Saturday within the Octave of Easter

First Saturday of the Month

Readings of the day: RB 55:1-14 Clothing and Footwear for the Community

Mass: Ac 4:13-21; Resp Ps 118; Mk 16:9-15

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE;

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA.

They recognized them as companions of Jesus.

Do others recognize us as companions of Jesus?

Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.

How are we doing?

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US NOT TO SPEAK

ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD.

I SHALL NOT DIE, BUT LIVE, AND DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD.

(Resp Ps 118)

Like the Good Samaritan,

let us take care of those who are sick and suffering!

(Pope Francis, Twitter, April 7, 2018, World Health Day)

Friday within the Octave of Easter

First Friday of the Month

Readings of the day: RB 54 The Reception of Letters and Gifts in the Monastery

Mass: Ac 4:1-12; Resp Ps 118; Jn 21:1-14

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE;

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA.

Jesus revealed himself in this way.

Today’s Gospel gifts us with ‘the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.’ With that in mind, I look to the Holy Father’s words: The Word of God is a light in the darkness: it helps us face our difficulties without fear (Pope Francis, Twitter, April 6, 2018). Spend some time with the Gospel accounts we have heard during the Octave. Think of the gamut of emotions the disciples have experienced these days: intense love, loss, grief, panic, confusion, amazement, belief, fear, peace, incredulity. These were difficult times. And today, maybe boredom sets in. Simon Peter declares: I am going fishing. It occurred to me that Peter returned to something he was familiar with, to calm himself, to give him direction at a time when he was not sure what to do. Now what? So, some of the other disciples join him. However, they caught nothing. More boredom—even more darkness of an emotional roller coaster. Defeat. What is the light that shines in the darkness—It is the Lord! The Word speaks:Children, have you caught nothing to eat? Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something. Come, have breakfast.

Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.

YOUR WORD IS A LAMP FOR MY FEET, A LIGHT FOR MY PATH.

(Ps 119:105)

Keep reading…Simon Peter finds out soon enough what he is to be about.

See Jn 21:15-19.

😊

Thursday within the Octave of Easter

Readings of the day: RB 53:16-24

Mass: Ac 3:11-26; Resp Ps 8; Lk 24:35-38

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE;

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA.

The Prince of Peace stands in the midst of the disciples: ‘Peace be with you.’ One would think that would be enough to calm any troubled mind and heart. Yet the disciples were startled and terrified. They were troubled thinking they were seeing a ghost. Jesus tries again, ‘Look at my hands and feet. Touch me and see. I am flesh and bones.’ This is not enough. The disciples were still incredulous for joy and were amazed. Jesus tries again, “Have you anything to eat?’ The Master takes and eats in front of them. Finally, ‘Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.’ We have heard, seen, touched, watched; we eat the Bread of Life. Are we ready to live as ‘witnesses of these things’? Peace be with you.

The quest for interior peace is much more than the search for peace of mind. It is really about something else: opening ourselves to God’s actions. It’s important to understand a simple but spiritually important truth: the more we reach out toward peace, the more the grace of God is capable of acting in our lives. Like a tranquil lake perfectly reflects the sun, so is a peaceful heart receptive to the action and movement of the Spirit.

Remaining calm in the face of trouble, uneasiness, and interior disturbances is necessary in order for God to act in our lives. We can still grow in love, and our lives can have the fruitfulness we are called to have if we can accomplish this inward peace.

(J. Philippe)

O CHOSEN PEOPLE, PROCLAIM THE MIGHTY WORKS OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS WONDERFUL LIGHT,

ALLELUIA.

(Communion Antiphon, Mass)

Go forward with the Joy of Jesus’ Resurrection, knowing He is always by your side.

(Pope Francis, Twitter, April 5, 2018)

Wednesday within the Octave of Easter

Readings of the day: RB 53:1-15 The Reception of Guests

Mass: Ac 3:1-10; Resp Ps 105; Lk 24:13-35

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE;

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA.

One of my favorite lines in all of Sacred Scripture appears today: ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?’ This is what happens when LOVE pierces the heart.

WITH THAT THEIR EYES WERE OPENED AND THEY RECOGNIZED HIM

Love is the only invincible weapon,

because it has the power to disarm the forces of evil.

