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When Jesus arrived after Lazarus' death, Martha called out to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." But her pain was turned to greater joy and great faith when her faith in Jesus led to the resuscitation of her brother. In modern times, we hear of Annette Nance Holt, who responded to the death of her 16 year old son, who died shielding another from bullets in a drive-by shooting, by starting an organisation that encourages people to work for an end to gun violence rather than simply living with the pain of its consequences. You can learn more about Purpose Over Pain at https://purpose-over-pain.org .

Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, coming to us from the Shrine of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk saint who embodies the themes of the day—being a true prophet to the nations, seemingly weak and unimportant, and rejected by her own, but ultimately a powerful witness.

Readings: Ezekiel 2:2-5, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Mark 6:1-6

Jesus told a would-be follower, "let the dead bury the dead." We all make excuses about why we are not responding to the moment as we should. The world needs our actions, not our excuses.

God does not delight in death and destruction, so when we encounter them in the world we are called to seek out the healing voice of Christ, and to bring that voice to others.

On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, we remember Jesus' command to share this sacred meal "in remembrance of me." This still stands as a challenge to us to share our blessings with one another so that each one has enough.

Based on Mark 14:12–16, 22–26:

The Jewish authorities challenged Jesus' authority to be teaching in the Temple because he was not credentialed by them. It is our faith and the Gospel itself that gives us the authority to go out and do great things in the world, not any other title or credential we hold.

Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for Trinity Sunday. God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit points towards the abundance of God's presence as creator, redeemer, and sustainer.

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.

Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Jesus tells us that he is the vine and we are the branches. We are bound to him and to one another, and if we stay so bound, we can produce much fruit. We are constantly threatened to give up and let ourselves be torn apart, but we need to stand against that.

The early apostles shared all that they had with one another so that everyone had enough. Can we regain some of that spirit today?

On this Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, we need to remember that the Good News that God is always with us should banish fear and give us hope.