In anticipation of Pentecost, the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday in Easter is from the Gospel of John, where Jesus says, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.

Readings:

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20
1 Peter 3:15-18
John 14:15-21

Here are a few commentaries on these readings:

• Be a Paraclete for Others - Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa


• St. Charles Borromeo Lectionary Site (PDF)


• Alive in the Spirit (Also available to be heard as an MP3) from St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology


• The Holy Spirit - The Paraclete from The Crossroads Initiative

As we continue in this Easter season, we remember the incredible miracle of our Lord's resurrection. This week's excerpt from the Catechism mentions some of Jesus' appearances to His disciples and the importance of their witness to His having been raised from the dead.

641   Mary Magdalene and the holy women who came to finish anointing the body of Jesus, which had been buried in haste because the Sabbath began on the evening of Good Friday, were the first to encounter the Risen One. Thus the women were the first messengers of Christ's Resurrection for the apostles themselves. They were the next to whom Jesus appears: first Peter, then the Twelve. Peter had been called to strengthen the faith of his brothers, and so sees the Risen One before them; it is on the basis of his testimony that the community exclaims: "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

642   Everything that happened during those Paschal days involves each of the apostles - and Peter in particular - in the building of the new era begun on Easter morning. As witnesses of the Risen One, they remain the foundation stones of his Church. the faith of the first community of believers is based on the witness of concrete men known to the Christians and for the most part still living among them. Peter and the Twelve are the primary "witnesses to his Resurrection", but they are not the only ones - Paul speaks clearly of more than five hundred persons to whom Jesus appeared on a single occasion and also of James and of all the apostles.

643   Given all these testimonies, Christ's Resurrection cannot be interpreted as something outside the physical order, and it is impossible not to acknowledge it as an historical fact. It is clear from the facts that the disciples' faith was drastically put to the test by their master's Passion and death on the cross, which he had foretold. The shock provoked by the Passion was so great that at least some of the disciples did not at once believe in the news of the Resurrection. Far from showing us a community seized by a mystical exaltation, the Gospels present us with disciples demoralized ("looking sad") and frightened. For they had not believed the holy women returning from the tomb and had regarded their words as an "idle tale". When Jesus reveals himself to the Eleven on Easter evening, "he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen."

644   Even when faced with the reality of the risen Jesus the disciples are still doubtful, so impossible did the thing seem: they thought they were seeing a ghost. "In their joy they were still disbelieving and still wondering." Thomas will also experience the test of doubt and St. Matthew relates that during the risen Lord's last appearance in Galilee "some doubted." Therefore the hypothesis that the Resurrection was produced by the apostles' faith (or credulity) will not hold up. On the contrary their faith in the Resurrection was born, under the action of divine grace, from their direct experience of the reality of the risen Jesus.


Catechism of the Catholic Church

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This post is from the Holy Comforter Catholic Church eNewsletter which is sent out once a week via email. If you would like to subscribe to the eNewsletter, click here.

The Gospel Reading for this Sunday is from St. John's Gospel. In the reading, the apostle Thomas asks Jesus how the disciples can know the way, and Jesus replies that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He continues on to tell them that if they know Him, they will know the Father. To this comment, St. Philip asks if Jesus would simply show them the Father. Jesus replies that if they have seen Him, they have seen the Father because the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son.

Readings:

Acts 6:1-7
Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
1 Peter 2:4-9
John 14:1-12

Here are a few commentaries on these readings:

• Man More than Dust? - Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa (Courtesy of Zenit)


• St. Charles Borromeo Lectionary Site (PDF)


• Building His House (Also available to be heard as an MP3) from St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology


• I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life from The Crossroads Initiative

Today the Holy Father arrives in the U.S. for his first pastoral visit to our country. Here are a listing of the many links that you can access to get more information and follow along with the coverage of his visit.

• The Official USCCB Web Site for the Holy Father's Visit


• EWTN's Web Site for the Holy Father's Visit (including streaming video)


• The Vatican's Web site for the Holy Father's Visit


• Pope 2008 (Blog from the National Catholic Register)


• Benedict in America Blog


• Vatican Radio


• Liturgical Texts for the Holy Father's Visit (PDF)


• Zenit News Service


• Catholic News Service Coverage of the Papal Visit


• Catholic University's Official Web Site for the Holy Father's Visit

The Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Easter reminds us the Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He calls to each of us to follow Him. When we heed His voice and follow Him, He will guide us to the pasture where we can feed. The Good Shepherd is also our Savior as the second reading from St. Peter's first epistle teaches us. He suffered and died for us who are like sheep that had gone astray. After we go astray, we must repent of our sins and return to our Good Shepherd.

