"He is Risen Tell the Story"

As we continue our Easter celebration continues, I offer this version of "He is Risen Tell the Story":

 

Pope Leo XIV Offers Easter Urbi at Orbi Blessing

"On the morning of Easter Sunday 2026, Pope Leo XIV presided over Mass in St. Peter's Square before delivering his Urbi et Orbi message and blessing from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica before an estimated 100,000 people.

"'Urbi et Orbi' means 'To the City [of Rome] and to the World.' It is a special apostolic blessing given by the pope every year on Easter Sunday, Christmas, and other special occasions."

Text of the Pope's message:

The Holy See: 'Urbi et Orbi' Message of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV (9 APR 23)

Media report:

Vatican News: Urbi et Orbi: Pope urges world leaders to lay down weapons (5 APR 26)

Belated Birthday Blessings, Codi!!!

Belated birthday greetings to Myrna's granddaughter Codi Medeiros, whose celebrated her birthday yesterday!!! May each day of the upcoming year be filled with the Lord's choicest blessings!!!

The Resurrection of the Lord

Today the Church celebrates the Resurrection of the Lord. The assigned readings for the Mass of Easter Day are Acts 10: 34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4 (or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8); and John 20:1-9. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 118 (Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23).

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

YouTube: Psalm 118: This Is the Day

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 related to these readings:

Benedictine College: This Sunday, Christ Rose and Will Convince the World, If We Tell Them (3 APR 26)

Word on Fire: The Earthquake of the Resurrection (Cycle A * Easter * Easter Octave)

The Pilot: Echoes: Scott Hahn: Seeing and believing (3 APR 26)

The Pilot: Echoes: Father Joshua J. Whitfield: Scripture Reflection for April 5, 2026, the Resurrection of the Lord (1 APR 26)

The Pilot: Echoes: Archbishop Richard G. Henning: 'You know what has happened...' (3 APR 26)

Dominicana: I Have Seen the Lord (5 APR 26)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you,Lord, for the blessings You bestow on us as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.

Cerith Gardiner on Why People Turn to God with Age

"There's a slightly cynical explanation people like to give when it comes to faith and age. People turn to God later in life, they say, because they're getting closer to death. It sounds very convenient, but it doesn't quite ring true. 

"What actually happens is far more interesting, and far more human. As the years go by, something shifts, not out of fear, but out of experience. Life has been lived, things have been seen, and slowly, almost without noticing, faith begins to make more sense."

In a recent commentary, writer Cerith Gardiner reflected on some of the reasons why people turn to God with age, including they start to notice patterns in their own lives and the need to control everything starts to soften.

To access Ms. Gardiner's complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: Cerith Gardiner: Why people turn to God with age (It's not what you think!) (27 MAR 26)

Reflection Starter from Pope Leo XIV

"In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ! Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!" - Pope Leo XIV

"At Calvary"

As we continue our Good Friday observance, I offer this version of "At Calvary":

 

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).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm, please visit:

YouTube: Spirit & Psalm 2026 - Good Friday - Psalm

Reflections on these readings and this day:

National Catholic Register: Blogs: John Grondelski: 5 Things to Know About the Liturgy for Good Friday (29 MAR 24)

Community in Mission: Finding the Good in Good Friday (2 APR 15)

Community in Mission: Why Did Christ Die in Jerusalem? And, Why Outside the City Gate, Not in the Temple (4 APR 23)

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)

YouTube: Ascension Presents: Good Friday: The Meaning of the Cross

YouTube: Bishop Barron on the Power of the Cross

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings of the Good Fridays in our lives.

Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS, on Spirotual Dryness and Holy Week

". . . Spiritual dryness is not new to me.  It comes and goes.  But when it arrives in a season that seems to demand something, it feels especially unwelcome. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Father Joe Newman, OSFS, reflected on how spiritual dryness can be a blessing, leading us to where Christ can meet us.

To access Fr. Newman's complete post, please visit:

De Sales Weekly: Provincial Reflection: Breaking Through (2 APR 26) 

Reflection Starter from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Good Friday and Easter free us to think about other things far beyond our own personal fate, about the ultimate meaning of all life, suffering, and events; and we lay hold of a great hope." - Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer