A Word of Hope

Building on Jesus' teaching against divorce and the Church's teaching that the family as the domestic church is the basic building block of a stable society, we are challenged to reach out to help families that are struggling, to help them draw closer to God's love.

Jesus told his followers that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. He did not want us to take this literally, but he does want us to take it seriously, and to ltry to let go of the things that lead us into sin.

When it was reported that people who were not his disciples were driving out demons in his name, Jesus did not try to stop them, or get them to join his group, but told his disciples "whoever is not against us is for us." Can we acknowledge gifts of others for ministry without needing them to conform to our own theological views or become members of our own church?

The Letter of James asks where the wars and conflicts among us come from, and then the Gospel describes an argument the disciples had about who was the greatest among them. To follow Jesus we need to serve one another in a spirit of true humility.

On this memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, we remember that Jesus gave us his mother as our mother from the cross. Mary can now be a reminder of the love of Jesus for us so that we can flourish in the love of God.

On this Feast of Pentecost we celebrate the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which manifest God's love inside each of us, allowing us to reach out to others in love to preach the Gospel.

As we finish the Book of Acts, Paul proclaimed Jesus as Lord in the center of the Roman Empire, where Caesar was proclaimed to be Lord. You and I have the same task living in modern empires.

In a famous scene from the Gospel of John, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him perfectly, and all Peter can do is reply that he loves him as a brother. So Jesus accepts this as a starting point in order to help Peter move towards a more perfect love. In the same way, God meets us where we are in order to help us get to where we want to be.

The Book of Acts records how God led Paul from Jerusalem to Rome so that the Gospel could spread. Our faith should keep us on a journey as well, so we always need to be asking, "Where is God calling me to now?"

The Apostle Paul warns to be watchful because there will come wolves to devour the sheep, while in the Gospel, Jesus asks God to consecrate his disciples in the truth, as he has been consecrated. Are there areas in your life that you need to be reminded that you have been consecrated to be a part of God's plan?

Jesus told his disciples that they will have trouble in the world but peace in him, because he has conquered the world. In the same way, God will not take away all of our problems, but will give us the grace to overcome them.

Jesus told his disciples that they will have trouble in the world but peace in him, because he has conquered the world. In the same way, God will not take away all of our problems, but will give us the grace to overcome them.

On this Ascension Sunday, we have in the readings both sides of a dichotomy in the spiritual life—contemplation, symbolized by the disciples gazing up into heaven, and action, symbolized by Jesus' command for them to go out and preach. We each need to balance these for a healthy spiritual life.

In our first reading, Apollos was an eloquent Christian preacher, but needed further instruction in the faith, which was provided by Priscilla and Aquila. How might further study improve our own faith journey?

In this world, joys come and go. But Jesus promises us a joy that no one can take away—the joy of heaven, the restoration of all good things.

Christians believe that, even though we do not see him, Jesus is still in charge and his plan will one day flood the earth with peace and justice. So we need not worry about tyrants. In the end, Jesus will prevail.

Paul preaches to the leading philosophers of his day... to mixed reviews. We are all called to share our faith, not to convince others.

Paul carries on preaching despite opposition in Philippi, while the disciples are sad at Jesus' departure. The first is an example of staying the course, which was good, and the second was an example of not wanting to change, which was bad. In the spiritual life, change is good when it supports growth and a greater ownership of the ministry of preaching the Good News.

Lydia, a rich believer, invites the disciples to stay with her in her home and they accept. She is just one example of many benefactors that assist the apostles work, just as they assisted Jesus' work. To further the Good News, we need to avail ourselves of the gifts of all God's people, not just some.

We are called to love one another, and often this opens us up to suffering. But the mystery of the cross and resurrection of Jesus reveals that this suffering, which is painful, will be transformed into something beautiful, and so we can embrace it.

Jesus told his disciples that if the world hates them, it hated him first. The Good News is that Jesus overcame that hate, as so can we. So we can confront the hatred in our world, rather than pretending it doesn't exist or has the last word.

On this Feast of the Apostles Philip and James, we hear a Gospel passage where they struggle to understand what their faith in Jesus means. We are all always doing the same, learning what it means to believe. Let's keep up the struggle.

Jesus asked us to remain in his love. We do that by loving one another. Can we love those who are different from us? From our enemies?

1 May • A prophet in his own home