Easter is the feast of all feasts, and its 50-day season stands atop the liturgical year as its climax. While we might recognize this reality, the Easter season can seem like a letdown. While the goal of Lent appears to be clear-cut -- fight against sin, do penance, increase prayer and give alms -- what about Easter? What are we supposed to do for 50 days?
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Q: One thing about which I've always been curious, especially this time of the year, is why in the various Gospel accounts of Jesus before Pilate, Jesus never directly answered, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Instead of simply saying "Yes," full stop, Jesus gave what many consider to be sidestep answers like "If you say so" or "Is that what you heard?" Could you comment? Is there a greater understanding of this exchange that I'm missing? (Indiana)
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Anyone who reads me regularly knows I am not the sort of Catholic who grabs the smelling salts for every seeming insult or ignorant remark made about the Church. Ever since Madonna danced before a burning cross I've judged most of the controversial "scandals" against Catholicism to be weak broths that turn to mere water in the face of a supernatural church that has watched the last 2,000 years of governments, political movements and infant nations parade by its Petrine seat before disappearing from sight.
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Acts 2:14, 22-33 Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 1 Pt 1:17-21 Lk 24:13-35 Easter changes everything of course. The resurrection of Jesus sets everything on its head. One must get used to Easter, adjust to it, to the very idea of it, much less the consequences of it.
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Over the last several weeks, as I travelled to and from Boston and around the region, I have been delighted to see a beautiful highway billboard with the image of Divine Mercy and the words "Jesus, I trust in You." I do not know who arranged for the billboards, but I am deeply grateful to them. It's a simple but brilliant reminder and invitation to all who pass by. Of course, with Boston traffic, there is plenty of time to contemplate the message. As I passed day after day, I reflected on that invitation and asked myself whether I am truly living that kind of trust in the Lord.
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Here is a puzzle: The suffering and death of the Lord were public. He was sentenced by Roman authorities before a crowd and put to death on a public byway with the placard, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." But his resurrection was private. He did appear to some unsought, we are told. But mainly, he appeared to his disciples, and he left it for them to tell others.
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The wide acceptance and use of the new Eucharistic Prayers throughout the Church led bishops' conferences to request approval of the Holy See for additional Eucharistic Prayers. The requests were taken under study, at first reluctantly by Roman Curial officials, but then, with the encouragement of Pope St. Paul VI, additional prayers were approved for the Roman Missal.
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Happy Easter from all of us at the Pontifical Mission Societies of Boston! May your Fifty Days of Feasting in the presence of the Risen Lord be as prayerfully fulfilling a time as your Forty Days of Fasting.
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We are children of Jesus' Resurrection from the dead. Through this wondrous sign of His great mercy, the Father of Jesus has given us new birth, as we hear in today's Epistle. Today's First Reading sketches the "family life" of our first ancestors in the household of God (see 1 Peter 4:17). We see them doing what we still do -- devoting themselves to the Apostles' teaching, meeting daily to pray and celebrate "the breaking of the bread."
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In the great Carole King song about friendship and loyalty, "You've Got A Friend," and made famous by both King and James Taylor, I keep thinking of the idea that words matter. For instance, there is the line:
Read moreActs 2:42-47 Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 1 Pt 1:3-9 Jn 20:19-31 So, just where was Thomas? When we hear this reading from St. John's Gospel, we can't help but wonder. After the crucifixion, the disciples were terrified and kept themselves locked away -- as the gospel puts it -- "for fear of the Jews." But Thomas, alone among the apostles, was conspicuously absent. Why? Did he have someplace else to be? The Gospel says this scene occurred in the evening; did he have a dinner date? Family obligations? What could possibly have pulled him away? Why did he venture out into Jerusalem at this moment, leaving a place of relative safety at a time when the followers of Jesus were literally scared for their lives?
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Q: In the Apostles Creed, we say that Jesus "descended into hell" after he died on the cross. But why would Jesus go to hell if he was sinless? A: The short answer is that Jesus was not sent to hell as a consequence for his own sinfulness, but in order to free us from ours.
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A number of springs ago, I came to the Easter Vigil Mass with the joyous anticipation of Easter muted a bit. That year, my Dad was journeying through what I knew -- but did not want to believe -- were the final months of his earthly life. I came to Mass early that night for some quiet time alone. The church was both bustling with preparation and peacefully tranquil at the same time.
