Sunday, May 4, 2008 
Seventh Sunday of Easter/The Ascension of the Lord
The torch has been passed
Whether or not we’re asked to believe that in the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus literally levitated to the clouds, we can still understand the imagery. We’ve seen film taken from rockets as the launch pad grows smaller and gradually we see more and more of the earth, even to its entirety. The higher you go, the more is within your range of view. So also the message of Christ begins in a tiny country 2,000 years ago, but its purpose and effect go out, wider and wider, to all the world. How? The angels charmingly tease the disciples: “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” In other words, “You who are church, you who are the body of Christ on earth: Get going. You’ve got work to do.” Christ is no longer here in his flesh, but Christ is here in yours.
Today’s readings: Seventh Sunday: Acts 1:12-14; 1 Peter 4:13-16; John 17:1-11a/Ascension: Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem . . . to the ends of the earth.”

Monday, May 5 
Easter weekday
Empty or full?
What is Saint Paul’s problem? He seems to be splitting hairs in Acts when he insists that the baptism rendered by John the Baptist isn’t as good as the baptism in Jesus’ name. But remember: John baptized folks for the sake of repentance. This emptied you of former sins. Meanwhile, the baptism of Jesus fills us with his Spirit. Jesus once warned about the danger of sweeping your house clean of demons and leaving it vulnerably empty. It’s never enough to get rid of the bad. We’ve got to embrace the good. Open your heart to the Spirit of goodness.
Today’s readings: Acts 19:1-8; John 16:29-33
“Paul said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ ”

Tuesday, May 6
Worldly wisdom
In various faith circles you will hear the call to be “in the world but not of it.” What does being in the world suggest to you? Perhaps it evokes images of our mortality, our limitations, the fact that we all fall under the laws of nature. Or perhaps it evokes images of overreaching materialism, of the desire for worldly possessions. But might the words also lead us to ponder the incarnate (literally, “enfleshed”) nature of our faith and our God? No other tradition brings the divine and the human together in quite the same way as Christianity does, where the two realities coexist in one person. Perhaps this is what it can mean to be “in the world but not of it.”
Today’s readings: Acts 20:17-27; John 17:1-11a
“And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world . . . .”

Wednesday, May 7 
Easter weekday
And the work goes on
At his death, Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa said, “Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something,” a hope to be remembered by at least a memorable word. As Easter continues to echo in 2008, we have not only noble words and mighty deeds by which to remember the Risen One, but a monumental task because he did not wish to leave only what he said and did, but that the Father’s work continue through our own hands. He had been sent; he sends us—perhaps with memorable words or deeds of our own but assuredly with the task of loving one another. If we do, his transforming love will not end.
Today’s readings: Acts 20:28-38; John 17:11b-19
“As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.”

Thursday, May 8 
Easter weekday
See how they smile
“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.” So goes the opening line of the Beatles hit “I Am the Walrus.” Who’s to know if “the eggman” is an Easter reference or if John is the walrus? But the verse bears an uncanny resemblance to the Lord’s words in the gospel: “I in them and you in me, that they may be . . .” together! Togetherness is a sweet goal; it is the joy of relationships, family, and community. It is the unity of the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost. Pray for the love of God and you might be the walrus!
Today’s readings: Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; John 17:20-26
“And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

Friday, May 9 
Easter weekday
The God of second chances
The story of Saint Peter is one of the most fascinating in the New Testament. He veered between misunderstanding and understanding, denial and faith, but always came through in the end. He got second chances and took advantage of them. Having breakfast with the risen Jesus and the other disciples, he had the opportunity to reverse his earlier three denials of knowing Christ when Jesus asked him—three times—if Peter loved him. To each of Peter’s professions of love, Jesus responded with “feed my sheep, tend my lambs”: Jesus the good shepherd was telling Peter to be the same for the community. Despite life’s failures, God always holds out the offer of return. Be like Peter and accept it.
Today’s readings: Acts 25:13b-21; John 21:15-19
“Jesus said to Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ ”

Saturday, May 10 
Easter weekday
Limited options
We only have one choice as disciples: Follow Jesus. We can whine and rail and question and doubt, but in the end our task remains the same: Follow Jesus. What does it mean to follow Jesus? To be willing to give our lives for the sake of others. It sounds extreme, but most of us do this every day as we care for our families, serve in our communities, and provide dedicated work on the job. Giving of yourself doesn’t require anything in return. So nothing can stop the process. No waiting around for gratitude or favors or comparing who got what. Just follow Jesus.
Today’s readings: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; John 21:20-25
“Jesus said to Peter, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’ ”

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Solemnity of Pentecost
Feel the power
When the disciples gathered for the “first” Pentecost, the stage was set for something dramatic to happen. The Jewish feast of Pentecost was a harvest festival but also the celebration of God’s covenants with the Israelites, especially Moses receiving the law at Mt. Sinai. So when the roaring wind of the Spirit swept in, it seemed to be coming all the way from the breath of God that swept over the waters at the creation of the world. And the gift of tongues undid the post-Tower of Babel confusion: now, many languages, but everyone understands. In that first Pentecost God gifted the church with God’s presence, with signs of a new covenant and a renewal of creation that would go out to the whole world. Catch that Spirit today.
Today’s readings: Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23
“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind.”