(Pope Francis, Twitter, April 4, 2018)

Tuesday within the Octave of Easter

Readings of the day: RB 52 The Oratory of the Monastery

Mass: Ac 2:36-41; Resp Ps 33; Jn 20:11-18

 

Ferdinand Bol, Christ as a Gardener Appearing to Mary Magdalene

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE;

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA.

Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’

Today’s Gospel has Mary Magdalene experiencing emotions that can drain a person. First, she is grieving over the absence of Jesus in the tomb. Then, there is a sense panic in her voice when she says to the ‘gardener’: ‘Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.’ What is it that shakes Mary to the core and brings her focus? It is Jesus calling her by name: ‘Mary’. It is then that Mary sees Jesus in her midst. It may have been much different if Jesus would have said, ‘Hi there,’ or ‘Excuse me, ma’am, are you ok?’ Rather, Jesus calls Mary by name. Think about how meaningful it is when someone calls you by name. For example, you are a stranger where you find yourself, not knowing anyone. Then you hear someone call you by name, ‘David’. Someone recognizes you. Or the difference between when someone says, ‘Good morning’, or ‘Good morning, Ann’; ‘Peace be with you’, or ‘Peace be with you, Lillian’; ‘I love you’ or ‘William, I love you.’ Jesus got Mary’s attention by calling her name: ‘Mary’. A level of intimacy has been reached. Mary recognizes Jesus in his voice calling her by name: ‘She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.’

FEAR NOT, FOR I HAVE REDEEMED YOU;

I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME: YOU ARE MINE.

(Is 43:1)

MARY WENT AND ANNNOUNCED TO THE DISCIPLES,

‘I HAVE SEEN THE LORD.’

(Jn 20:18)

Monday within the Octave of Easter

Readings of the day: RB 51 Those on Local Errands or Work

Mass: Ac 2:14, 22-33; Resp. Ps 16; Mt 28:8-15

Bartolommeo Bulgarini, Saint Mary Magdalen, circa 1350–1360

 THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE;

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA.

MARY MAGDALENE AND THE OTHER MARY WENT AWAY QUICKLY FROM THE TOMB, FEARFUL YET OVERJOYED, AND RAN TO ANNOUNCE THE NEWS TO HIS DISCIPLES. 

As we contemplate Christ’s empty tomb,

let us renew our belief that nothing is lost with Him!

(Pope Francis, Twitter, April 2, 2018)

AND BEHOLD, JESUS MET THEM ON THEIR WAY AND GREETED THEM.

THEY APPROACHED, EMBRACED HIS FEET, AND DID HIM HOMAGE.

THEN JESUS SAID TO THEM, ‘DO NOT BE AFRAID. GO TELL MY BROTHERS TO GO TO GALILEE, AND THERE THEY WILL SEE ME.

KEEP ME SAFE, O GOD; YOU ARE MY HOPE.

THEREFORE MY HEART IS GLAD AND MY SOUL REJOICES,

MY BODY, TOO, ABIDES IN CONFIDENCE.

(Resp Ps 16)

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

Readings of the day: RB 50 Those Whose Work Takes Them a Long Distance from the Oratory

Mass: Ac 10:34a, 37-43; Resp Ps 118; Col 3:1-4 or 1 Co 5:6b-8; Jn 20:1-9

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE; LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD.

(Resp Ps 118)

Did you notice all the running going on in today’s Gospel? After finding the stone removed from the tomb, Mary of Magdala ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple that Jesus loved. Peter and the other disciple took off running to the tomb, but the other disciple proved faster getting there first. Mary, Peter, and the other disciple were surprised. They made haste. Pope Francis spoke about the God of surprises in his Easter homily. He asks us to ask ourselves, ‘Do I have a heart open to God’s surprises?’ Am I able to go quickly, or do I always hang back and excuse myself until tomorrow. ‘What does a surprise say to me?’ With the Holy Father we ask: ‘What about me today in this Easter 2018?

Today we repeat that wondrous proclamation, ‘The Lord is truly risen, as He said!’

A blessed Easter to you all!

(Pope Francis, Twitter, April 1, 2018)