Category Archives: Faith

Strength in Weakness

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Dear Folks,

In our Gospel today, Jesus speaks of the Father revealing to the childlike, things hidden from the learned and the clever. This reminds us that the Gospel is not just a call to be a

little nicer, a little kinder, and a little more virtuous. It is not just tweaking our lifestyle. It is turning our vision of life upside down. What seems obvious to the world is opposite in the Gospel. We see some examples in the Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. I would rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in

order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (See Mark 8:35 and Luke 17:33). Matthew 23:11 “The greatest among you must be your servant.” (See Luke 22:24-27) Matthew 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (See Luke 14:11) In our second reading St. Paul speaks of flesh vs. Spirit. To live according to the flesh is to do what seems natural for fallen humanity: seeking power, pleasure, wealth, and honor. To live according to the Spirit means seeking the cross, seeking to be servants, considering it a privilege to be persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. To do this, we need to be transformed

by grace: “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may

discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).”

When we are so transformed, we don’t entirely fit in this world. “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation (1 Peter 2:11-12).”

Michael Frost (an evangelical Protestant) wrote a couple of short but interesting books, “Surprise the World” and “Keep Christianity Weird”. He suggested we be careful about the desire to fit in. We are called to be misfits.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

The Most Important

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Dear Folks,

Old Riddle: Where does an eight-hundred-pound gorilla sleep? Answer: Anywhere he wants to.

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” ― C.S. Lewis. We remember Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:15-16 (what He said about luke-warm Christians, ouch!). Either Jesus is the

ruling reality, the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in our lives, or we are not doing Christianity.

There are lots of factors in life we can’t control, but there are choices we can make, and how we make them tells the story. Life has hard choices. Sometimes it means choosing against something that is very, very good for the sake of something more important. What we tell ourselves we believe, what think we are like, what we claim to be about is one thing. What do our choices say about us? That is the reality (“By their fruits you shall know them [Matt 7:16]).”

One youth minister told me, “Never ask people to choose between God and sports, because God will lose every time.” What does that say about the culture of that parish, the beliefs that had come to be common there? Would Jesus be happy about how they were doing

church?

When there isn’t enough time to do everything, even everything really, really important (which is generally always) what gets cut and what gets protected? When there isn’t enough money for everything, even everything really important, what gets cut, and what gets protected?

Prayer is hugely important, and we would (I hope) agree that it is an essential part of being a disciple of Jesus. It is also the easiest thing to put off when the crunch comes. “Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is

needed.” ― St. Francis de Sales

God calls us to work with less than perfect situations. If we wait until things are how we think they should be, it will never happen. If God asks us at the end of our lives how we have served the Kingdom, it would not be good to have to say, “I would have done great things, God, but I was just too busy,” or “the pastor was such a jerk,” or “the church had so many hypocrites,” or any such thing. I’m not envisioning that being a happy conversation.

In times and places where people are being put to death for being Christian, the choices can be clear and stark. At other times and places, it may make be easier to let it get fuzzy in our minds. If it has been a long time since we had to choose against something we really, really wanted for the sake of the Kingdom, maybe it’s time to do some inventory.

Is Jesus our 800-pound gorilla? Or is something else? There can only be one.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Being Christian in a Hostile World

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Dear Folks,

Matthew chapter 10 deals with the challenge of being Christian in a world hostile to Christianity. I have read that North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, and India are the most dangerous places just to be Christian. We need to pray for them.

In Europe and North America, it is not so dangerous just to be known as a Christian, but sometimes people get attacked for standing by Christian beliefs that are not popular. Those who hold to Christianity in general and Catholicism; in particular beliefs about the sanctity of life, sexuality, and family may get attacked verbally, have their property vandalized, and their careers be destroyed. Some people who are hypersensitive about how others talk

about things they hold dear will degrade and ridicule things precious to Christians and brush off any concerns. This leads to the question of where it will go from here.