Monday, May 12 
Feast of Nereus and Achilleus, martyrs
Not in words only, but deeds
The New Testament Letter of James is not without contention in Christian history. Whatever its authorship, its purpose is clear: to remind us of what is expected in the daily living of those who belong to Christ Jesus. James encourages those who bear trials—perhaps not unlike Nereus and Achilleus, ancient and otherwise unknown martyrs whom we celebrate today. The oppression that most interests James, however, is that which divides the rich and poor, an injustice no Christian should stand for. James is all about faith in action. Sadly, the divide between rich and poor is as true today as ever, even in our own country, and just as wrong.
Today’s readings: James 1:1-11; Mark 8:11-13
“The testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Tuesday, May 13 
Feast of Our Lady of Fatima
Good to see you!
In a wonderful book called Our Lady of the Lost and Found, by Diane Schoemperlen, which Mary lovers should not miss, Our Lady appears to a modern-day unsuspecting Protestant woman. “It’s me, Mary,” she says. “Mother of God.” Not getting a reaction, Our Lady winsomely continues introducing herself with a litany of names by which she’s been known throughout history. Finally, the narrator has the presence of mind to answer: “Hello.” Some of us might do no better. Those who have reported apparitions of Mary have often had a hard time upholding their end of the conversation. Prepare by starting the conversation today.
Today’s readings: James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21
“Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear?”

Wednesday, May 14 
Feast of Matthias, apostle
Like winning the lottery
Awareness of our vocation doesn’t arrive in cookie-cutter fashion. Some of us always knew what we were born to do, and others discover it along the way. One young girl knew she wanted to be a speech therapist when she saw a soap opera character play the role. An encounter with an enthusiastic teacher can lead to a life in education. A visit to an art museum can awaken the creative urge, or a lifelong hobby can become a business venture. Matthias became the 13th apostle by a casting of lots. Keep your eyes open; vocation will find you.
Today’s readings: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; John 15:9-17
“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

Thursday, May 15 
Feast of Isidore
Food for thought
“Eating is a moral act,” says the National Catholic Rural Life Conference (www.ncrlc.com), an organization that “applies the teachings of Jesus Christ for the social and economic development of rural America with responsibility for the care of God’s creation.” By providing spiritual support, education, and advocacy, the NCRLC helps rural people shape their own destinies and lead lives of dignity. As we honor Isidore, a Spanish farmer of simple means remembered for his generosity with those less fortunate, today is a good day to take a look at the U.S. Catholic bishops’ 2003 pastoral letter on food and farm issues, For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food.
Today’s readings: James 2:1-9; Mark 8:27-33
“Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?”

Friday, May 16
A world away
The news is full of stories of people in positions of power who have misused their status for personal advantage, and so it’s easy to dismiss as “not intended for me” Jesus’ famous question to his followers, what profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? But the “whole world” is a relative term, and we have all sought it at various times—whether that world is money, influence, or the admiration of our family. Any time we let the ends justify the means, we are seeking to gain the whole world. In what ways have we sought to “gain the whole world” and what has been lost in the pursuit? What small change can we make today to rebalance our priorities?
Today’s readings: James 2:14-24, 26; Mark 8:34-9:1
“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for the sake of the gospel will save it.”

Saturday, May 17
Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Knowing the Beloved
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this whopping statement to make about Mary: “The Marian dimension of the church precedes the Petrine” (no. 773). In other words, she’s bigger than the pope and has more primacy than Peter. And she, like the Father, can speak of her beloved Son and the need for us to listen to him. Mary knew Jesus in her body just as we know Jesus in our own bodies through the mystery of the Eucharist. From within his words still speak to us when we study the gospels. Wouldn’t today be a good day to listen to what he has to say?
Today’s readings: James 3:1-10; Mark 9:2-13
“From the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ ”

