Lord, Where Else Would We Go? You Have the Words of Eternal Life! In today’s Gospel, there is an exchange between Jesus and His disciples. The Gospel is part of the Bread of Life. In the exchange, someone says . . . this saying is hard. Who can accept it? This statement about the preaching of Jesus is with us for the last two thousand years. In our world, especially today, there is a tendency to believe that we can choose what to believe. We may believe that we can focus on those things of God that work for me. Wow! By thinking this way . . . we may think it is natural. So much so, we miss the arrogance of thinking this way. This leads us to tell God what we will and won’t accept from Him. It leads us to decide what we will and will not do when He speaks to me! Listen more within the Homily. This teaching is hard . . . who can accept it? The Lord’s teachings have led to this moment of decision for those that have been living with . . . believing in . . . and following the Lord. Some will choose to accept the difficult teachings. Some others will not. In doing so, they decide to turn away from the Lord. Lord, where else would we go? You have the words of eternal life! Listen to this Meditation Media.

How Well Do We Know The Voice of The Good Shepherd? The sheep follow the shepherd because they know his voice. The Church asks this day, how well do we know the voice of the Good Shepherd? How well do we know the voice of Jesus Christ? It’s a simple, but an important question. How well do we know His voice? How do we single out His voice between all the other voices within the world? How do we recognize the voice of Jesus? Listen to this Meditation Media.

Pilgrimages: Their Impact on Saint Louis de Montfort’s and Our Spiritual Life On this day the Church celebrates Saint Louis de Montfort. This conference was given at a Shrine. Shrines were important to Fr. de Montfort. That fact is largely neglected when one speaks about him. One cannot fully understand Fr. de Montfort and his mission without understanding what pilgrimages mean to him. Pilgrimage is largely misunderstood by the world today, especially in the United States. On Thanksgiving we celebrate the day and the pilgrims but disconnect the idea from pilgrimages. Understand what a pilgrimage really is. Understand how it impacts your Spiritual Life. Appreciate the impact of a Pilgrimage. Listen to Pilgrimages: Their Impact on Saint Louis de Montfort’s and Our Spiritual Life. Listen more to the Homily.

Understand What Prevents Us From Recognizing God’s Blessing, Grace, Nearness and Goodness! The Paschal candle is one of the important symbols of Easter. This fact is also illustrated in today’s Gospel. It is positioned between the ambo and the altar. It sheds light. Understand its symbol and its importance. Hear more within the Homily. In today’s first reading (not included within this audio), Peter talks about the words of scripture and the Psalms. In today’s Gospel, the Road to Emmaus, Jesus does the same and explains the scripture and the prophets. Peter speaks to the religious leaders. He tells them that Jesus is the one that is victorious over death. Peter also says that to reject Jesus is to reject God. He says this not to accuse of them of the events that led to the crucifixion, but to re-orient themselves. If they accept Jesus, they will be able to know and be able to live according to the will of God. Hear more within the Homily. Jesus and The Road to Emmaus The Gospel takes place on Easter Sunday. It’s been a few weeks after Easter, but we are still on Easter Sunday in the Gospel. The story of the Road to Emmaus, in a way, can be like our spiritual life. Jesus is right next to these two men, even though the men do not recognize Him. The Lord often has a blessing, a grace, a nearness and a goodness that might be next to us. But we are unable to recognize it . . . like the men in the Gospel. What prevents them? What prevents us from recognizing it? Understand What Prevents Us From Recognizing God’s Blessing, Grace, Nearness and Goodness! Hear more about the Road to Emmaus. Listen to this Meditation Media.

