For He has risen, as He said” we hear in the Gospel of the Easter Vigil. The Lord Jesus has fulfilled His promise. We have nothing to fear because of His definitive victory over the death of sin and the death of the body.

When Divine Mercy Sunday rolls around again this year, the faithful have the opportunity to take refuge in the depths of Christ’s mercy by receiving either a plenary or partial indulgence.

During Holy Week we commemorate the most important events in the Life of our Loving Savior Jesus Christ. These events of almost two thousand years ago are real and alive in our day. What happened then continues to happen now. This is the key to opening up the Life of Christ in our personal lives and in the world we live in.

John 11: 25-26 – Ego sum resurrectio et vita; qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, vivet: et omnis qui vivit et credit in me, non morietur in aeternum. Credis hoc? I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?

Isaiah 66:10-11: Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.

Catholic Relief Services aids the poor and vulnerable worldwide through faith-driven programs, relying on donations to continue its mission of compassion and solidarity.

To make our Easter services come alive with the color and beauty of these flowers, extra donations are needed and greatly appreciated.

Romans 5:8: But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. John 4:13-14: Whoever drinks this water will get thirsty again; but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life.

We, too, can bear our hardship for the Gospel because through the grace of the Transfiguration we have been given ‘the strength that comes from God.”

During these first days of Lent we have had a chance to put into effect our spiritual battle plan. The gospels since Ash Wednesday have reminded us of the need to pray, to do penance, and to love our neighbor, which reveal to us the loving face of our heavenly Father.

On Ash Wednesday, March 5, this coming week, the Catholic Church throughout the world will begin the solemn season of prayer, fasting, penance, and almsgiving known as Lent.

Every word of Jesus in the Scriptures touches us deeply because He speaks to us from His relationship with His heavenly Father.

In preparation for a Catholic Funeral Mass the family is given the chance to pick the Scriptures that will be read. Over the years I have noticed that often they will pick the Beatitudes.

In the Archdiocese of San Francisco there is a great devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. The archbishop has led many pilgrimages there.

The Catholic Church is well known for its use of blessed, lighted candles, which are a traditional symbol that represents Jesus, the light of the world, a light shining in the darkness.

Jesus tells us not necessarily what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. Since He alone can free us from our sins, we must count on Him to forgive our sins and at the same time to raise us up to become new men and new women in Him.

Monday, January 13, we began the weeks of Ordinary Time, which will continue up to March 5, Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.

The Baptism of the Lord reminds us of our own baptism, when we first entered into the death and resurrection of the Lord.

We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage. (Mt.2:2) Vidimus stellam eius in oriente, et venimus adorare Dominum.

Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King who rules heaven and earth forever. (Introit)