3rd Sunday of Easter, Cycle A - April 19, 2026

 3rd Sunday of Easter – A 

April 19, 2026          8:30am

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Emmaus and Eucharist

 

Today’s gospel is one of my favorite passages in the Scripture.

 

I see a number of moments in this Emmaus story that parallel the moments or parts of the Mass. Let’s look at them and see what you think. 

 

1. Loss

 

The first moment is what we can call loss.

 

The two disciples walking to Emmaus are talking about what has happened to Jesus. They have suffered a great loss and feel very disappointed.

 

I believe that, in a way, we identify with their loss. The loss I am thinking of is that at times, we lose some of our sense of closeness with God because of something we have done. 

 

And so, usually right at the beginning of Mass, we express this sense of loss when we say, “Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord have mercy.” We are asking God’s forgiveness and healing of this loss of closeness.

 

2. Presence

 

That admission of loss opens us to the second moment in the Mass, and this is presence – the presence of God in the Word.

 

Usually, we think of God or Jesus being present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. But the Emmaus story tells us that Jesus is first present to the two disciples in the Word. 

 

It says that he breaks open the Scriptures for them. The same thing happens here at Mass. 

 

God enlightens, inspires, comforts, challenges, and motivates us in the readings. So, just as Jesus is present in opening up the Word on the way to Emmaus, he is also present here at Mass in the Word.

 

3. Invitation

 

Then, touched by this presence of Jesus, we come to the third moment of the Mass, and this is invitation.

 

The disciples on the road to Emmaus invite Jesus to stay with them. We also do that here at Mass.

 

I suggest we do this when we offer the Profession of Faith and then bring the bread and wine to the altar. In the Profession of Faith, we affirm Jesus’ presence in the Word that we have just heard.

 

And in the presentation of the bread and wine, we are saying that we want him to stay and that we even want more of his presence. These are our ways of inviting Jesus to stay with us. 

 

4. Communion

 

That takes us to the fourth moment in the Mass, and this is Communion.

 

The two disciples in the Emmaus story invite Jesus to stay but then he reverses things and in effect he becomes their host. He immediately does what he did at the Last Supper and gives himself to them in the bread and wine.

 

So, here at Mass, as soon as we invite Jesus to stay with us, he becomes our host and offers us the sacrament – the gift of Holy Communion. In fact, maybe this is why Jesus left the earth and returned to the Father.

 

Through Communion he can be even closer to us, so close that there is nothing between us. We have this intimate communion with him in the Eucharist.

 

5. Mission

 

Finally, Communion leads to the fifth and last moment of the Mass, and this is mission.

 

The two disciples at Emmaus immediately go and tell the others about their experience with the risen Jesus. We are also to do the same thing.

 

This is why we conclude Mass with words like, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” So, the final moment in Eucharistic life is mission.

 

We are to bring the presence of Christ to the everyday spaces of life. We are to proclaim the light and hope of Easter by the way we live. 

 

Conclusion

 

So, I think this Emmaus story is quite rich!

 

It is a great teaching about the Mass!  From 1) loss to 2) presence to 3) invitation to 4) communion to 5) mission – this is what the Mass is all about.

Second Sunday of Easter, Cycle A - April 12, 2026

 Second Sunday of Easter – A 

April 12, 2026          5:00pm

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton        

 

“Peace be with you” 

 

Three times in today’s gospel Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” 

 

From this and other passages, it is clear that peace is important to the risen Christ. He wants us to be at peace within ourselves and with one another. 

 

Right now, there is no peace in a number of areas of our world. Our own country is involved in a war with Iran.

 

Pope Leo – A Vigil for Peace

 

Pope Leo has called for today to be a vigil for peace.

 

Especially over the last month, he has spoken about the morality of warfare – what is required for a war to be moral and what is not moral in warfare. 

 

On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo  said: “I am asking all people of goodwill to always search for peace and not for violence, to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is unjust...

 

“Today, there has also been the threat against the entire people of Iran. And this is truly unacceptable.

 

“There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole. We have a situation in the Middle East…which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world.

 

“I would invite all citizens of all the countries to contact the authorities…to ask them, to tell them to work for peace and reject war and violence.” And with that, Pope Leo calls for today to be a vigil for peace.       

 

The Just War Teaching

 

He was speaking with the tradition of our Catholic Just War Teaching.  

