Readings: Acts 7: 55-60; Revelation 22: 12-14, 16-17,20; John 17: 20-26 Preacher: Marlene Bessette If we look at the context of this gospel reading, Jesus has just shared a meal with his disciples in loving friendship, washed their feet as servant leader, given them a new commandment to love as he loves, and told them of his leaving. Then in… read more →
Readings: Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29; Revelation 21: 10-14, 22-23; John 14: 23-29 Preacher: Kathi Piehler When I first read the Gospel for May 1 the word that jumped out at me was PEACE. The Lord, speaking to His disciples, says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” I thought to myself: I am the last person… read more →
Readings: Acts 14:21-27; Revelation 21:1-5a; John 13:31-33a, 34-35 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler “Behold, I make all things new!” What do you suppose God is up to with a promise like that? “Behold, I make all things new!” God did something new when Paul and Barnabas took the early church in a new direction, and we are the beneficiaries. But what… read more →
Readings: Acts 13:14,43-52; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine Jane Goodall, the noted anthropologist, who has spent her life living with, learning about, protecting, and advocating for chimpanzees in the wild, describes an experience she had with a chimp who was being released back into the wild. There was a distance to travel and the caged chimp was… read more →
Readings: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5: 11-14; John 21: 1-19 Preacher: Sister Anne Michelle McGill SSJ Our Gospel reading today is quite vivid. We can picture Jesus’ friends out on the Lake fishing all night—no luck, not even a nibble. When dawn came however, they noticed a figure on the shore; John recognized him as the Lord. You can imagine… read more →
Readings: Acts 5:12-16; Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 2-0: 19-31 Preacher: Sister Karen Dietz, SSJ Do you think Thomas was at all bothered by the fact that he did not believe his brothers and sisters who were visited by the risen Jesus? He laid out his expectations pretty strongly, saying that in order for him to believe he would have… read more →
Readings: Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9 Preacher: Sr. Barbara Moore Each one of our Gospel writers shares different aspects of the resurrection story. There is a value in looking at the four, comparing them and asking why the writers chose the characters and stories they did. This Easter, 2016, the C Cycle, we begin with… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2: 6-11; Luke 22: 14—23:56 Reflection by Cathy Kamp. In Luke’s account of the Lord’s Passion, the prayer of Jesus is both a guide for us when we pray and a reminder of all that Jesus taught us about divine mercy. This moment of intense prayer follows the narrative of the Last Supper and Jesus’ intercession… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 43: 16-21; Philippians 3: 8-14; John 8: 1-11 Reflection by Gee Gee Micoli We have all experienced tough times during our lives. We find ourselves in places where we would just rather not be, maybe when we have taken risks or just didn’t think things completely through. Some of us have been hurt or are alive only by… read more →
Readings: 1 Samuel 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ephesians 5: 8-14; John 9:1-41 Reflection by Denise Mack This weekend the Church throughout the world hears either the Gospel of the Prodigal Son or of Jesus Healing the Man Born Blind. Parishes with Catechumens who will celebrate the Easter Sacraments are encouraged to proclaim the Healing of the Blind Man Gospel. Could… read more →