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The last of the Eucharistic Prayers included in the Order of the Mass section of the Roman Missal, but not the last in the Roman Missal, as we shall see, this prayer is the second longest, about 100 words shorter than the Roman Canon.
Read moreJust over 125 years ago, on March 20, 1901, mourners filled the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for the funeral of Patrick Donahoe, founding editor of The Pilot. Born in County Cavan, Ireland, in 1811, Patrick Donahoe immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 10. At 21, he became editor of the Catholic newspaper The Jesuit, which had been founded by Boston's Bishop Benedict J. Fenwick in 1829. Before long, Donahoe and a business partner took over ownership of the paper. In 1836, they would rename their publication The Pilot. The paper became an enormous success, a leading voice in Catholic and Irish news and opinion with a national circulation. Within a few decades of launching his newspaper, Patrick Donahoe was the richest Catholic in New England.
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On Easter, Christians rejoice at the news of Jesus' resurrection. The readings for the feast attest to the power of that transformative moment in the history of salvation. The psalm rejoices in the wonders wrought by our Gracious God. In the passage from the letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts his fellow Christians to rejoice at the feast of the Resurrection. But his imagery makes clear that the joy is not mere emotion. Their joy must express itself in the goodness and honesty of their lives. The Gospel passage also proclaims good news with John's account of the astonishing discovery of the empty tomb. The neatly arranged burial cloths subtly attest that there has been no hasty theft of Jesus' body. Something far more profound is occurring here, and we learn as much when we are told that the "other disciple" sees the cloths and the tomb and believes.
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Every year, Fides News Agency, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies at our Vatican office, publishes a list of pastoral workers killed in the missions. For 2025, the roll includes the names of 17 souls -- 10 priests, 2 religious sisters, 2 seminarians, 2 catechists, and 1 lay person.
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Jesus is nowhere visible. Yet today's Gospel tells us that Peter and John "saw and believed." What did they see? Burial shrouds lying on the floor of an empty tomb. Maybe that convinced them that He hadn't been carted off by grave robbers, who usually stole the expensive burial linens and left the corpses behind.
Read moreDo you feel stuck in the spiritual life, like something is holding you back? Did Lent fall short of bringing about deeper conversion? Holy Week, as the culmination of Lent, seeks to resolve these dangling tensions, as we celebrate the Paschal Mystery, the new Passover initiated by Jesus. It's about experiencing liberation, the freedom that comes from being saved from deadly forces we can't control. It only takes death.
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Q: I heard a priest on the radio talking about holy water fonts in church, and he said that as a sacramental, the holy water "absolves us from venial sin." He actually used the word "absolves." That doesn't sound right to me. What does the Church teach about this? (Rhode Island)
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St. John Henry Newman, writing in the 19th century, wanted a Catholic laity "who know their religion ... who know what they hold and what they do not." Whatever the challenges Newman faced in the 19th century, one could argue that the challenge of educating adult Catholics in the faith is that much more significant in the 21st century.
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Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Col 3:1-4 OR 1 Cor 5:6b-8 Jn 20:1-9 "We are witnesses," said Peter. He was preaching to a bunch of Gentiles, telling them about Jesus. He was telling them that Jesus was meant for them too, that his death and resurrection was meant for them, that it could change their lives. It was a moment of witness and the Holy Spirit, a moment of baptism and forgiveness (Acts 10:1-48).
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The work continued with the project of making available more Eucharistic Prayers for the new Roman Missal. The committee members were very sensitive to the existence of many Eucharistic Prayers in the Eastern Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox.
Read moreI have always been grateful for the friendships I've been blessed to have with priests over the years. They have nurtured my faith, guided my spirit, and brought me great joy. Msgr. Frank Kelley was one of those friends, and he was one of the most wonderful priests I have ever known. As the chair of the Clergy Trust's Board of Trustees, I believe strongly in our mission because, as our tagline suggests, healthier priests build stronger communities. There was no better example of this than Msgr. Frank Kelley.
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''Let His blood be upon us and upon our children." (Matt. 27:25). This line is a heartbreaking moment in the Matthean Passion account -- the account that we will hear for Palm Sunday this year. It is shouted by the crowd as Jesus is on trial before Pilate. In recent times, this verse has engendered considerable controversy. Some commentators suggest that the verse is anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic. They fear that such language helped engender the "blood libel" against the Jews -- charging the Jewish people with the responsibility for the death of Jesus. Of course, that libel has been cited to falsely justify tragic hatred and tragic violence in the past. Nonetheless, we must distinguish the sin of this prejudice from the text of the Bible. The Scriptures summon us to love of God and neighbor.
