4th Sunday, Year A Good Shepherd

 

This weekend is called Good Shepherd Sunday. The fourth week after Easter is always dedicated to Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

Saint Peter was the first shepherd of the Church as the first pope. Recall what Jesus said to Peter after Our Lord rose from the dead. Even though Jesus rose from the dead and they had seen Him two Sundays in a row, the apostles didn't know what to do. So Peter, said to the Apostles, “I'm going out to fish,” and they said, “We'll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat. After fishing all night, they caught nothing. But the next day, Jesus appeared on the shore, though they didn't recognize Jesus. He told them to throw out their nets for a catch and when they did, their nets were overflowing. John recognized Jesus, saying "It is the Lord!", but jumped into the water and swam to the shore. As Jesus was cooking a charcoal fire, He asked Peter three times if he loved him and three times Peter said yes. After each time Peter responded saying he loved Jesus, Our Lord said to Peter, "feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep." These words show Jesus made Peter Shepherd of the Church.

When I was in the Holy Land recently, we visited the church built over the sight where Jesus cooked fish for them and told Peter, he was to be the shepherd of the Church. The church is called, "The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter."

What was the very first way Peter shepherd the Jewish people and where did he do it?

We see this clearly at Pentecost, which is part of the first reading today from the Acts of Apostles today. After the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and Mary in the upper room after hearing the strong driving wind, Peter boldly went out to the Jews who gathered for the feast in Jerusalem, and said, "Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Did all the people who gathered outside the upper room, where Peter gave his sermon crucify Jesus? Yes. All of them may not have been there at the location, where Jesus was crucified, but every Jew, every Roman, every Gentile, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, etc...every person in the entire world from the moment the world was created until Jesus's second coming, participated, in the crucifixion of Jesus by our sins.

This is what a true shepherd will do, he will proclaim that every person, participated in the crucifixion of Jesus. And then tell them what to do, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Every pope, bishop, and priest is a shepherd, and every shepherd is called to bring all souls to Jesus. A shepherd should not fear in proclaiming that every person needs to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

When I was in the Holy Land, I met a priest from the United States, he said, he had been to the Holy Land before and the last time, he went to the wailing wall in Jerusalem, which is believed to be the remaining wall of the Temple. The priest said when he came to the wall, Jews screamed at him and accosted him. He said, "I'm not wearing my clerics this time, when I go to the wall, so they don't do that again. They won't know I'm a priest."

I must admit, I was disheartened to hear that he wanted to hide the fact that he was a Catholic priest. Our group was scheduled to go the wailing wall in a few days, and I thought I would wear my clerics, because I was willing to suffer for Jesus. Yet, could I have endured it, I hope so, but don't want to presume it, yet was willing to suffer for Jesus.

I was told by another priest, that Jews spit on Christians, especially priests at the wailing wall.

The thought occurred to me, "If I go to the temple wall, I don't care if I get accosted and will say to the Jews, "You people of Israel, you and your ancestors crucified Jesus, the one and only Messiah. He is Lord and Savior. Repent and be baptized everyone one of you, for the forgiveness of your sins, and accept Jesus into your life, for only He is the way, the truth and the life. Only Jesus can help you get to heaven. Despite participating in His death, He loves you and forgives you!" Despite these thought, due to the beginning of the war, we never went to the wailing wall.

The pope is the chief shepherd of the church and like Peter, he is also called to proclaim the Gospel, not only to Christians but to every man, woman and child and to every religion, whether that be Jew or Muslim or Hindu.

Saints went to their death proclaiming the truth about Jesus. For example, in 1597, Japanese martyrs, St. Paul Miki and companions were crucified for trying to convert others. He said, “As I come to this supreme of my life, I am sure none of you would suppose I want to deceive you. And so I tell you plainly: there is no way to be saved except the Christian way. My religion teaches me to pardon my enemies and all who have offended me. I do gladly pardon the Emperor and all who have sought my death. I beg them to seek baptism and be Christians themselves.”

