The Word

The Greek word for Pentecost literally means ldquo fifty rdquo In the Jewish calendar Pentecost or Weeks takes place 50 days after Passover In the Christian calendar it occurs 50 days after Easter Pentecost marks the end and the goal of the Easter season It celebrates the coming of the Holy

The Scripture readings during this Easter season have led us to reflect on ways in which the movement begun by the earthly Jesus has continued They have included personal and communal relationship with the risen Jesus efforts at fulfilling Jesus rsquo command to love God and one another and the h

In the final weeks of the Easter season the Gospel readings for the Sundays and weekdays are taken almost entirely from Jesus rsquo farewell discourse in John 13 ndash 17 In saying goodbye to his disciples Jesus reflects on what their lives will be like when he will no longer be with them as he

There are two great questions in the Easter season How could the community formed by the earthly Jesus carry on without his physical presence And what can the church of the 21st century learn from the earliest Christian communities Last Sunday rsquo s reading from John rsquo s Gospel suggested th

The fundamental question of the Easter season is How does the movement begun by the earthly Jesus continue after his resurrection Today rsquo s excerpt from Jesus rsquo discourse in John 10 known as the Good Shepherd discourse provides the beginning of an answer It reminds us that our personal

Why did the early Christian movement succeed Why has it lasted for almost 2 000 years The most basic reason is the resurrection of Jesus Early Christians believed that God was at work in a definitive way in the life death and resurrection of Jesus They believed that through Jesus it had become

Easter is the pivotal day in the Christian calendar As Paul wrote ldquo If Christ has not been raised your faith is vain you are still in your sins rdquo 1 Cor 15 17 At the heart of Christian faith is the paschal mystery mdash Jesus rsquo life death and resurrection some 2 000 years ago

The long and rich readings for Passion Palm Sunday usher us into Holy Week and prepare us for the Sacred Triduum and the celebration of Easter Sunday Each reading can contribute to our appreciation of Jesus rsquo sufferings and their significance for us nbsp The Old Testament passage from Isaia

Three great themes run through the Sunday readings for Lent this year the exodus the justice and mercy of God and the paschal mystery the saving significance of Jesus rsquo death and resurrection This Sunday rsquo s readings develop and deepen those themes nbsp Today rsquo s Old Testament