Easter Sunday

Reflection

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: We are so glib in professing our belief in it as we recite in the Creed, "On the third day he rose again from the dead." It is all very matter of fact.

However, in both options for the Gospel this morning-from Matthew 28:1-10 and John 20:1-9, we see that this belief did not come readily for Jesus' friends who had known him during his life on earth. John's account tells us of John and Peter, "They did not yet understand the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead."

John tells us that it was Mary Magdalene who had come to the tomb alone in pre-dawn darkness. Why take that risk in those dangerous days? Because she loved Jesus and just could not let him go.

She would stay at the tomb alone again when the others left. Then, when Jesus had appeared to her and spoken with her, it was her report about their encounter that confirmed the good news for the other disciples, "I have seen the Lord." The Gospel according to Mary Magdalene? And so, we call her "the Apostle to the Apostles," the very first evangelist. 

Prayer

Lord, help me to know you better by becoming closer to you, and then to be able to make your living presence known to the world. Amen.

David Cray, S.S.E. '68
Superior General, Society of Saint Edmund

Scripture

First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Gospel: John 20:1-9 or Matthew 28:1-20 or Luke 24:13-35

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil)

Reflection

I think of Easter Vigil as an annual review of faith and a sacramental celebration of God’s loving and everlasting covenant with His children. From creation to the glorious resurrection of Jesus, we are blessed in this service with reminders of God’s loving care. We are called to choose and live the life God made for us.

On Ash Wednesday we were reminded of our limits on our own from dust to dust. We have walked the weeks of Lent alongside our servant Savior, finally facing his death on a cross for the sake of all of us. He died to sin once and for all. Christ raised from the dead dies no more. And Saint Paul tells us that we too have died to sin in our faith in Christ and now live for God in our faith in the risen Christ Jesus. It is our earthly choice day after day in this life we have been given.

So, on this morning of the first day of the week, let us hurry to the tomb to with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to anoint and mourn our Jesus. May we feel the trembling ground and our fear as we turn toward the light and an angel tells us, “Do not be afraid…He has been raised just as he said…Go quickly to Galilee, there you will see him.” May we run as Mary Magdalene and Mary did, to tell the others. May we be greeted by Him and do Him homage all along our way to Galilee.

Prayer

Dearest Lord and Savior, in gratitude and praise we ask for your loving help in doing God’s Loving will. Help us love one another as You have shown us.

Stephanie Noakes, ’80, M’09, P’05
Admission Receptionist

Scripture

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a

Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35 or Psalm 33:4-7, 12-13, 20, 22
Second Reading: Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Psalm 16:5, 8-11
Third Reading: Exodus 14:15—15:1
(Psalm) Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18
Fourth Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14
Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Fifth Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11
(Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-6
Sixth Reading: Baruch 3:9-15, 32—4:4
Psalm 19:8-11
Seventh Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3-4
Eighth Reading: Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Gospel: Matthew 28:1-10

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

 

Good Friday

Reflection

Jesus accepted the Cross. He could have dodged it. Avoided the confrontations with the authorities who monopolized the Temple; his interrogation before Caesar’s brutal, cynical agent; the agony of crucifixion. Standing there were “his mother and the disciple whom he loved.” Only John’s gospel tells us this, and not just for information. John puts us in the scene, too. Every Good Friday is a time for us, hearing the Passion proclaimed, to stand with Jesus in the faith that his Cross is not the defeat of Truth but its victory. This is a challenging scene we must not sentimentalize. 

The Son fulfills his last filial duty by committing Mary his mother to the care of a beloved disciple who is never named in the text itself. That anonymity challenges the readers not to supply the missing name but ourselves to accept the commission: both to be and to foster Jesus’ legacy, Jesus’ community.

Prayer

Verses from the hymn Stabat Mater (“At the cross her station keeping”)-- “O my Mother, fount of love/ touch my spirit from above…Make me feel as you have felt…with the love of Christ my Lord.”

Fr. Richard Berube, S.S.E. ’66
Emeritus Professor Religious Studies, Saint Michael’s College Trustee Emeritus

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Gospel: John 18:1—19:42

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

 

Holy Thursday

Reflection

WOW, what an evening meal with friends and betrayer! -- The institution of the Eucharist – the example/message of serving others – and a new covenant! The image created of Jesus’ last supper is most often depicted with all gathered at a long table and Jesus in the middle. – Is that a true picture of the life of Jesus we know? Does the image of Jesus seated at a round table with friends and foes depict a more accurate picture? Where there are no places of honor, where all can see and feel Jesus’ messages and instructions, and he can look at and speak to all equally.

