Sometimes when we think of Jesus, we consider him to be only a little better than we are. We can reduce him to being simply a very nice guy, perhaps even someone we admire.
But again and again we are reminded that Jesus is so much more. Jesus is the second person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the divine Son of God. He is, as we are reminded by Saint John the Baptist, so great, that even John the Baptist, his cousin, feels unworthy to unfasten his sandals.
Msgr. Lavalley reminds us that the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. And part of the listening involves keeping the sabbath holy. We need to plan what will we do in the absence of our presence at Mass. Msgr. Lavalley offers suggestions how to keep the holy the Lord’s Day.
The Eucharist is not a thing, it is a person. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus speaks to people who knew him personally. Despite this, they saw him and they still did not believe. How do we strengthen our faith in Jesus, present fully in the Eucharist? By doing what Jesus did: the will of the Father.
Msgr. Richard Lavalley offers reflections for the readings of the Third Sunday of Easter. He describes the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus becomes present in the breaking of the bread and they understand their role to share the gospel. And just as Peter changes to a courageous and powerful man, so too when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist we change too.
Sanctifying Grace. We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We carry God within us. Baptism opens the path to the other Sacraments. Today, Msgr. Lavalley talks about the Mass of Christian Burial and its similarity to the Easter Vigil.
In the sacrament we pray for those things we wish to protect the child from. Just as parents prepare a safe area for their newly arrived baby. So too in Baptism we do the same thing. We ask God to protect the child in the exorcism. We say the devil has no entrance here, because of the saving power of Jesus.
Msgr. Richard Lavalley continues his reflections on the sacrament of Baptism. Parents give the gift of God of their children back to God. He reminds us we are all called by God personally since God always calls us by name.
What does it mean to celebrate Easter? In these reflections Msgr. Lavalley uses the Easter season to unpack the beauty and mystery of the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism is not just something that is nice, it is something that is essential.
Indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness are not words we want to hear at this time. We want to ban these words for ever! May Christ, who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of his glorious day, a day that knows no end.
Sometimes things happen in our lives that simply feel too good to be true. For me it was my ordination and religious profession. For you it may be the day you got married, or when your children were born. Maybe it was a day when you got a great job promotion, bought a new house, or accomplished a lifelong goal.
