Sunday Reflection (April 9, 2023)

/in /by

It is a historical statement that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, however, the statement that Jesus rose from the dead is much more complex because it entails a not-so-common experience: Resurrection. The humiliation, tragedy, and scandal of crucifixion were swallowed up in the victory of life over death. The resurrection tells us that in the unfolding of time, God’s love conquers all, even human hatred and malice. Evil cannot overcome good in the unfolding of time.

The resurrection is more than about tomorrow: It is also about today, and how our lives can make a difference for the good because we have been raised to a new life in Christ (Colossians 3:1-4). God not only resurrects and transforms us at the future resurrection, but God also resurrects and transforms us in the present by having Christ formed within us and among us. Resurrection is the transformation of life into a better life for us and those around us. May we live our lives in light of the resurrection with Christ as our “hidden resource” who through the Holy Spirit gives us guidance so that we live as we were destined to live.

Prayer for the Week (April 9-April 15, 2023)

/in /by

Let us pray to God our Father that we rise with the risen Lord: God of all life, help us to believe in life, and see Jesus Christ raised up and alive. Through the Holy Spirit, may we experience him walking with us on the road of life, so that we be a living people rising up from our ways of indifference. Fill us with the joy of the Spirit, so that our faith and love never waver, for Christ is risen and we are alive in him through the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

                                                            Claretian Communications

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                         

Sunday Sermon April 2, 2023

/in /by

Devotion April 5, 2023

/in /by

Devotion April 4, 2023

/in /by

Sunday Sermon April 2, 2023

/in /by

Prayer for the Week (April 2-April 8, 2023)

/in /by
Let us pray to God who sent us Jesus to reveal God’s love to us:  Lord Jesus, though mocked and derided, you were not put to shame; though beaten and spat upon, you were not disgraced; though innocent and unjustly crucified, you, the Son of God, have been vindicated by your sinless life and exalted to the right hand of power. As we gather to remember your suffering, fill us with your Spirit, conform our thoughts to yours, and teach us your ways so that the world might see in your body, the church, your ongoing ministry of redeeming grace toward this fallen, spent, and weary world.  Amen.

                                                            Lightning from the East, alt.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                         

Sunday Reflection (March 26, 2023)

/in /by
In Romans (8:5-11) Paul contrasts flesh and spirit in that a life lived “according to the flesh” brings death, and a life lived “according to the Spirit” brings life and peace. Bear in mind that when Paul talks about fleshly actions, he is not degrading human biological functions such as food and sex in their proper bounds. Rather, he means fleshly actions rooted in bitterness, hatred, competition, and jealousy (Romans 8:5-11). We can set our mind upon a “fleshly life” that takes no consideration of others into account, or we can live a “spiritual life” that recognizes our connection to God and one another and honors those connections.
We all have felt the heartache and despair that “fleshly”, destructive actions bring to human life. We know this from the actions of others and we ourselves can get caught up in bitterness, hatred, completion, and jealousy. Nevertheless, the Good News is that being guided by the Holy Spirit in the way of Christ brings about life and peace, and not just for us, but for the world around us.

Prayer for the Week (March 26, 2023-April 1, 2023)

/in /by
Let us pray for the courage to embrace the world in the name of Christ:  Father in heaven, the love of your Son led him to accept the suffering of the cross so that we might find life in divine forgiveness.  Change our selfishness into self-giving.  May we embrace the world you have given us and transform the darkness of its pain into the life and joy of Easter.  Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

                                                            Sunday Missal, alt.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                         

Sunday Reflection (March 19, 2023)

/in /by
Our Scripture Reading from John’s Gospel (9:1-41) was about a blind man and Jesus. In the days of Jesus, it was easy to find a reason not to help the blind because it was a punishment from God because of some sin the blind or his/her parents had committed. For Jesus said it was an opportunity to do good. He healed the man of blindness, and gradually the man, formerly blind, received spiritual insight, yet the religious leaders found fault.
 
Have you ever found fault with a good deed done with good intentions? The opportunities to do good are always before us, but what opportunities to do good have you neglected to do because you were not open to the possibility of making a difference for the good? What opportunities to do good have you passed because you exploited the faults and failures of someone needing help? When opportunities to make a difference for the good come before us may we seize the opportunity that God has given us.