Jesus invites us to remain in him, to be in a close and loving relationship with him. Consider how our desire to be close to our family can serve as a reminder of the closeness that Jesus calls us to have with him.
The Good Shepherd loves and cares for the sheep. He knows each of the sheep by name. He calls them and they follow his voice. How do we recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd amid the noise and competing voices in the world? We know the voice of the Good Shepherd because we have heard his Word so often.…
Alleluia! He is risen! We rejoice in the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has conquered sin and death and given us new life. Easter is the most important feast of our faith, as we celebrate the victory of God's love and mercy over all evil and darkness. As we celebrate this joyous season, we are…
The people praise Jesus today, and we will echo the words the people shout as Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem: "Hosanna!" Hosanna is a word found in the Book of Psalms and is a cry for help. It means, "Save us, we pray!" We have all experienced challenges. we sometimes feel alone in our struggles, not realizing that God…
Jesus cared for his friends and prepared them for his death. He knew that they would be sad, and that they would have a hard time understanding what was about to happen to him. To help them, Jesus spoke about a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies. Unless the seed dies, it could only be one…
Jesus tells Nicodemus that he is the light that has come into the world. Some days it seems like the darkness is going to overtake the light, but we know that the light is stronger than darkness, that his love is stronger than hate, and that his risen life is stronger than death. Children are often afraid of the dark…
In today's Gospel, Jesus goes into the desert for forty days to pray and is tempted by Satan. He is among wild beasts, and the angels come to minister to him. Jesus needs this time of preparation before he begins his public ministry. What about our own preparation? Is it easy to prepare when illness, suffering and temptation surround us?…
Jesus meets a leper, who begs to be made clean. To be made clean meant that the leper could rejoin the community, rather than live as an outcast. Jesus was able to see this man with the eyes of compassion and to offer him a way out of his life of suffering. When we experience pain, misery, and anguish, we…
Amid all the busyness we see in today's Gospel, we see that Jesus sill takes the time to pray. Jesus shows us that it is particularly in those times that we are busy that we need to make time for prayer. We need time with the Lord to receive the strength we need to continue the important work of caring…
The unclean spirit recognizes Jesus and proclaims his identity, "I know who you are - the Holy One of God!" Yet the people who encounter Jesus in the synagogue are amazed by his teaching and ask one another, "What is this?" How often are we amazed by our encounters with the Lord? Do we always recognize his powerful actions in…