Fourth Sunday of Easter: A: April 30, 2023

              JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

First Reading: Acts 2: 14 and 36-41

Second Reading: 1 Peter 2: 20-25

Gospel Reading: John 10:1-10

   *First reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. A part of the testimony of St. Peter on the day of Pentecost is mentioned. Peter speaks very boldly and courageously about the crucified and the risen Christ who has brought salvation for the humankind. He urges everyone to repent and to be baptized in the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. After listening to the testimony of St. Peter, a large group of people - about three thousand- received baptism on that day and accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Peter. Peter exhorts all Christians to be ready to suffer patiently for righteousness. He tells us that Jesus our good Shepherd has given us an example by bearing unjust sufferings with patience for the love of us. 

I am the door of the sheepfold                                                                          Today's Gospel reading is from St. John. Jesus compares His love for His followers to the love of a shepherd for his flock. He speaks of two types of people who enter the sheepfold. The first type is a person who does not enter through the gate of the sheepfold. He is not a shepherd but a thief who comes to steal and to destroy. The second type is a person who enters through the gate of the sheepfold. He is the shepherd of the sheep. He is the one who knows the sheep by name and takes care of them day and night. He is the Good Shepherd. Jesus further clarifies that He is also the door of the sheepfold. Jesus by being the door of the sheepfold, gives four-fold safety and security for His sheep. 1. Jesus gives safety to His flock by guarding the sheep from harmful influences from outside. 2. Jesus protects the sheep from evil and destructive powers which could harm the flock. 3. Jesus protects the sheep from worries and anxieties so that His flock has peace and harmony. Anyone who enters through the door of the sheepfold will have the safety that only Jesus can give. 4. Jesus is the door of the sheepfold that leads to the salvation and to life eternal. Hence anyone who wants to be saved must pass through the door that is Jesus. All of us are invited to listen to the good Shepherd and follow Him so that we too may be found worthy of the salvation promised by the Lord.

"The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." - John 10:11

Third Sunday of Easter: April 23, 2023

 THE ROAD TO EMMAUS : A JOURNEY FROM DESPAIR TO JOY

First Reading: Acts 2: 14 and 22-28

Second Reading: 1 Peter 1: 17-21

Gospel Reading: Luke 24: 13-35

   *First reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. A section of the sermon preached by St. Peter on Pentecost day is narrated. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter fearlessly and boldly proclaims that the crucified and risen Christ is indeed the promised Messiah. He affirms that Jesus is the Lord of the whole universe. Hence the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead is the core essence of the good news. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Peter. Peter explains to the early Christian community and to us that Jesus redeemed us by shedding His own blood on the cross. He urges us to have a strong faith and hope in the risen Lord. He encourages us to respond with a life of holiness. 

The two disciples recognize the Lord in the breaking of the bread                                        Today's Gospel reading is from St. Luke. The story of the two disciples who traveled to Emmaus on Easter Sunday evening is narrated in great details. Their lives and dreams are shattered with the cruel crucifixion and death of Jesus. On their way to Emmaus, the risen Lord joins them and explains to them why it was necessary for Him to die and to enter into glory. In the Gospel story, Emmaus becomes a place of transformation when the two recognized the Lord at the breaking of the bread. But this recognition of the Lord could happen only because they opened their hearts to the stranger with confidence, love and hospitality and with an invitation: "Stay with us." Taking the stranger to their home and even sharing their meal with Him becomes the Eucharistic table. When He blesses and breaks the bread with them, their eyes are opened. When we allow others to have a place in our hearts, the risen Lord becomes real in our lives. We too become like the two disciples who returned from Emmaus, full of joy and hope. Emmaus story is the story of our own lives. 1. The risen Lord walks with us as a stranger when we are in deep pain and in distress. 2. The risen Lord explains to us the meaning of our sufferings through the Word of God and encourages us. 3. He reveals Himself to us through the breaking of the bread: At the Eucharistic table. When Jesus broke bread with the two disciples at Emmaus, He used the same words that He used at the Last Supper.

"The one who came and walked with them, the one who talked with them and disclosed Himself to them, preparing them to encounter Him as their Risen Lord, is the one who now opens their eyes to see Him in the breaking of the bread." - M.P. Souza

"It began as an encounter. Some people came into contact with Jesus of Nazareth and what took place in the life of Jesus and in connection with his death, gave their personal lives new meaning and new significance. They felt that they had been born again, that they had understood and this new identity found expression in a similar solidarity toward others, their fellowmen." - E. Schillebeeckx (on Emmaus experience) 

Second Sunday of Easter: Divine Mercy: April 16, 2023

       THE UNBELIEVING THOMAS 

 First Reading: Acts 2: 42-47

Second Reading: 1 Peter 1: 3-9

Gospel Reading: John 20: 19-21

   * First reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. A glimpse of the life of the early Christian community is given. After experiencing the presence of the risen Lord in a very powerful and convincing way, the Christian community lives like people one in heart and mind. Their life attracts many non-believers to the faith and brings  healing to the wounded and the broken-hearted. The community's faith in the risen Lord leads to a joyful fellowship in them. It brings unity of mind and heart. Hence the first Christian community shows the depth of their faith by the fruits of fellowship and love.