Imagine for a moment what would happen if the pope, the current chief shepherd of the Church, went to a Muslim nation and said the words of St. Peter, "....know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." "Muhamad is a false prophet. The one and oly true prophet, who is Lord, God and King is Jesus Christ! And then told them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Would he convert all those who heard him, or would he die a martyr like St. Paul Miki and companions? This is what a shepherd is to do, to lay down his life to help others get to heaven.

As our bus was traveling the countryside in the Holy Land, out the window we could see the Bedouin people, who are nomads, that roam the country and live in tents. Every time I saw a flock of sheep, I saw a shepherd, who stood or sat by the sheep with a staff in his hand. He uses the staff to protect the sheep from animals, and bring back those that wander off. There were no fences, so the shepherd needed to constantly guide the sheep, to keep them close to him.

Today, the Church needs shepherds, like St. Peter, the first pope and like St. Paul Miki and companions, to boldly bring all into the flock of the Catholic Church. We need bishops and priests who are willing to suffer for Christ and to lay down their lives for sheep.

I would like to close with some thoughts about young men, who may be called to the priesthood. A recent survey that just came out a few days ago indicate statistics. 86% when the priest was a child, both parents were Catholic. 88% of the time, the priest, during the most formative childhood years, were raised by a married couple living together; 97% were raised by both biological parents. Before entering the seminary, 79% regularly prayed the Rosary, and 81% regularly participated in Eucharistic Adoration. 92% were encouraged by a parish priest to consider a vocation; 49% were encouraged by a friend, 46% by their mother, and 44% by a parishioner. 79% had served as altar servers.

The diocese of Wichita has more seminarians per capita than any other diocese in the United States.

Is there some young boy or young man, from our parish, whom God is calling to be a priest? And will he respond to become a shepherd to help bring as many possible to Jesus, the Good Shepherd?

3rd Sunday of Easter - Road to Emmaus

 

Today's Gospel is one of the resurrection appearances of Jesus to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. As the two were walking down the road, sad and disheartened by the death of Jesus, who was crucified three days earlier, their eyes were downcast as they had hoped for the redemption of Israel. As they were walking, they didn't know Jesus rose from the dead that same day. They had hoped Jesus was the Savior, Lord and Messiah, but now He is dead, and they don't know what to do or think about the tragedy.

However, Jesus suddenly began to walk along with them, but they didn't recognize Him. Perhaps, it was because He had a new resurrected body that His appearance looked different. As they were walking along, Jesus began telling them about scriptures, which said He must suffer to enter into His glory. For example, Psalm 22 predicted, "they divided my garments among them." and "they have pierced my hands and feet and numbered all my bones." The book of Zechariah predicted, "...when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child." (Zechariah 12:10) The book of Micah, predicted His birthplace. "But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathaha, least among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel" (Micah 5:1) And Isaiah predicted, He would be born of a virgin. "Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bare a son and name Him Emmanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

After Jesus explained the scriptures about Himself, He gave the impression He was leaving. But they said, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

Then when Our Lord sat at table with them, He did the same as at the Last Supper. He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. At the moment, they recognized Him, and He vanished from their sight. They said, "As we were walking down the road, were not our hearts burning inside us, when He explained the Scriptures to us?"

Filled with joy after their encounter with Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem to tell everyone they saw Him. They then heard Jesus had appeared to Peter.

When Jesus then told His apostles, "Do this in memory of Me" He commanded them to also take bread, bless it and by His power through the priest, Our Lord changed the bread and wine into His body and blood. The early Christians did as He commanded when they "gathered to break bread", they were gathering for Holy Mass.

Today's resurrection event, with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, was the second Mass. The very first Mass was the Last Supper, when Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and said, "This is my body, which will be given for you." Then Jesus took the chalice, and said, "This is the chalice of my blood, which will be shed for you."

Through the sacred priesthood, for over 2000 yrs, Catholics attend Mass every Sunday. And at the Mass, Jesus through the ordained priest, changes the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, so that just like the early Christians, we can receive Jesus in Holy Communion.

When Jesus said "This is my body." He meant these words literally. He also literally meant, "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live forever." For 1,500 years Christians believed Jesus' words to be literal. In the 1500's, Martin Luther began to spread the error, the Eucharist is only symbol and not the real and true flesh and blood of Jesus.