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Do you ever pray that God would reveal life's road in front of you and show you exactly where He wants you to go, who He wants you to meet, and what words He'd like you to use? It's a common feeling no matter your vocation in life; Bishop Aloysius Abangalo Fondong of the Diocese of Mamfe, Cameroon certainly attests to it.
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"All this has come to pass that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled," Jesus says in today's Gospel (see Matthew 26:56). Indeed, we have reached the climax of the liturgical year, the highest peak of salvation history, when all that has been anticipated and promised is to be fulfilled.
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Propped up on pillows, ice packs piled on my aching chest, I watched our parish livestream of the celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday. After the painful biopsy earlier that morning, I could not make it to church -- one more loss in an unexpectedly hard Holy Week.
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Non-Catholic friends are often puzzled by our calendar of memorials and solemnities, particularly the solemnity of the Annunciation -- a moment that usually only hits their awareness in the days leading up to Christmas.
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Q: How do you proceed if the ex refuses to be a part of the annulment process? Are you stalled from moving forward? It seems to give the ex-spouse power over your spiritual growth and direction. A: The short answer is that while Catholic marriage tribunals are required to inform the respondent that a marriage nullity process is taking place, and must give the respondent every opportunity to participate, at the end of the day the process can still move forward even if the respondent chooses not to be involved for whatever reason.
Read moreMt 21:1-11 Is 50:4-7 Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 Phil 2:6-11 Mt 26:14-27:66 or Mt 27:11-54 This Sunday in between the palms and the hosannas, the breaking of bread and the agony on the cross -- one question cuts through everything: "Who is this?"
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Due to a happy confluence of events, I recently found myself in Rome for both work and pleasure -- along with thousands of other visitors who, as always, filled the lively streets of this ancient city.
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There are a few things in my work that are non-negotiable, and spending time with the student speaker for our annual Catholic Schools Foundation gala is one of them. It is one of the rare moments each year when I can sit down with a scholar, hear their story in their own words, and be reminded why this work matters so deeply.
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The addition of Eucharistic Prayers to the Roman Missal continued as we saw with the composition of what is now Eucharistic Prayer III. This prayer follows the pattern of Eucharistic Prayer II. It has some characteristics of the Roman Canon, especially in allowing for variable prefaces. As with the Roman Canon and Eucharistic Prayer II, this prayer allows for inserts -- the fancy word is "interpellations" -- for various occasions, e.g., marriage, initiation sacraments, etc.
Read moreIn celebration of both Catholic Sisters Week (March 8-14) and Women's History Month (March 1-31), for this iteration of the Archives Department column, we wanted to highlight women religious in the Archdiocese of Boston and explore some less-well-known stories of hope and heart. Many congregations have graced the Archdiocese of Boston since the Ursulines first arrived in 1819, and myriad ministries in healthcare, education, and community support have shaped the history of this place.
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''Out of the depths, I cry to Thee O Lord... ." ("De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine.") So begins a Psalm of penitence and faith that speaks from the depths of despair to the depths of the Lord's love. This famous Psalm, long used to pray for the dead, provides excellent ground for reflection in Lent when the readings treat of the mysteries of life and death. The simple language of this Psalm is profound in its capacity to express repentance, sorrow, longing, and trusting faith. It moves from the awareness of our unworthiness, to praise of God's merciful love, to hope in that loving kindness of God.
Read moreNothing excites me more than a "day off" from sitting in the office and spending the day talking about the missions with students in our Catholic schools and parishes. The Missionary Childhood Association's (MCA) "Lent Well Spent" program is typically the busiest because prayer and sacrifice tie into the spirit of the liturgical season. Students commit to pray a daily Hail Mary for the missions. They also sacrifice their time and talent to fill their Mite Boxes (mission banks) by finding money, which a student from Saint Mary School, Lynn, calls "coins from heaven", doing extra chores, or even running a lemonade stand.
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As we draw near to the end of Lent, today's Gospel clearly has Jesus' passion and death in view. That's why John gives us the detail about Lazarus' sister, Mary -- that she is the one who anointed the Lord for burial (see John 12:3, 7). His disciples warn against returning to Judea; Thomas even predicts they will "die with Him" if they go back.
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