1 Corinthians
“This is my body that is for you.” Jesus’ humiliating and peaceful suffering and dying was for you—for us – for all! “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” God’s new Covenant and promise of everlasting life was made through Jesus’ life, teachings and living amongst us, daily, and dying so we may have everlasting life.

Gospel: John 13: 1-15 -- Washing of the feet
“I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done, you should also do.” Now is the model the washing of the feet, or is it all the examples and parables Jesus gave us throughout his life? For example: speaking to women, walking amongst and acknowledging all peoples of faith and cultures, eating with tax col-lectors and those thought to be sinners, allowing himself to be touched, and to touch the lives and hearts of all people. For seeing and accepting! Are these not the modeling Jesus left us? Is that what we should do?

Psalm Response (1 Corinthians 10:16)
“Our Blessing – cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.” The blood of Christ is our blessing!

Prayer

May we be nourished by the blessings of Jesus’ body and blood, to walk in Jesus’ ways all the days of our lives. Seeing, loving and peacefully accepting all God’s people, and reaching out to help wherever and whenever needed. Amen.

Sister Laura Della Santa, RSM M’84

Scripture

First Reading: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel: John 13:1-15

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website 

Wednesday of Holy Week

Reflection

“What will you give me?” Judas asked. How often do we approach the Lord with that same attitude? It is easy at times to fall into the trap of making our prayers Transactional – that is “God if you do this for me – I’ll go back to Church, or I’ll do that for you”.

Jesus has given us the structure of all prayer – 1st we acknowledge God as Father and Creator – 2nd then we are called to surrender or life and our will to the care of God; trusting that God’s Will for us is far better than anything we can desire for ourselves – 3rd we ask for our daily needs, again trusting that God will provide for our needs, not necessarily for our “wants”. Far too often we mistakenly “feel” that when God’s Will does not align with our will that God is not listening to us. When do not get what we “want” we sometime are not able to recognize the gifts that are given. God provides for are many needs – let us acknowledge with grateful hearts God’s Gifts which sometimes come to us in quiet and small ways.

As we enter into this Holy Week we remember God’s greatest gift – Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died on the Cross that we might live with Him in Glory.

Prayer

We adore you O Christ and we Bless you because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World!

Thomas F. X. Hoar, S.S.E., Ph.D.
President and CEO of St. Edmunds Retreat

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34
Gospel: Matthew 26:14-25

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Tuesday of Holy Week

Reflection

As we move further into Holy Week with the Lenten season nearing an end, we encounter through sacred scripture the tremendous drama and redemption found in the passion, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament reading from Isaiah 49, we learn about the Servant of the Lord who has been called from the womb like a polished arrow in his quiver to bring light to the nations and salvation to the world. This Servant will restore and renew Israel and ultimately reaches fulfillment in Jesus. Our responsorial psalm amplifies this message, and each of us has received our own unique calling to share the Good News in our daily journeys, relation-ships, and responsibilities.

In the Gospel passage from John, we ponder the betrayals and disappointments of some of those closest to Jesus, including Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter. In true humility, Jesus provides the ultimate model of perseverance and trust in facing extraordinary obstacles and challenges while remaining focused on the will of God. And Peter later offers the wonderful example of humbly seeking reconciliation after the inevitable falls that we all confront.

Despite the darkness felt in many places across the globe today, each of us has the chance to bring God’s light and grace into our own personal situations. Although we too may stumble sometimes in our steps, through our Lenten practices, may we be heartened to discern the will of God and persevere in our own vocations..

Prayer

Dear Lord, through your sacrifice and obedience to God’s will, you lived your vocation to the fullest. May we learn from your example and be transformed by your atonement in our Holy Week journey with you. Saint Peter, pray for us!

George Ashline
Professor of Mathematics

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm 71:1-6ab, 15, 17
Gospel: John 13:21-33, 36-38

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Monday of Holy Week

Reflection

In our Gospel reading, Jesus is once again in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. Mary, who had “chosen the better part” when she sat at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10: 38-42), now kneels at his feet and anoints them with oil; and then Mary proceeds to dry Jesus’ feet with her hair. The oil is made from nard extracted from the root of a plant that grows high in the Himalayas, a long way from Judea, and is very expensive. Judas objects to such valuable oil being used on Jesus’ feet. To Judas, and maybe to others present, it seems extravagant.