Jesus said, “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd (wise, prudent, clever, cunning, crafty) as serpents and simple (innocent) as doves (Matthew 10:16).” I hold on to that verse tightly. We don’t know what the future will bring,

but there are some things we can do to prepare.

1. Know our story. One of the reasons so many are against the faith is that when they were told about it, it was told very poorly. There is a YouTube video “Bishop Barron on ‘Dumbed Down” Catholicism” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZkPH1rOAG0 in which he speaks about Catholics being taught on a level far below the level of other subjects. There are some prominent Catholics who fiercely and aggressively oppose some aspects of Catholic teaching and

speak boldly about how devout they are.

2. Deepen the roots in our relationship with Jesus. We are not going to win this by our own power.

3. Practice choosing the Kingdom over the world. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are all ways to choose the Kingdom over the world, and we can look at the practical decisions we make in life.

Not every Christian is called to be martyred for the faith, but every Christian is called to be ready to be martyred for the faith, and it starts with small decisions. “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. What in our day-to-day decisions says that we are ready (or getting ready) to choose the kingdom over the world?

Bishop Barron also did a YouTube video “Why Modern Men Look Elsewhere for Spiritual Wisdom” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avROODXQlhE and he basically concluded that we have made Christianity too easy and convenient. The Gospel is meant to push us to greatness, and that can’t be done if you

shave off the difficult parts in the name of making it friendlier. If we read the Gospels and take them seriously, there can be no doubt that Jesus calls us to be willing to give our lives in one way or another, to be willing to suffer, to follow whatever the cost. We don’t know what will be asked of us tomorrow. How will we answer?

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

The Harvest is Abundant

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Dear Folks

There are two essential thoughts in our Scriptures this Sunday: that God has given us many great gifts, and the harvest is abundant; laborers are few.

There are a number of sad conversations going on now. Churches are closing. Churches that used to have one or two priests are now sharing priests. Many churches can do less than they used to. Many are struggling.

Many people feel helpless. We are not helpless. God has given us many gifts, and there is so much we can do to make our churches thrive.

What if God is testing us, to see how we will respond to this challenge. To make church happen requires the participation of a lot of people. The question is, how many will respond

to this call? There are some who prioritize participation in the church, helping to make good things happen. The question is how many of our people are willing to do that? How many Catholics see themselves as customers and how many see themselves as coworkers in mission?

If a parish is truly building disciples, it will be common for people to see themselves as sharing responsibility for making church happen, and eagerly respond to God’s call. If people see that responding to God’s call is central to life, that the work of the Church is a huge part of responding to God’s call, and that their participation makes a difference, then a parish can thrive.

Trying to do good things in the Church can be frustrating, and I know that as well as anyone. That is part of the challenge. When we are faithful in the midst of obstacles (including annoying and infuriating obstacles), God uses those occasions to deepen our

commitment and our holiness. We are called to work with the Church we have, with all its flaws. That is part of discipleship.

As for more priests, we all have a role to play. I would suggest that if a young man grows up surrounded by adults (he sees more than his parents) who are zealously dedicated to growing in holiness, deeply in love with the Eucharist, ravenously hungry to learn more

about the faith, and energetic is supporting the mission of the Church, we will have to build a fence around the seminary to keep it from being overrun with applicants.

Part of this is helping direct people’s energy. Many do not read my bulletin articles (sigh), and so how others spread the vision is key. When people express complaints about the state of things or worry about the future, it is important to direct the conversation towards action that can help, even incrementally. Enough drops of water make an ocean.

The harvest is abundant. How many laborers will we have? Our future can be glorious.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Eucharist: Looking Beyond Appearances

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Dear Folks,

The is the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. You have heard a good deal (I hope) about the Eucharistic revival. We have heard about the majority of those who call

themselves Catholic who don’t believe in the Church’s teaching on the Real Presence. I consider this to be a part of a larger problem of so many Catholics being led to believe that the Catholic faith is much, much less than it really is. Given that, it should not surprise us that so many people stop going to church. Without much profound reason to come, a bad experience or just apathy can trigger a departure. I would suggest a lack of Catholic belief in the Eucharist has three causes: casual practice, careless talk, and mushy teaching. Many of us are trying to build a greater sense of reverence in our practice and how we talk about the mysteries, and today I want to address what we are taught.

