Take, this is my body. In the Gospels, Jesus reaches out to me through his radically human actions and unveils God’s face through gestures common to all. He starts with a powerful verb: Take! Sharp and precise like a health specialist who noticed my ostensibly malnourished soul. Jesus does not ask the apostles to stop…
The Gospel speaks of the Trinity while sending forth the eleven as if they are now integrated into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the breath that will restore trust, joy, and faith in God’s eternal love. The eleven went to the mountain of Galilee, even those who doubted. An ego-wounded community felt inadequate after…
This Sunday’s Gospel plays with impossibles. Jesus counts on only eleven frightened, confused men and a small core of faithful and courageous women. He didn’t give up on them. They followed him on the roads of Palestine. They did not understand much but loved him very much. Love is good soil for the Gospel, and…
Jesus, in his divine communication, presents God to us through the reflection of the most basic forms of creatures: He is the vine, and I, as a believer, am a branch; we are part of the same plant, sharing the same life, rooted in the same sap. And then the marvelous down-to-earth metaphor of the…
Today, we hear, “I am the good shepherd!” echoing God’s description of his name in the Old Testament: I am who I am. Seven times, Jesus introduces himself: “I am” – bread, life, way, truth, vine, door, good shepherd. He does not mean “good” in the sense of being patient and gentle with sheep and…
The Gospel brings the disciples of Emmaus back to the community. Now that they are all together, Jesus appears in their midst. Shocked and full of fear, they thought they were seeing a ghost. After three years with Jesus, they knew him well, preaching, healing, and breaking bread, but in this divine moment, they saw…
Hi, my name is Thomas, but truth be told, I don’t know who I am anymore. Once, I told my brother apostles to go together and die with the master while he mourned Lazarus (John 11, 16), but when I saw the soldiers arresting Jesus, I ran as if I never knew him. When I…
Mary of Magdala leaves the house when everything is dark in the sky and somber in her heart. She’s been restless all night, and the image of Jesus on the cross broke her heart. She has nothing in her hands, carries no spices like the other women, and has only her love rebelling against the…
Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem is a historical event and a parable in action. Jesus transpires affirming love; the preacher stirs joy wherever he goes, and this time, joy and biblical expectations finally meet. The teacher needs this colt but will send him right back. He is so poor that he doesn’t own even a beast…
Nicodemus holds Jesus in high esteem and wants to understand more, but not too much to compromise his position as chief Pharisee, so he goes to him at night. First surprise: the Jesus who commands “let your yes mean yes” respects Nicodemus’ dread, does not get lost in the confines of his little consistency, but…