 Sunday, May 18, 2008
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
A shining example
It’s no accident that Christians have been trying to figure out how to understand the Trinity for as long as they have been thinking about God. On the surface this doctrine has more apparent contradictions than the instructions for your income tax return. How can three be one and one three, different and the same? One God, three “persons”? No wonder people have resorted to metaphors to try to explain it.
The first- and second-century African theologian Tertullian, who apparently invented the term Trinity, said it was like the rays of the sun or branches from a root: the same material, different outflows. Perhaps it’s simplest to say that we can think of God in more than one way—as a creator, a human being, an ongoing presence, among others. Or that God is a community of love that draws us into that divine life of love. However you imagine it, immerse yourself in this inexhaustible mystery that tells us so much about who God is.
Today’s readings: Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

Monday, May 19 
Father knows best what to pray for
Many of us can relate to the worried father in the gospel story who wished his faith was a little—or maybe a lot—stronger. We’d all like to have the kind of faith extolled in the famous hymn “Faith of Our Fathers.” Perhaps more often sung in Protestant churches than Catholic ones today, this hymn ironically was written by an Anglican who converted to Catholicism. The “fathers” author Frederick W. Faber referred to were not the early “Fathers of the Church,” as many assume, but the leaders of the Catholic Church who died during King Henry VIII’s establishment of the Anglican Church in Great Britain. Pray for an extra dose of faith today as you face your own challenges.
Today’s readings: James 3:13-18; Mark 9:14-29
“Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ ”

Tuesday, May 20 
Feast of Bernardine of Siena, priest
Up the down staircase
One of things that makes Christianity unique is the fact that the road to glory is frequently a lowly one. Take Saint Bernardine, for example. Born in 1380, he started “down,” becoming a hermit at a young age. Then there was an up, when he joined the Franciscans and was assigned the task of preaching. But wait, he had a throat illness. No problem: He was cured of that. Up again when the Franciscans made him head of the order and down when he resigned this position to devote himself to preaching. He spent the rest of his life on an up note, traveling throughout Italy preaching the name of Jesus. Where can you take a step down in order to step up to your Christian calling?
Today’s readings: James 4:1-10; Mark 9:30-37
“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”

Wednesday, May 21
Where did the bad guys go?
In the popular, low-budget westerns of the 1940s and 1950s, the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys dressed in black. In the gospel the disciples rush to Jesus to finger one of the “bad guys” for performing miracles in Jesus’ name without prior clearance. But Jesus had another script in mind, one that does not need to be the director in control of all the good action that comes about because of his inspiration. In the same way, we as individuals and as church communities do well to examine our own need to “be in control.”
Today’s readings: James 4:13-17; Mark 9:38-40
“For whoever is not against us is for us.”

Thursday, May 22 
Feast of Rita of Cascia, religious
In support of marriage and family
If you knew you would be canonized a saint and could choose your patronage now, for what cause would you cheerfully accept intercessions? Be careful in your selection: Saints become the patrons of causes they know all too well. Rita of Cascia is the patron saint of bad marriages, victims of spousal abuse, and loneliness, among other conditions she endured personally. Unhappily, there are still many who seek her help today. Statistics indicate that spousal abuse occurs as frequently in the best zip codes as in the roughest. Support local programs that assist families in trouble.
Today’s readings: James 5:1-6; Mark 9:41-50
“Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.”

Friday, May 23
Pray for significant others
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “the relationship between man and woman . . . has always been threatened by discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and separation” (1606).
What to do? If you have ever prayed for someone besides yourself, or if you’ve been told by someone that he or she prayed for you, you know that praying for another person is one of the most unselfish acts we can do for one another. Any day in a marriage is a good day for unselfish acts. Decide to pray open-heartedly for your spouse. If you are not married but would like to be, say a prayer for your spouse-to-be. Or simply say a prayer for someone you love. Then see what changes.
Today’s readings: James 5:9-12; Mark 10:1-12
“Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

Saturday, May 24
All things to all people
The picture of Jesus embracing children is irresistible and sentimental. This is a Jesus we like and want to be close to, but our affection and welcome of others may not be limited to the cuddly. The Letter to James insists on the relatedness of one Christian to another, brothers and sisters, both those who are “in good spirits” and those “suffering.” In all cases we are to be with one another, forgiving each other, bringing each other to the Lord, and most of all praying for each other. “The prayer of the righteous is very powerful,” especially prayer made concrete in loving kindness that imitates that of the love of Christ.
Today’s readings: James 5:13-20; Mark 10:13-16
“The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.”

