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“Those who love Me obey My words, and My word is to love one another as I have loved you,” Jesus says. “What’s more, the Father will love you who love and obey Me, and the Father and I will make our home with you. But the converse of this is also true — if you don’t love me, you won’t keep my words, and this isn’t just me talking — this word comes straight from the Father.” Christ reveals himself to his own because they are looking for Him.

We are an Easter people and love is our song! In our Gospel, Jesus gives His disciples this commandment: “Love one another.” This is arguably one of the more famous statements in Scripture.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday. This day was designated in 1964 as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life.

The Risen Lord had a tremendous impact on the disciples. Here they had been fishing all night and came up empty at dawn. Sometimes we feel like this when we have been working at something all night long and have nothing to show for it at dawn. It’s hard to be Easter people.

Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Sr. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, was God’s instrument to proclaim Divine 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.

Easter is the oldest Christian holiday and the most important feast of the Ecclesiastical Year. In fact, the dates and celebrations of the Liturgical Year (including all the Christian movable feasts) are arranged around the central Christian feast of Easter. The Roman Catholic Church always marks Easter on the first Sunday that follows the first full moon of the Spring Equinox.

The lesson of Palm Sunday is that anyone can have their fortunes, and their lives, change dramatically overnight. But, the lesson of Easter is that God remembers that and keeps His promise to us, always. As we enter into Holy Week, we pray to the Lord who is exulted above all others and so worthy of our praise.

What and why does Jesus bend down and scribble in the dirt? We really don’t know but it’s interesting that the Gospel writer, John, is very clear that Jesus responds to the Pharisees by bending down and writing with His finger twice. Over the centuries, scholars and commentators have conjured up many ideas as to what Jesus was doing.

Rejoice! Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday, a day in which the Church expresses hope and joy in the midst of our Lenten fasts and penances. The readings remind us that God is always waiting for us to return to Him.

What is most important in the readings today is not the personal life of Moses, but God’s decision to work through him and the cooperation that Moses gives to God. What is important in the Gospel is that God gives time for repentance, over and over and over. How often do we repent?

Faith has its highs and lows and we are constantly being transformed. The transfiguration of Jesus that the disciples experienced was an invitation for them to undergo transformation of their own. We also are invited.

Pope Francis reminds us that “Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ’s victory over death. This season urgently calls us to conversion. Lent is the favorable season for renewing our encounter with Christ who lives in His word, in the Sacraments and in our neighbors.” Part of that is resisting temptations.

How many times have you heard someone say: “Forget that, you need to look out for number one!” The Church has condemned and criticized this attitufe as self-centered and unchristian. Unfortunately, looking our for number one is the main object and goal of far too many. Christianity has condemned and criticized this “me-first” mentality.

Is it even possible? Jesus gives us the key: Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Stop acting on your own and strive to act more like God. Be merciful, slow to anger, and abound in kindness, even to those who are ungrateful and mean. God in His loving compassion puts distance between us and our sins.

The Beatitudes are a set of teachings and blessings that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. The word Beatitude refers to a state of deep happiness or joy. These Beatitudes are taught by Jesus as the foundations for a life of authentic Christian discipleship and the attainment of ultimate happiness.

Every so often, we need to trust God to move in our lives even when things seem impossible. Today’s Gospel tells us the story of Simon Peter on a fishing expedition. He had been at work all day and night and did not catch a single fish. Jesus approaches Simon and says, “Pull out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”

Saint Paul tells us emphatically that love never fails! This Scripture sounds much different when we read outside the context of a wedding. It makes it obvious that of all the many things we do, loving is paramount. We are called to keep patience, kindness, truth, and endurance in the forefront of our minds, while putting aside anger, jealousy, and envy.

Words matter. We have long known that they can raise us up or cut us down, give us joy or cause us pain. We seek the right words for consolation, delight, wisdom, and friendship. How wonderful it is that the word of God is with us, giving us the strength and peace we need!

The Christmas Season has come to an end and now we enter into what is known as Ordinary Time. It is anything but Ordinary Time here at Corpus Christi Church.

Today The Church celebrates the Solemnity of The Baptism of Our Lord. This brings to an end the Season of Christmas. The Church recalls Our Lord’s second manifestation or epiphany which occurred on the occasion of His Baptism in the Jordan. Tomorrow we will return to Ordinary Time in the Church Liturgical Calendar. We begin the transition from Jesus’ hidden life to that of His public ministry.