Easter - Cycle A - Cycle B - Cycle C
Lord!
You have rescued me and not allowed
my enemies to
rejoice over me!"
-Psalm 30
But maybe that life isn't such a foreign concept. Maybe life in the Holy Spirit is embracing all of those joys and challenges of our daily lives and letting ourselves find God in each of them? I know if I could find God in my most difficult moments that would be a tremendous joy in my life. But it is difficult to sense God's presence in those times when everything seems to be falling apart. It is a grace though to open our hearts when we feel like closing ourselves off from the world. That is what Jesus did.
Jesus opened his arms on the cross out of love for us at the very moment when everything he preached, all the healings he did, and all the work he accomplished seemed to be in vain. That giving in faith and love is what leads to resurrection. And now we have Jesus as our guide. He is our Good Shepherd. He wants to walk with us on our journey to the Father. He will not carry us, but he will give us everything we need to follow the path that he followed. We will be called to carry our own crosses, to die and to rise again. Then, transformed by our crosses, we are called to shepherd our brothers and sisters. We are called to be Christ's presence to others. Some of us will shepherd as priests, deacons and religious. Some of us will choose to shepherd as single people and leaders within our parish community. Others choose to marry and shepherd their spouses and children.
Let us pray for openness to the Spirit and a strengthening of joy in our faith in the Risen Jesus. Let us pray for renewal and new life. Let us pray for one another.
Peace,
Shaun Lowery
Easter - Cycle A - Cycle B - Cycle C