Peter’s Trusting the Lord Who Rose From the Dead The Holy Spirit is present throughout the Easter season’s readings. The Easter season begins on Easter and ends with Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is part of the Easter season . . . and marks the end of the season. It is not a separate celebration. There is a connection between the Resurrection of the Lord (His Victory on The Cross) and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on His Church on Pentecost Sunday. Together, they form a unified mystery. Hear more within the Homily. In today’s Gospel we hear that Jesus does not ration the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Why would He ration? What does that statement really mean? Hear more within the Homily. In the first reading (not included within this audio) we hear the religious leaders once again bring the disciples to the court. This takes place after Peter’s miraculous freedom from the jail with the help of an angel. The court once again threatens them for speaking in the name of Jesus. Peter says to the court that you place me in an interesting spot. I either listen to the court because of your threat, or I keep trusting the Lord who rose from the dead. Note how powerful this idea is as Peter converses with the religious leaders. Listen to Peter’s Trusting the Lord Who Rose From the Dead. Hear more within this Meditation Media.

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fish. The First of Three of Jesus’ Passovers In the first reading (not included within this audio) we hear about the difficult relationship Jesus had with a number of the authorities in Israel. The difficulties begin with false Messiahs. Men who came before the Lord, pretending to be the one the people were waiting for in Israel. Humans, who speak well, became the criteria to stir up the people. Israel did not wait for the Lord to come, showing His anointing and wonderful deeds. There were many self-proclaimed Messiahs. One mentioned roamed the earth at the time Jesus was born. So, just thirty years before Jesus’ ends His hidden life, there was a self-proclaimed Messiah. The self-proclaimed Messiahs had a common characteristic. They normally ended in violence and their movement of the people fades away. Hear more within the Homily. In the first reading we hear though Jesus is put to death, unlike in the past, the followers / the disciples do not disburse. There is something different here. The religious leaders, in deciding how to handle the disciples, are told to take a moment. Step back and give it time. If it is not from God, it will fade away. If it is from God, then see how it unfolds. Good advice then . . . and now. Have Patience: Do Not Act Rashly in the Spiritual Life. Hear more about this lesson. . . . The first of Three of Jesus’ Passovers In the Gospel we hear about the Miracle of the Feeding of Thousands. St. John, in his Gospel, highlights the seven signs the Lord performs to reveal His Glory . . . so that we may believe. John explains these miracles so that we may better understand the great mysteries of the Passion. This is approximately the mid-point in Jesus’ ministry, when we hear about this miracle. Hear about The Miracle of the Loaves and Fish. This is the first of three of Jesus’ Passovers outlined by the Holy Spirit through St. John. Listen more to this Meditation Media.

When the Disciples Start Moving . . . Jesus Meets Them. This is Characteristic of Discipleship The Homily begins with the gestures we make when the Gospel is proclaimed. Why do we make these gestures? What does the Church tell us? Listen to the beginning of the Homily. In today’s Gospel, the Apostles sail across the waters to Galilee. Jesus ascended the mountain to pray and was not with the disciples. The disciples leave, and Jesus is not with them, because they know they need to get to the other side. The Gospel story also tells us about what it is to follow Jesus sometimes. Jesus teaches all of us, including the disciples. He teaches what is right, so we all can just go and do it. Hear more within the Homily. The disciples sail to the other side of the waters. Its dark. Sometimes when we trust God, it’s like stepping out into the dark . . . because we do not know where we are going. The disciples sail out into the dark a few miles. As they move forward . . . doing what Jesus wants them to do . . . Jesus comes to them. The disciples see Him walking toward the boat . . . on top of the waters! When the disciples start moving . . . Jesus meets them. This is characteristic of discipleship. Hear more within the Homily. Understand the lesson for us! Listen to this Meditation Media.

