Acts 3:11-26
Incredible! Peter the fisherman from Galilee was in Jerusalem preaching to a large crowd of people. What was he doing? He was bearing witness to the ‘things’ of Jesus Christ that he knew.  Peter knew the Lord intimately – his character, his endurance walking and his enduring conversations, his laughter, and his tears. Moreover, Peter himself had been present throughout the Lord’s ministry. He had witnessed the preaching, the healings and the miracles of Jesus of Nazareth. He had watched surprising interactions unfold between Jesus and the Jewish authorities, Samaritans and Roman Officers and had himself been transfixed at the Transfiguration conversation among Moses, Elijah and Jesus.  He himself had been plucked from drowning by Jesus walking on water and had seen Lazarus walk out of the tomb three days after his burial. And Peter had been present at the arrest, the trials, the torture and the crucifixion of Christ Jesus – and was one of the first witnesses to the Resurrection of our Lord. How could Peter keep silent? His thoughts, words, and actions were in-formed by the Grace of Christ present by conviction and memory within him.  Will I, like Peter, become so familiar with the things of Christ that I not only proclaim them with my mouth, but bear witness to Christ Jesus crucified and risen again with my actions, and in the way I conduct my life? Holy Spirit of God, help me to bear witness to the things of Christ Jesus. 
   
Help me know again the joy of your help, with a spirit of fervor sustain me that I might teach transgressors your ways, and sinners might return to you.      (Psalm 51:12)
 
Death and life fought bitterly
For this wondrous victory;
The Lord of life who died reigns glorified!
Sequence for the Gospel Reading on Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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A Blessed Easter Season to you!
Let this be our song: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

John 20:1-18 & Colossians 3, 1-3
 
Sorrow and sadness can either dash or develop our Hope in God.  As a woman healed by Jesus, Mary Magdalene was grounded in the steadfast love of God through Christ as she followed him during his ministry and accompanied him through his Passion and crucifixion. It is no wonder then, that she circled back around to his tomb at least twice that first Easter day. While it was still dark she, alone, discovered that the tomb was empty and rushed off to give the news that was bad – but actually, good! – to the disciples.  After she hurriedly returned with Peter and John who confirmed the situation, she hung back while they ran off to spread the ‘latest news update’. Rather than becoming part of the rumor mill she stayed with her grief In the garden.  In the depths of her sorrow, deepened by the disappearance of the body, she waited and stayed as close as possible to the last resting place of her Master, remembering his steadfast love and promises. It was in this context of deep grief and shards of hope, that she recognized her Master’s voice when he called her by name. This was indeed the news of the hour:  Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again -to the disciples in Galilee and to all those who have follow Him through the ages.  With spirited steps Mary rushed off to tell the others the ‘real news’ that Christ was risen from the dead, just as He said.  When grief dashes us to the ground will we rush off with the facts and spread a gory version of the story?  Or will we, like Mary Magdalene, no matter how weighed down by grief we are, be so grounded in the Grace  of Christ Jesus that we stay with the promises of God’s steadfast love and seek the things above? Holy Spirit of God, help me stay grounded in your truth and love and seek the things that are above. 
 
O Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever… This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.     Psalm 118
 
Death and life fought bitterly
For this wondrous victory;
The Lord of life who died reigns glorified!
Sequence for the Gospel Reading on Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord
 
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
 
A Blessed Easter Season to you!
Let this be our song: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
 
 
 

