The Gospels walk us along a journey with Jesus that ultimately leads to Jerusalem, to his torture, crucifixion and death…. but ultimately to the glory of his resurrection. Today’s Gospel begins with two disciples leaving Jerusalem, their hopes dashed and their hearts broken…they sadly say…“we had hoped”… they encounter a stranger with whom they share their story and their own doubt at the testimony of the women who had encountered an angel with glad tidings of the resurrection and all the ensuing confusion amongst their group. Their faith seems gone…their hope vanquished. But Jesus will not allow them to continue in their despair….he goes after them in an attempt to turn them around…to restore their hope and their faith…ultimately giving them a new purpose in life…the proclamation of the Good News of the resurrection!

As they walk along the road their hearts are set afire and burn within them… their hope and faith in this Jesus Christ is rekindled. Jesus reveals himself to them in the breaking of the bread…they dared not even speak the question of who this stranger might be…for they knew! And even though he vanished from their midst…he remained with them in their trembling hands that held the bread that had been broken and blessed…he remained in their burning hearts. In his absence they felt his real presence and they were forever changed.

Regardless of how many times we may turn away and walk down a different road…Jesus comes after us…he seeks us out and set our hearts afire once again. Each time we gather to bless, to break and to share the bread, “-even though we gather at home in separate places-” we are still bound together in Christ and Christ is present with each of us and nonetheless Christ still invites us to open ourselves to that presence and share of his very self, wherever we are. And in this sharing we are more and more transformed into the Risen Body of Christ…not for ourselves but for the sake of the life of the world!

We are sent, just like the original disciples, to carry forth “The Presence” into a broken world so desperately in need of healing, especially in the midst of this pandemic…we are called to be the stranger who walks with those whose hearts are breaking, whose hopes are dashed…we are called to be bread broken and shared for the sake of the world. In this moment we are called to reach out to all those living in fear and trembling, isolated and lonely, to be the presence of the Risen Christ to them. Like the breaking of the bread moment for the disciples, what moments have I had when I felt the presence of the Risen Christ in my life? How did it affect me? How can I be “the Presence” to others in my life? Who has been the least likely “Presence” to me…what did I learn from the encounter?

Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim

The amazing stories of encounter and of resurrection continue, and more and more of his followers claim to have seen and talked to him. But it is all so strange, it is all just too much to believe so Thomas proclaims that not until he sees, not until he touches, will he believe this outrageous resurrection story! Can you blame him? Imagine being there at the very beginning, being amongst the first to whom Jesus appeared and who were told about Jesus’ appearances! It must have all been so frightening and bewildering. Thomas and others must have felt overwhelmed by it all, and so no wonder he doubted and demanded to see and touch for himself! And Jesus appears and offers Thomas his hands and his side to touch and see, that yes, indeed, it is he, he has risen and he is alive! How even more disorienting THAT must have been!

And when Jesus appears to the disciples even though most of them had deserted him and some had even disowned him, Jesus shows no anger or resentment but only offers his peace and forgiveness…his mercy! That mercy and forgiveness falls upon us gently as the rain even in the midst of this pandemic, even in the midst of our fear and anxiety, even in the midst of our sense of lostness and distress the risen Christ walks through this dark night with us, by our side, and to him we may cling just as Mary did when Jesus appeared to her.

​Let Christ be our light in the midst of this dark night. And as we celebrate the resurrection, God’s gift to us of eternal life, we celebrate God’s mercy; God’s love and forgiveness which falls upon us as gently as the rain, neither earned nor measured, freely given, for us to take and receive. For or from what in my life might I need forgiveness? Is there someone I need to offer forgiveness to? How is God’s mercy present in my life? How might I be the light of Christ to someone living in the darkness of loneliness, need, fear or other suffering?

Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim

On that first day of the week, while it was still dark…Mary went to the tomb only to discover it empty….then she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple. She was in a hurry to share what she had found; and by her sharing, a small community took up the search for Jesus…only to eventually discover “The Christ”…”The Risen One”.

Though we know well the Easter story, do we ever fully grasp its meaning? The stone has been rolled away…the tomb is empty for resurrected life cannot be contained! Like the first believers, we so often must continue to live even with our dashed hopes, our suffering and our misunderstanding of God’s mysterious power. Like the first believers, we come to the tomb and expect to find death, but instead we find signs of a new life that we cannot even begin to comprehend. Like the first believers, we do not realize that all of history has been broken open and is now filled with the resurrected presence of the Risen One!

And now in the midst of this pandemic we can focus on only the sickness and suffering and death, or we can also look at coming together -- the reaching out to those in need, the selflessness of first responders, nurses and doctors and hospital workers. We can look at all the people who continue to put themselves at risk so we can shop for food and gas, all the volunteers at food pantries and free food pick-up restaurants. We can see too the simple acts of kindness and care shown to neighbors and an increased attention to the homeless.

So in the midst of all the suffering and fear let us not forget that this is the day the Lord has made…let us rejoice and be glad! Like the disciples let us actively seek the risen One in our midst…in the ordinary of our daily lives…in simple acts of charity and kindness, for as surely as Christ appeared to the disciples, Christ now appears to us in our lives, even in the midst of death, sorrow and pain, Christ is present and this is what helps us carry on! Let us keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to the presence of the Risen One. Let us, like Mary, run forth to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all the world!

I pray you all, God’s most abundant Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim

Palm Sunday begins with joyful Hosannas and then we, so quickly, move to the suffering and death of Jesus. It is all so emotionally overwhelming. But the joyfulness of the Hosannas still ring out even after we enter into the Passion. Why?...because, even as absurd as it sounds, our God loves us so much, that God was willing to pour out, to empty of self, even unto suffering and death, so that we would see once and for all that there is no length to which God will not go to prove how much we are “the beloved”! The whole of the message of the suffering and death of Christ is bound up in this reality…we are deeply and passionately loved by God…just as we are!

God continues to love us even in the midst of our brokenness and sinfulness. So much so, that God’s very self, in the flesh, was willing to suffer and die to show forth that love and to pour forth forgiveness upon the face of all the earth. And in the midst of this pandemic we need to remember just how deeply and passionately we are loved. We need to place our worries, fears and preoccupations in Jesus’ hands and remember that Christ is by our side through it all! The Passion story is ultimately a love story…there is none greater than this!

Am I able to accept God’s love and forgiveness as freely as it is offered to me? Is there someone I need to share that love and forgiveness with? As we careen toward Easter…what will my resurrection story be? What will I be “resurrected” from?

Palm Sunday Blessings,
Fr Tim