Yes, I’m Hungry

Yesterday at work I was prompted to join one of my memory care sweethearts who has replaced all talking with non-stop walking. Jeannie literally walks laps around the hallway all day. She looks like she was a runner before and is always decked out in fun running outfits with appropriate shoes for the amount of walking she does. I’ve always wanted to put a Fitbit on her to see exactly how many steps she walks in a day. She’s one of the ones that throws her hands up in the air when she sees me as if we haven’t seen each other in years followed by a real hug, the kind that doesn’t end quickly, and the kind that wraps you up tightly. Since I’m an activities coordinator and this was an activity, I decided to follow the prompting and simply walk with Jeannie. We walked in silence for a good half hour, when she finally looked me in the eye and said, “I’m glad you’re here.” A coherent sentence from Jeannie is like a mystical experience and I knew to just keep walking. After a while I put my arm around her shoulder and she put her arm around me and we walked and walked and walked. Walking in silence reminded me of my Camino and the deep spirituality that comes from simply moving forward quietly. I pictured Jesus walking right there with us and my thought was that he walks with us until we talk and he holds us until we hold him back. 

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Hunger and thirst are such basic human needs and Jesus wants to permeate us completely from the very basic to the most complicated parts of us. Hunger and thirst are two physical realities that move us to action (have you ever gone to the grocery store hungry?). Spiritual hunger and thirst are two realities that also move us to action and we will seek to satisfy those desires with a “grocery store” full of options, but there is only ONE that truly satisfies and that is Jesus. He tells us, “I will not reject anyone who comes to me.” He’s going to walk alongside us until we notice, he’s going to be with us until we know it, he’s going to offer us life until we accept it, he’s going to pursue us until we stop running away, and he’s going to throw his hands up in the air every time we see him followed by a real hug. 

I don’t know exactly how long Jeannie and I walked, but I finally asked her if she was hungry for dinner (getting her to even sit for meals has been a challenge as of late), to which she replied with a simple, “Yes.” I escorted her into the dining room and all was well. Jesus walks with us until we are ready to say, “Yes, I’m hungry," and then he feeds us. It is well with my soul. 

Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 275

Reading 1 ACTS 8:1B-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Responsorial Psalm 66:1-3A, 4-5, 6-7A

R.    (1)  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 6:40

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 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.”

I Am The Bread Of Life

Have you ever lived across the country from a good friend and some days you just wish you could drive to their house and share a meal or a glass of wine? There is an ache to be in each other’s presence, have face time, and be able to share the same space, which is only heightened during this time of social distance and isolation. Today’s gospel is God’s version of this same ache to be near to us. The crowd was asking Jesus to perform again. We love to be entertained don’t we? They even give him a specific request for his performance and use manna from heaven as a suggestion. The word manna literally means, “What is it?” So Jesus takes the challenge because the ache of God to be intimate with His children burns within him, and he reminds them that his Father is the one that gave them bread in the desert. Since this generous gift had them confused, “what is it?” God knew He needed something more substantial, something more defined, something more real, and something that would also allow Him to share the same space with us. Bread from heaven would now have a Name and there would be no question mark at the end of it, “I AM the bread of life.” There is no more “what is it?” because the “it” is God’s Son, who is in fact, I AM, and who will never leave us hungry again. 

Hunger and thirst are two of the most basic human necessities and God is so super smart that He knew He needed to use these two basic human needs as His platform to remain with us. Spiritual hunger and thirst is our ache to be in His presence and so He gave us a way to be in His actual presence every single day, by consuming His actual presence. There is no better way to ensure intimacy with Him than to allow Him to physically be a part of us. We give God “space time” when we take the Bread of Life that He has so generously offered us in Christ Jesus. This space-time is essential for our thriving in His Holy Spirit. This Bread fortifies our own spirit in His Spirit and as it courses through our veins, God’s very essence makes His home in us. Where God is, the Son, and their Holy Spirit dwell and this is the answer to the Hebrew’s notorious question, “what is it?” It is “I AM” and “I AM” is all we need to satisfy our hunger and thirst. “Whoever who comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” If we come to him and believe in him, we will never hunger and thirst. I feel like the word “never” is an absolute that some practical thinkers might find an exaggeration, however, it’s been my observation and experience that the most faith-filled people I know have a certain peace even in the midst of the worst possible storms, and I think that peace is evidence that they are fortified by the Bread of Life. It doesn’t eliminate the storms in our lives, but it does give us that same peace that allowed Jesus to sleep through the storm when all hell was breaking loose. 

