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And suddenly, Jesus appears in their midst. The fact that He comes suddenly, although the doors were locked, indicates that His presence is now of a different kind. He wishes them peace. It is the ordinary greeting of ‘Shalom’ but one which has special meaning in this Easter context. Before His Passion Jesus had told His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.” The peace of the Risen Jesus is fully of messianic blessings.

Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. This is the Second Sunday of Easter. Sister Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, was God’s instrument to proclaim God’s mercy toward every human being. Sister Faustina was inspired by a vision in which Jesus told her that a painting should be made of His image with the invocation, “Jesus I trust in You.” She commissioned the painting in 1935.

Christ’s rising after three days gives us all the hope that we could ever ask for. During these troubled times of pandemic, we ask the Risen Christ for healing and for the hope that we will one day be with Him in His Kingdom.

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before He was crucified. There is both great joy and terrible sorrow associated with this day, the Sunday that begins Holy Week, the Sunday that portends the Crucifixion of Our Lord. It is a time of despair, perplexity and contradiction.

With Holy Week approaching, Jesus is here in the shadow of the valley of death. In every death, there is life — this is the big message of Lent and Easter. This grain of wheat will die but will still nourish us with food. We are presented with the invitation to deeper life. In our final death is the call to everlasting life.

“God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” Someone has said that if all the Scriptures had been lost except for these eleven words, we would have enough to give us hope.

This story shows how much it hurts Jesus when people mistreat others and prevent them from prayer. Jesus was not there to simply purify the Temple. He was there to purify our hearts as well.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James and John. The custom of this Gospel near the beginning of Lent may have come from an ancient tradition which held that the Transfiguration of Jesus took place forty days before Good Friday.

With February comes the launch of the 2021 Annual Catholic Appeal, and in asking for support, the Diocese of Trenton’s shepherd recognizes that the past year has been unlike any other. “I’m mindful that I am coming to you during a time that has been and remains very challenging. The toll that the coronavirus has had on so many of our families … has been immeasurable,” Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., says in this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal video which we will see this weekend here at Corpus Christi.

We begin the Season of Lent this week on Ash Wednesday, February 17th. Things will look a little different this year. Please be aware that this is not a Holy Day of Obligation. The Church has never obliged attendance at Mass or the imposition of ashes on this day. However, to accommodate you, the faithful, we will have Mass with Distribution of Ashes at 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM here at Corpus Christi.

The story of the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law follows the story of the exorcism in the synagogue of the man with the unclean spirit. Other than calling the first four disciples, this was Jesus’ first act of ministry.

Jesus enters the synagogue in Capernaum where He speaks “with authority” — the authority of God — something new and refreshing to the soul. His voice and message had a power over evil spirits, who would not want to listen to Him or obey? The rabbis and scribes didn’t want to listen to Him. The rabbis had the authority to impose a decision with binding force.

If Jesus came into our presence today proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel,” what would your reaction be? If Jesus saw you and invited you to follow Him, would you? What impresses me about Simon and Andrew is that they respond without hesitation.

Some people go through life living out the same old routine day after day. They are very ordinary. The Church enters into Ordinary Time — 33 or 34 weeks in which no particular aspect of the mystery of Christ is celebrated. The mystery of Christ itself is honored in its fullness, especially on Sundays. This period is known as Ordinary Time. For those who are living very ordinary lives, they look for something out of the ordinary. What are they looking for?

Today is the Feast of The Baptism of Our Lord. This marks the conclusion of the Christmas Season and the beginning of Ordinary Time. It’s a feast of transition from Jesus’ hidden life to that of His public ministry.

Today we celebrate the Feast of The Epiphany. Often referred to as the 12th day of Christmas which commemorates how a star led the Magi, or the three kings or wise men, to the baby Jesus. It is also known as Three Kings Day, a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God in His Son as human in Jesus Christ.

This Sunday, we remember and celebrate the Feast of The Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. It might be true to say that the focus of attention leading up to and during the celebration of the Nativity is Jesus. This Sunday, we acknowledge the whole family!

What is our general reaction when we are asked to come out of our “comfort zones” to do something that we are not sure of doing? What will be the outcome? Will we get hurt? Will it change my life in any way? “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Mary, perfected in grace, has been chosen by God for something that most of us would find frightening.

More now than ever, our world needs witnesses of hope. We don’t need more answers. We need to hear “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’ “ Let the voice of John the Baptist be our hope as we continue on our Advent journey.

During this time of Pandemic, we are facing extraordinary challenges within the ministries of our Church. Choirs can’t rehearse or sing together, we have safety shields at the end of our Communion line, our liturgies are small or virtual and we are unable to minister to the homebound and those in the hospital because of the shut-down. So what do we do?