Many people’s formation so emphasized Mass as our family meal, there was not much talk about what made it different from other meals, and how it is so much, much more than a meal.

Some of our Evangelical brothers and sisters say that we are mistaken in our belief and claim that Jesus was speaking metaphorically when He spoke of eating His body and drinking His

blood. They point to other times that Jesus used metaphors and say that this teaching follows that pattern. Since most Catholics (including priests) are not prepared to respond, that is often the

last word on the subject, and the skeptics feel confirmed, and the Catholics feel insecure. It is time for that to end. We can look closer at the Biblical text (something I’m always in favor of) and see how Jesus’ talk about the Eucharist is very, very different from His use of metaphors.

When Jesus used metaphors, they were in line with the Old Testament imagery. “I am the good shepherd (John 10; see Ezekiel 34 and also Psalm 95). “Rivers of living water (John 4; John 7;

Ezekiel 47; Psalm 1; Jeremiah 17).” “I am the vine; you are the branches (John 15:1-10; Isaiah 5).” By Contrast, the metaphor of eating someone’s flesh in the Old Testament is not about

believing in someone but conquering and destroying them. “When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, these my enemies and foes stumble and fall (Psalm 27:2; see also Zechariah 9:15 and Ezekiel 39:17-20).” Jesus built His teaching on the Old Testament; he did not toss it out and start from scratch. Foreshadowing of the Eucharist can be found in the manna in the desert and the eating of the Passover lamb, and these are not metaphors but realities that meant life or death.

When there was confusion about Jesus’ figures of speech, either He or the Gospel writer would clarify. “Lazarus is dead (John 11:14).” “He was speaking of the temple of His body (John 2:21).” When Jesus speaks of giving living water (John 4 and John 7) it is clarified that “He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive (John 7:39a).”

Jesus never said, “I am this vine” or “I am this door” but He did say, “this is my Body” while holding it is His hands “Matt 26:26-28; Mark 14: 22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:24- 25).

None of the instances’ of Jesus metaphors lead to most of His followers who believed in Him walking away and not coming back (John 6:66). There is no parallel of disciples walking away

saying “This nut thinks he’s a sheepgate.”

The Bread of life discourse in John 6 bears closer examination. The guts of the talk is in two sections vv. 35-47 and vv. 48-58. The first emphasizes belief, and if that were all there was, I would say a case could be made that “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall not thirst (v. 35)” is a metaphor for believing in Jesus. The second section, however, responds to their skepticism by doubling down, and does not talk about belief but eating His flesh and drinking His blood (the blood came out of nowhere). He says, “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (These two sections echo the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist.). If one is still skeptical, I would ask, what could Jesus have said that would convince you that He really meant it?

It really is the Body and Blood of Jesus, as Bishop Barron teaches, not in “a reductive physicalist sense (we’re not talking about a piece of meat here)” but a more Jewish framework, in which the flesh and the blood are the person (hence Catholic teaching that every particle of the Eucharist is the complete Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity). We, of course, remember that Jesus is Jewish and not Greek.

Given how unique this teaching is, the price Jesus paid is losing most of His followers, and how it is referred to in all four Gospels and Paul, how important was it to Jesus? How important was it to the early Church? How seriously should we take it? What should our response be?

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Healthier Brain, More Peaceful World

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Dear Folks,

In discussions about making this a less violent world, the subject of mental health comes up. Then it usually vanishes, and people move on. Partly, I think people get uncomfortable dealing with this subject, as if it is somehow shameful. We need to get over this. The brain is an organ and gets sick like any other organ. I would also think it is a big issue without a simple solution, and we like quick and simple solutions. How can we keep the conversation going?

