The Resurrection of the Lord

Today the Church celebrates Easter, the Resurrection of the Lord. The assigned readings for the Mass of Easter Day are Acts 10:34, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; and John 20:1-9. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 118 (Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 118 Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good

The Gospel reading is as follows:

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.

When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Reflections on these readings:

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: Easter Sunday (April 5, 2015)

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Salesian Sunday Reflection: Easter Sunday (April 5, 2015)

Msgr. Charles Pope: Jesus Is Real to Me! A Homily for Easter Sunday (4 APR 15)

Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio: The Meaning of Easter

Word on Fire: The Empty Grave (Cycle B * Easter)

Dr. Scott Hahn: New Morning (April 5th 2015 - Easter Sunday)

The Word Embodied: Rising (Easter Sunday - Resurrection of the Lord)

Historical Cultural Context: Faith (Easter Sunday - Resurrection of the Lord)

Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary by Guerric of Igny (Easter Sunday - Resurrection of the Lord)

Thank You Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of Your Resurrection and for what it means for us.

George Weigel on the Legacy of Pope John Paul II

"There was a lot of demoralized resignation in the Church and the world when Karol Wojtyla was elected Bishop of Rome on Oct. 16, 1978. The world from San Francisco to the Ural Mountains seemed permanently divided into two hostile, ideologically opposed, nuclear-armed camps, along a fault line defined at the end of World War II. Thirteen years after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church seemed permanently divided, too - and perhaps condemned to the fate of mainline liberal Protestantism, which (to borrow from Richard John Neuhaus) had become the oldline on its way to becoming the sideline. Robust and evangelically vibrant Catholic conviction, it seemed, had no more place in the 'real world' of late modernity than did the dream of a Europe without the Berlin Wall.

"Yet John Paul II, who combined mystical insight with remarkable shrewdness, refused to bow passively to the dictatorship of the inevitable. The Lord had said to the prophet, 'Come, now, let us set things right' [Isaiah 1:18]: and that's exactly what the 264th Bishop of Rome proceeded to do.

"He refused to believe that Vatican II, the ecumenical council he had experienced as a powerful work of the Holy Spirit, could only lead to permanent incoherence and division in Catholicism; and by providing an authoritative interpretation of the Council, John Paul II's pontificate energized the living parts of the Church and made Vatican II the launch platform for the new evangelization and the Church's rediscovery of itself as a missionary enterprise."

In a recent commentary, George Weigel (columnist and Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC) reflected on the legacy of Pope John Paul II as we remember him on the tenth anniversary of his passing.

To access Mr. Weigel's complete post, please visit:

The Boston Pilot: Echoes. St. John Paul II and the 'tyranny of the possible' (1 APR 15)

"Christ is risen! Christ is alive and journeys with us!"- Pope Francis

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Today the Church celebrates Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion. The assigned readings are Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; and John 18:1-19:42. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 31 (Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25).

Reflections on these readings and this day:

Msgr. Charles Pope: Finding the Good in Good Friday (2 APR 15)

The Deacon's Bench: Homily for April 3, 2015: Good Friday (3 APR 15)

The Deacon's Bench: On Christ's Seven Last Words: "They offer one final sermon on a mount, a lasting message of forgiveness and mercy" (2 APR 15)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for taking upon Yourself, through Your sufferings and death on the cross, our sins.

Br. Michael Mary Weibley, O.P., on Veronica and Jesus

"There is a young woman in Jerusalem who makes her way through a bustling scene. A man in the middle of the street – beaten, bruised and bloodied – on his hands and knees. His cross lays beside him. He looks as if he has lost all strength. Between the soldiers who are fending off the frenzied crowd, she comes to the man with firm resolve. Who is this man? She knows. In her heart and mind, lifted by grace, she humbly kneels down and speaks, 'Permit me, Lord?' as she offers to wipe his blood-stained face. With the slightest smile, he looks upon her as she raises the cloth to his face, the very cloth that will bear his face – the face of her savior. Continuing her loving care she offers some water to quench his parched thirst, but not before a soldier comes and chases her away.

"We know this woman as Veronica from Catholic tradition – loving and compassionate Veronica. Few have had her experience: to touch the Lord, to touch his wounds, and to comfort him. Throughout the Gospels it has always been Jesus who has touched persons, either physically or spiritually by his power. But here, on this Friday, the Lord has permitted a young woman of Jerusalem to weep for him and come to his aid."

In a recent commentary, Brother Michael Mary Weibley, O.P., reflected on Veronica's ministering to Jesus during His carrying of the cross, a "glimmer of good in the darkest of days."

To access Br. Michael Mary's complete reflection, please visit:

Dominicana: Good Veronica (3 APR 15)

Reflection Starter from Psalm 31

"Be strong and take heart, all who hope in the LORD." - Psalm 31:25

Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions for April

The Holy Father’s prayer intentions for April are:

Universal Intention (Creation): “That people may learn to respect creation and care for it as a gift of God.”

Evangelization Intention (Persecuted Christians): “That persecuted Christians may feel the consoling presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity of all the Church.”

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many ways in which You touch our hearts as we ponder the beauty and the wonder of Your creation.

Stacy Trasancos on God's Creation Reflecting His Glory

"The other night, I was frustrated with my critics, frustrated with my children, and frustrated with my disobedient German shepherds who take my donning of a coat to mean the dawning of a walk, even near midnight.  I was grateful to be pulled outside though. The sky was clear beyond bits of late snow, one of those spirity nights when the winds of impending Spring wipe away the clouds, and the starlight casts shadows. 'My God,' I prayed, 'the stars are so bright!'

"When you understand something about matter at the atomic level, both starlight and snowflakes can induce that embarrassing human act called sudden-unabashed-weeping. Those dots of light are actually massive spheres of plasma, some of them billions of years old, radiating energy when hydrogen nuclei fuse to become helium and helium becomes heavier elements. The light I saw traveled for years to reach my eyes. And the snowflakes? Each one's beauty is scripted by the union of chaos and determinism, unique in its trajectory through other matter and changes in temperature and pressure, but patterned at consistent angles by the polarity and bond of every water molecule. They melted on my face, never to be seen. Under such an interactive firmament, it's hard to feel unappreciated. Goodness, I felt downright glorious.

"Science has given us this radical view of the universe. For most of recorded history, religions provided the concepts and expressions for understanding nature, human life, and the cosmos. Since the emergence of a physical theory in the Christian Middle Ages some 700 years ago, what we now call 'modern science' has allowed us to quantify and describe motions of ever-smaller subatomic particles and ever-remote astronomical objects. . . ."

In a recent commentary, writer Stacy Trasancos reflected on ways in which God's creation reflects His glory and what this may mean for us.

To access her complete post, please visit:

Integrated Catholic Life: As It Was in the Beginning is Now, and Ever (18 MAR 15)

Reflection Starter from Lamentations

"The LORD’s acts of mercy are not exhausted ,his compassion is not spent;
They are renewed each morning - great is Your faithfulness!" - Lamentations 3:22-23