Today, when non-Catholics attend Mass for the first time, they see things that can be confusing to them. They see the whole congregation stand, then they all sit, then they all stand, then they kneel, then they stand, then they kneel again. In a nutshell, we stand when we sing. We sit when we hear the Word of God. Out of respect for the Gospel, and because we believe Jesus speaks to us through it, we stand. Then we sit to listen to the sermon. Then later in the Mass we kneel because we believe when the priest says the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, Christ, the Son of the Living God, changes the bread and wine into His body and blood. We kneel because we believe that Host is truly the risen Jesus and because He is God and we kneel before this great mystery on the altar. When coming forward to receive Communion, we make a sign of reverence bowing our head and many kneel to receive Jesus, who is God, in Holy Communion. We return to our pew, we pray to Jesus. He unites His Heart to our heart and become one with Him. It takes faith to believe what looks like bread is truly Jesus.

Over the centuries, Jesus worked miracles in which the Eucharistic Hosts began to bleed. Never had this ever happened in a non-Catholic Church, because non-Catholics do not have the power and authority to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus, as do Catholic priests. They believe its only a symbol.

Jesus worked these Eucharistic miracles in Catholic churches, to increase the faith of believers, so they truly believe it is the true flesh and blood of Jesus.

Every Catholic church has a tabernacle, the gold box which contains the Sacred Hosts. We believe in the Tabernacle, Jesus is truly there. That is why when we enter and leave the church, we genuflect on one knee to Jesus, the King of heaven and earth.

Scott Hahn, a Presbyterian minister, originally very anti-Catholic, describes the first time he attended Mass, and how it changed his life.

He said, “I quietly slipped into the basement chapel down at Marquette, Gesu. They were having a noon Mass and I had never gone to Mass before. I slipped in. I sat down in the back pew. I didn’t kneel. I didn’t genuflect, I wouldn’t stand. I was an observer; I was there to watch. But I was surprised when 40, 50, 60, 80, or 100 ordinary folk just walked in off the street for midday Mass, ordinary folk who just came in, genuflected, knelt and prayed. Then a bell rang and they all stood up and Mass began. I had never seen it before. The Liturgy of the Word was so rich, not only the Scripture readings. They read more Scripture, I thought, in a weekday Mass than we read in a Sunday service. But their prayers were soaked with Biblical language and phrases from Isaiah and Ezekiel. I sat there saying, “Man, stop the show, let me explain your prayers. That’s Zechariah; that’s Ezekiel. Wow! It’s like the Bible coming to life and dancing out on the center stage and saying, “This is where I belong.”

Then the Liturgy of the Eucharist began. I watched and listened as the priest pronounced the words of consecration and elevated the host. And I confess, the last drop of doubt drained away at that moment. I looked and said, “My Lord and my God.” As the people began going forward to receive Communion, I literally began to drool, “Lord, I want you. I want Communion more fully with you. You’ve come into my heart. You’re my personal Savior and Lord, but now I think You want to come onto my tongue and into my stomach, and into my body as well as my soul until this Communion is complete.” Scott said, "And as soon as it began, it was over. People stuck around for a minute or two for thanksgiving and then left. And eventually, I just walked out and wondered, what have I done? But the next day I was back, and the next, and the next. I couldn’t tell a soul. I couldn’t tell my wife. But in two or three weeks I was hooked. I was head over heels in love with Christ and His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. It became the source and the summit and the climax of each day, and I still couldn’t tell anybody.”

Scott was like the two men on the road to Emmaus. At Mass, his eyes were opened and he recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, when the bread truly changed into Jesus. At that moment, He intensely wanted to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion, which is why he became Catholic. Today, he is now Catholic and a world renown biblical scholar and teacher at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. A few years after he became Catholic, his wife Kimberly and their children became Catholic too.

Today, every time we come to Mass, we have a personal and intimate encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. May all come to know Jesus is really and truly present in the Eucharist and through the prayers of the Mother of Jesus, may all come to know and love Jesus.

