Pastoral Messages
A Parent's (and Grandparent's) Prayer
As our granddaughter makes her First Communion this weekend, Chris and I are filled with a sense of hopefulness and joy that, as crazy as the world can seem at times, indeed all shall be well. Over the next month, as more and more of our youth experience the joy of First Communion and Confirmation, I encourage us to keep them in our prayers. I found this one from Loyola Press that seems to hit the mark!
Loving God,
You are the giver of all we possess,
the source of all of our blessings.
We thank and praise you.
Thank you for the gift of our children.
Help us to set boundaries for them, and yet
encourage them to explore.
Give us the strength and courage to
treat each day as a fresh start.
May our children come to know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom you have sent.
May your Holy Spirit help them to grow in faith, hope, and love,
so they may know peace, truth, and goodness.
May their ears hear your voice.
May their eyes see your presence in all things.
May their lips proclaim your word.
May their hearts be your dwelling place.
May their hands do works of charity.
May their feet walk in the way of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.
Amen.
Much love,
~Deacon Jim
Scripture
An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings - April 14, 2024
“He Opened Their Minds To Understand The Scriptures”
In this Third Sunday of Easter, our readings teach us that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied throughout all of the Hebrew Scriptures beginning with “the Law of
Moses, and in the prophets and psalms.” Peter proclaimed this in our first reading and Jesus himself "opened their minds" as He appeared to his disciples that first Easter Sunday night.
In our first reading (Acts of the Apostles 3:13-15, 17-19), St. Peter spoke to the crowd gathered just after he healed a crippled man at the "Beautiful Gate" of the temple. He proclaimed the risen Christ as the "suffering servant" that Isaiah and other prophets foretold long ago, raised up and glorified by the “God of our fathers.” He called them to repentance and conversion so that their “sins may be wiped away.”
In our Epistle reading (1 John 2:1-5), St. John calls us to repentance but offers comfort that when we do sin, Jesus the Advocate will intercede for us. He is “expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but for those of the whole world.” But “whoever keeps His word, the love of God is truly perfected in Him.”
In our Gospel reading (Luke 24:35-48), we hear St. Luke's telling of that first Easter Sunday night, when Jesus appeared to his apostles and disciples. The two disciples, who had been “on the road to Emmaus", have just told of their encounter with the risen Jesus and how they “recognized him in the breaking of the bread.” Then Jesus appeared to the apostles and others with them by saying “Peace be with you”. Consider what an awesome and glorious moment that must have been for his disciples. Jesus showed them that he is alive and not a ghost by showing His wounds and sharing a meal with them. Then He "opened their minds to understand the scriptures" .
Our readings today remind us that from the very beginning, it was God's plan that the Christ would suffer and die for the expiation of our sins and that we would be offered forgiveness and right relationship with the Father. St. John tells us that to know Jesus is to keep His commandments. May we know Jesus! May we always keep His commandments.
www.bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041424.cfm
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