The Apostles are Thrown Into Jail and Released by an Angel . . . Paralleling the Events of The Resurrection In early Christian writings and poetry, the breaking of chains is written to describe the Resurrection. When they take the Lord down from The Cross, they place Him in a tomb. They then rolled the stone and sealed the tomb . . . in effect locking Him in. They then place guards in front of the tomb, so no one could steal the body and claim Resurrection. On Easter Sunday, we hear that an angel comes, rolls away the stone, and we discover the Lord is not in the tomb. The stone, the seal and the guards were powerless to stop the Resurrection. They cannot stop the gift of salvation. They are powerless against the Glory of Our Lord. Hear more within the Homily. In the first reading (not included within this audio), the Apostles are arrested. Why? Because the Apostles are speaking about the Resurrection. The power of it is bringing people to the Church. The Pharisees are angry due to the preaching of the Apostles. The leaders are jealous, because these uneducated men . . . the Apostles . . . are winning more hearts than they are. The Apostles speak with authority to the people. Rather than humbling themselves, the leaders act out of anger. They want to remove those who are a threat. So, what are the leaders’ reactions? . . . Paralleling the Events of The Resurrection The Apostles are thrown in jail. They lock them in jail. The leaders post a guard outside a strong / heavy jail door. What happens? An angel comes. The angel appears and delivers the Apostles as though they are in a tomb. What happens? Scriptures tells us they pass through the guards and the jail to freedom. The angel tells the Apostles to not be silent, as the leaders desire. Proclaim the victory of the Resurrection. The Apostles have a parallel experience. Why is this important for us? Hear more within the Homily. Listen to this Meditation Media.

St. Peter’s Healing In the Name of Jesus Christ In today’s Gospel, St. Peter (and St. John) heals a man in the name of Jesus Christ. The beggar wanted coins. St. Peter does not carry coins but offers the man what he does have . . . salvation and healing through the name of Jesus Christ. The healing of the man’s legs took less than a minute. This man spent a lifetime with legs that could not support him. But within a minute, the man is healed, and he has the freedom of movement he only dreamed about in his life. The change in life for the man is dramatic. But the healing also had an impact on so many others. The crowd entering the temple sees the healed man. A man the crowd walked by week after week. Suddenly, there is a change. The crowd is curious about this event. Now the disciples need to explain what happened. Note that the woundedness of the man, for so many years, has led to many people coming to faith. The man’s inability to move is at the service of so many hearts that are gathered around the disciples. Peter Identifies the Source of the Healing Peter identifies the source of the healing. It is through the name of Jesus Christ, Who has been raised from the dead. The Lord shares His Victory over sin and death with His Church. By means of the touch of St. Peter’s hand on the man . . . the touch of the Church . . . the touch of Jesus arrives within this man. This revealing is not just for the private benefit of the man (though that is real). It is for the benefit of a public outward sign to the crowd, whose hearts were also crippled. We also hear that there are others that are troubled by this news of the healing. The Gospel tells us about them today. Religious leaders are troubled and unable to celebrate the miraculous event of this man’s life. Why? Because it doesn’t meet the leaders’ criteria for what is acceptable. St. Peter engages those who seek to silence the message. St. Peter’s response to the leaders is remarkable and said without fear. Listen to the Homily. Listen to what Peter Says About Healing In the Name of Jesus Christ. Hear Peter’s response to the leaders about healing and about the Lord, without fear. Listen to this Meditation Media.

Why Didn’t Jesus Show His Risen Glory to the World? Why Did He Entrust Delivering the Resurrection News to the Disciples? Why Didn’t Jesus Show His Risen Glory to the World? . . . The readings today place before us hearts that are hardened and reluctant to believe. The Church selects these readings today for a specific reason. Hear more within the Homily. One of the remarkable things about the Resurrection is the way it is made known to the world. On Good Friday the death of Jesus is a public event. Thousands of people watch the Crucifixion events unfold. Thousands watched it happen. Jesus’ dying was not a secret. His suffering is visible. His death is visible. Curiously, the Resurrection was not visible to the world. In fact, no one ever sees Jesus leave the tomb. Even when the angels roll the stone away, Jesus has already left the tomb. No one sees Him rise. How is His Victory not visible to the world? We would think, just like His death was made public, that His rising would also be made public. But no! Why Didn’t Jesus Show His Risen Glory to the World? . . . Why Did He Entrust Delivering the Resurrection News to the Disciples? The Lord is, curiously, pleased not to make His Victory public in the same way. He is pleased to let the world know about His Resurrection through the preaching of a handful of disciples. Why? Why didn’t Jesus show His Risen Glory to the World? Hear more within this Homily. Listen to this Meditation Media.