    * Second  reading is from  the first letter of St. Peter. The Apostle Peter praises and glorifies the loving God for His great mercy in giving us a new birth in Jesus Christ. He thanks the merciful God for the blessings of faith, love and joy in the Lord. He instructs us that "hope helps us to bear patiently the trials of this life." 

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed                                                Today's Gospel reading is from St. John. A detailed account of the way the risen Lord meets the unbelieving Thomas is given. Thomas was one of the twelve and he was with Jesus during His public life. Thomas was a witness to the rejection, sufferings and cruel crucifixion and shameful death of Jesus on the cross. Like most of the other disciples, Thomas too looses hope after the death of Jesus and goes away disheartened. But when he comes back on Easter Sunday, the other disciples tell him about the most exciting events of that morning. Specifically, they mention that Jesus appeared to Peter and other disciples. In his disappointment and confusion, Thomas tells them that "unless I see in His hands the print of the nails and place my fingers in the mark of the nails and place my hands in His side, I will not believe." That evening, the risen Lord appears to Thomas and confronts him in the presence of other disciples. Jesus shows His hands and legs and His wounded side and asks Thomas to be believing. Realizing his folly, Thomas immediately expresses his regret by saying, "My Lord and my God." The story of Thomas is for all those people who were not present when the risen Lord appeared - that includes all of us- on Easter Sunday and did not see the Lord physically. Hence, Thomas became a key link between the age of the  Apostles who saw the risen Lord with their own eyes and all the future disciples who will never see Jesus in this life and yet believe in Him. 

"To believe with certainty we must begin with doubting." - St. Stanislaus

"It is by doubting that we come to investigate and by investigating that we recognize the truth." - P. Abelard

"It may be that Thomas' critical mind compelled Jesus to explain the teachings more deeply to him than to the other credulous disciples." - G.A. Tyrell

Easter Sunday: A: April 9, 2023

                    CHRIST IS RISEN ! ALLELUIA !

First Reading: Acts 10: 34 and 37-43

Second Reading: Colossians 3: 1-4

Gospel Reading: John 20: 1-9

   *First reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. A powerful and convincing testimony  by St. Peter regarding the resurrection of Jesus is given. He tells us how he was a witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. He firmly affirms that the Risen Lord is the saviour of those who believe in Him as well as He is the judge of the living and of the dead. Everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sin. 

Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Colossians. Paul tells us that through our baptism we share in the risen life of Christ through a hidden and mysterious way. As members of the body of Christ, we share in the victory of Christ and become a new creation in Him. 

The empty tomb: The sign of the resurrection of Jesus                                                 Today's Gospel reading is from St. John. The circumstances of the resurrection experience of the disciples of Jesus are narrated. Gradually the disciples come to realize that Jesus who was crucified and died is indeed risen from the dead. Early on Sunday morning - after the tragic and painful events on Friday - Mary Magdalene goes to visit the tomb of Jesus. It is still dark and she is surprised and shocked to see that the stone which had covered the tomb is rolled away and the body of Jesus is no more to be found. She is totally disturbed and she runs to St. Peter and other disciples to tell them about the strange happenings. Hearing her story, Peter and John ran to the tomb to see what happened to the body of Jesus. To their amazement they too find that the tomb is indeed empty and the body of Jesus could not be located anywhere. Thus the finding of the empty tomb is the first sign that Jesus is risen from the dead. At first the disciples and others could not really believe that Jesus is indeed risen from the dead as He had told them. But gradually they experience the presence of the risen Lord and come to the firm conviction that Jesus is indeed risen from the dead. After that, the risen Lord appears to several disciples individually or collectively innumerable times and strengthens them in His risen form. To experience the presence of the risen Lord, we too need to go through an empty tomb experience. We need to empty ourselves of our pre-conceived ideas and thoughts: All that hold us away from the risen Lord. Then we too can break the barriers of doubts and experience the presence of the risen Lord. 

"The resurrection, then is not a theory but a historical reality revealed by the man Jesus Christ by means of his 'Passover' - his 'passage' that has opened a 'new way' between heaven and earth." - Late Pope Benedict XVI

"The resurrection completes the inauguration of God's Kingdom." - N.T. Wright

"By His resurrection Christ conquered sin and death, destroyed Satan's dark Kingdom, freed the enslaved human race and broke the seal on the greatest mysteries of God and man." - St. Nikolai

MAY THE RISEN LORD BLESS EVERYONE AND STRENGTHEN US TO OVERCOME THE PAINS AND LOSSES OF DEATH.

A  VERY HAPPY EASTER!