Extravagant. That’s what caught my attention when I meditated on this passage. God sent his Son to be one of us, teach us, open our eyes, be our light, and lead us out of darkness; to challenge leaders who led people astray; and, ultimately, to be ridiculed, suffer horribly and be killed—all for us. It is the extravagance of what the Father and the Son did for us—and continue to do for us—that make me realize how much I am loved by God—no matter what, and more than I can imagine. I must accept this
extravagant love, love God back, love myself and others and help them to realize how much God loves them, too.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, in a few days we will commemorate and celebrate your passion, death, and resurrection. Help us to understand the depth of your unconditional love and draw us closer to you. You, Lord, are truly our light and our salvation. Amen.

Brother Frank Hagerty, S.S.E.
Spiritual Director & Prison Minister

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7
Psalm 27:1-3, 13-14
Gospel: John 12:1-11

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Passion Sunday

Reflection

Palm Sunday places us at the uneasy intersection of praise and betrayal, courage and collapse. We begin with palms raised high and end at the foot of the cross, confronted by how swiftly human allegiance can waver. The readings will not let us remain spectators; they press a deeper question: Where do we stand when faith becomes costly?

Isaiah speaks of the servant who listens before speaking, whose well-trained tongue offers a word that sustains the weary. That posture of attentive obedience finds its fullest expression in Christ, who, as Paul reminds us, did not cling to status or power but emptied himself completely. His authority is revealed not in domination but in surrender — obedience shaped by love, even unto death.

The Passion narrative lays bare how fragile discipleship can be. Judas betrays, Peter denies, the crowd demands Barabbas, and even silence becomes a form of complicity. Yet Psalm 22 reminds us that abandonment is not the final word. The cry of desolation —“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” — is itself an act of faith, a refusal to let go of God even in the darkness.

For a college community devoted to learning, formation, and service, Palm Sunday stands as a sobering invitation. It asks whether our convictions endure when discipleship requires humility, patience, and sacrifice. The cross before us is not a sign of despair but the place where divine love proves stronger than fear, failure, and death.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, teach us to listen with patience, to speak with integrity, and to follow with courage—even when the path leads to the cross. Shape our hearts in humble obedience, that our lives may proclaim your love and reveal you as Lord.

Richard Plumb PhD
Saint Michael’s College President

Scripture

Procession Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11
First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel: Matthew 26:14—27:66

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

 

Saturday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

Fear is a powerful emotion. It can break things apart, create uncertainty, and can cause us to react from a place of suspicion and pain. On this last day before Holy Week, these readings speak to me of choices we face – unity vs. division, faith vs. fear, life vs. death. Fear often tears us apart from one another, but we hear so beautifully in the first reading of the Lord promising to gather people who have wandered apart back into one nation in a covenant of peace so that “they may be my people and I may be their God.” The Lord wants to reunite our human family and repair our brokenness. This vision feels like a distant reality in today’s world, and I feel myself yearning for a community of faith with God dwelling among us.

As we move on to the Gospel reading, we then see people being divided – some choosing faith in Jesus while other chose fear. We hear that many people saw and believed in Jesus, but there were also those who turned to the Pharisees, fearful that the Romans would come and take away what was theirs. They – like we often are – were afraid, frightened, and unsure of the future.

Those in the Gospel asked each other, “What are we going to do?” We too have to make a choice. To seek unity. To overcome fear. To embrace the selfless act of love that Jesus gives to us. None of this is easy. As our world feels more and more divided, fearful, and self-serving, we continue to try to strive towards unity and love in a world that often feels bleak. As we enter Holy Week, may we be reminded of how love conquers fear and find the hope we need by witnessing the unconditional love that Jesus has for all of us.

Prayer

Loving God, help us not be overcome by fear, but unite with one another as a community of faith who responds with love, compassion, and life in the face of a troubled world. Prepare our hearts as we enter Holy Week and the new life and hope that awaits us. Amen.

Anna Lester, ’98, M‘11

Scripture

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:21-28

Psalm: Jeremiah 31:10-13

Gospel: John 11:45-56

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Friday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

In this fifth week of Lent, we begin to experience the inevitable heightening of the drama of the Lord as he moves toward the fulfillment of his passion. For those of us who take on the full mantle of Christ, he has not made it possible to experience the joys of his resurrection without the fullness of the cross.

One of the most terrible moments we can encounter in our walk with Jesus is expressed in the first reading:

“All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. Perhaps he (she) will be trapped; then we can prevail and take our vengeance upon him.” Jeremiah claims unshakeable faith that the Lord will rescue him from his foes. He entrusts himself to God.

The psalm boldly describes the depth of God’s servant crying in the midst of impossible trials: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.” One must fully absorb that the psalmist does not look upon the death-defying trials but upon the Lord alone.

The gospel shows the escalating attacks upon Jesus. We know what is coming.

Prayer

Jesus, as we falter and faint in the experience of our deepest trials, let us behold the faith of those like Jeremiah and the psalmist, who received grace to believe you and obey you before you had even come to earth.