 

This teaching finds its origin in the writings of Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas. The teaching emphasizes that the Church sees evils and injustices arising from warfare. 

 

It teaches that all governments and citizens are obliged to work to avoid war. If war cannot be avoided, then there are certain moral principles to guide us in this Just War Doctrine. 

 

But we need to be clear that the Church is teaching about defensive wars – a country resorting to military action for its legitimate defense. The Church teaches that an aggressive act of warfare always seems to be immoral and not justified. 

 

I am going to highlight briefly just three of the six conditions that are needed for a war to be morally just. I hope this will be helpful in forming our own conscience and judgments.  

 

The Just War Teaching 

 

Number 1. Before resorting to war, all other means to deal with the aggression or threat must have been tried.

 

This means that diplomacy and negotiation must have first been sincerely and fully tried. And they must be found to be ineffective or to have failed before engaging in warfare.

 

Number 2. The use of arms must not produce evils that are graver than the evil to be avoided.

 

The idea is that engaging in war will inevitably bring about the loss of life and human suffering and this is especially true with the power of today’s weaponry. To be moral and just, warfare must nor bring about evils that are greater than the evil to be avoided.  

 

And Number 3. For a war to be just, non-combatants or civilians must not be targeted. 

 

There must be respect for the lives of private citizens. Any act of war that is directed at cities or other areas where many people live is immoral and merits condemnation. 

 

Conclusion

 

As I said, they are three of the principles of our Church’s Just war Doctrine – conditions required for war to be morally just. 

 

I hope that this helps us in forming our own conscience about this moral issue. We pray for peace – for a peaceful solution of the war between our country and Iran and of other wars going on right now. 

 

Today Jesus’ says, “Peace be with you,” and then, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” He sends us as messengers and makers of peace. 

Easter Sunday, Cycle A - April 5, 2026

 Easter Sunday – A 

April 5, 2026

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Chocolat

 

This past Thursday, three days ago, I received in the mail a box of homemade Easter eggs from my sister-in-law Lynn.

 

Lynn makes these every year. They are buttercreams coated with dark chocolate and they are delicious.

 

Well, these Easter eggs led me to remember a movie named Chocolat. Chocolat, as may be obvious, is, the French word for chocolate and I suggest that this movie is a great Easter story.

 

The story takes place in a small French village in 1959. Life in this little village is very traditional, very structured, and very rigid.

 

But then, into the village comes a young woman named Vianne and her little daughter. Vianne opens a chocolaterie – a chocolate shop.

 

She makes and sells anything made with chocolate – chocolates filled with nuts and jellies and crèmes, hot chocolate, chocolate cake, everything. You can gain a couple pounds just watching the movie!

 

The mayor of this French town is very opposed to the chocolate shop and tries to keep the villagers from patronizing it. He sees it as a place of sinful indulgence.

 

And, of course, because Vianne opened the chocolate shop during Lent, the mayor judges it to be the work of the devil. Well, despite all of the mayor’s efforts to make it fail, the shop succeeds.

 

Vianne’s shop becomes a place of acceptance, love, and care.  Little by little the entire village is changed and on Easter Sunday, even the young parish priest throws away his traditional homily and just speaks from the heart about what the risen Christ means to him.

 

He tells the villagers and us, the audience, not to measure goodness by what we can condemn and reject and exclude. Instead, he calls us to measure goodness by what we can create and love and embrace.

 

A Resurrection Story

 

As I said, I see Chocolat as an Easter story, a resurrection story.

 

It tells how people of this French village come to fuller life or simply come to life after being virtually dead.  On the surface, this happens because of chocolate, but in truth, the transformation happens because of the qualities that Vianne has introduced.

 

Chocolat and Easter give us messages like:

v the value of uniting rather than dividing people – key word – uniting people.

v the importance of accepting differences rather than rejecting those who are different – key word – accepting differences.

v the excitement of creating opportunities rather staying stuck in the status quo – key word – creating opportunities.

v The merit of highlighting light rather than ruminating on darkness – key word – highlighting light. 

 

Actions like these – uniting people, accepting differences, creating opportunities, and highlighting light – actions like these   are life-giving. They bring us a satisfaction that is invaluable. 

 

They give us a fullness that we can find in no other way. And, of course, the grounding of all of this is Jesus, the risen Christ – as the young priest in Chocolat came to realize.

