24th May. Pentecost Sunday

Source of the Higher Impulses

The Holy Spirit used to be the forgotten person of the Trinity. Perhaps he suffered from being a spirit, since for many of us, only concrete things are real. The Father and Son make an impact because one took flesh and the other was given a beard. Have you ever imagined the Holy Spirit with a beard? Whatever the reason, even among devout Christians, the Holy Spirit had been overlooked…

19th April. 3rd Sunday of Easter

Invited to believe

Just imagine: Jesus pleading with them to believe him. He invites them to touch him, to give him something to eat, to examine his hands and his feet. Human nature is so fragile, and so fickle. I’m not blaming anyone here. Obviously, this is the first time the apostles ever came across a situation like this. One would have thought that seeing Lazarus, or the daughter of Jairus, or the son of the widow of Naim, get up and walk after having been dead, should have gone some way towards preparing them for this moment.

18th April. Saturday of Week 2 of Easter

To serve the Church’s real needs

The appointing of the first deacons suggests a possible solution for a major need facing our Church today: how to ensure continuation of sacramental service to the People of God. It is clear that the apostles did not seek to end all debate on disputed issues by dogmatic decree, forbidding all further discussion! And their process of selecting the deacons — seeking consensus among the faithful about worthy candidates — has much to recommend it…

17th April. Friday of Week 2 of Easter

Sharing our resources

Today we find Jesus and his disciples faced with a hungry crowd and little or no means of feeding them. In this situation of need, people reacted in different ways. Philip made a calculation: on the basis of the number of people and the amount of money available to buy food, and decided that nothing could be done. Andrew recognized that one of the crowd had a small amount of food but he dismissed this small resource…

16th April. Thursday of Week 2 of Easter

Speaking our truth with love

It can be hard to distinguish inner strength from a stubborn spirit of confrontation. How can we know if our convictions are from God and should be obeyed at all costs? Is it possible that our resistance to authority could be rooted merely in pride? Direct revelations from above must be quite rare, so how can we tell if God is really prompting us?

15th April. Wednesday of Week 2 of Easter

A religion of sincerity and truth

Peter and John are caught in a conflict that involves the high priest and the entire Sanhedrin besides the temple guards. The apostles are imprisoned, and God sends angels to intervene. This same struggle is echoed at universal level in John’s gospel about God’s sending his only son as the light of this world. Light and darkness clash, leading to a judgment for the world. After being freed by an angel, Peter and John are again in the temple courtyard, preaching to an enthusiastic audience. They seem to ignore their recent escape