Readings:

Acts 2:14, 36-41
Psalm 23:1-6
1 Peter 2:20-25
John 10:1-10

Here are a few commentaries on these readings:

• Sheep That Go Astray - Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa (Courtesy of Zenit)


• St. Charles Borromeo Lectionary Site (PDF)


• What Are We to Do? from St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology


• Abundant Life from The Crossroads Initiative

Catholics Come Home is an independent, non-profit charity started and supported by a number of Catholic families and individuals. They began this ministry to welcome back those who have left the Church, for whatever reasons. The apostolate utilizes the media to inspire, educate and evangelize inactive Catholics and others, and invite them to live a deeper faith in Jesus Christ, in accord with the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church.

The "Catholics Come Home program" began in 1998, with the creation of a multimedia campaign for the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona. In a matter of only a few weeks, the ads helped 3,000 inactive souls return to their Catholic faith!

This is an excellent site. Although much of the material consists of links to external sites, it provides a useful organization of information.

From Catholic Culture

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This post is from the Holy Comforter Catholic Church eNewsletter which is sent out once a week via email. If you would like to subscribe to the eNewsletter, click here.

The bulletin for April 6, 2008 is available by clicking here to view it.

Listed below are a few of the items from this week's bulletin. See the bulletin for more details and to read all of the announcements.

PANTRY: The Holy Comforter pantry is able to purchase staple items from the Food Bank at a reduced price WHEN THERE IS FOOD TO PURCHASE. Recently, the Food Bank has been short of food. So we are asking the parish to pitch in. Beside the always need toilet articles, we also could use canned fruit and tuna fish. Thank you for your support.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION: Christian Formation classes are in DESPERATE need of volunteers to help set-up and break-down classes on Sunday mornings. It is a ten-minute commitment. Please sign-up in the Commons for any Sunday when you can spare a few minutes to help our youth and catechists. For more information, contact Teresa Ritzert.

PACEM: The PACEM season ended successfully on March 14. Seventy Holy Comforter parishioners served for a combined total of over 650 hours this season, with the "average" volunteer serving four shifts at the intake center. All volunteers are invited to attend PACEM's Volunteer Recognition and Awards Event on April 11, 6-8 p.m. Please RSVP to skipruns@earthlink.net indicating the number in your party. Please continue to remember our homeless guests in your prayers throughout the year, especially as temperatures remain cold. PACEM was able to provide some guests with sleeping bags and tents to help meet their physical needs until shelter re-opens next fall. PACEM is also in need of funding to continue is operations. Visit www.pacemshelter.org for more information.

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This post is from the Holy Comforter Catholic Church eNewsletter which is sent out once a week via email. If you would like to subscribe to the eNewsletter, click here.

The Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Easter is the account of the two of Christ's followers who encounter Him on the road to Emmaus soon after Jesus has risen from the dead. They do not recognize our Lord while He speaks with them on the way. When Jesus first meets the two, they express discouragement because of Jesus' death. He explains to them from Scripture how it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer, die, and then rise again. Even then, they did not recognize our Lord. It was not until Jesus' breaking of the bread that they recognized Him. Their response was to return to the apostles and tell them that they had seen the Risen Lord.

Readings:

Acts 2:14,22-33
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
1 Peter 1:17-21
Luke 24:13-35

Here are a few commentaries on these readings:

Jesus Remains With Us in Scripture - Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa (Courtesy of Zenit)

St. Charles Borromeo Lectionary Site (PDF)

Emmaus and Us - St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology

Emmaus - From Despair to Joy - The Crossroads Initiative

For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. - St. Thérèrse of Liseaux

The Holy Father's prayer intentions for April are:

General: That even in difficult and complex situations of present-day society, Christians may never tire of proclaiming with their lives Christ's resurrection, the source of hope and peace.

Mission: That future priests in young Churches may be ever more seriously formed culturally and spiritually in order to evangelize their respective countries and the whole world.

Pro-Life Prayer Intention

That homilies on life issues will inspire listeners to effective action.