Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, April 5, 2026

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above…Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.

Jesus Christ is RISEN! He is RISEN indeed. Alleluia! Happy Easter!

Paul says that, because we are raised with Christ, we must seek what is above. We must look past, we must run over or through all earthly hurdles, overcoming all things that might prevent us from getting to Jesus Christ – the One Who is above. When we set our sights on the higher things, we inevitably find Jesus. There is a beautiful Catholic song from about 20 years ago titled, “Set your heart on the higher gifts.” The refrain reminds us that three gifts are all that remain – faith, hope and love. When we seek Jesus above, we find Him in faith, hope, and love.

Yes, we do believe that Jesus rose from the dead that first Easter morning. We accept this and are thankful for what this means for us as believers. But some of us are a bit skeptical; others are struggling to believe. Some are vacillating. Perhaps one or two of you may come to Mass on Easter because your wife or mother told you there would be no Easter dinner if you didn’t go to Church! Whatever the reason that brings you to Easter Mass, understand that in every mass, particularly on Easter Sunday, we set our sights on the higher gifts. We encounter the risen Lord and are joyful that He gives us faith, hope and love to make our lives in this world so much easier to bear.

Faith drives both our hope and our love. Without faith, realities that should inspire hope and love only cause confusion. Jesus’ empty tomb is the sign of the most complete victory, the most extreme love and the most powerful presence. Mary Magdalene, Peter and John all see the empty tomb. But their limited faith needs time to grow so that it can completely accept the great gift that is offered. In seeking the higher gifts, we must first strengthen our faith. Otherwise, what should cause hope and love will become stumbling blocks. Only a sincere and generous faith in the Risen Lord enables us to see hope and love in the circumstances of life.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, March 29, 2026

Today begins our celebration of Holy Week.  The week culminates in the Easter Vigil Mass which anticipates the great feast of Easter.  However, before we get to Easter, we must pass through some seriously dark and disturbing moments in the life of Jesus and His disciples.  These last five days of His earthly life are filled with moments of both great joy and moments of unimaginable pain and sorrow.

Our first Gospel reading, which is read just before mass begins, tells of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.  His entry is that of a humble servant, yet the adoring crowd is shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David.”  Even though He prefers not to be praised or acclaimed, the crowd repeatedly shouts: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  If these words sound familiar, it is because we proclaim them at each mass in the “Sanctus” immediately before the Eucharistic Prayer.  This phrase is taken directly from Psalm 118. That Psalm praises a king who is triumphantly entering a city after a victory.  We remember this moment in every mass because the triumph of Jesus is an hour which does not pass away.  As one of my Theology professors wrote, “we are standing within that same hour, and we are standing in that hour because he is coming to us now.  Blessed is he who comes!”

Unfortunately, within a few short days, the adoring crowd will shift from shouting out “Blessed is He!” to “Crucify Him!”  How could they reject Him so quickly after praising Him?  We might ask ourselves a similar question.  How can we leave mass and then criticize the music or the man in the third pew?  How can we say, “Amen!” when receiving the Body of Christ and then intentionally sin later that day?  How do we participate in bible study and then gossip about the woman who was seated at our table?  Each day, our thoughts of “Blessed is He” turn quickly to “Why do I continue to crucify Him with my thoughts, words, and actions?”  As a child, I was told that my sins were like the nails that held Jesus to the cross.  During this very sacred week, let’s all firmly resolve to move from crucifying to blessing Our Lord.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, March 22, 2026

The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” Those two words tell us everything that we need to know about Jesus.

Jesus wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus after speaking with Lazarus’s grieving sisters, Martha and Mary, and seeing all the mourners. While weeping certainly seems like a natural reaction, Jesus knew that He had come to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knew that in a few short minutes this weeping would turn to astonished joy, and then tearful laughter, and then worship. So, one would think that Jesus would be confident, even joyful in that storm of sorrow. But he was “greatly troubled,” and he wept. Why?

One reason is simply the deep compassion that Jesus felt for those who were suffering. To be “compassionate” means to suffer with. At this moment Jesus is suffering with his friends.  Yet, Martha pointedly tells Him that He is the cause of the suffering because He was not there to prevent Lazarus’s death.  Nonetheless, Jesus truly feels her and her sister’s pain.  He bears that pain and is overwhelmed with their sadness.  In His divine nature, He knew that He would raise Lazarus and glorify His heavenly Father.  He knew that moment would cause many more to believe in Him.  His reasons were good and merciful and glorious. But this did not mean Jesus took lightly the suffering it caused.  In his humble humanity, Jesus wept.

Jesus wept because death had consumed every human being God had created. It had taken Lazarus, and it would take him again.  Jesus was about to suffer and die to overcome the sting of death. Perhaps He wept because of the cost that He was about to pay to purchase not only Lazarus’s short-term resurrection, but his everlasting life. Jesus knew that raising Lazarus would actually cause the religious leaders to finally take action to put him to death as John points out later in the passage.  Tears of anger and longing were mixed with Jesus’s tears of grief.

As Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb, we can see the man that He was and the God that He is.  We see that He desires to share, and ultimately bear, our pain and suffering.  We clearly see His great love for us.

Fr. Mike