 

Jesus’ life on earth and then his death and resurrection – these teach the truth of the Easter mystery that dying leads to rising. Dying, letting go of lesser ways and following the lead of Jesus, the risen Christ – this gives us life. 

 

Embrace Easter 

 

So, today I invite you to really embrace the message of Easter. 

 

Embrace it, as happened in that little Franch town. If we do that, we will discover that the way of the risen Christ – uniting people, accepting differences, creating opportunities, and highlighting light – this way gives us such a fullness of life that resurrection just feels right and makes sense.  

 

That’s the message of Easter that I bring to all of us this morning. That’s how I see our faith in the risen Christ. 

 

So, Happy Easter and please enjoy your chocolates!

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, Cycle A - March 29, 2026

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – A  

March 29, 2026       5pm   

            Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

The Passion According to Matthew

 

We just heard the account of Jesus’ Passion according to Matthew. I want to comment briefly on two details in this passage. 

 

God’s Forgiveness/Love

 

First, Matthew is the only gospel writer who informs us about Judas taking his own life.

 

Why does he mention this? Judas comes to realize that he has betrayed a good and holy man and he feels remorseful.

 

But tragically, he does not realize that Jesus is so good that he still loves him and will forgive him. Judas is unable to see this.

 

So, by recalling this, Matthew wants us to be clear that nothing we do is too bad to be forgiven by God. God’s love is full and complete. 

 

So, maybe there is something we have never told anyone and won’t even mention in confession. It can be something that we just feel ashamed of.

 

Whatever it is, the lesson here is that there is nothing about us that is beyond God’s forgiveness. It’s important for us to remember this for our own sake. 

 

It’s important for us to share this with anyone who feels so sinful or guilty that they think they cannot be forgiven. And it’s important for us as a Church to see our ministry not as judging and condemning, but as healing and restoring to wholeness. 

 

God’s Presence/Closeness

 

The other detail I want to highlight is the tearing of the curtain in the temple.

 

Today’s passage says that at the moment Jesus dies, “the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.” This veil or curtain separated what was called the Holies of Holies – the inner area of the temple where God is seen as present – it separated this from the rest of the temple.

 

In that way, the veil separated God and us. The tearing of this curtain from top to bottom signifies that this is God’s action, the divine action or initiative.

 

It means that this separation from God no longer exists. Jesus’ death and eventual resurrection reconciles and makes humanity close with God.

 

The result is that we can now approach God as the One who is as close to us as we are to ourselves. In our prayer, we can speak to God in our own words and bring our true self to God. 

 

We no longer need to feel alienated and distant from God. Instead, we can feel loved by God and at peace with God – all of this flowing from the tearing of the veil in the temple.

 

May we now live with this assurance and comfort. God’s presence and closeness, along with God’s love and forgiveness no matter what, are important takeaway messages in today’s account of the Passion of Jesus. 

 

5th Sunday of Lent, Cycle A - March 22, 2026

 5th Sunday of Lent – A 

March 22, 2026       8:30am  

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Resurrection on the Last Day 

 

Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, has died. 

 

His sister, Martha, says to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus replies: “Your brother will rise.”

 

And Martha responds with a sentence that is significant. She says: “I know he will rise in the resurrection, on the last day.”

 

Some Jews, in the centuries right before the birth of Christ, had come to believe in a resurrection. They believed that this would happen on the last day, at the end of time.  

 

So, Martha is asserting this belief. And her statement is significant because it sets up Jesus for declaring something dramatically new.   

 

“I am the resurrection…”

 

Jesus says: “I am the resurrection and the life.”

 

Notice that Jesus says: “I am” – not I will be “the resurrection.” This means that resurrection is a present reality, and not only something in the future.  

 

And also notice that Jesus says: “I am.” This is dramatic because it means that resurrection is in some way not just a belief for the future, but it is a person in the present.

 

So, resurrection happens now through a relationship with Jesus in the present. This is why Jesus says: “Whoever believe in me, even if they die, will live.” 

 

Jesus invites us to believe in him and then to live out of this relationship so as to live in resurrected life right now. The idea is that Jesus calls Lazarus and us out of the tombs we are in right now. 

 

Our Tombs  

 

For example, Jesus gently calls us out of our tomb of grief and loss. 

 

He knows what it is like to be abandoned and to feel the loss of those closest to him. He walks with us in that experience and assures us that he is always with us. 

