Jesus then came among us to show the way and imparted this mission to his followers who have passed it on to us. On this Father’s Day holiday we call to mind the exhortation to give as we have received. Our parents taught us the love of God, disciplined us in ways reminiscent of the eagle and its young. The message: to care about others as God has cared for us.

Just as Moses encouraged Israel to remember, so too we are called to live the memory of all that Jesus was and is in the Church today and in a special way, in all those who are in need (the poor, the sick, immigrants, so many who feel excluded). Wash the feet of those who are needy; serve one another; be humble and welcoming. May we all be truly united in the Body and Blood of Christ.

If we believe that God is One and God is More, that God does not exist in solitude, then our mission is clear. A follower of Jesus Christ must recognize loneliness as ungodly, a grave offense to the Trinity. We can never be truly human if we are lonely, and we can never be truly Christian if we allow others to be. A follower of Jesus Christ must seek out the lonely and minister to them as surely as he strives to serve the hungry and clothe the naked.

How did Christianity, in 30 short years, grow from a tiny spark into a raging inferno? That amazing story is told in the Acts of the Apostles. The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had promised to send his disciples, descended upon them on Pentecost and transformed them.

We are not to be weak, bobbing along with every cultural current that proclaims that happiness can be found in acquisition and perversion, a life without moderation and self-examination. We are not to be reeds swayed by the prevailing winds, “Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.”

The farther we remove ourselves from the actual celebration of Easter Sunday, the more difficult it becomes to make the necessary connections to these Easter events. Yet, we are still in the Easter season and our readings lend themselves well to re-connecting to the promises of Jesus both before and after His Resurrection.

Jesus was about 30; his mother must have been about 50, give or take 5 years or so. She had a half-century of practicing that same advice herself: whatever God asked of her, she did. Yes, by age 50 she probably saw it as so very simple: Just “do whatever he tells you.” Her Son stated that same thought from a different angle: “I am the way,” he said. Even when you don’t see exactly where the way leads, follow me.

If by God’s grace you happen to be one of the few who have not strayed, then pray for your brothers and sisters. Pray to Mary to intercede. Why Mary? She is partial to sheep, and intercedes to bring even the most hopeless back to the Church – that church which is but one big flock of which her Son is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus says to Thomas and to us, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Jesus is clear: the apostles were blessed, and so are we; they were given great gifts, and so are we; they received the Lord’s Spirit, and so do we. We do not see the risen Lord in the way they did, but we are just as blessed, and just as challenged.

The suffering and death of Jesus on Good Friday had to take place for there to be a Resurrection. The lesson of this Easter Sunday is that all pain, all suffering, all sorrow can be transformed to new life. This power of transformation has been given to us by our God who is Love. It is up to us to accept the challenge that lies before us. Let us rise with our Lord to newness of life and love.

It is not difficult to stand with the jubilant crowd when we celebrate a few moments of glory. When the Good Fridays of life approach we are asked to stand also in solidarity. Will we be able to do so? Will we do so even tomorrow in the quiet, sometimes wide and heavy space between crown and cross?

We are all called to establish this deep union with Christ in faith. In the first reading today from Ezekiel, the prophet promises a defeated and dispersed nation that they will rise again and experience a new life that springs from the spirit of God. John in his gospel story depicts Jesus as challenging all of us to believe in him. “I am the resurrection and the life” Jesus says, and the question for each of us is: “Do you believe?”

In our lives we are called to be disciples, to be followers of Jesus, people who continue the ministry of the Lord, a ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation and healing. We are the ones who beg for light again and again, but we are also the ones who are called to see the Lord in those who are rejected, and oppressed. We are the ones who have been sent.

Jesus has invited this Samaritan woman to partake of the water which will always quench her thirst, to quench her needs in life. The waters he speaks of symbolize the waters of Baptism, and the invitation from Christ to all of us to seek that which gives us life, our faith through Baptism.

When the difficulties come and trials beset us and temptation is all around, these are the things we go back to – and we do as the voice from the cloud instructs: we listen. For there is our Truth!

As we begin our sacred retreat, the same words of the Father echo in our hearts: you are my beloved. My prayer is that we take that “if” and turn it on its head...as we discover together who we are and whose we are – and this, without a doubt.

Since the day of our baptisms, every one of us has been on a journey that includes our vocation to grow daily in holiness. This journey will culminate in our arrival at the Heavenly Banquet in the Kingdom.

The Christ in today’s gospel seems to be somewhat out of character with the picture we have of the loving Lord who is the good shepherd and divine physician. The words we heard in today’s gospel are rather tough and threatening. Yet, Christ uses such strong words because he wants to emphasize our goal – eternal life.

Yet, the more I reflect on the Church’s way of naming time, the more I sense the wisdom of our Tradition. The Church’s calendar consists of the great seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, and Ordinary Time. Ordinary, as the Church uses the word, can mean, “when everything is normal” or “in the usual way.” Isn’t that much like our own lives? Our lives have exceptional moments and seasons.

God does not give us full-blown virtues, only the seeds of virtue. Love, kindness, patience, forgiveness must be planted in the earth, in the humus, in humility, or they will never grow. Humility is the soil in which all the other good things grow, especially gratitude and hope. That’s why poverty of spirit is mentioned first.