How can we have some fruitful discussion about our mental health system, and how does our system need restructuring? What resources would be needed for some good outcomes? People who know more than I do need to be pushing these questions.

Of course, just as we know that heart health is not just a matter of thoracic surgeons, cardiologists and statins, but also fruits, vegetables, and exercise, so we recognize that mental health is not just about the mental health professionals, but healthy practices. As we think about how people are taught to brush and floss their teeth, and how we are taught nutrition principles, should we not be trying to develop some more common mental hygiene practices?

My training in psychology is pretty rudimentary, but there are some places to start.

One place is in relationships. So many are lonely now. So many describe the pain of toxic relationships. Can we talk about what makes a healthy relationship, and how to form them?

Another place is how we react to events in our lives and how we weave them into a narrative.

What meaning we can find in our good experiences and bad experiences? Viktor Flankl, in his wonderful book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” talks about the human response to suffering. As a Psychiatrist and a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, he has a special authority to talk. He said that people who are more resilient in horrible situations are people who find meaning in them.

Many today do not have a strong enough vision of life to help them find meaning in bad situations. Many would agree with Macbeth: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing (Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5).” Or, as Monty Python said so eloquently, “Is life just a game where we make up the rules as we’re looking for something to say? Or are we just really spiraling coils of self-replicating D.N.A.?” Not a strong vision to give you hope when life gets really hard, and our hearts get broken.

This is a good time to talk about Christianity. A relationship with Jesus and discipleship in the Gospel is the most powerful approach I’ve found, not only to find meaning in suffering, but even power in suffering. We see our lives woven into a larger story of salvation, and that casts a different light on everything, the bad and the good. Many who go to church, and many who have wandered away from church, have not found that to be the case. I would suggest that many have been taught an enfeebled, mush version of Christianity that is has no power to transform lives. It is for those who take Jesus seriously to help others find what Jesus is really about. As Peter Kreeft said in “Jesus Shock”: “If you think Jesus is boring you have the wrong Jesus.” The better we know Jesus, the better we can share Jesus. If you want a better world, the best first step is always to fall more deeply in love with Jesus.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Families Building Civilization

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Dear Folks,

If we are serious about building a less violent world, we need to take a look at fatherless families. According to everything I’ve read (see fatherhood.org for some data), children who grow up without their fathers are significantly more likely to live in poverty, have

behavioral problems, become drug addicts, commit crimes, and many other things. I’ve been told that boys learn from their fathers how to be men and how to treat women, while daughters learn from their fathers what to expect from men.

There are many single parent families that are doing great things, and there are some fathers that are not doing a good job, but it can still be true that encouraging families with both the father and mother present and engaged can build a better world.

Someone told me that her observation was that some parents see their children more as accessories than as their central life vocation. Such parents drop off their kids at school, and maybe at church, and act as the primary teachers of their children. However, many parents are taking their responsibility very seriously and see themselves as the first mentors, protectors, and advocates for their children. How can we help and encourage them?

I’ve heard some voices that suggested that parents shouldn’t have a say in (or even know) what their children are getting taught because they weren’t trained like teachers are. However, I’ve heard some teachers saying please, please, please would parents be

more involved in their children’s education. How can we help and encourage them?

For many years it was clique that in movies and TV shows the father of the family was either a doofus or a jerk, and everyone knew better than him. How might that have helped form the notion that fathers were not that important to have around. I’ve been told by a

number of sources that the way the welfare system is structured, it is actually encouraging the mother to raise children without the presence of the father. If that is true, how can that be changed? How can it be structured to encourage active presence and participation of both parents? I have been told it will never be changed because keeping people poor and dependent is big business. I figure systematic change can only happen when enough people rise up and decide not to stand for it. I don’t know where to start, but I refuse to believe it is impossible.

