On this 4th Sunday of Easter, the Church places before us the image of Jesus as “Good Shepherd”: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” We are invited to pray for vocations: that all Christians may hear and generously respond to Christ’s invitation to respond to God’s call to life and love, to discipleship and holiness, to service and mission. We pray that each of us may discern our “name”: the unique and personal way in which God is calling us to live our deeper identity.
In today’s Gospel, we witness the encounter between Jesus and the apostle referred to as “Doubting Thomas.” News of the Resurrection is spreading like wildfire, but Thomas is not yet convinced. He wants to know, to understand, to see for himself. The person he most admired and loved in the world, for whom he had given up everything to become his disciple: betrayed, mocked, condemned, tortured and crucified. Then three days later, first Mary Magdalene and the women disciples, and then all the rest of the inner circle, the “apostles” – are claiming that they have seen, met, touched Jesus.
The Gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ begins with the journey of the women to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. They go to anoint and honour the Lord’s body, but they find the tomb open and empty. The angel says to them: “Do not be afraid!” and sends them to tell the disciples: “He has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee!” The women depart and on the way, Jesus himself meets them.
The Easter Tridium - Walking with Jesus from Death into Life
March 26, 2015
As we have journeyed as a parish through Lent, we have responded to Jesus’ call. On Ash Wednesday, we embraced the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. At our Faith-CAFÉ on the theme of personal vocation, we reflected on the reality that each one of us is called by name by our loving God, and respond to that call by embracing and living out the “name of grace” Christ has given us. Although our Lenten mission was cancelled because of Fr.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:26)
With these words, Jesus alludes to his coming sacrifice as one that will also give new life. The great mystery of Christian life is that our sacrifices are not in vain, but lead to new life. DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE is honoured to support courageous women and men in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East who make sacrifices each and every day. We offer our support so that their families, loved ones and communities can live another day. Sometimes the sacrifice they make is their own life.
St. Monica's Parish