Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for Sunday, April 27, 2025

Thank you for filling our church (and our hall) for liturgies during Holy Week and on Easter Sunday. It was a blessing to speak with so many of you who brought family and friends to worship with us. I pray that sharing Easter with us helps you to deeply feel the joy of His resurrection and to develop a closer relationship with Jesus. May you feel our Lord’s presence in your lives today and every day. May you always feel welcome here at St. Edward the Confessor.

The resurrection is the foundational truth of our faith. Yet, some people have a hard time believing in that truth. In today’s Gospel, we hear about Thomas who refused to believe that Jesus rose from the dead even though 10 of his closest friends told him that they had seen Jesus and had spoken with Him. Why would Thomas doubt their testimony? Did he really think that they were making up a story?

Thomas’s reaction is a great example of our human tendency to doubt things that are not “normal.” We seek “logical” or “proven” explanations for unusual events that are out of our control and beyond our frame of reference. However, in first century Galilee, there were no readily available explanations for a man rising from the dead. Thomas had nowhere turn to except to his own eyes, ears and touch. Thomas needed to control the moment when he could see Jesus and touch Him.

But our faith is most firmly rooted in unlikely truths that are not, and can never be, within our control: Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus left us the gift of his true body and blood in the Eucharist, Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus invites us to join Him and His Father in the Heavenly Kingdom. It is unlikely that we will be as fortunate as Thomas who had all of his doubts resolved a week after he expressed them to his friends. It is unlikely that Jesus will greet us in the flesh and resolve our doubts. Nonetheless, we must hold strongly to even the most unlikely truths of our faith.

It is a privilege to serve all of you who call St. Ed’s their spiritual home during this Easter Season and throughout the year. May God richly bless you!

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection-Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025

“Mary Magdalene…ran and went to Simon Peter…Peter and the other disciple…both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first.”

Happy Easter! Welcome to St. Ed’s!

Did any of you run to church this morning? Excited children often run. I remember when my son went to Easter egg hunts when he was young – he ran from one place to another trying to collect as many eggs as he could. The most exciting times in sporting events are when players, horses, or greyhounds are running to defeat their competition. Running is an integral part of the Gospel that we read on Easter Sunday. Mary Magdalene runs from the tomb to the apostles, the apostles run back to the tomb, and John outruns Peter.

Mary went to the tomb with a simple desire: anoint the body of Jesus and shed a few tears of sadness and loss. When Mary saw the empty tomb, her first reaction was to think that someone had stolen the body of Jesus. Mary’s deep love for the Lord creates a sense of urgency. So, she feels the need to run to the apostles to tell them the life-changing news: the tomb was empty. Now it is Peter and John who have a sense of urgency. It is their turn to run back to the tomb to see why Mary is so concerned.

At that point, neither Peter, nor John, nor Mary nor the other women are certain about anything. Yet, the events of that morning caused all three to move from unbelief to confused thoughts of “maybe, just maybe,” to the grand statement from “the other disciple” who saw and believed that something amazing had happened. This is the point of faith – believing even when we are a little confused or uncertain; even when there is absolutely no proof; even when there are many doubts and unanswered questions.

Unlike Mary, Peter and John, we are not arriving at an empty tomb in a confused state. We are coming to a full church! Christ is not “missing.” He is PRESENT in the assembly, in the Word, and in the Eucharist. Just as it was for Mary, Peter, and John, this is life-changing!

If we did not run to church today, we probably should have! May the glory of the risen Lord deeply touch your lives! Happy Easter!

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025

Today the Church celebrates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem acclaimed as the one sent by God to save and lead the Jewish people in fulfillment of their scripture.

Each of the four Gospels contains an almost identical account of Jesus entering into Jerusalem surrounded by an adoring crowd because each evangelist felt that it was essential to connect Jesus to the promises of salvation found in Hebrew Scripture. Often this entry is claimed to be “triumphal” but, in reality, Jesus is seated on a donkey in peasant clothing and with an extremely humble posture. Despite His humble appearance, the crowd repeatedly shouts: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Sadly, today’s Gospel also reminds us that the crowd’s adoration for Jesus is short-lived. His passion and death are near. The shouts of “Blessed is he who comes” become the shouts of “Crucify Him!” When I was about 10 years old, my aunt taught me to make crosses out of palm branches. It takes about 4 minutes to convert a simple palm branch into a fancy cross. It took about 4 days to convert the praise and joy of His entrance into an arrest and crucifixion.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is recognized by the humble and rejected by the arrogant. If we are humble enough to accept our King, we reflect to the world the good news of the true King living and reigning within us in triumph. Yet, it is difficult to maintain our humble, faithful hearts. In fact, even Christ’s disciples could not remain faithful and gave into fear and temptation. One betrayed Jesus; others fell asleep while the Lord was praying and suffering; one tried to settle matters with a sword; Peter, the “rock,” who loudly promised never to betray Jesus, denied Him three times; and, finally, all of the other disciples fled the scene.

This Holy Week, let’s reflect on whether we run away when events become challenging, whether our faith is a matter of convenience more than conviction, whether we have truly allowed Christ in our hearts, whether our pride prevents us from recognizing our humble King, and whether we accept the steadfast love which drove Christ from honor to humiliation and from death to eternal life. Blessed is He who comes!

Fr. Mike