It has been said that “Love is love.” It is a true statement, but not all love relationships are the same. The relationship between husband and wife is different from father and son, from mother and daughter, between cousins, between brothers, between brother and sister, between two good friends, and so on. Each has a different nature, makes a different contribution to society, and is expressed differently. I would suggest that the relationship

between a man and a woman, committed to a permanent exclusive relationship of love that is ordered toward the generation and nurturing of children makes a unique contribution. If

that is true, how can society privilege this relationship, encourage it, strengthen it, and value it? Our future, and our hope for a better world, may depend on it.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Want a Better World? Start with “what does ‘better’ mean?

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Dear Folks,

This is the second of a series of articles on building a less violent world. If we want a better world, we need to have an idea of what “better” means. You may think this is obvious, but I challenge you to think again. What seems obviously true to me might seem obviously false to someone else.

The book “Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right from Wrong” by William Kilpatrick tells of values clarification in some school programs, where they teach children to form their own value system. He mentioned how shocked teachers were by the value systems they came up with.

“The Abolition of Man” by C. S. Lewis describes how, back in the 1940’s, people were already working to deconstruct our value system without considering the results (“They laugh at honor

and are shocked to find traitors in their midst”). Since then things have gotten stranger.

Imagine a society where most people have a fuzzy, undefined, inconsistent view of right and wrong, and when something happens that feels wrong to them, they scream, and if they can get

enough people to scream with them, they can dominate the conversation. Now stop imagining, because I think we have arrived. Why are we surprised that such a society has so much violence? If people excuse violence when they are sympathetic to the cause, why should they be surprised that people will use violence on the other side? If we believe in standards of behavior, it needs to be consistent with our allies and our opponents. It is easy to call out our opponents; it is more important to call out our allies and remind them they are hurting the cause.

When we disagree and are angry, we need to reject violence. We need to reject name calling. If we need to avoid reading people’s hearts, and saying because they disagree with us, they don’t

care about goodness. If we are frustrated that they reject our position, we need to make a better case for our position. We may think we’ve made a good enough case to convince any

reasonable person, but they clearly don’t think so. We can insult the other people, or we can make a better case. We need to do things that will move the conversation forward.

So often we see people talking past each other. When I see someone saying, “I long for a country where people love their children more than their guns.” I know that moves us away

from anything constructive. The very people they most want to convince are going to read that and say, “they have not even tried to understand our point of view. We need guns to protect our

children.” On the other hand, simply posting, “What part of ‘shall not be infringed’ don’t you understand?” is not going to help. It reinforces their opponents’ belief that they don’t care about

stopping violence. Wouldn’t it be so much more helpful to make a better case, that our proposed solution would actually make things better. Once again, it may seem obvious to us, but the opposite might be obvious to other intelligent people of good will. Our reasoning seems to us to be more reasonable, but we all have an unconscious thumb on the scale pushing us in that

direction. It will take much patient, persistent work to develop common messages about behaviors that build a better society.

Imagine a society where parents, teachers, entertainers, political leaders, and church leaders all reinforced a common message to reject violence and destruction to make our points, to build

constructive and respectful dialog, to value growing in virtue over gratifying desire, to value problem solving over complaining, and to respect the law and law enforcement? Would that be

a less violent society?

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

From Cain and Abel to a More Peaceful World

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Dear Folks,

As we celebrate the Easter season, we remember it is a time of new hope and new possibilities. As we read Acts of the Apostles, we see things happening that the early Christians would not have thought possible at first.

There is so much violence in our world. I sure would like for there to be less. When there is a particularly horrific incident it will often dominate the news for a while. Then different people will repeat their usual talking points. Various groups will talk past each other, and then nothing changes. I think we could do better. Short term, we can harden targets and make them less vulnerable. The deeper solution is not being so good at creating savages.

