Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s portico. None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them. Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great numbers of men and women, were added to them. Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24)
Refrain: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
1) Let the house of Israel say, "His mercy endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say, "His mercy endures forever."
Let those who fear the Lord say, "His mercy endures forever." (Refrain:)
2) I was hard pressed and was falling, but the Lord helped me.
My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just. (Refrain:)
3) The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. (Refrain:)
Second Reading (Revelation 1: 9-11a, 12-13, 17-19)
I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus. I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said, “Write on a scroll what you see.” Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead. He touched me with his right hand and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld. Write down, therefore, what you have seen, and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.”
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Copyright 1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Copyright 1970, 1997, 1998 Contraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
The English translation of some Psalm responses, some Alleluia and Gospel verses and the Lenten Gospel Acclamations, some Summaries, and the Titles and Conclusion of the Readings, from the Lectionary for Mass copyright 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc., Washington D.C. All rights reserved.
The poetic English translation of the sequences of the Roman Missal are taken from the Roman Missal approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, copyright 1964 by the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Inc. All rights reserved.
Since some churches celebrate Holy Humor or Holy Hilarity Sunday (to celebrate the joke that was played on the devil by our Lord when he rose from the dead on Easter), it might be appropriate to begin with a couple of humorous stories (at least ones that I thought they were humorous!!):
- Did you hear the one about the pastor who looked out over the congregation on the Sunday after Easter and remarked "I see that the Easter lilies are gone....but the perennials are still here!" So welcome to all you perennials out there today!
- Or how about the young priest who was teaching a group of pre-schoolers after Mass one Sunday and wanted to find out how many remembered the gospel they had heard. So he asked them the question “Who can tell me what our Lord’s first words were when he appeared to the apostles in the upper room?”
One girl began to wave her hand frantically.
“Do you think you know the answer, Melissa?”
“Yes, Father, I do.”
“Then why don’t you stand up and tell the class.”
Melissa stands up in the aisle and turning toward the rest of class, she says “Jesus’ first words to the apostles were” and with a great flourish of her arms, she adds “tah-dah!”
Well, actually, when Jesus appears in the locked room, he greets his followers with the word "Shalom", which means "peace" in Hebrew. For the Jews, "shalom" meant God was working in the world. When God worked, he put the world in balance. No war, no hatred, nothing could overcome God's providence. No fear, no doubt, no lack of trust could overcome the sheer joy of God's presence. Shalom meant everything was right in God's world. When his followers saw that Jesus was alive despite his deadly wounds, they realized what the "shalom"which Jesus had brought was, for they had witnessed God's activity in the world. Fear left them, for now they believed in him. Joy had entered their hearts. (1)
When we speak of peace, we usually mean the absence of conflict, or being able to live in harmony with one another. But as long as we are here on earth, there is really no lasting peace because disagreements and conflicts can flare up at any time. And of course, there is the current situation with the war in Ukraine. True peace will be ours only in the next world. Many of those who have had near-death experiences have noted this pervasive feeling of peace and their desire to remain in that state of peace. (2)
But there is a peace which can be ours in this world, the peace or "shalom" that our Lord bestowed on his disciples earlier in John's gospel when he said: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you." (John 14:27). This is a peace that comes with placing ourselves totally in God's hands. In today's gospel passage, the disciples felt peace when Christ appeared to them in the upper room because they knew that, if he could overcome death, then there was nothing that he could not overcome or overcome through them. All that was needed for them to put their faith, belief and peace into action was the coming of the Spirit.
So the disciples knew peace because they had seen the Lord. But what about us who have not seen him? How do we come to know his peace? I think in our own lives there are events that occur which could be chalked up either to good luck and chance, or to divine intervention. And the same was true even in the Hebrew Scriptures. For example, I remember a television program which gave a specific natural explanation for each of the plagues which God inflicted on Egypt and which led to the release of the Israelites from slavery. Likewise, there was a viable explanation for the parting of the Red Sea. Although there may have been natural explanations, from the Israelites point of view, these were all actions which demonstrated God's concern for them.