Divine Mercy Sunday

This weekend is the feast of Divine Mercy. Jesus asked Sr. Faustina that the Sunday after Easter be celebrated as a Feast of Mercy. Our Lord told St. Faustina, “On that day, the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.”

The Holy Eucharist is a font of mercy. The first time Jesus appeared to the apostles Thomas was absent. The following Sunday, Thomas declared he will not believe Jesus had risen unless he were to see the nail marks in His hands, feet and side. But, although the doors were locked, Jesus stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” and He told Thomas to put his finger in the wounds in His hand and in His side. And then Thomas made His famous statement declaring the divinity of Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”

Thomas bears witness to the physical presence of Jesus and His divinity. Jesus is God! It was really Him and not a ghost, not an apparition and not only a spiritual presence. He and the other apostles experienced Jesus in His resurrected body, which is a physical body that can be touched.

The Eucharist is not only the spiritual presence of Jesus. It is His physical presence: body, blood, soul and divinity. His entire human and divine natures are present in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist is the resurrected and living body of Jesus. Not a hunk of flesh, but a person. We can’t have a relationship with a hunk of flesh, but a person. When we receive Holy Communion, Jesus passes through our body and we become one with Him. When we receive Holy Communion, Jesus always forgives our venial sins. But we are never to receive Holy Communion when in the state of mortal sin, otherwise we commit a sacrilegious communion. Jesus requires that we confess mortal sins in Confession. But, if our soul is in the state of grace, without a mortal sin, Jesus will forgive venial sins when we receive Holy Communion.

Our Lord St. Faustina, “Were a soul like a decaying corpse, so that from a human standpoint, there would be no hope of restoration, and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy!"

Let us look at examples of God's infinite mercy. The Rosary helped convert a satanist, Bartolo Longo. He was raised Catholic, but fell away from the Church and became a satanic priest. He eventually went to Confession, but fell into despair, thinking that he was too big of sinner to ever go to heaven. He said, “I experienced a deep sense of despair and almost committed suicide. Then I heard an echo in my ear of the voice of Friar Alberto repeating the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary: ‘One who propagates my Rosary shall be saved.’ Falling to my knees, I exclaimed: ‘If your words are true that he who propagates your Rosary will be saved, I shall reach salvation because I shall not leave this earth without propagating your Rosary.” From that moment, Bartolo Longo’s life was consumed with devotion to Our Lady and Her Rosary. He began to spread the Rosary wherever he could – preaching missions, giving out rosaries, teaching others to pray it, and encouraging public processions and recitations of the Rosary in areas where the faith had grown cold. He understood the Rosary not only as a private devotion but as a public proclamation of the truths of the Faith. He built the world’s largest basilica dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, Italy. Through the Rosary, he experienced God's infinite mercy.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen will be beatified at St. Louis in September. One day, he encountered a drunk woman entering Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. Instead of turning her away, he offered her tea and made a promise: he would not ask her to go to confession when she returned sober. When she came back, he gave her a tour of the church, and as they were walking by the Confessional, he gently ushered her inside it. She said, "You said you would not talk about Confession." He said, "I didn't. I just gently pushed you inside." That single encounter led to her conversion, and she eventually entered a convent, spending the rest of her life as a nun. This story illustrates a profound truth: God’s mercy often works through simple, unexpected moments. The woman did not need a grand gesture or a dramatic sermon. She needed kindness, patience, and a quiet invitation to return to God.

Fr. Donald Calloway was baptized Episcopalian, but his parents never went to church and divorced. As a teen, he became promiscuous, addicted to drugs and was often drunk. When his parents moved to Japan, he became involved in the Japanese mafia and was a drug mule, meaning he transported drugs to various people and locations. He was arrested and returned to the United States. While contemplating ending his life, he found a book on Medjugorje and read the entire book that night. That night, he had a terrifying encounter with the devil and cried out, "Mary!" And with that, the devil left and he heard a woman's voice that saying, "Donnie, I am so happy." He eventually became Catholic, and later a priest. He is now a member of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. Upon receiving Holy Communion on Divine Mercy weekend, all his sins and all the punishment due to his sins were washed away in the ocean of God's mercy.     Saint Bartolo Longo, the nun, and Fr. Don Calloway are all examples of how God's mercy in Confession can change one's life.