 

He offers himself as our companion especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. He calls us, as we are able to do it, to come out of the tomb of grief and back into the current of life that God must still want for us. 

 

Jesus calls us out of the tomb of anxiety and worry.

 

He paints that touching and powerful image: “Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they?

 

“Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan?” He calls us out of the tomb of worry and anxiety and into a trusting relationship with God.

 

Then Jesus calls us out of the tomb of guilt and shame.

 

We may be burdened with guilt for something we have done or crippled in shame about who we are. Remember the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman that we heard here just two weeks ago.

 

She had a sordid past and felt guilty and ashamed. And yet Jesus takes her where she is and she emerges with a renewed sense of worth and dignity.   

 

One last example: Jesus may be calling us out of the tomb of self-absorption.

 

Self-absorption means that I am thinking only about myself and my concerns. I may not even be able to relate to the world or viewpoint or feelings of others.

 

Jesus calls us out of this tomb of self-absorption by teaching us the balance of loving others as we love ourselves. He brings us to the awareness that our true happiness is connected with the well-being of others.

 

“Do you believe?”

 

So, the real issue today is the question that Jesus asks Martha: “Do you believe this?” 

 

“Do you believe that I am the resurrection – that “I am the resurrection”? If we do, then he can raise us up and help us out of the tombs we are in right now.

4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle A - March 15, 2026

 4th Sunday of Lent – A 

March 15, 2026       11am

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

I Am Nameless

 

Did you notice that the gospel writer, Saint John, never tells you my name?

 

In the entire story that you just heard, John only refers to me as “a man blind from birth.”  He never uses my name.

 

I want to tell you why he doesn’t but first, I want to make two observations about what happens here.  After all, I’m the one at the center of the story, so I really experienced what happened.  

 

Observation 1: Seeing Spiritually 

 

First, did you notice that Jesus says that my blindness is not due to any sin, either my parents’ sin or my sin?

 

It just happened.  Period.

 

So, you are probably not responsible for any physical blindness.  But you may be, in fact you and all of us are probably responsible for spiritual blindness in ourselves.  

 

When I look in this story at my religious leaders and my neighbors and even my parents, I think they are afraid: afraid that they will have to change the way they think about Jesus, or afraid that their status will be threatened, or afraid of what others will think about them. That’s why they are unable to see and to say that Jesus healed me.

 

They remain spiritually blind and they are responsible for that. So, please don’t let that happen to you. 

 

Maybe you are afraid that if you really listen to Jesus, you will have to face up to some habit in your life, like talking negatively about people or a substance abuse problem. Or maybe you are afraid that you will have to deal with your part of a marriage problem.  

 

You know, this sort of spiritual blindness diminishes who you are and doesn’t make you feel any better about yourself. Jesus is so insightful when he says: “I came into this world so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” 

 

What Jesus means is: don’t be so certain that you are really seeing, because then you may end up spiritually blind. Instead, admit that you are blind to some extent, and then allow Jesus to help you to see – spiritually.

 

Observation 2: Seeing More

 

And that takes me to my other observation: Did you notice that I did not see fully all at once?

 

Oh yes, I instantly got my eyesight, my physical sight. But my spiritual sight – that was another thing.

 

At first, I saw Jesus as just another person; then as a prophet; then as one sent from God; then as the Son of Man or Messiah; and finally, as the Lord or God himself. It took me a while to see him for all that he is.

 

There’s a good lesson here for you. You need to grow in your faith – to keep seeing more and more and never stop growing.

 

So, don’t get stuck into thinking that your understanding of God or of the Mass or of Catholic traditions has to be the way it was when you were a kid. Keep your mind and your eyes open and trying to see more.

 

I’m telling you: it’s a lot more exciting to keep growing and to keep seeing more and more. And it will lead you, as it led me, to a much fuller relationship with Jesus – and that means with God.

 

Why I Am Nameless

 

Okay! I just had to make these observations about 1) seeing spiritually and 2) seeing more and more.

 

Now, I want to tell you why John never tells you my name. He does not do this because he wants each of you – each of you – to realize that you are me.

 

So, you – Mary, Michael, Rita, Robert – you are the “man blind from birth.” Jesus also wants to give you sight, and he will do this 1) if you are willing to admit that you may be spiritually blind and that you want spiritual vision and 2) if you are willing to keep trying to see more and more for as long as you live.