our Lord responded to Stephen’s prayer of forgiveness by helping Saul to turn from being a persecutor of these followers of Jesus, to being a believer in Jesus Christ as his savior. Saul would become Paul and would become one of the greatest apostles and leaders in this new faith that he tried to kill.

We also hear in today’s reading from Acts of Ananias, a follower of Christ, having a vision of the Lord, who then instructed him to go and lay hands on Saul so that Saul can receive his sight. Ananias was at first afraid to go because of the persecution Saul was doing towards the new Christian community, but then he overcame his fear and brings the healing touch of God and forgiveness to Saul.

Today’s reading from Acts helps us to understand of how we are to live out our faith as followers of Jesus Christ. We are called to share our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior no matter the cost and we are to be forgiving of those who may disagree with us or wish to do us harm because of our faith. St. Stephen had that relationship with God, and was willing to share it with others, though it cost him his life. But he was also forgiving of those who put him to death, and because of his prayers, St. Paul received faith in Jesus Christ. Then Ananias was called by God to share his faith in Jesus Christ with St. Paul, though he feared what Paul possibly could do to him. We, too, are called, like Ananias and St. Stephen, to share our faith in God, no matter the cost and to be forgiving of those who disagree with us or wish us harm because of this faith.

Lord Jesus, give us the courage to share our faith with those in our lives, and may the Holy Spirit come upon them so they may also receive the gift of faith in you and to have eternal life. Amen.

It was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean…

 

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday in the Octave of Easter | USCCB

In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we continue to hear about how the Apostles were going about spreading the good news of Jesus Christ as savior and Lord. Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which they received at Pentecost, they had the power to bring healing to people that were blind and lame, and also were able to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord. It was through the promptings of the Holy Spirit that they were able to do this.

In Acts of the Apostles, we hear of how the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit worked through the Apostles to help spread this Good news of Jesus Christ. You may remember that the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit are as follows:

1.    Wisdom. Which is when we seek God above all things. (The apostles sought God above all things, without fear of what others would say or do to them).

2.    Understanding. ... (the apostles received understanding of who God is and what he expected them to do in their service to Him)

3.    Right Judgement (Counsel) ...(the Apostles were able to do the right thing in all the challenges they faced as they proclaimed the Word of God.)

4.    Knowledge. ...(they were able to know and to love God with all their hearts)

5.    Courage (Fortitude) ...(they had the courage to go out and share the Good News of God, even if it meant facing imprisonment or death)

6.    Reverence (Piety) ...(the Apostles, upon receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit, were able to show true love and reverence towards God)

7.    Wonder and Awe (Fear of the Lord) (the Apostles were able to know and appreciate the greatness of God and to show appropriate love and respect towards Him as creator).

All of us who have been confirmed received these gifts of the Holy Spirit and are called to bring this knowledge and love of God to everyone in our lives, even when it’s difficult or challenging. We are to apply these 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.

In our day and age with all the distractions of the virus and worldly problems, let us ask God to give us the wisdom needed to know that He’s present among us, even when things are most challenging. Let us pray for the gift of understanding to respond to our daily challenges in a way pleasing to Him. In the difficult decisions we may face in our lives, let us ask God for Right Judgement in order to respond and act in a way pleasing to Him. Let us, through the frequent reading of Scripture and daily prayer, gain knowledge of God to know, love and serve him. In the difficult moments of our lives, let us pray for the courage to respond in a way that would be pleasing to God. Let us pray for that Reverence to have the proper love and respect of God as our creator. And finally, let us maintain the wonder and awe in our daily lives, knowing that God’s hands are in every aspect of our lives to help and protect us.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle them in the fire of your love.

You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here

 

The scripture readings for the Easter Vigil Mass can be found at Holy SaturdayAt the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter | USCCB

Happy Easter! Our 40 days of penance and sacrifice has come to an end with the glorious resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday morning.

In the gospel of Mark that was read during the Easter Vigil Mass, we hear of Mary of Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome going to the tomb of Jesus in order to bring spices in order to anoint his body. Wondering how they were going to roll the large stone from the tomb, they were surprised to see the stone already removed and a young man dressed in white on the right side announcing the good news of Jesus’ resurrection to them. They were given the instructions to bring this good news to Peter and the other disciples. What a special honor and grace for these women to be able to bring the good news of Jesus’ resurrection to the disciples!

After this the apostles will encounter the risen Jesus and, as a result, shared the good news of His resurrection with the rest of the world. They preached that the One who suffered death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, also rose again on the third day. This belief in the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to who we are as Christians.

We have, as Catholic Christians, a responsibility to bring this good news of the Lord’s Death and Resurrection to all those in our lives: to our spouses, to our children, to our families, and to all those we may meet on a daily basis. We are to live our lives as those who have come to know and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and to share that faith always. We are to live always with the love of God in our hearts and love of those that God has placed in our lives.

This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me

 

The scripture readings for today can be found at Holy Thursday | USCCB. 

Today the church begins the holiest time on the Church calendar: the Easter Triduum. It's starts with the Mass of the Lord's Supper and concludes with the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday.

On Holy Thursday, the church commemorates the night the Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist and gave us the gift of His Body and Blood, which we are able to receive at every Holy Mass. We read in St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians that on the night our Lord was handed over, He took bread and said,  “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,  “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23)

Central to our Catholic faith is the fact that when the priest says these words over the bread and wine, they indeed become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. Christ, knowing that he was about to be handed over to be crucified on the cross, and eventually rise on the third day, wanted to leave us an everlasting gift: the gift of His Body and Blood. This spiritual food, eaten worthily, gives us strength to grow ever more closer to God. 

Let us make every attempt to receive our Lord worthily by the frequent use of confession. Our souls, upon receiving the Lord, becomes vessels of His Body and Blood and should be as clean as possible.