Archive for April 6, 2024

The Day the Lord Made: Scott Hahn Reflects on Divine Mercy Sunday

Posted: April 6, 2024 by CatholicJules in Sunday Reflections
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The Day the Lord Made: Scott Hahn Reflects on Divine Mercy Sunday

Readings:

Acts 4:32–35

Psalms 118:2–4, 13–15, 22–24

1 John 5:1–6

John 20:19–31

Three times in today’s Psalm we cry out a victory shout: “His mercy endures forever.”

Truly we’ve known the everlasting love of God, who has come to us as our Savior. By the blood and water that flowed from Jesus’ pierced side (see John 19:34), we’ve been made God’s children, as we hear in today’s Epistle.

Yet we never met Jesus, never heard Him teach, never saw Him raised from the dead. His saving Word came to us in the Church—through the ministry of the apostles, who in today’s Gospel are sent as

He was sent.

He was made a life-giving Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 15:45) and He filled His apostles with that Spirit. As we hear in today’s First Reading, they bore witness to His resurrection with great power. And through their witness, handed down in the Church through the centuries, their teaching and traditions have reached us (see Acts 2:42).

We encounter Him as the apostles did—in the breaking of the bread on the Lord’s day (see Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10).

There is something liturgical about the way today’s Gospel scenes unfold. It’s as if John is trying to show us how the risen Lord comes to us in the liturgy and sacraments.

In both scenes it is Sunday night. The doors are bolted tight, yet Jesus mysteriously comes. He greets them with an expression, “Peace be with you,” used elsewhere by divine messengers (see Daniel 10:19; Judges 6:23). He shows them signs of His real bodily presence. And on both nights the disciples respond by joyfully receiving Jesus as their “Lord.”

Isn’t this what happens in the Mass—where our Lord speaks to us in His Word, and gives himself to us in the sacrament of His body and blood?

Let us approach the altar with joy, knowing that every Eucharist is the day the Lord has made—when the victory of Easter is again made wonderful in our eyes.

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: April 6, 2024 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Just last night I was leading a Praise and Worship session but before arriving at the venue I was feeling unworthy and wished I had an opportunity to have gone for the sacrament of reconciliation. I prayed with all my might and surrendered the evening to the Lord. “Come Holy Spirit lead me, remove all there is not of You from me.” I even prayed to the Saints and Holy Angels in Heaven to intercede, so that we could have a powerful spirit filled Easter Celebration. Armed with my Bible in hand, I started with a proclamation of the Gospel where Jesus appeared to His disciples. I had prepared two other passages the last one a psalm and it was definitely divine inspiration because the scripture brought the worship songs to a different level.

Later that evening, a sister in Christ from my breakout group shared that she has attended many communities praise and worship prayer meetings, even charismatic ones but this evening she felt the strong presence of Christ throughout! Praise the Lord!

If our Lord can inspire uneducated laymen to speak up boldly and eloquently through the power of the Holy Spirit and convert many hearts unto Him, can He not do the same for you and I? We need only be obedient to our Lord’s command ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’ Amen Alleluia

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First reading

Acts 4:13-21 ·

We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard

The rulers, elders and scribes were astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John, considering they were uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates of Jesus; but when they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side, they could find no answer. So they ordered them to stand outside while the Sanhedrin had a private discussion. ‘What are we going to do with these men?’ they asked. ‘It is obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a miracle has been worked through them in public, and we cannot deny it. But to stop the whole thing spreading any further among the people, let us caution them never to speak to anyone in this name again.’

    So they called them in and gave them a warning on no account to make statements or to teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John retorted, ‘You must judge whether in God’s eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.’ The court repeated the warnings and then released them; they could not think of any way to punish them, since all the people were giving glory to God for what had happened.

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Gospel

Mark 16:9-15

Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News

Having risen in the morning on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom he had cast out seven devils. She then went to those who had been his companions, and who were mourning and in tears, and told them. But they did not believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen him.

    After this, he showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their way into the country. These went back and told the others, who did not believe them either.

    Lastly, he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’