So how do we see things that may happen to us: as chance or as divine intervention? For example,
- It is hard to believe that April 20th was the anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999. Back in 2000, I recall watching some of the news coverage on the first anniversary and saw the story of Dawn Townsend. She had been the volleyball coach at the high school since 1992 and had continued coaching through two brain-cancer surgeries and abdominal surgery beginning in 1993. However, all of this paled in comparison to the loss she felt when she learned that her 18 year old, and youngest, daughter Lauren had been one of the victims. Lauren had been captain of the girl's volleyball team and, because of what she had meant to the team, the school had retired her uniform number "8" in her memory.
During her interview, Dawn noted that her daughter loved the outdoors, had worked at an animal shelter and had wanted to attend Colorado State University to study wildlife biology. After the shooting, several family members had gathered in an open field to pray for and remember Lauren when they saw a hawk fly overhead. It circled the group all during their prayers and then flew away when the group broke up. Dawn believed that it was her daughter's spirit come back to reassure her that all was okay.
Was it just chance or was it divine intervention? No one will never know for sure, but it did bring her peace. Or how about the experience of the woman in this story?
- Gretchen and her husband, Fred, had had a long and happy marriage, but Fred had recently died. During the first few months, she had been numb with grief and unable to weep. But she had progressed beyond the initial shock stage, and now, it seemed, crying was all she did. "I was beginning to dread meeting anyone," she recalls, "because I was so afraid that I would burst into tears in the middle of an ordinary conversation." People had been very kind, but she didn't want anyone pitying her and she didn't want her sorrow to make others uncomfortable.
On this particular Sunday, Gretchen went to church by herself and selected an empty pew. She saw no familiar faces, and she was relieved. At least if her anguish threatened to overwhelm her, she could slip out quietly. As she sat in the pew, she thought again of Fred, and desolation and grief swept in waves across her spirit. It was all she could do to keep from crying out. Would the mourning ever end, she wondered?
Suddenly, a small boy entered the pew and sat next to her. She eyed him through her tears. He had light-brown hair, was neatly dressed in a little brown suit and appeared to be about six years old. And he was looking up at her in the most familiar way, smiling as if he knew her. It was peculiar. Children rarely attended church alone in this particular congregation, especially at such an early hour. Where could his family be? Even stranger was the fact that, although the youngster had picked up the church prayer book to read, he kept edging toward her. "He moved nearer and nearer," she said, "very casually. He would read, then look up, catch my eye and beam. His whole attitude made it clear that he had come to keep me company." What a darling child!
As the little boy snuggled close to her, something else began to happen. She felt her heart lighten. Somehow, although she hadn't believed such a thing would ever happen again she began to feel, yes, happy. It was only a fleeting emotion, like a brief little kiss, but she felt it. And she would be happy again. She knew it now without question. "A time to mourn and a time to dance...". she remembered. She was still very much in mourning but the love and sweetness in the little boy's face had given her a glimpse of a better time yet to come.
But who was this child? She looked down at him, and again he smiled at her in that intimate and penetrating manner. She must know him .... Why else would he be behaving this way? Of course. He was probably the son of a younger neighbor or friend who, aware of her loss and seeing her sitting alone, had sent her little boy up to share the pew. She would have to thank his parents for their thoughtfulness. She would watch where the child went after the service.
As the service ended, Gretchen and the boy left the pew and headed for the front door. There were people around, but not a huge crowd, and the child was right next to Gretchen. "What is your name?" she asked him. "Do I know your mother?" But instead of answering, he looked up at her for one last smile. And then, as Gretchen's eyes scanned the crowd to find someone searching for him, the child vanished. He was there and then simply wasn't. Gretchen didn't see him go, but when she glanced down, the spot next to her was vacant.
"I kept looking for him among the people until everyone had left," she said, "but I never saw him again, nor did I meet anyone who knew him or had sent him." But after that Sunday, Gretchen never felt quite so alone again. Gradually the truth seemed to come upon her--that an ordinary child, no matter how charming, would not have been able to lift her spirits in that mysterious and welcome way. Instead, she was certain that the child had been sent by someone who understood her suffering and was reaching out to comfort and heal her, perhaps even by Fred. (3)
Again, there may have been a reasonable explanation for why this child had acted as he did. But for Gretchen, there was only one explanation: that God had cared for her. And it helped to bring some peace into her life.