Caroline Rood
Member of the Worshipping Community 

Scripture

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalm 18:2-7
Gospel: John 10:31-42

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCB website

Thursday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

As we approach the holiest week in the Church calendar, today’s readings tell us that the God we count on is a covenant-keeping God who is forever present. The gospel passage in John is part of a longer narrative describing the interactions between Jesus and doubting elders who are offended by His teachings in the Temple. The climax of the argument comes when Jesus says “before Abraham was made, I am”. We might wonder about the last two words: do they contain an error in tense that should be corrected by substituting ‘was’ for ‘am’? In fact, the stunning meaning of Jesus’ “I am” is illuminated in today’s first reading, in which God uses the same words when speaking with Abram. Thus, there could not be a more definitive expression by Jesus of His one-ness with the Father than His use of the two simple words “I am”. The covenant of God is neither time-dependent nor condition-dependent. We experience its manifestations in the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives. In the beauty of the world, in the love we share with others, in the questions we may have about our place in this life, in the feelings we have as we experience the wonder of this coming Holy Week. In the here and now, as we write, as we read, is God’s unchanging presence and faithfulness. Let us focus on those in the days ahead.

Prayer

Lord, your faithful presence is always with us. Help us to see it in all that we do.

Bill Geiger
Member of the Worshiping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Genesis 17:3-9
Psalm 105:4-9
Gospel: John 8:51-59

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Wednesday of the Fifth Week

The Annunciation of the Lord
Reflection

The Lenten season itself takes a holiday on March 25, nine months before Christmas, to celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation. This day, falling in the midst of Lent, the season of penitence, calls us to reflect on the definitive moment in salvation history: with Gabriel’s greeting to Mary, the Church believes Jesus truly becomes incarnate. Conceived in her womb, Christ begins life as we all do: small, frail, dependent, needing parental care within his mother’s body and without. Much has been written about the shock and surprise Mary must have felt in this moment: “how can this be?” As one of the most illustrated moments in salvation history (and in the whole history of western art), our greatest artists have sought to capture her shock, her awe, her fear that turns to trust, moving her to proclaim “May it be done to me according to your word.”

Readers of sacred scripture may not be as surprised as Mary was: the Church has long believed that the Anointed One would be born of a virgin, one of the many prophecies of Isaiah that foretold the arrival of Christ. No one, however, usually expects that a prophecy will be fulfilled in themselves. Yet all of us, in our own ways, are called upon to be ready to hear the Lord’s call whenever and however it may come. From Isaiah, to Mary, to Christ himself as quoted in the Letter to the Hebrews, the same refrain echoes: “I come to do your will, O God.” May we all be ready to heed the call.

Prayer

O God, who willed that your Word should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man, may merit to become partakers even in his divine nature, through Christ our Lord.

Michael R. Carter, S.S.E. ’12
Director of Campus Ministry

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
Psalm 40:7-11
Second Reading: Hebrews 10:4-10
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Tuesday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

In today’s fast-paced world, we are so used to a fast-paced life that we often become very impatient and unwilling to trust the process or journey. In the first reading, the people of Israel are tired, hungry, and discouraged. They are becoming “worn out by the journey,” and this tiredness turns into frustration and complaints to God and Moses. Instead of remembering all that God has done for them, they are filled with complaints and blindness to the good that God has provided them in their lives. It is easy to recognize ourselves in them. When our prayers are not answered right away, or not on the timeline we desire, it is easy to turn to complaining. In the moments of this doubt, we are tempted to believe that God has led us astray. God does not erase all our struggles instantly, but He invites us to lift our eyes to Him and trust the path He has perfectly aligned for each of us. During this time of Lent, it is a time to turn away from the temptation to complain and instead turn to confidence in the Lord and the plan He has perfectly crafted for each one of us on our journeys.

Prayer

As we prepare for the coming of Easter, may we find peace and confidence in the plan the Lord has created for each and every one of us on our journeys, and turn our complaining into confidence in Him.

Kayley Bell, ’27

Scripture

First Reading: Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 102:2-3, 16-21
Gospel: John 8:21-30

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Monday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

My mother has a saying, “there but for the grace of God go I.” It was often invoked when she listened to one of her children critiquing someone else’s behavior. This phrase came to mind as I was reading John’s Gospel where the woman who has sinned is brought before Jesus. Her shortcomings are publicly proclaimed by the standard bearers of her time and she is to be condemned for them. Perhaps we have been the “scribes and Pharisees”- quick to point out other’s faults and mistakes while cloaking ourselves in righteousness; forgetting that tomorrow we might well find ourselves on the other side of the line in need of grace? Perhaps we, like the woman, know what it is to have our worst mistakes widely broadcast; standing exposed and braced for the judgement of others while struggling with our conscience?

