Preaching Videos

In today's Gospel we hear that Jesus is the Light of the World. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we hear how Paul and Barnabas were sent out to spread that light to the world. In this Easter Season, it begins again as you and I are called to go out and bring that light to the world today.

The persecution of the early community forced it to spread out and to preach the Good News not only to Jews, but to Greeks as well, and great numbers became Christians. In the same way, our lives need to expand the witnessing of the Good News so that it reaches everyone.

Jesus says, "I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved," and he lets in a lot of people who are not like us. Are there people that we would not let in?

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, assures us that no one took his life from him, but that he laid it down for his sheep. For whom do we lay our lives down?

Fr. Brian Walker, OP breaks open the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, reminding us that as Christians, we are all called to shepherd one another. Sometimes that can be unpleasant, or dirty, or smelly, but is is also rewarding and where we find our salvation.

Jesus' teaching on eating his body and drinking his blood are very challenging to his disciples, and many decide to quit following him. Perhaps the Church's teaching on the Eucharist is not challenging to us, but are there other parts of Jesus' message that we simply tune out rather than challenging our own views?

Jesus tells us, "if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you." We feed our faith and our souls by regularly and devoutly partaking in the Eucharist.

Philip explained the Good News of Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, who then immediately demanded to be baptized. This is a day to reflect on the great gift of Baptism that has been offered to all of us.

Though his role was to feed the widows and orphans, Philip left Jerusalem to avoid persecution and preached Christ to great effect in a town in Samaria. We all have official roles in our communities, but we have to discern to find what our real role is in helping to unfold the Kingdom of God.

St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, looked up to heaven as he was being stoned to death and asked Jesus not to hold this sin against his executioners. If we hate our enemies or want them to be punished, then Stephen has a lesson for us, that we should instead look forward to reuniting with them in heaven some day.

Jesus tells those who were looking for him because they had their fill of bread to search instead for the food that endures to eternal life. We should all look deeper at what we really want out of God and the Church.

The resurrected Jesus appears to the disciples and eats with them and still has the wounds in his hands and in his side. This is no "spiritual" resurrection, but bodily resurrection in which we can unite our our own bodily suffering with his, and be in solidarity with all those who suffer.