Our Lord said, “Come with faith to the feet of My representative. I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest...I Myself act in your soul. Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light."

Confession and Holy Communion are not the only fonts of mercy. Baptism is an incredible font of mercy and can change the life of the greatest sinners.

When I was in seminary, I met Dr. Bernard Nathanson, an atheist, who presided over 70,000 abortions, and he personally did 5,000 of them, including his own child. He was one of the world’s leading abortionists. One day, he used an ultrasound, to help him do an abortion. Through the ultrasound, he saw the horror of what he had been doing, changed his mind and he became an outspoken defender of the unborn in the pro-life movement. Ultimately, it was the attraction of a merciful God and his desire to be free from his sins which led him to be baptized in New York City at St. Patrick’s Cathedral by John Cardinal O’Connor. He spent the remainder of his life working for the cause of life. If Dr. Nathanson would have died immediately after baptism, he would have went straight to heaven, because baptism washes away original sin, personal sin and the punishment due to sin.

Jesus told sister Faustina, “Paint a picture according to the vision you see and with the signature, ‘Jesus I trust in You!’ I desire that this picture be venerated first in your chapel and then throughout the whole world.” Every time we gaze upon the Divine Mercy image, it reminds us of God's infinite mercy and that there is no sin, God will not forgive. We only need to have confidence in His mercy.

Jesus taught St. Faustina the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world”. He said, “Say unceasingly this chaplet. Anyone who says it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as a last hope. If the most hardened sinner recites this chaplet even once, they will receive grace from my infinite mercy. I want the whole world to know my infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in my mercy.” Jesus also said, “I desire the confidence of my people. Let not even the weak and very sinful fear to approach me, even if their sins be as numerous as all the sand of the earth all will be forgiven in the fathomless pit of my mercy.”

Today, let us rejoice and give thanks to God for those who went to Confession during Lent, received Holy Communion in the state of grace and received His unfathomable mercy bestowed upon them.

Holy Wednesday - Healing of Paralytic - Mother Angelica

 

In the first reading today, a man crippled from birth was carried to a gate at the Temple. The men who carried him to the temple, did so, so he could beg for alms.

Obviously, no one was taking care of his needs, despite being crippled he had to provide for his own livelihood. At least some men, had the heart to bring him to a place where he could work, so to speak, by asking people for money. Peter saw the misery of the paralytic, looked intently at him, and said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk." Peter then took his right hand, raised him up and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walking around, and went into the Temple and walking jumping and praising God.

When Mother Angelica was a young religious sister in Ohio, she had a floor buffing accident, which caused her to not be able to walk without using braces on her feet and crutches in her both of arms.

However, in 1998, on January 28th, an Italian mystic, Paula Albertini asked to pray with Mother Angelica because she said, Jesus wanted to heal her.

She at first rejected the idea and thought the mystic wasn't authentic. Eventually, she caved in, and did as she requested. They first prayed the Rosary together. When they were praying the Rosary, one of the religious sisters who was with Mother Angelica, saw a light come out of a picture of St. Francis of Assisi, which hung on the wall.

After the Rosary, Paola told Mother Angelica, she was healed and told her to take off her braces and walk.

At first, Mother refused because she said, "If I take off the braces, I will fall." Finally, she conceded, removed the braces. Her legs were wobbly and so, she said, "I told you, I can't do this!" But, as she turned around, she felt heat go through her legs and felt her legs strengthen. Soon she realized she was healed and just like the paralytic in first reading, she began to jump up and down, saying, "I'm healed! I'm healed!" She swung open the door and saw a security guard standing there dumbfounded. She said to him, "Do you want to dance with me?" To his shock and amazement, she grabbed his hands and they began to dance together and she gave thanks and praise to God.

The following morning, as Mass was about to begin, when the grate opened, those in the congregation did everything they could to see her. One could see that she had placed her braces on a ledge in front of the Tabernacle, to thank Our Lord in the Eucharist.

