Our Easter journey continues as we reflect on the last I am revelations of Jesus in the Gospel of John. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit. Last Sunday, He revealed Himself by saying I am the Good Shepherd who lay down my life for the sheep. Today, Jesus presents another image: The True Vine - to show us how we unite with Him and share in His One life. The way a branch is attached to a vine and receives nourishment through it.

The first three Sundays of Easter bring us back to the days after the resurrection and deepen our understanding and appreciation of the meaning of the empty tomb. The Lord has Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Using the oldest yet the most common occupation in His time, Jesus uses the imagery of shepherding, a hint of His sacrifice and mission. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. On Good Shepherd Sunday, our Easter journey continues, knowing that we are in the watchful care of the Divine GOOD Shepherd.

Divine Mercy Sunday, we reflected on Thomas' experience and moving confession of faith. Today, the Gospel brings us back to the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and the unbelief of the Apostles on the first day of Easter. Cleopas and another disciple left Jerusalem frustrated and defeated when they met Jesus. Initially, they did not know it was Jesus and how they finally recognized Him in The Breaking of the Bread.

After the death of Jesus, his disciples scattered, afraid and unsure of their fate, but in the end, their faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ prevailed. The newfound faith of the disciples led to a profound sense of unity among them. Their Easter faith has changed the way they live their lives. When we accept Jesus in our midst, the risen Lord is with us, and He is one with His Church, we can overcome our worries about our needs and the fear of those who act against the Church. Hopefully, like the first community of believers, with one heart and mind, we can freely and joyfully look after one another’s needs.

On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John the Beloved ran eagerly toward the tomb, hoping to find your body. But the tomb was empty; they saw the clothes that wrapped your body and head. Mary and Peter have not yet learned the new way of seeing: Seeing with the eyes of LOVE. But the disciple Jesus loved, John, arrived first in the tomb and went in: He saw and believed.

Fill in the blanks: 1.) _________ is greater than God, 2.) _________ is more evil than the devil. Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord is the official name of this liturgical celebration. Holy Week starts with the festive celebration when Jesus enters Jerusalem. People welcomed Him by spreading their cloaks on the road while others spread reeds they had cut in the field. Still, others got palm branches and met Jesus with a joyful cry, Hosanna! Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Lord. But the sad thing is that after a few days, the same people will be shouting; Crucify him! Crucify him!

As we approach Holy Week, the Gospel reveals things that will happen to Jesus. It does not give us all the details, but Jesus nears the fulfillment of His mission. He speaks about the Paschal Mystery in the image of the “grain of wheat that dies to produce much fruit.” Jesus introduces this image after some Greeks approach His disciples to see Him and listen to His wisdom. - The expression would like to see Jesus, is more than being curious about the Lord. They want to meet, get to know, and hopefully follow Him to be His disciples. The Greeks are expressing a deep longing found in every heart of those who have known Him. - All of us want to see the face of Jesus and get to know Him more intimately. And hopefully, like the experience of Peter, James, and John at Mt. Tabor, we want to stay with Him as long as possible. We want to know the fullness of life.

Our national pastime isn’t baseball. It’s what the Bible calls “condemning the world.” We generally enjoy pronouncing curses upon those whom we see as trouble, wrong, or evil. Don’t believe me? Listen to almost any podcast, cable news network, or social media platform to hear it. It will be some version of: “We all agree that if they are eradicated, things will be great.” Condemning is almost always clothed in virtue. It basks in its good intentions. That’s why it is so attractive. Condemning seems like our best path to saving what is good.

I am the Lord your God … You shall not have other gods beside me. —Ex 20:2-3

One of the greatest golfers of all time — if not the greatest — was Jack Nicklaus. Which is why it is baffling that at the beginning of each season he would return to his childhood coach and re-learn how to grip the golf club. It’s like Shakespeare re-learning the alphabet and grammar. Why would he do that? Because Jack knew that the fundamentals are always relevant. Perfecting and obsessing over his grip allowed him to do everything else in the game well. In sports and life, the best ones love the basics.

As a college student, my prized possession was an after-market car stereo. It was my pride and joy: glorious audio, eye-catching display screen, and multi-disc CD changer. It drained my hardearned dollars, but it was totally worth it. It drenched me in music everywhere I drove. On Ash Wednesday of my senior year of college, Father Tom, the Jesuit priest at my university said, “Pray for God to tell you what he wants you to sacrifice for Lent.” I did. In my heart, the answer came: “Give up listening to your car stereo for forty days.” I winced. Not possible, I thought. Can’t do it. I made other plans. The next morning, I was stunned to find that my car had been broken into, and my fancy stereo ripped out and stolen.

A covenant is a formal agreement between two parties. Assuming both parties enter into the covenant of their own free will, it is a bond that cannot be broken. As time goes on, that covenant will be tested and its validity questioned by skeptics, but it will remain I f it is real.

God's covenant with his people is real. It began with a promise made to Noah and was renewed in the person of Jesus Christ. It has been tested by man through sin and by evil through Jesus' trials in the desert. But here in 2024, it still remains as strong as ever.

Recently I had a skin rash, and it was awful. (Please don’t tell anyone.) I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t handle it well. Complaining, whining, begging for sympathy, and crying were my responses to the merciless itching and burning. In the aftermath, a silver lining emerged. I feel a new heartfelt sympathy for all those vexed with chronic skin problems. If you’ve ever had a seemingly unending skin problem, you know how that sympathy flows up from deep inside.

The four parts of the Gospel today consist of: First, Jesus heals the mother in law of Peter. Second, news spread of the presence of Jesus; He heals and casts out unclean spirits after sunset. Third, early morning, Jesus withdraws to a deserted place to PRAY. Fourth, Jesus visits synagogues and casts out evil spirits.

The readings give us a wide range of human experiences, from the darkness and hopelessness of Job, losing everything (1st reading), to the joy of healing and freedom from evil spirits provided by Jesus.