Divine Mercy Sunday (C)

 Acts 5:12-16; Rev. 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; Jn. 20:19-31

During the first part of today's Gospel Reading, we heard that the apparition of Jesus to His disciples took place on the first day of the week, that being a Sunday. The apparition took place on the evening of the same day that Jesus had resurrected. It is important to notice on which day of the week that these events were instituted by the Lord Jesus in order to understand how, in the early days of the Church, the Sabbath was replaced with Sunday.

On that evening, living in fear of the authorities, the disciples had gathered together in a house and they had locked the doors. Suddenly, Jesus stood among them. 

Then Jesus said, "Peace be with you." And He showed His hands and His side to His disciples. This Bible passage is very important. It is explicit proof from the Gospel of John that Jesus was truly nailed to the cross. He was not tied to the cross as was often the custom in those days.

Having said this, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (Jn. 20:22-3)

Easter (C)

First Reading: [Gen. 1:1-2:2]; Epistle: [Rom. 6:3-11]; Gospel: [Lk. 24:1-12]

Harry Houdini was a famous magician who specialized in spectacular escapes.  He died in October of 1926. He was never bothered about locks and fetters. It was said of Harry that he had the flexibility of an eel. He had the lives of a cat. They did all kinds of things to try to imprison him. They would seal him in coffins. He would escape. They riveted him into a boiler. He escaped. They put him up in canvas bags and sewed the bags. He escaped. They locked him in a milk can. He escaped. They sealed him in a beer barrel. He escaped. They put him in maximum-security prison. And old Harry somehow got out. But then in October 1926 death laid his hands on Harry Houdini and put him in a grave and he is yet to escape. As a matter of fact, he told his wife, if there is any way out, I will find it. If there is any way out, I’ll make contact with you and we’ll do it on the anniversary of my death. For 10 years she kept a light burning over his portrait. At the end of 10 years, she turned out the light. Death had Harry and he couldn’t escape.

Death laid his hands on Jesus as well. It put Jesus in a tomb. And there was a stone in the mouth of that tomb and the seal of the Roman government was placed upon that tomb. But on the third day, 

Good Friday (C)

Is 52:13-53:12; Heb 4:14-16, 5:7-9; Jn 18:1-19:42

In 2003, a 17-year-old Mexican girl named Jesica Santillan captured the attention and the prayers of many people around the world. Jesica had traveled with her family to the United States in search of treatment for a life-threatening heart and lung condition. 

In a rare move, and amidst an outpouring of support and prayer, a donor was found—someone whose family, amidst their own grief, agreed to donate their loved one’s organs to try to save Jesica’s life. That anonymous donor’s gift was a pure act of selfless love—a heart and lungs offered to a stranger. Jesica underwent transplant, but sadly, it was too late. She died a few days later.

Although Jesica’s story ended in tragedy, the story of the donor family remains a striking example of a selfless decision to give life, even when they had just experienced death. That anonymous gift reminds us of something deep and powerful: the giving of oneself, even in suffering and sorrow,