Easter 2021

Fr. Jude Botelho:

The first reading from the Acts, is part of an early sermon of St. Peter on the feast of Pentecost, his very first after the resurrection. He tells us how he is a witness of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Without the resurrection Jesus' life and ours would be a total failure,

Easter Vigil: Liturgical Prayers

PART I: SERVICE OF THE LIGHT

Introduction by the Celebrant

When there was sin, the world was in the grip of darkness. We celebrate tonight how Jesus came in that darkness to bring us the light of God's love by his death and resurrection. Now a new era could begin for the world and for all of us. This is why we light the fire, for Jesus came to light in us the fire of his love and hope. Let its flames leap up high in us and make us fervent. We kindle the light and profess that Jesus Christ is our light and the light of the world. We follow him and ask him to make us lights on the path of others. What a joy for us!

Good Friday - He took Our Place

Betrayal: Fr. Roger Swenson 

The betrayals of so many people ended in a tragedy of cosmic proportions. Let us pay particular attention to all those seemingly insignificant decisions made by the supporting actors in this melancholy drama. It won't be difficult to see ourselves in this play; each of us commits the same little murders every day.  

Holy Week, Wednesday, March 31

 Holy Week, Wednesday, March 31

Isaiah 50:4-9 / Matthew 26:14-25 

Jesus speaks about his betrayer; Judas said, "Surely it is not I?" 

Judas was able to conceal his plan from the other disciples, but he wasn't able to conceal it from Jesus. And this allows us to see how Jesus deals with sinners. One of the greatest mysteries of life is the tremendous respect God has for the free will of people.

Tuesday of Holy Week, March 30

Tuesday of Holy Week, March 30

Isaiah 49:1-6 / John 13:21-33, 36-38

Jesus talks about betrayal; The disciples were amazed at Jesus' words. 

The surprising thing about Judas' plan to betray Jesus is that the other disciples had no idea of it. How could they have lived so close to Judas and been so blind to what was going on in his mind? There are two lessons here. First, our external words and actions may deceive others, but they will never deceive God.

Monday of Holy Week, March 29

 Monday of Holy Week, March 29

Isaiah 42:1-7 / John 12:1-11  

Judas criticizes Mary; "Why was this oil not sold?"

William Barclay says of Judas' reaction to Mary's anointing of the feet of Jesus: "Judas had just seen an action of surpassing loveliness; and he called it extravagant waste. He was an embittered man who took an embittered view of things." Judas' reaction illustrates an important fact: "We see things not as they are, but as we are." H. M. Tomlinson

Weekday homilies for the Holy Week:

 Weekday homilies for the Holy Week: 

March 29 Monday: Jn 12:1-11: 1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

Lent 5th Week - March 22-27

Mar 22nd, Monday: John 8: 1-11: 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?”

5th Week of Lent, Saturday, March 27

 5th Week of Lent, Saturday, March 27

Ezekiel 37:21-28 / John 11:45-56

 

Jesus does remarkable things: Many people put their trust in him.

There's a scene in My Fair Lady in which Eliza Doolittle grows weary of Freddy's daily letters, telling her how much he loves her. In a burst of frustration, she begins to sing the song "Show Me." In the song she says she's sick of words. She's sick of all this talk of stars "burning above." "If there's really any love burning in your heart, show me." (adapted) Jesus had done everything he could do to show the Jews his love for them. Some Jews eventually saw it and "began to believe in him"; many others did not.

5th Week of Lent, Friday, March 26

 5th Week of Lent, Friday, March 26

Jeremiah 20:10-13 / John 10:31-42 

The Jews rebuke Jesus; "You, a man, are making yourself God.” 

One night the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the baton of Leopold Stokowski, was performing a Beethoven overture. In it, a part for a trumpet is played offstage. When the time came for the offstage trumpet, there was no sound. Stokowski was furious. Again, the time came for the offstage trumpet. Again, there was only silence. After the overture ended, Stokowski stormed off the stage to find the trumpet player. There he was, his arms pinned to his side by a burly security guard who said, "This nut was trying to play his horn while your concert was going on out there." In a similar way, the people were frustrating God's plan by failing to recognize Jesus' role in it.