We may never have had experiences like Gretchen or Dawn did, but we can still experience the gift of Christ's peace by placing our lives in his hands. After he had given his peace to his disciples, he told them "Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid". It is the same for us. It is only through our trust in his providence that we can overcome fear and worry and be at peace. This is his gift of peace to us, if only we can see it and accept it. May his gift of peace be yours today and throughout your lives.
1. Based on Word-Study by Larry Broding.
2. Please see the story About the Birdies).
3. The Angel's Gift. Reprinted with the author's permission from Where Angels Walk: True Stories of Heavenly Visitors. Copyright 1992 by Joan Wester Anderson, Barton and Brett Publishers. Also included in Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul, copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Mark and Chris Donnelly, and Barbara De Angelis, pp. 326-328. Health Communications, Inc., Deerfield Beach, FL.
(Copyright 2016 by the Spirit through Deacon Sil Galvan, with a little help from the friend noted above. Permission is freely granted for use, in whole or in part, in oral presentations. For permission to use in writing, please contact the human intermediary at deaconsil@comcast.net.)
April 24, 2022
Lord Jesus, you became one like us to enter into our suffering. Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you asked the Father to forgive us as you hung upon the cross. Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you have taught us to forgive one another, as you have forgiven us. Lord, have mercy.
Celebrant: Christ took on human flesh and became one like us so that, through his suffering, death and resurrection, he could bring us to eternal life. Because he understands our needs, as only a brother could, we can confidently bring our needs before him.
Deacon/Lector: Our response is "Lord, teach us to forgive."
That the leaders of the Church may be compassionate ministers of reconciliation, we pray to the Lord.
That the leaders of all nations will put aside their differences and be reconciled with one another, we pray to the Lord.
That all of those whom we have welcomed into the Church at Easter will be a sign of Christ's continued presence among us, we pray to the Lord.
That all those whose lives have been scarred by division, dysfunction or abuse may find healing in the wounds of Christ, we pray to the Lord.
That all of our brothers and sisters will be treated as our equals in the sight of God regardless of their race, color, nationality or religion, we pray to the Lord.
That all of those who have contracted the Corona virus will be healed, that those who have died will be welcomed into the loving arms of their Savior who suffered for them and that their grieving families will find strength in their faith, we pray to the Lord.
That all those who have been affected by the man-made tragedies including acts of violence and especially by the war in Ukraine may be strengthened by their faith in dealing with their grief and their injuries, we pray to the Lord.
For all of the intentions we hold in our hearts and which we now recall in silence. (Pause) For all of these intentions, we pray to the Lord.
Celebrant: Gracious Father, your Son brought forgiveness to a world separated from you by sin. Just as he brought about reconciliation with you, grant us the grace of your Spirit to bring about reconciliation with one another. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
April 28, 2019
Celebrant: With trust in the Divine Mercy, we now bring all our prayers before the Lord.
Deacon/Lector: That the Mercy of our Risen Savior may draw all sinners to the fountain of repentance, forgiveness, and healing, we pray to the Lord.
That world leaders may never doubt the power of God's truth and love, but rather take refuge in it as they seek to resolve international problems, we pray to the Lord.
That as the apostles shared all their goods, Christians may share their goods with those who feel they cannot carry their pregnancy to term, and assist them to choose life, we pray to the Lord.
That all priests may be effective and compassionate ministers of reconciliation as they administer the Sacrament of Penance, given to us by the Risen Christ, we pray to the Lord.
That all the sick, and those who suffer in any way, may be consoled and strengthened by God's grace and the care shown by His people, we pray to the Lord.
That all who have died may come to share the Resurrection, we pray to the Lord.
For all of the intentions we hold in our hearts and which we now recall in silence. (Pause) For all of these intentions, we pray to the Lord.
Celebrant: Celebrant: Father, we need your mercy. As you answer our prayers, fill us with the joy that comes from hope and grant us the life that conquers death. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Prayers of the Faithful for Divine Mercy Sunday from http://www.priestsforlife.org/)