“People to whom sin is just a matter of words, to them salvation is just words too.”

Justification establishes cooperation between God's grace and man's freedom. On man's part it is expressed by the assent of faith to the Word of God, which invites him to conversion, and in the cooperation of charity with the prompting of the Holy Spirit who precedes and preserves his assent:

When God touches man's heart through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, man himself is not inactive while receiving that inspiration, since he could reject it; and yet, without God's grace, he cannot by his own free will move himself toward justice in God's sight. – (1993) Catechism of the Catholic Church

Gospel Text: (JN 6:35-40)
Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

Today’s Gospel at Mass is among the most joyous. As a child I used to wonder about the disciples. Jesus would speak to them and say essentially, “I’m going to rise from the dead” and the Gospel reading would end with something to the effect of that; the disciples didn’t get it. I used to think: “Were they dense? How could they not get it? He’s telling them exactly what’s going to happen.”

But they weren’t dense. Today’s Gospel recounts the joyful, wondrous and miraculous nature of Jesus’ triumph over death. I’m not sure I would have gotten it until it happened. But then it happened.

Just like 2000 years ago with the first disciples, Jesus is telling us exactly what’s going to happen too. The rest is up to us, our will and God’s grace working together in tandem in our daily lives. Then and only then “shall we be raised on the last day”.

"God is as really present in the consecrated Host as He is in the glory of Heaven"

'Whoever, therefore, eats of the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself' (1 Cor 11: 27-29). Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of reconciliation before coming to communion" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1385).

Gospel Text: (JN 6:30-35)
The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”

So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Around the year 151 A.D., St. Justin wrote to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius these words: "We call this food Eucharist, and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true and who has been washed in the washing which is for the remission of sins and for regeneration [i.e., has received baptism] and is thereby living as Christ enjoined. For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by Him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nurtured, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus" (First Apology 66).

There is no doubt that Jesus was not speaking symbolically. "I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world" (John 6: 51).

If we approach the Eucharist with a materialistic mentality we fail to understand and so lose the benefits of such a wonderful gift of God’s love. The Eucharist is true food and drink but at the same time it is very different from every other food and drink. The great difference lies in these words of Christ which St Augustine heard in prayer, “You will not change me into yourself as you would food of your flesh; but you will be changed into me.” We transform ordinary food into our own bodies but the food of the Eucharist transforms us into the body of Christ. Ludwig Feuerbach's statement that we become what we eat is never more true that in the Eucharistic experience.

Why then do many of us who receive the Eucharist not experience more of this radical transformation?

Maybe this story will throw more light on the question. A team of Russians and Americans were on a common expedition. Among their cabin foodstuff was Russian black bread. It was tasty but hard on the teeth. It happened during a meal that an American bit into a piece and snapped a tooth. He threw the bread overboard and growled: “Lousy Communist bread.” The Russian countered: “Is not lousy communist bread. Is rotten capitalist tooth.”

If we do not experience the transforming power of the Eucharist at Sunday Mass it is probably not on account of a “lousy” Eucharist but on account of our lack of preparation in order to receive the Eucharist in the proper state, by going to confession with a priest first.

Let us today approach the Eucharist prepared, with a lively faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Then and only then will we experience God's saving power and transforming love.

“Ask the question, receive the answer; don't ask the question, don't receive the answer.”

“When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of 'No answer.' It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, 'Peace, child; you don't understand.” ― C.S. Lewis

Gospel text (Jn 6:22-29): After Jesus had fed the five thousand, his disciples saw him walking on the water. Next day the people who had stayed on the other side realized that only one boat had been there and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples; rather, the disciples had gone away alone. Bigger boats from Tiberias came near the place where all these people had eaten the bread. When they saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, «Master, when did you come here?». Jesus answered, «Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because you have seen through the signs, but because you ate bread and were satisfied. Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give it to you, for he is the one the Father has marked». Then the Jews asked him, «What shall we do? What are the works that God wants us to do?». And Jesus answered them, «The work God wants is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent».

Think for a minute about the number of questions you ask in a typical day. It’s probably a lot! “How are you? What are you doing? When are you coming home? What’s for dinner?” The questions almost pour out of our mouths!

This passage shows us that Jesus doesn’t mind questions. In fact, he likes them, because when we ask questions, it shows that we want to know him.

