Columns 2023

In the tenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, we hear of the Mission (v. 1–4) and Commissioning (v. 5–15) of the 12 apostles. As Jesus sends out (commissions) his apostles, he also warns them, in verses 16–25, of “coming persecutions” and, in verses 26–33, tells them three times (v. 26, 28, and 31) “do not be afraid” when persecution comes.

Idecided to include this lengthy quote from one of St. Augustine’s best-known sermons because I was originally “looking” for the last line, “Be what you see; receive what you are.” Those few words are one of the reasons why this sermon is so often quoted. I felt that it would be better to include the longer quote so that readers who may be unfamiliar with the (full) sermon could hear some of what led up to the “famous line.” The quote above is about one-third of the full sermon. I encourage readers to follow the link and read the text of the full sermon.

Each year the Church gives us the beautiful “Easter Season” — the 50 days (seven weeks) when we celebrate the Joy of the Resurrection. During the Easter Season, both on Sundays and weekdays, we hear the Gospel accounts of Jesus appearing to his apostles and others after he had risen from the dead. In the First Reading at Mass during the Easter Season, we hear the story of the early Church from the Acts of the Apostles.

Jesus continues to “walk with us” on the journey of our lives and the journey of faith. A few weeks ago, on the third Sunday of Easter, we heard these words from Luke’s Gospel, the story of the “Road to Emmaus.” I hope that we all took the opportunity to prayerfully ask ourselves whether and how often we “invite” Jesus into our lives, as they did, with the words, “Stay with us.” We can also ask ourselves, are we truly open to “encounter” Him at Mass, as they did on their journey, both in His word, “… he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures…” and in the Eucharist, His “real presence,” as they recognized Him, “in the breaking of the bread”?

I hope that readers of this column are aware that we recently started a “Diocesan Podcast” called Beyond The Beacon. For readers who have already begun listening to or watching (on YouTube) the podcast, I hope that you can appreciate that a podcast is one more way in which we can share some of the “good news” about the Church in our Diocese. I also hope that you can see the podcast as a “format” that can potentially be a more “interactive” way to both share and discuss “news” that affects us as individuals, families, and communities of faith.