Many spiritual writers bring before their readers the need for spiritual warfare. The first thing to realize is that there is a battle between good and evil, heaven and earth. Many are complacent, indifferent, or apathetic. Once a person is aware of this struggle then the antidote to the poison can be utilized. The Gospel this Sunday points us to Jesus Christ.

As Church we are always looking for ways to encourage our families: husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and children. It is because we believe that the vocation of married people is special; it is integrally linked to God’s plan in many wonderful ways

This feast is set aside to remind us of the great gift we have from the Lord Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The night He was betrayed by sin and hate, ourselves included, He did the opposite and instituted for us the Most Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of Love.

The entire Church is called upon to be renewed by the Most Holy Trinity through authentic teaching, discipline, and spirituality. There is no other way and no short cut. It is the Way of the Lord, which is tried and true. He is our first, last, best, and only hope. We are confident that He will remain with us always, as He promised.

Pentecost marks the fiftieth day of the Lord’s Resurrection when He sent among us the Holy Spirit to carry on His work. The apostles were afraid until they received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, then they went out to preach, teach, shepherd, and sanctify by the power of Christ crucified and risen. This power remains with us in our day and will continue to He returns at His second coming.

The Solemnity of the Ascension makes clear the Lord’s mandate that we continue His work in the Church until He returns in glory. What could be more explicit than the words: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”

As we prepare to be renewed in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit for the Great Feast of Pentecost we are asked to turn over to God what matters most. He wants from us our loving, faithful, obedience. What we treasure and possess in Jesus (and thus in union with Him and by His saving grace) we dare to present to our Heavenly Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This Fourth Sunday of Easter we meet Christ, the Good Shepherd. The comparison of the Lord to a good shepherd comforts and encourages us. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will never abandon his sheep.

The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist make up what we know as the Holy Mass. At every Mass Jesus draws us into His work of salvation here and now. It is the best way to participate in what we call the Paschal Mystery. In the Gospel account from Luke 24 we learn these truths in a charming way.

It was appropriate that Saint John Paul II was beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday. During his pontificate, he canonized Sister Faustina, who promoted the Lord’s Divine Mercy. He began the custom of referring to this Sunday as Divine Mercy Sunday.

“For He has risen, as He said” we hear in the Gospel of the Easter Vigil. The Lord Jesus has fulfilled His promise. We have nothing to fear because of His definitive victory over the death of sin and the death of the body. Through His passion and death on the cross and His glorious Resurrection the Gates of Heaven are now open to all those of good will, who by faith and by grace follow in His footsteps. In union with Christians throughout the world we are filled with joy. We shout out for all to hear: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

With Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday) we solemnly begin the celebration of the core events of our faith. Jesus entered Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise. In fervent prayer we follow the Lord as we hope to enter more fully into His Suffering, His Death, and His Resurrection.

Sooner or later each of us experiences the loss of a loved one. Usually, the closer we are to that person the greater is our grief. Grief is difficult. It touches us profoundly. The only response that satisfies comes from Jesus and it is always personal.

Today, we are at the mid-point of Lent. In our liturgical tradition this Sunday is called Laetare Sunday, coming from the first Latin word of the ancient Gregorian chant entrance song or Introit, which is in both forms of the Roman Rite. “Laetare” means “rejoice.”

Commemorating the 17 year anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross and the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary joining together in Salutations and Veneration of the relic of the Holy Cross of our Lord.

The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of St. John is one that is touching and yet profound. In our journey of faith much is revealed to us: Jesus is the living water, Jesus forgives our sins, Jesus heals us from the wounds of sin, Jesus quenches the thirst of souls, Jesus gives us the hope of life eternal, He fulfills our deepest longings and desires, God loves us and brings us salvation.

Sometimes it is said that the devil is present in thoughts of discouragement. I suppose that is said because if we become discouraged, then we can be tempted to give up the faith and thus lose hope.

During these first days of Lent, we have had a chance to put into effect our spiritual battle plan. The gospels since Ash Wednesday have reminded us of the need to pray, to do penance, and to love our neighbor, which reveal to us the loving face of our heavenly Father.

On Ash Wednesday, February 22nd, this coming week, the Catholic Church throughout the world will begin the solemn season of prayer, fasting, penance, and almsgiving known as Lent.

Though we cannot live in the past, and though we cannot reject changes for the better, we do reject the replacement of God’s Laws in matters of faith and morals with that of mere humans.