But Jesus doesn’t always give the answers we are looking for. Sometimes, he replies by asking us questions! And sometimes, he remains puzzlingly silent.

Whatever his response, his strategy is always the same: to leave us hungry for more; to provoke us to keep seeking him and his grace. He promised that those who ask, seek, and knock will be satisfied. The best part is that the more we seek, the more we find. May we never tire of asking questions! May we never stop looking for more from the Lord!

“God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.”

"Trust in the power of the Holy Eucharist and Our Blessed Lady. Do what you can and leave the rest to God." – St John Bosco

Gospel Text: ( LK 24:13-35)

That very day, the first day of the week,

two of Jesus’ disciples were going

to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,

and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.

And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,

Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,

but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

He asked them,

“What are you discussing as you walk along?”

They stopped, looking downcast.

One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,

“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem

who does not know of the things

that have taken place there in these days?”

And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”

They said to him,

“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,

who was a prophet mighty in deed and word

before God and all the people,

how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over

to a sentence of death and crucified him.

But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;

and besides all this,

it is now the third day since this took place.

Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:

they were at the tomb early in the morning

and did not find his body;

they came back and reported

that they had indeed seen a vision of angels

who announced that he was alive.

Then some of those with us went to the tomb

and found things just as the women had described,

but him they did not see.”

And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!

How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things

and enter into his glory?”

Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,

he interpreted to them what referred to him

in all the Scriptures.

As they approached the village to which they were going,

he gave the impression that he was going on farther.

But they urged him, “Stay with us,

for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

So he went in to stay with them.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table,

he took bread, said the blessing,

broke it, and gave it to them.

With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,

but he vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other,

“Were not our hearts burning within us

while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem

where they found gathered together

the eleven and those with them who were saying,

“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”

Then the two recounted

what had taken place on the way

and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

Great writers have a knack for conveying deep, lasting truths in just a few words. This is the kind of artistry that we find in today’s Gospel. In telling the story of two people who meet the Lord on the road to Emmaus, St. Luke also tells us about the transforming power of the Mass.

When Jesus met them on the road but concealed his identity, they shared their doubts with him. In response, he told them the story of salvation and their hearts began to burn. Then at dinner, when Jesus blessed and broke the bread, “their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (24:31). With their faith restored, the disciples turned around and hurried back to Jerusalem so that they could tell the others what had happened.

Over and over, we hear about people who have stopped going to Mass because they don’t feel that they get anything out of it. Often, however, this happens when the outer “form” of the Mass: the quality of the music, the appearance of the church, select gestures of the liturgy become more important than the inner “substance” of what is actually going on.

Form is when we say, “I confess.” Substance is our experience of God washing us clean. Form is the lector proclaiming the readings. Substance is God’s word coming alive in our hearts. Form is our act of receiving Communion. Substance is our openness to God and his power to fill our hearts. Substance moves us to change our lives and to share the good news about Jesus with our neighbors.

In short, form focuses more on what we do, but substance focuses on who we are meeting.

May we never settle for less than everything that God wants to give us!”

“Doubts in your mind are a much greater roadblock to heaven than obstacles on the journey.”

“Every mental act is composed of doubt and belief, but it is belief that is the positive, it is belief that sustains thought and holds the world together.”  ― Søren Kierkegaard (Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, and social critic)

Gospel Text: ( JN 14:6-14)

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you know me, then you will also know my Father.

From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him,

“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time

and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.

The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,

or else, believe because of the works themselves.

Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,

and will do greater ones than these,

because I am going to the Father.

And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,

so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

Sometimes something obvious is right in front of us, but we don’t recognize it. As the adage goes, we can have a hard time seeing the forest for the trees! This was Philip’s problem. After three years with Jesus, he still couldn’t see the Father in the face of this powerful rabbi. He couldn’t see “the image of the invisible God” in him, even though it was right before his eyes (Colossians 1:15)!

Still, who could blame Philip for stating openly what was probably on all the disciples’ minds at the Last Supper? We have all made the same request at one time or another: “Show me the Father.” But Jesus gently admonishes him, saying, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father… . Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” (John 14:9, 10).

It would only be after Philip and the disciples had witnessed the resurrection and received the Spirit at Pentecost that they would be able to see the whole forest and not just a bunch of individual trees. Then they would see that Jesus’ every word and action from his sermons and miracles to his off the cuff acts of kindness and compassion had come from the heart of his Father.

This is the very message that they have passed on to us. As papal preacher Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa once wrote, “If the written word of the Bible could be changed into a spoken word and become one single voice, this voice, more powerful than the roaring of the sea, would cry out: The Father loves you!”

Your Father loves you! He loves you just as much as he loves Philip and James. He doesn’t love you less because you haven’t given your life as an apostle or martyr. He just loves you! 

“Truth wears a crown of thorns”

"We don't pray to be better Christians, but that we may be the only kind of Christians God means us to be; Christ-like Christians; that is, Christians who will bear willingly the cross for God's glory." --a note smuggled from the underground Church in Communist Romania

Scripture Text: (ACTS 5:34-42)
A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,
a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,
stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,
and said to the Sanhedrin, “Fellow children of Israel,
be careful what you are about to do to these men.
Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important,
and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed,
and all those who were loyal to him
were disbanded and came to nothing.
After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census.
He also drew people after him,
but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered.
So now I tell you,
have nothing to do with these men, and let them go.
For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin,
it will destroy itself.
But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;
you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
They were persuaded by him.
After recalling the Apostles, they had them flogged,
ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus,
and dismissed them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,
they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus

In 2011, Italian scientists announced a new finding about the Shroud of Turin, which many have claimed to be Christ’s burial cloth. The scientists stated that the image on the shroud, which resembled a crucified man, was not painted on. So how did it get there? They tried to produce a similar effect on another piece of cloth using lasers. They succeeded only partially, speculating that at least thirty-four thousand billion watts of energy would be needed to produce such an image.

That would make sense if the man on the shroud had really been raised from the dead—for the power of God is certainly greater than anything man-made!

The scribe Gamaliel may have sensed this power when he heard the preaching of the apostles. Why didn’t he simply join the rest of the Sanhedrin in condemning them? He was obviously trying to be objective: If these men were telling the truth, it would be of no use to try to stop them. Indeed, this small group of disciples couldn’t have had the impact they were having without some powerful assistance!

Both the story of the shroud and Gamaliel’s reasoning tell us that Christianity is more than just a set of ideas. It is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). There is a dynamic force in the message of salvation that can reach into hearts and lives and change people from the inside out—you as well as the people in your life who don’t yet believe in Christ!

So don’t shortchange yourself—or God, for that matter—by thinking that only extra-holy people can be effective witnesses for Christ. If you can find just one opportunity today to share something about your faith, you will be making a difference. It’s not about you anyway; it’s about Jesus and his power! Surely you can rely on him as you share your story. And when you do, know that it’s not just you speaking. The Holy Spirit is there, in your words, adding his grace to your witness.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it. ~ Malcolm X

Scripture Text: (ACTS 5:27-33)
When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they heard this,
they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.

Imagine being a defendant in court, having been arrested for some act of civil disobedience. You know you are guilty, and you don’t deny it. The judge, being lenient, tells you, “If you promise never to do this again, I will let you go with a warning.” But all you can say is, “Sorry, I can’t do that.”

That would take a lot of conviction, wouldn’t it? You would need to be very sure of what you were doing to openly defy a judge like that. This is exactly what Peter and the apostles did in today’s first reading at Mass. How did they know that openly defying the Sanhedrin was the right thing to do? And how did they find the courage to do it?

Peter gives us the answer: “We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32).

The apostles knew what they had seen: Jesus of Nazareth, risen from the dead. What’s more, they experienced the Holy Spirit’s power convincing them that Jesus was the Son of God and Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. So despite the pressure exerted on them by the Sanhedrin, they couldn’t deny or keep quiet about all they had seen and experienced.

What about you? What have you “seen” and experienced? After all, you have the same Holy Spirit who filled the apostles. Has that Spirit brought Christ to life in your heart? Have you felt Jesus’ love or mercy? Have you had the experience of joy and confidence that comes as the Spirit moves in you?

Don’t dismiss these questions as unrealistic or “super-spiritual”! Millions of people have experienced these blessings over the past two thousand years. Why shouldn’t you? And if you’ve experienced the Spirit like this in the past, why not ask for more today? Jesus gave us the Spirit so that we could continue to grow and deepen our spiritual lives, so why would he give us only a small portion of his grace?