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Enjoy a full-bodied feast
The addition of today’s feast to the church calendar was primarily the result of the work of 13th-century Augustinian nun Juliana of Liège. She worked in her convent’s hospital nursing the sick. During this time she reported having visions of Christ reminding her that there was no feast for the Holy Sacrament. She persuaded Saint Thomas Aquinas to compose a special prayer to honor the Blessed Sacrament, and in 1264 Pope Urban IV made Corpus Christi a feast day. Today is a fitting day to ponder what it might mean for us to give ourselves “body and soul” to the Good News, as Jesus did.
Today’s readings: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?”

Monday, May 26 
Feast of Philip Neri, priest
Conversion by any means
Though God is only and ever one and unchangeable, curiously there are a wide variety of ways by which people may come to God. Few understood this better than Saint Phillip Neri (1515-1595). Known for his unpredictability, Phillip took vastly different approaches to bringing people to a conversion. Once when a man came to his Oratory prayer meeting for the sole purpose of mocking it, Phillip refused to let him be thrown out or reproached. Eventually this man, seeing such patience, became a Dominican. In quite another example, when Phillip encountered a sinner who refused to listen to him or to repent, Phillip seized the man at the neck and threw him to the ground. The startled man pretty quickly consented to repentance! Consider how your small attempts at evangelization might be tailored to each individual.
Today’s readings: 1 Peter 1:3-9; Mark 10:17-27
“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Tuesday, May 27 
Feast of Augustine of Canterbury, bishop
A mission of love
In the sixth century Pope Gregory I sent Saint Augustine and 40 other Benedictine monks on a daunting journey to bring the gospel to England. At that time the only missionaries in the West had been monks in Ireland, and Rome had lost touch with the Celtic church. As a missionary, Augustine was sensitive to cultural differences and sought not to coerce the English with the Good News but show them it was for their good, telling the king, Ethelbert, “Do not see us as coming to force upon an unknown people benefits against their will. Be assured that only a great love constrains us to do this.” In witnessing to what we believe, we should start with where people are at, not where we want them to be, and try to show them the way of faith will enrich their lives.
Today’s readings: 1 Peter 1:10-16; Mark 10:28-31
“For it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ”

Wednesday, May 28
First serve
All throughout history there have been truths that, once discovered and accepted, have changed everything. That the earth is round is one such truth; that the sun is the center of our solar system is another. The revolution in thought that followed these discoveries is hard to overstate. The same applies to spiritual truths: Once they are known and accepted, the unwieldy, disconnected pieces of our lives tend to fall into place and everything changes for the better.
Jesus’ statement, “I came not to be served, but to serve,” is one such radical, spiritual truth. If we lived our lives from this perspective, conflicts would be transcended and wisdom and compassion would prevail. Just for today, can I approach every task and every person with this attitude in mind?
Today’s readings: 1 Peter 1:18-25; Mark 10:32-45
“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

Thursday, May 29
Call forwarding
Mother Teresa—now Blessed Teresa of Calcutta—had a way of packing a lot of insight into statements that on the surface seemed pretty elementary. Take for example the way she described the Missionaries of Charity, the order she founded to care for the destitute dying and other “unwanted” persons: “Many people mistake our work for our vocation,” she said. “Our vocation is the love of Jesus.” Her words can apply to everyone. Whatever you do, put love for Jesus, and others, at the heart, and you will be truly living a vocation and a calling.
Today’s readings: 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12; Mark 10:46-52
“And they called to the blind man, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ ”

Friday, May 30 
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Listen to the beating of Love
The 13th-century mystic Saint Gertrude received a vision of John the Evangelist. Her first question to him concerned the night of the Last Supper when the disciple rested his head on Jesus’ chest. She wondered, had he heard Christ’s heart beating, and if so, why he had not revealed that to us. But John replied he had withheld this intimate revelation until a time when the world had grown cold.
Meditate on this intimacy, laying your head on the chest of Jesus and feeling his sacred heart beat for you, as sure and constant as the rising and setting sun. As long as it beats, it remains, as the Litany of the Sacred Heart tells us, patient and rich and mercy, the desire of the everlasting hills.
Today’s readings: Deuteronomy 7:6-11; 1 John 4:7-16; Matthew 11:25-30
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Saturday, May 31 
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Let it begin with me
So many events in the Bible would never have occurred if humans had not believed enough to act in spite of their doubts and fears. In story after story we read that people are essential to carrying out God’s plan for humanity. From Abraham and Sarah to Mary and Elizabeth, and continuing right down through the centuries to the present day, God inspires us to speak that courageous word, to offer that consoling message, to say “yes” to what we are asked to do.
You are God’s hands and ears and mouth. The next time you feel the prompting of the spirit of God, ask yourself, “If not me, then who? If not now, when?”
Today’s readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18a or Romans 12:9-16; Luke 1:39-56
“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O’Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy