Rebuilt + Renewed

As we come to the end of our Easter season and the Lord ascends to heaven we are reminded that he goes before us to prepare a place for us and will come back to get us. We also are celebrating Mother's Day and the many blessings they have been for us. This week Frank Wissel shares with us the connection he sees in these two wonderful days. 

The Lord has called us his friends. The joy of Easter can be found in the reality that Jesus has destroyed all that could keep up from him and invites us to live in his friendship. This week Phillip Shifflet, a seminarian for the diocese of Orange, shares with us his vocation story and how it has been rooted in friendship with God.    

Remain in me, as I remain in you. This week Jesus invites us to come to know who we are and who we can become in Him. Bishop Tim Freyer reflects with us on the marvels God has worked throughout salvation history through ordinary people like us. God is still at work and wants to show his power through us.    

The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. This weekend we encounter the Good Shepherd, the one who has given everything to have us in his fold forever. This week Robbie Peyton helps us to reflect on the goodness of our shepherd.  

The season of Easter is a special time of encounter with the risen Lord. This week Valerie McCarthy shares with us an encounter she had with Jesus in the Eucharist that has changed her faith forever.   

The Lord in his mercy allows us to touch his wounds and be healed by his grace. He desires us to be touched by his mercy and to offer it to others. This week Maggie Wissel shares with us her reflection on the words of Jesus from this weeks Gospel: "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

We invite you to enter deeply the paschal mystery of Jesus this Triduum. This week we will not have a reflection for Easter Sunday, but rather in its place we invite you to participate fully in the liturgies leading up to the Resurrection of our Lord. Listen in to the hear the times they will be held and a commentary on their significance.  

We can identify with many of the characters in scripture. Some reflect what is best in us and others where we are most broken. This week Cristina Ballestero reflects on the character of Judas and his response to experiencing Jesus.  

Jesus came to do the will of the Father and to glorify Him in word and deed. We are invited to follow after Jesus and to draw others to the Father as we die to ourselves and live for others. Brian Lutz shares with us how he lives out his call to be a disciple of Jesus, bringing glory to the Father by being a husband and father.

Lent can and should be a time for rejoicing, because we have been forgiven by our God that is rich in mercy. This week Frank Wissel reflects on the love of God shown most clearly in His mercy.