And when it was time for her to come forward for Holy Communion, there was a collective gasp, as they saw her get up and walk unaided to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.

Later at one of the live shows, she told the viewers, "Jesus healed me, to strengthen your faith. He did this for you!"

God can and does work miracles today. He does so many times through the power of the Holy Rosary. It was during the time they prayed the Rosary, Paulo Albertini had the vision and mother was healed. This true story can be found in my book, Miracles of the Rosary and the Rosary of Miracles.

The Virgin Mary at Medjugorje has asked that we pray three Rosaries a day, the joyful, sorrowful and glories mysteries.

 Wouldn't you agree that the world and our families need God's graces by praying the Rosary. Will you make that commitment to pray 3 Rosaries a day?

Easter Sunday - Father Kapaun's Last Easter

 

If you hear the words “Easter Morning”, what image springs to mind? Likely you think about: a bright sun shining in a blue sky, birds chirping in the trees, a glistening church filled with people. Easter lilies adorn the altar. Men dressed in their Sunday best, and little girls delighting in bright new dresses.

As Mass starts, the jubilant sound of the organ resounds over the assembly, and the Alleluia is once again sung like no other day of the year.

Christ is risen, and we share a Communion with the Lamb who lives by receiving Jesus in Holy Communion! The joy is filled to the brim and runs over even to our homes, where Easter baskets are filled with chocolate and the sweet aroma of ham cooking in the oven teases of the feast to come.

Seventy-five years ago, for a small group of Americans and the priest among them, Easter looked nothing like this. In fact, the contrast couldn’t have been more stark. It was a cold, gray morning when the 60 or so prisoners, who were officers, made their way past guards and up the hill to the rubbled steps of a bombed-out church. It was a motley and bedraggled congregation, led by their Chaplain.

Father Kapaun looked like all the rest of the prisoners with long hair and a scraggly beard. He had an old sweater sleeve pulled over his head as a cap and an eye-patch over an infected eye, but he wore his purple confession stole around his neck.

On Easter Sunday, 1951, he hurled at the communists his boldest challenge, openly flouting their law against religious services. In the yard, of the burned-out church in the officers’ compound, just at sunrise, he read the Easter service.

He could not celebrate the Easter Mass, for all his Mass equipment had been lost at the time of his capture. All he had was the things he used when administering the last rites to the dying–the purple ribbon, called a stole, which he wore round his neck as a badge of his priesthood, the gold ciborium, now empty, in which the Host had been carried when he had administered Holy Communion, and the little bottles of holy oil used to administer the last sacraments. 

He held up a simple crucifix he had fashioned from two pieces of wood as he began the service, reciting the Stations of the Cross from a borrowed missal.

As he spoke, the road to Calvary and the mysteries of our Lord’s Passion became real for the men, who themselves daily lived under harsh treatment and the shadow of death. "We are suffering", he told the men, "but Christ understands and suffers with us".

Then Father Kapaun switched tones, focusing on the Lord’s Resurrection and His glory. He reminded the prisoners that after their time of suffering, they too would experience the Lord’s Resurrection, as long as they didn’t lose faith or hope.

A chorus of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," sung by the Americans, echoed through the damaged church. They sang, "Mine eyes have seen the glory / Of the coming of the Lord ... Glory, glory, Hallelujah! / His truth is marching on."

Together all the men exercised their faith by singing the Lord’s Prayer, loud enough so that the rest of the men in the camp could hear. There was not a dry eye among them, and none who attended could ever forget the hope that Easter offered them.

The Easter service ended with the baptism of a prisoner. A priosner had confided in Kapaun earlier that he had wanted to become a Catholic, and the chaplain chose this special occasion to grant his wish.

Afterward, men shared with one another what the Easter service meant to them, and how special it was after having lived in the hellish prison for months.

But the chaplain broke into tears, surprising them all. When one of them asked why, he was crying, Fr. Kapaun said that it hurt him for not having been able to give them Holy Communion.

By outward appearance, this Easter service in Korea, was a very different vision than we will see in our churches today on Easter, but the reality was the same. Christ is Risen. He remains with us and are to remain with Him. We are to share His life with each other and the world.

