Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

Love.  One small word but it means so much.  The ancient Greeks had at least five different words to describe the different types of emotions love can evoke.  If we had to sum up our entire faith tradition in one word, it would have to be “love.”  Love is how God brought us into existence.  Love is the primary teaching that Jesus gave us.  Love is how the Holy Spirit is made manifest in us today.  Spring is in the air, and so is love. The Word for the 6th Sunday of Easter Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 1 John 4:7-10 John 15:9-17 Our first reading from Acts of the Apostles centers on the conversion and baptism of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion.  Cornelius is a foreigner in every sense, yet he is compelled by a vision to seek out Peter.  Peter bravely accepts his invitation, knowing full well that it is against Jewish law to meet with a Gentile.  But Peter knows better – knows that God’s love shows no partiality.  Dur...

As we continue our journey through the Easter season we focus on the core truths of our faith.  This week we learn what it means to be church, not just as individual followers of Christ but how all of us together form the greater Body of Christ.  Though the term “Body of Christ” is not specifically used in our readings this week, these stories help form the foundation of what Paul and the Apostles will eventually see as how we as church form the Body of Christ and what that means. The Word for the 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 9:26-31 Psalms 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32 1 John 3:18-24 John 15:1-8 In our first reading from Acts of the Apostles we are introduced to Saul of Tarsus, a man whom the disciples feared, and with just cause.  Saul was a devout Jew who not only persecuted the followers of Christ but actively hunted them down to bring them to Jerusalem for trial.  Saul is also the same man whom we will come to know as Paul the Apostle.  As we pick-up the narrative i...

During Lent the focus of our readings was on our Salvation History, but during Easter we focus on the basic truths of our faith – those taught to us by Jesus, and then through the Apostles, who slowly realized these truths as they set out to spread the Gospel.  In the Acts of the Apostles, we witness the evolution of both their ministry and their understanding of Jesus’ teaching.  This week, we see the Trinity at work in our readings – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all acting in concert to reveal to us God’s love and how we should live as his people. The Word for the 4th Sunday of Easter Acts 4:8-12 Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 1 John 3:1-2 John 10:11-18 We begin with Acts of the Apostles where Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, finds the courage to speak up to the people and the elders.  His message is simple; the one you rejected is the one who can save you.  While the story is powerful in its own right, the context of the events su...

When we hear the word evangelize we often imagine earnest preachers exhorting us (often very loudly) on the joy of Jesus and the perils of sin.  We think of people like John the Baptist shouting “repent!” or some boisterous televangelist preaching loudly on the evils of secular society.  This perception, however, is fatally flawed, because it causes us to forget that as Christians we all have the responsibility to evangelize.  This is not a job for just a select few.  And we’re called to accomplish this evangelization in whatever way our gifts allow. The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 Psalms 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9 1 John 2:1-5a Luke 24:35-48 In our first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we see that Peter (through the grace of the Holy Spirit) has finally found his voice.  Our passage takes place shortly after the Pentecost, where for the first time we see Peter and the Apostles preaching in the Temple courtyard, speaking with a power and author...

He is risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!  But before you start packing up the Easter decorations you need to understand that the party has just getting started.  Easter is not just one day but an entire Liturgical season!  Just as we spent 40 days in the desert with the season of Lent, we mirror that same 40 days in the light of Easter, reveling in the joy of the risen Lord until his Ascension to Heaven.  But wait there’s more!  We then spend 10 more days in the Easter season waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  During Lent we reflected on the story of our salvation.  Now at Easter we reflect on how we became a Church. The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy) Acts 4:32-35 Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 1 John 5:1-6 John 20:19-31 Since our focus during Easter is on the beginnings of the Church, our first reading will be coming from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, that wonderful sequel to the Gospel of Luke.  Ou...