God aches for space-time with us. He longs to share a meal with us. He wants to fortify our souls with His essence. He loves us so very much. The Bread of Life is Jesus and he invites us to come to him and to believe in him so that we will be filled. Chew on his word, dip it in the essence of God, and wash it down with the Spirit. This is a meal that will never disappoint. It is well with my soul.  

Reading 1 ACTS 7:51—8:1A

Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy Spirit;
you are just like your ancestors.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”

When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.

Now Saul was consenting to his execution.

Responsorial Psalm 31:3CD-4, 6 AND 7B AND 8A, 17 AND 21AB

R.    (6a)  Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R.    Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 6:35AB

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the bread of life, says the Lord;
whoever comes to me will never hunger.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 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.”       

You Are My Sunshine

I’m having a really hard time believing anything I hear these days. I stopped watching the news about 3 years ago, but decided that I should start back up during this pandemic, and of course, now I remember why I stopped in the first place. I cannot discern who is telling the facts properly, which sources to believe, and which guidelines are legit or not. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills because I tend to be gullible anyway so I default to believing everything they tell me and then at some point I throw the towel in and believe zero things they tell me. Who is “they” exactly? Good question! I have no freaking idea!! So today’s gospel is a now word for me and perhaps for you too. Jesus is above all. Should I repeat that? OK! Jesus is above all. One more time you say? Jesus is above all. “Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.” So, I ask myself what Jesus would do in a pandemic? His take on social distancing might be a bit different than what is being asked of us. So how do I do what Jesus would do AND still be compliant with what earthly authority is asking us to do? I think spiritually Jesus busted through walls regularly and so that seems like something I can wrap my heart around. How can I bust through walls to connect, to be with, to touch, to kiss, to get nose to nose with, and to certify that God is trustworthy?  

I’m in a network of Activities Coordinators from retirement communities all over the country and it seems like all of us are spinning our wheels to plan “COVID-19 friendly” activities for our communities. We are being saturated with ideas upon ideas of “stuff to do” in quarantine and yesterday I felt a bit spent by it all. Everyday there is a tightening of what we can or cannot do, so our grand plans yesterday go out the window today and so on. I was feeling discouraged and then I realized I was missing the why we do activities. It’s not just to give us stuff to do or to pass the time for the residents. It is always and has always been to show them love. How can I show them love is all I need to focus on. Jesus is above all and Jesus busts through walls and Jesus hugs lepers and Jesus breathes peace and Jesus is not afraid to love the untouchable ones. So, without breaking the rules, I need to figure out how to love through the walls, hug through the barriers, breathe through the mask, and be fearless because God is trustworthy. 

The best line in today’s gospel as far as I’m concerned is, “He does not ration His gift of the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is the creativity of God and the Holy Spirit will show up and do the loving through me, so I just need to get my “doing” self out of the way and let Him DO. The local news covered our Balcony Serenades and they titled the piece, “You Are My Sunshine.” “Please don’t take my sunshine away.” Jesus is above and all and He does not ration His gift of the Spirit. That’s where I’ll leave us. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 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.

Responsorial Psalm 34:2 AND 9, 17-18, 19-20

R.    (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R.    The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R.    The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R.    The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 20:29

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 3:31-36

The one who comes from above is above all.
The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.
But the one who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies to what he has seen and heard,
but no one accepts his testimony.
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him.

