Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Maundy Thursday John 13:1-15 We formally enter into the Paschal Mystery of our Lord, or the mystery of his passion, death, and resurrection.  We need to enter fully into this mystery and know what it means for us.   And if there's a word that would encapsulate its meaning, the word would be "gift". As we are fond of receiving gifts, we also realize that gifts have qualities needed for them to become real gifts.  For instance, a gift has to be freely given with a joyful heart.  If it is forced because we expect to receive something, then it is not truly a gift.  The Holy Eucharist and Jesus' command of love, on the other hand, are authentic gifts from Jesus.  What constitutes a true gift? First, a gift needs to be given in the spirit of pure, immaculate intentions, as pure as a young lamb prepared for the family during the time of Moses.  In the gospel, Jesus is Begotten Son anointed by the Father with the purest heart filled with love for ...

The gift  Mark 4:21-25 Appreciate the Gift - Jesus himself.  This gift causes us to change.  This gift of love causes us to love and he gives his love freely to us. The gift of Jesus produces a stream of love and good works. In the Gospel, the gift is the amount measured that will be measured back to us.  "For a man who has, more will be given; but for the man who has not, even the little he has will be taken away from him." We don't want to lose our gifts.  To multiply it, let us give more to Jesus.

Jesus is Himself the gift  Our Easter observance takes us now to Stephen, the first martyr. He was a deacon. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he gave witness to Jesus' resurrection even he hadn't seen him. Two signs that he was living out Jesus - his vision of the heavens opening and seeing the angels, and asking for forgiveness for those who were persecuting him. Stephen is a living sign of the resurrection of Jesus. In the gospel, Jesus invites us to purify our intention for serving Him. It is not because of the many gifts that we receive from him; rather, he himself is the gift. And through the Holy Sacrifice of the mass, he freely gives himself to us. Jesus, his very person, is the gift. On our pilgrim way to heaven, may we opt to be like Jesus day by day, believing totally in His care and love, and slowly be transformed according to His image and likeness.