This message wasn’t unique to Father Kapaun; it is re-echoed throughout history. On his Apostolic Journey to the United States in 1995, St. John Paul II left us the same message in different words: “There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us. And on the far side of every cross we find the newness of life in the Holy Spirit, that new life which will reach its fulfillment in the resurrection. This is our faith. This is our witness before the world.”

On this Easter, we pray that the Lord will bless you and your family abundantly, with this new life in the Spirit. May we all share our joy in the Risen Christ in a world in great need. Venerable Emil Kapaun, pray for us!

Easter Sunday - Eucharist is Risen Jesus

 

Jesus is Risen Alleluia! He is risen from the dead!

On Sunday, the first day of the Jewish week, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb. When she saw the tomb empty, it never occurred to her that Jesus had risen. Instead, she thought that since “they” had ganged up against him to get him killed, “they” would not even let him rest in death and had done something with his body.

She reported it to Peter and John who both ran to the tomb, John running quicker and reaching the tomb first as he was younger. John waited outside until Peter arrived to allow Peter to go into the tomb first. John allowed Peter to enter first, since Peter had been chosen by Jesus to lead the Church.

Peter and John saw the burial cloths and John mentions two of them. Most regard them to be what we now call the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium (the head cloth that covered the head of Jesus after His dead) in Oviedo in Spain.

John went into the tomb, and we heard in our Gospel today that he saw and believed. When Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain and they saw him transfigured, he told them they were not to tell anyone until he had risen from the dead, but they didn’t know what rising from the dead meant. On three occasions Jesus had told them He would be handed over, killed, and rise after three days. Again they did not understand what Jesus meant. Now suddenly, as John saw Jesus’ tomb empty, he remembered that Jesus had said he would rise from the dead and now he believed.

On that first Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to many. We take it for granted that He appeared first to His Mother Mary, but that it was so beautiful an encounter words could not do it justice and that it was so well-known at the time the Gospels were written that no evangelist put it into writing. The Gospels report on Easter Sunday Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the apostles, and to two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

On the following Sunday, Jesus again appeared to the apostles. As Jesus appeared on Sundays, the early Christians met to celebrate the Eucharist on Sundays, and so the Christian holy day became Sunday the first day of the week while the Jewish sabbath remained Saturday.

The early Christians met on Sundays to celebrate the Eucharist because they knew that was how Jesus was present to them and we know it is how Jesus continues to be present to us.

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus learned that when Jesus explained the Scriptures to them, and then broke bread with them—the Eucharist—before becoming invisible to them.

Jesus did not go away after breaking bread with them but, in Luke’s Gospel He became invisible to them. They knew Jesus was still with them even though they could not see Him, and we know Jesus is with us under the appearance of bread and wine.

After the consecration, the bread is no longer bread but Jesus, and only has the appearance of bread. After the consecration, the wine is no longer wine but Jesus, and only has the appearance of wine.

Jesus is not in the tomb. He is risen and here with us as the Scriptures are proclaimed and here with us after the consecration under the appearance of bread and wine.

To reassure us, from time to time, Eucharistic miracles occur in which the bread not only becomes the body of Jesus at the consecration but also changes appearance to become human heart tissue, and the wine not only becomes the blood of Jesus at the consecration but changes appearance to become blood.

Hospital lab tests always show these Eucharistic miracles are heart tissue, myocardium, so we can say it is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the tests always show that the blood is blood group AB.

These Eucharistic miracles reassure us that Jesus is really with us in the Eucharist just as Jesus appeared on Sundays to the apostles to reassure them of His presence with them after His resurrection and appeared on Easter Sunday evening to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus is not in the tomb. He is risen and here with us after the consecration under the appearance of bread and wine. Let us rejoice, that Jesus is risen! Jesus is alive and Jesus is with us, most especially in the Eucharist, when we receive Him in Holy Communion, when we adore Him during Adoration and who remains with us in the tabernacle.

May the Virgin Mary, whom tradition tells us Jesus appeared first, help us to experience Her Risen Son!

Homily mostly taken from Fr. Tommy Lane