We have to have a less violent culture, a more peaceful culture, or no law can save us, and civilization itself is in the balance. I think there are some concrete things we can do. We have to decide what kind of people we want to be. It would involve looking at our own behavior (let none of us assume we are guiltless). It will involve what kind of messages that we send, and what kind of messages we encourage (calling out people on our side would likely be more effective than calling out our opponents; the other side is easy to dismiss). It will require considerable thought on how we as a society encourage good behaviors and discourage bad behaviors.

Particular issues would include:

• Support law enforcement, and value law and order.

• Build a strong sense of right and wrong.

• Combat fatherlessness.

• Stop talking past each other.

• Don’t condemn or demean our opponents; make a better case for our position.

• Keep our feelings and thoughts in perspective: just because I’m angry about something important doesn’t give me license to be destructive. Just because my cause is right doesn’t mean I have license to be destructive. We can work toward a better world, but we can’t expect to fix everything in our time. Building a better world is an intergenerational project.

• Build empathy, especially with people who see things differently, and reject objectifying groups or individuals. Avoid ridiculing people we disagree with.

• Reject using others’ behavior as an excuse to misbehave ourselves.

• Have the same standard of behavior for those we agree with and those we don’t; not condemn destruction when we disagree with their cause, and condone or dismiss it when we agree with the cause.

• Value growing in virtue over gratifying desire.

• Have some serious humility about how much we understand and how much we don’t: maybe even people we disagree with have some things to teach us.

In the weeks to come I’ll try to expand on these issues. I hope it may stimulate some thought and some discussion. Civilizations do rise and fall, but when they fall, it causes much suffering. It would be worth a lot to keep ours going.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Abandon all Hopelessness

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This is Easter!

“Christ’s resurrection was not a return to earthly life, as was the case with the raisings from the dead that he had performed before Easter: Jairus’ daughter, the young man of Naim, and Lazarus. These actions were miraculous events, but the persons miraculously raised returned by Jesus’ power to ordinary earthly life. At some particular moment they would die again. Christ’s resurrection is essentially different. In his risen body he passes from the state of death to another life beyond time and space. At Jesus’ resurrection his body is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: he shares the divine life in his glorious state, so that St. Paul can say that Christ is “the man from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:35-50). (Catechism of the Catholic Church #646).”

We humans tend to think that the best we can hope for is more of the same, but a little nicer. Many eastern religions envision an eternal cycle of reincarnation, and the best that you could hope for is being reincarnated in a higher caste, and there was always a chance that you could be reincarnated as a dung beetle. On rare occasions, television and movies would give some vision of heaven, not intending it be serious, of course, but what you’d see is pretty pathetic. In fairness, one could never do justice to heaven in a movie, not only our technology but our minds are far too feeble for such a task.

Part of having faith in God is trusting Him to keep His promises, including the promises we don’t completely understand and that He will not disappoint those who hope in Him.

In my office I have a sign that says, “Abandon all hopelessness, ye who enter here.” The greater our faith, the more we can endure the world disappointing us, because the One in whom we trust will come through. The less we trust the world to make us happy, the more we trust in God, the more we can endure the world failing us, whether in the form of other people, including people in the Church, our government, our society, our families, our health, our money, even our own wills (I continue to be a sinner, and much as the devil would like me to give up, God invites me to keep trying to be faithful). We still have to grieve loss; our faith does not make it easy but does prevent us from giving up. Jesus received the full force of the evil in the world and emerged triumphant. He can conquer the evils that threaten and attack us. During Easter we are called to celebrate. As we fasted and did penance during Lent, so we feast during Easter. Our goal, of course, is not just partying for partying’s sake (though it is a good thing) but witnessing to the world our joy in God’s great victory over evil. We also seek to deepen our confidence in the Jesus’ victory, so we can live as victorious people. We will read a lot of Acts of the Apostles during the Easter season. We think of Acts as the sequel to the Gospel of Luke and the history of the early Church. It is also about how people act when they believe in the power of the resurrection. They were a tiny group, had few resources, and were surrounded by a very hostile culture. No one could stop

them.

Alleluia!

Blessings,

Fr. Jim