 

Jesus’ response to the woman’s situation is powerful in two ways I think. First, when He refrains from condemning her and challenges her accusers instead to “let the one among you who is without sin throw the first stone at her,” He reminds us that we all will sin and be in need of grace during our journeys. Christians must act with compassion. To be shown mercy we must extend mercy. Second, Jesus reminds us that, like the woman, when we sin it does not have to define or trap us forever. We can choose to turn from sin and when we do the “grace of God” will bring us a fresh start. God will always show us compassion.

Prayer

O Lord, may there always be compassion, grace and mercy for others in my heart, in my words and in my actions. Help me to extend my empathy for others and refrain from being judgmental. Amen.

Amy Rock-Wardwell, ’96
Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62

Psalm 23:1-6

Gospel: John 8:1-11

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Reflection

This Sunday we are invited to ponder and pray with the theme of resurrection and the divinity of Christ. In the Ezekiel reading we are told that God said, “you shall know I am the Lord when I open your graves and have you rise from them.” So, as we read in John’s Gospel that Jesus asks that Lazarus’ grave be opened and invites him to come out, Jesus is letting all present know that yes, he is the Lord, the Christ.

Clearly Jesus has a plan as he hears that Lazarus has died. He doesn’t go quickly but waits a number of days and says to his disciples “I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.” Clearly after 4 days in the tomb Lazarus is dead, so what happens once Jesus gets there has to be believed that it comes from God. Martha brings forth the Resurrection mes-sage when she and Jesus meet and have their discussion about Lazarus rising and Jesus is assured that she believes in the resurrection on the last day. Her response “Yes Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God...”

However, through this dialogue and when Mary arrives, we also read that as Jesus allows his friends and others to express that they believe he is the Christ, he also shows his very human side and “gets perturbed and weeps” at times. Much to ponder in these readings as we prepare for the Resurrection.

Prayer

May I find quiet moments this week to have my own dialogue with Jesus and pray for the Spirit of God to be more and more present in my daily life. Amen. 

Lindora Cabral, RSM

Scripture

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14
Psalm 130:1-8
Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11
Gospel: John 11:1-45

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Saturday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

The confusion, speculation, and division among the people in today’s Gospel comes just after Jesus said “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink…as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’”

The people were divided. Was Jesus a prophet to be heard? The Messiah to be followed? A blasphemer to be seized? Guards who heard Jesus’ words directly declined to arrest him, despite the authorities and Pharisees not believing in Jesus.

Within the Gospel, Nicodemus offers a question relevant to our time and our faith – “Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” Indeed, do we or our legal system judge or seize others simply based on their origin or their relation to authority figures? Or, as Nicodemus intimates, do we look deeper to hear their words and see their actions and then make informed decisions? The latter is a practical extension of Jesus’ directive to love our neighbors as ourselves.

In times of confusion, speculation, and division, let us turn to the source, hear and see for ourselves, and make just decisions. We must see to it that our legal system does the same, as Nicodemus’ question begs. In our own journeys of faith, let us go to the source for firsthand connection. Let us hear Jesus’ words and consider his actions. We believe they give us what we need in order to know and believe that Jesus is the Living Water.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, especially as we reflect on our actions and responses during this time of Lent, let us turn to your words of Love and Living Water to discern the right path forward.

Jonathan ’87 & Marilyn Billings ’87, P’10

Scripture

First Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20

Psalm 7:2-3; 9b-12

Gospel: John 7:40-53

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Friday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

I was there when they tried to arrest him, and I was secretly happy that he slipped away. Could this Jesus really be the Christ?

I want to ask those around me what they think. I want to ask if they also wonder whether he may be the one. But I’m afraid. Powerful people revile him and are eager to condemn him. I’m not terribly surprised, since Jesus is clearly not afraid to speak truth to power. I silently cheer him on! We all know they’re corrupt, but rare is the person who will stand up to them.

During the Feast of Tabernacles, it is our tradition to extend hospitality, to celebrate the fruits of the harvest, to give thanks for all we have been given and to give back to God in return. If only I’d had the courage to speak up and to invite him to join me and my,family for a meal. Perhaps we would now know for sure.

Prayer

Lord, we welcome you to our table and into our hearts, with gratitude for all we have been given. Grant that we may generously give back by loving our neighbors and give us the courage to speak your truth each day.

Rick Coté, ’89
Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees

Scripture

First Reading: Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22
Psalm 34:17-21, 23
Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website