Easter Octave, Saturday April 18th

Acts 4:13-21 / Mark 16:9-15 

Jesus instructs his disciples: “Proclaim the gospel to all creatures.”

The capital of Texas is named after Stephen Austin, an early pioneer who founded numerous settlements in Texas. Austin didn’t like preachers and tried to keep them out of his towns. One reason he disliked preachers was that they were always preaching against his saloons and the violence they caused. One man who knew Austin well quoted him as saying that one preacher could stir up more trouble in his settlements than a dozen horse thieves.

When Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the Gospel, he intended them to stir up trouble. That’s what Jesus himself did.

Easter Octave, Friday, Apr 17

Acts 4:1-12 / John 21:1-14 

They catch 153 fish: The net didn’t break.

A preacher was fond of the technique of dividing his sermon into several major points. For example, he’d begin by referring to the “five smooth stones” that David used to defeat Goliath. Then he’d divide his sermon into five points. Or he’d begin by referring to the “seven days of creation” and then divide his sermon into seven points. One day his congregation nearly had joint heart failure when he began by referring to the “153 fish” that Peter caught in his net. Scholars suggest that the 153 fish stand for the number of nations of the world, which ancient historians placed at 153. Peter’s net stands for the Church, which is able to embrace all the nations of the world without breaking.

QUARANTINE - 40 Days

QUARANTINE

The Latin root of the word "quarantine" is "forty". 

1. a period, originally 40 days, of detention or isolation imposed upon ships, persons, animals, or plants on arrival at a port or place, when suspected of carrying some infectious or contagious disease. a system of measures maintained by governmental authority at ports, frontiers, etc., for preventing the spread of disease.
   

COVID: Facts Are Proving to Be Stranger Than Fiction

1.     Who would believe?

An Italian delegation present in Somalia has ended its program, but they refused to return to Italy and asked the Somali government to renew their residency.

COVID: MYTHS AND FACTS FROM WHO

Easter Octave, Thursday, Apr 16

Acts 3:11-26 / Luke 24:35-48 

Jesus instructs his disciples: “You are to be my witnesses.”

Jesus underscores three things in this reading:

(1) the reality of the resurrection,

(2) the necessity of the cross, and

(3) the urgency of the task of preaching the Good News to all nations.

Red Indian Prayer for the Earth

Red Indian Prayer for the Earth

1.     *Give us hearts to understand;*

Never to take from creation's beauty more than we give;

Never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed;

Never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty;

Never to take from her what we cannot use.

Easter Octave, Tuesday, Apr 14

Acts 2:36-43 / John 20:11-18 

Jesus speaks to Mary of Magdala: “Stop holding on to me. ”

A mother had just returned from driving her only son to college. She walked into his empty room, clutching a note he had written her. She began to cry uncontrollably, realizing that his new world at college would never be her world—their world. Finally, after a long cry, she let go of the note and let it fall to the floor. In the months ahead, after the pain of separation had worn off, the mother discovered something remarkable. By “letting go” of her son, she found that they could love each other in a whole new way—an adult way that was far more fulfilling than the earlier mother-child relationship. Mary of Magdala (Magdalene) discovered the same thing after she let go of the earthly Jesus and began relating to the risen Jesus.

Easter 2 Sunday A - Divine Mercy

Mercy and Tenderness - Pope Sets Examples