Weekly Reflections

Easter Sunday

AN EASTER PROCLAMATION

The hosts of heaven exult and sing aloud in mighty triumph!

Let the earth be glad as glory alights and night reigns no more.

Let the Church rejoice at the victory of her Lord and Master,

Who paid the debt of Adam,

Who frees those doomed to die,

Who heals the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds,

Who forgives the sinner and raises up the lowly,

Who destroys death forever,

Whose Kingdom shall have no end.

God our Father, eternal is your love for us!

Christ the Son, in victory you reign!

Holy Spirit, set the Easter fire ablaze in our hearts.

Together you live and reign and ransom your people,

one God forever and ever.

Amen

April 27, 2025

2nd Sunday of Easter

After my mother passed away, my sister and father had a falling out of sorts. When he moved to be closer to me, she told me that she didn't ever want to speak to him again, saying, "Even if he is on his death bed, do not call me." My father was in his late 70's, and the pain he would have felt if he knew her wishes would have been too much to bear. Because of this, I made a decision to not tell him. This also put a strain on my relationship with my sister as I cared for the one person in this world she seemed to despise the most.

Of all the gifts God has given us, time and family are at the top of the list to be cherished. Also, both are finite gifts. Our family members will not walk in this world forever, and each day that slips away cannot be restored. Still, we build up walls of fear, doubt, resentment, anger, and pain, not allowing ourselves to forgive and be good stewards of what we have been given.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, God's mercy is overflowing through all the earth. There is no excuse for you and me to not be reconciled with God and accept this profound compassion. In turn, there is no excuse to not extend that mercy and reconcile with those who have hurt us.

I always believed I would have a renewed relationship with my sister when my father's death would come to pass. Two weeks after he passed, my sister suddenly died as well. There is no rewind of time. Yes, good stewards, today is the day! 

The World Is Watching

If you’re a parent, you know this to be true: the world is watching. All it takes is one slip-up — one bad word, one selfish action, one uncharitable commentary, and that’s the thing your child seems to notice.

When he or she calls you on it, the only thing you can do is come clean. “Yep, I did that,” you have to say. “I’m a work in progress, but luckily, God never stops working.”

I think it’s fair to say that we don’t think enough about the wounds of Christ. It’s a little understandable, of course. Our human bodies flinch at the sight of such pain and mortification. It’s a lot to handle, the physical trauma of a crucifixion. It carries an R rating in a PG world.

But the wounds of Christ are the only thing that could make Thomas believe. Literally nothing else was so powerful, not even the testimony of his most trusted friends. Only by looking at and feeling the torn flesh — by beholding that messy reality — did this Apostle, this actual companion of Christ, come to believe in the Resurrection.

“Christ has no body now but yours,” goes the famous quote attributed to St. Teresa of Avila. What she’s saying is that we have become the means through which God chooses to accomplish His will in the world. Us, the broken. Us, the weary. Us, the imperfect. Yes, miraculous events and apparitions still occur from time to time, but by and large, if a person is going to come to believe in Jesus Christ in this day and age, it will be because of something we Christians do or say.

Christ has no wounds now but ours. Our brokenness, our weariness, our imperfection — our reality. It all belongs to him, and the world is watching.

Humor



The Man Who Orders Three Beers

An Irishman moved into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry, walked into the pub, and ordered three beers. The bartender raised his eyebrows a wee bit, but (with reservation) served the man the three beers, which he took to a nearby table and quietly drank them all by himself.

The next evening the man came to the pub and again ordered three beers and carried them to table by himself and proceeded to drink the three beers all by himself. For weeks, this man came into the pub regularly and when he did, he ordered three beers and took them to a table and drank the three beers all by himself. Soon the entire little hamlet of County Kerry was whispering about the Man Who Orders Three Beers.

Finally, after many weeks, the bartender broached the subject on behalf of the village. “I don’t mean to be prying but folks around here are wonderin’ why you always order three beers and drink them alone?”

“’Tis a wee bit odd, I would be supposin,’” the man replied. “You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order two extra beers, whenever we would partake, as a way of keeping up the family bond.”

The bartender and the entire hamlet of County Kerry were pleased with his answer and with the reverence for family and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became somewhat of a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet.

Then one evening the man came in and ordered only two beers. The bartender served them with a heavy heart. The Irishman took them to the table and drank the two beers all by himself. On the next visit to the pub, the Man Who Orders Three Beers only ordered two beers. Word spread around the hamlet quickly. Prayers were offered for the soul of one of the brothers. The next day, the bartender said to the man, “Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer our condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know, the two beers and all...”

The man pondered for a moment then replied, “You’ll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up beer for Lent.”

CATHOLIC TRIVIA – JUST FOR FUN

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