 
Isaiah 50:4-7 & James 1: 19-25
 
Our Master, Christ Jesus, ever the teacher, uses his Passion as much as his ministry to teach us how to navigate life’s journey. As Christ accompanies us through our daily challenges and joys – and more importantly as we accompany Him through the Paschal mysteries of Holy Week, -there is much to learn and incorporate into our own lives. Watching and praying with Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane teaches us ‘Holy Waiting’ (see Footnote). Walking the Stations of the Cross with Jesus allows Him to teach us the deep Faith, Hope and Love that sustained him through his trials and torture, This is the same Faith, Hope and Love that we need that we might walk through tough times without sin as He did. Witnessing, and being in-formed by Our Lord as He was detached from the cross and hidden away behind the stone blocking the tomb, teaches us how life always continues beyond grief, rejection, racism and persecution. And hearing with Jesus the clatter of the stone rolling aside, and Mary’s cry of recognition in the garden when His Father (and ours!) raised him from the dead, trains us to watch for all the moments of God’s raising us up from the depths of depression and despair, and the other deaths of our lives.  Finally, accompanying Our Risen Lord as he drops in on his disciples on the way to Emmaus, in the upper room, or at a beach breakfast while fishing on the Lake of Galilee teaches us our Lord’s style of friendship that is both life-giving and serving as he calls us to give to others as he has given to us. Will I listen as one distracted by all the other noise of life?  Or will I find the time and space to listen to Jesus as one who is being taught?  Holy Spirit of God, help me listen as one who is taught.
        
O that my people would listen to me, that they would walk in my ways. (Psalm 81:31 )
 
Listen to the Taize hymn:  “Wait for the Lord” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7GexIvX8HU
 
Footnote : See “The Path of Waiting” in Henry Nouwen’s book, Finding My Way Home, https://henrinouwen.org/meditations/a-spirituality-of-waiting/
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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James 1: 19-27
 
It is in my ‘intentions’ – the interior of my affections (heart), my thinking (mind), my unique character (soul) and my actions (strength), that I choose the way of the world, the flesh and the devil or Christs’ way of life, love, and holiness.  It is there, in my being that I either remain impermeable to, or actively soak in, the Word of God.  When I do soften my heart with humility, patience and gentleness, the Word of God takes root.  Printed words of scripture become etched in my memory, the canvas of the natural world imprints images of Truth and Love and transformation on my heart and the Holy Spirit of the living Word, the Son of God who was the Son of Ma, calls me to follow Him. Then I can grow not only in intention, but in thought, word and deed, into the fully alive person God designed me to be, doing his will here and now with my life. Will I insist on ‘forming’ my own being to do my own will? Or will I breathe in, ingest, and be transformed from the inside out by the Holy Spirit to be able to do his will?  Holy Spirit of God, in-form my heart, mind, soul and strength so that I might do your will.    
 
“The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens – wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.”   (Isaiah 5:4-5)
 
Keep this in mind: the soul that is quick to turn to speaking and conversing is slow to turn to God. For when it is turned toward God, it is then strongly and inwardly drawn toward silence and flight from all conversation. For God desires a soul to rejoice with him more than with any other person, however advanced and helpful the person may be.
Saint John of the Cross
 
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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Deuteronomy 4:23-24 & Wisdom 1:12-16
 
The Israelites had been miraculously rescued from the slavery of Egypt and from the whole Egyptian army pursuing them into the desert; they had been given quails every Sabbath and amazing manna on weekdays for 40 years; and they were in the process of being given the 10 Commandments. Certainly they were a privileged people!  So what did they do? As soon as Moses’ back was turned and they tired of waiting for him, they ‘quickly’ turned away - from the faith of their ancestors, from hope in the deliverance message of the Lord at Passover, and from the love of the Living God that had sustained them for generations – and built their own golden god-ish goalpost – a hideous idol to hang onto. Craziness, I say.  But am I any wiser than the Israelites?  Certainly when I trace the Grace of God in my life, I can ‘know’ that I have my own salvation history with Christ Jesus, the Redeemer of the world: relationships gone right, avoidance of sickness and death, and so many amazing small daily miracles that I have enjoyed. But how often do I also complain and set up my own idols because I doubt God’s Mercy? How often do I choose to accentuate the negatives I encounter in life, rather than soaking myself in the Word of God and the beauty to be found in small and large ways all around me? And when did I last proclaim my love for the loving, Living God, in His presence and the assembly of the Church? How quickly, I too, turn away from the grace constantly held out to me by my Heavenly Father!  Holy Spirit of God, help me not turn quickly away from, but continue to turn to you by faith, hope and love. 
  
Here I am, Lord, I delight to do your will, O my God your law is within my heart.  (Psalm 40:1)
 
The Lord will scatter you among other nations… There you will look for the Lord your God, and if you search for him with all your heart, you will find him.
Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, 4:29.
 
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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