Balcony Serenades

The Assisted Living/Memory Care facility that I worked at is located in a neighborhood called Banker’s Hill that overlooks the San Diego Airport. Every apartment has a balcony that looks onto the street below. Our team decided to serenade the entire building from the street below with the intention of getting them out into the fresh air, to build community with the neighbors, to make them smile, and to thank all essential workers. Let’s just say that getting an entire building full of seniors in need of assistance and seniors with dementia out onto their balconies at a certain time is um….as easy as teaching toddlers calculus. We had staff and family members on the street with signs of encouragement, all the balcony people had American flags to wave and signs of gratitude, I had my guitar and two songs, “You Are My Sunshine” and “God Bless America”, which seemed to completely cover the sentiment of the day. Once the sweethearts starting making their way out onto the balconies and once they saw us below, the love affair began. The smiles and the sunshine on their faces was priceless, the enthusiastic waving and clapping was infectious, the dancing was adorable, and the sheer delight in the moment proclaimed that, “God SO LOVED the world!” We called out our affection and love to one another and the building transformed from isolation to freedom in one single serenade. One side of our building looks at another large apartment building. When we were done singing I heard applause, and when I looked all the residents in the apartment building that were home had their faces to the windows and were waving madly at the sweethearts and shouting words of encouragement to them. It was the sweetest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Cars slowed down and honked their hellos and neighbors passing on the street also shouted their love. 

Balcony serenades are typically between lovers wooing each other and this was no different. We were wooing each other like long lost lovers reaching to be touched, to be held, and to be known. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Jesus is our balcony serenade that woos us, reaches for us, and loves us into freedom. His mercy is the song that ascends and washes us in delight. We are all in need of assistance to the balcony, but once we get there, our eyes become fixed on Him and the mutual reaching toward begins the most beautiful love affair. And guess what, there is NO condemnation, blame, or attack during a balcony serenade, only wooing, beckoning, and love songs. For God so loves me and you that He sent His only Son to serenade us into His arms of mercy. So step out on the balcony and let Him sing you love songs and may that kind of love be the “spread” that woos others into a love affair with Jesus. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 ACTS 5:17-26

The high priest rose up and all his companions,
that is, the party of the Sadducees,
and, filled with jealousy,
laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.
But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,
led them out, and said,
“Go and take your place in the temple area,
and tell the people everything about this life.”
When they heard this,
they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.
When the high priest and his companions arrived,
they convened the Sanhedrin,
the full senate of the children of Israel,
and sent to the jail to have them brought in.
But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison,
so they came back and reported,
“We found the jail securely locked
and the guards stationed outside the doors,
but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report,
they were at a loss about them,
as to what this would come to.
Then someone came in and reported to them,
“The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area
and are teaching the people.”
Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them,
but without force,
because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Responsorial Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R.    (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R.    The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R.    The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R.    The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R.    The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 3:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so love the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 3:16-21

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

Born From Above

We have all heard the phrase, “I’ve been born again!” Today, Jesus really gives a beautiful working definition of what that means, “Unless on is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Being born again means to awaken ourselves to a life with Christ (living water) and to a life in the Spirit. We have probably all had a significant moment, encounter, anointing, awakening, or conversion that has awakened a newness in us in some powerful way. These are our own being “born from above” and “what is born of spirit is spirit” touchstones. The spirit is the love between the Father and the Son and when we reside there we will flow from there, and when we flow from love, we will be who God meant for us to be, and we will be born again. If we live in the spirit, we will look different, act different, be different, and these will be magnets or lighthouses or beacons for others to come and also be born in the spirit. This is the very essence of what the apostles thrived on after Pentecost. Their baptism in the Holy Spirit was their launching into the heart of God and they were absolutely born again into heirs of the Kingdom. Jesus told them that they would do so much more than he ever did and that commissioning remains with each and every one of us. Ponder your own rebirth in the Spirit today. What is your touchstone moment(s) of entry into that new life? What was your life like before? Do you need a refresher course on getting in touch with whom God meant you to be? 

I rely on being born from above daily with my memory care sweethearts or else I would only see the sadness of dementia and the tragedies of the disease rather than the beauty of a life lived in the present moment. They live in God’s time, this present moment, and the beauty in that is that we get to love without borders. The past and the future have hefty lines drawn in the sand while the present is seamless. Staying present to the present requires the eyes to see the Kingdom of God and so I have learned what being born again is from my memory care sweethearts who are literally born again constantly. So I love them the way we love newborns with totally and complete adoration, longing to just stare at them while they sleep, or to learn their every mannerism, or to breathe in their innocence. I marvel at their purity and their “unsophistication” and I am captured by their authenticity. There is no pretending and a world without duplicity is maybe the loveliest world of all. 

During these confusing times, ponder being born from above and how that plays out in your life. I feel like soon and very soon there is going to be a rebirth in our country and all I know is that I want to be reborn in the Spirit. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 ACTS 4:23-31

After their release Peter and John went back to their own people
and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them.
And when they heard it,
they raised their voices to God with one accord
and said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth
and the sea and all that is in them,
you said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, your servant:

Why did the Gentiles rage
and the peoples entertain folly?
The kings of the earth took their stand
and the princes gathered together
against the Lord and against his anointed.

Indeed they gathered in this city
against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed,
Herod and Pontius Pilate,
together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do what your hand and your will
had long ago planned to take place.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Responsorial Psalm 2:1-3, 4-7A, 7B-9

R.    (see 11d)  Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples utter folly?
The kings of the earth rise up,
and the princes conspire together
against the LORD and against his anointed:
“Let us break their fetters
and cast their bonds from us!”
R.    Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
He who is throned in heaven laughs;
the LORD derides them.
Then in anger he speaks to them;
he terrifies them in his wrath:
“I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD.
R.    Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”
R.    Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia COL 3:1

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If then you were raised with Christ,
seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 3:1-8

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at night and said to him,
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to him,
“How can a man once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
Jesus answered,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
What is born of flesh is flesh
and what is born of spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I told you,
‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills,
and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Some key sentences stood out for me today…

“The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of the bread.” I feel like we will also be talking about this particular season when we are all allowed to come together again and we will recount so many things that took place along the way, and most especially how we recognize him in the breaking of the bread. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. 

“He stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” He comes into our midst with peace or “shalom” (one definition of shalom is the power to dispel chaos). Peace is not the absence of hostility, but the presence of Jesus. 

“Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see.” He knows our hearts and he knows when we are anxious, scared, sad, disturbed, or confused. Raise your hand if any of these might apply to you right now in the midst of this crisis. Jesus tells each one of us…look at me, touch me, see me. I am right here and I have conquered death. 

“Have you anything here to eat?” Jesus hungers and thirsts for us. He wants to be a part of our lives and sharing a meal is one of the most intimate ways to just be with us. It was also a way for him to establish “normalcy” with his friends, “look guys, I’m still me, loving some good snacks!” He wants to establish himself as part of the nitty-gritty in our lives. He wants to be our “normal.” 

“You are witnesses of these things.” Raise your hand if you have witnessed or seen amazing acts of kindness, miracles, answered prayers, or heroic virtue during this crazy time in our lives. We are so blessed to see the work of God running wild right now. We are so fortunate to be able to recognize signs and wonders. We are so privileged to get to tell people about what we have seen. So witness right and left, up and down, and all around about the goodness of God! These are unprecedented times when people have the time to hear and see, so tell and show!! 

Those are my thoughts today. Jesus is something amazing, wonderful, beautiful, and free isn’t He? We had the most delightful live worship session on Zoom last night and it was our own version of Jesus walking through the walls of our upper rooms to breathe peace upon us! I love the creativity that God is releasing in us to gather even when we can’t be in physical proximity. The Holy Spirit is alive and well and this Pentecost seems like it will be extra Spirit-filled so get ready, friends!! Peace be with you. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 ACTS 3:11-26

As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John,
all the people hurried in amazement toward them
in the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,
“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,
and why do you look so intently at us
as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence,
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
And by faith in his name,
this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong,
and the faith that comes through it
has given him this perfect health,
in the presence of all of you.
Now I know, brothers and sisters,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
For Moses said:

A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.
Everyone who does not listen to that prophet
will be cut off from the people.    

“Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,
from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.
You are the children of the prophets
and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors
when he said to Abraham,
In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you
by turning each of you from your evil ways.”

Responsorial Psalm 8:2AB AND 5, 6-7, 8-9

R.    (2ab)  O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R.    Alleluia.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R.    O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R.    Alleluia.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R.    O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R.    Alleluia.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R.    O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia PS 118:24

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 24:35-48

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.

While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have.”
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.

He said to them,
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.”