CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

THIS IS THE BREAD COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN 

 INTRODUCTION

 At the Last Supper, Jesus taught his disciples to offer bread and wine in his memory. Taking the bread, he told us, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me”

Luke 22:19. Offering the chalice, he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” Luke 22:20

 Before the consecration at Mass, the priest in persona Christi calls on God to send the Holy Spirit to change this bread and wine into the Body and Blood of His Son the same way the Spirit overshadowed Mary at the Annunciation.

BACKGROUND

 For 700 years and more, the Church has celebrated with great joy the Feast of Corpus Christi, the great gift of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, given to us at the Last Supper.

The feast of Corpus Christi was established on September 8, 1264 by Pope Urban IV as a universal feast of the Church, to be celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday.  Today, in the United States, the feast is celebrated on the following Sunday.

For centuries after the celebration was extended to the universal Church by Pope Urban IV, the feast was also celebrated with Eucharistic processions.  The faithful would venerate the Body of Christ as the procession passed by. In recent years, this practice has almost disappeared, though some parishes still hold a brief procession around the outside of the parish church.

 BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE

I am the living bread from heaven…whoever eats this bread will live forever…whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day…whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” John 6:48

JESUS INSTITUTES THE EUCHARIST AT THE LAST SUPPER

 Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28.

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

1323 At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again.

1360  The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all His blessings, for all that He has accomplished through Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification. The word Eucharist means first of all “thanksgiving.

 Accidents” are those things that appeal to our senses, touch, sight, taste, etc. The host looks like bread, tastes like bread etc. The “substance” of the Eucharist is changed (into the Body and Blood of Jesus. (transubstantiation)

The real presence of Jesus’ Body and Blood remain as long as the “accidents” remain. This is why the Blessed Sacrament may be reserved in the tabernacle for sick calls and adoration.

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine,

All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine

The Eucharist is one and the same sacrifice on Calvary extended through time to us at Mass. Some think Catholics say Jesus is sacrificed again and again during every Mass. No, it is the one sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary which is RE-PRESENTED through time to us in every Mass

REFLECTION

 If we want to be intimate with Jesus he tells us how, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” John 6:54

We receive the Holy Eucharist with sublime humility and gratitude.  God, in whom the fullness of power, and glory dwells, humbled Himself that He became like one of us in every way but sin that we may share in His Divinity.

When we receive the Eucharist in Holy Communion, the Priest says, “the Body of Christ” and we say “Amen.” Our “Amen” means we recognize and acknowledge the real presence, body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament, in all the tabernacles of the world.  Yes, in our parish.  He awaits us. Let us go to meet him in adoration. Filled with humility and faith we pray for this world, making amends for the many sins against Him and His Church. Let our reparation for sin and adoration never cease! Let us commit to Eucharistic Revival in our lives!

TAKE AND RECEIVE,

THIS IS MY BODY, THIS IS MY BLOOD

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRITY ADVOCATE AND SANCTIFIER

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid… I will not leave you an orphan… The Spirit will teach you…inspire you…remind you of my word…and call to mind your sins that you may be reconciled and live… He will teach you through my church and proclaim the good news…

 I have so much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it all at once…trust me…trust the Holy Spirit who will guide you to all truth… you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” John 16:7-16

 INTRODUCTION

Pentecost means fiftieth. The Jewish festival of Pentecost, 50 days after Passover, was first spoken of in Exodus 23:16 as “the feast of harvest,” and again in Exodus 34:22 as “the day of the first fruits. This Jewish feast celebrates the sealing of the Old Covenant on Mount Sinai.

The Christian feast of Pentecost is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church, We mark it as the birthday of the Church when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in tongues of fire.

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, equal to the Father and equal to the Son.  The term Spirit comes from the Hebrew word, ruach, meaning breath or air. His presence on the world stage is made known in Scripture in its earliest book, Genesis.

In the First Creation Story in Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God was moving over the face of deep waters, bringing order out of chaos. In the Second Creation Story, Genesis 2:7, “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the land and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.”

The Blessed Trinity is not complete without the Holy Spirit whom we adore and glorify with the Father and the Son.  “Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever.” …One God…three Divine Persons.

“By contemplating Himself from all eternity, The Father begets the mirror image of Himself, God the Son… The Father and Son see each other in infinite Divine beauty and embrace in infinite love.  The Spirit is that love that proceeds between Father and Son.” Catechism of the Council of Trent 1545

PENTECOST SUNDAY 33 AD

MARY AND THE APOSTLES IN THE UPPER ROOM

 Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised his disciples that he would pray to his Father that the Holy Spirit be given to them.   Jesus promised “The Spirit will teach you all things and bring to your mind whatever I have said to you.”  John 14:26

 “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts 2:1-3

While the Holy Apostles were generally ignorant of the Holy Spirit at this time, the Immaculate Mary knew the Spirit intimately. Mary was possessed by the Holy Spirit and filled with grace at the first moment of her existence. Moreover, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary in a powerful way at the virginal conception of Christ our Lord.

The Holy Spirit overshadowed the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation and she conceived the body of Christ, Our Lord. Now the Holy Spirit at Pentecost mystically conceives the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.

Through the Holy Spirit, our faith is awakened.  We are inspired to know Jesus and the One who sent Him.  The Holy Spirit stirs up in us repentance for sin and conversion.  Until the end of time, the Spirit guides, protects, and inspires the Church of Christ and its members.

Come Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life.

 REFLECTION

 How do I interact with the Holy Spirit? What prayers do I say?   

Do I call on Him, before reading scripture…before making difficult decisions… for protection against temptation?

 How can my relationship to the Spirit assist me to overcome tendencies in pride, anger, lust, greed, envy, excess, and laziness…do I ever thank the Holy Spirit for his assistance.?

 If you feel God has abandoned you or stepped away, take heart. Consider the disciples after Jesus left the earth. We are not left alone but kept safe guided by His Spirit.

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:25-26

 ST. AUGUSTINE PRAYER TO HOLY SPIRIT

Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.

Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.

Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy.

Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy.

Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.  Amen.

CHRIST VICTORIOUS

WE ADORE YOU O CHRIST, AND WE BLESS YOU

BECAUSE BY YOUR HOLY CROSS YOU HAVE REDEEMED THE WORLD!

EXHALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS SEPTEMBER 14

 BACKGROUND

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Triumph of the Cross), is celebrated every year on September 14 and  recalls two historical events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena,  mother of the emperor Constantine, and the dedication of churches built by Constantine (335) on the site of the Holy Sepulcher and Mount Calvary.

After the death and resurrection of Christ, both the Jewish and Roman authorities in Jerusalem made efforts to obscure the Holy Sepulcher, Christ’s tomb, in a garden near the site of His crucifixion. The earth was mounded up over the site, and pagan temples were built on top of it.

According to tradition, Saint Helena, Mother of Emperor, Constantine, nearing the end of her life, decided under divine inspiration to travel to Jerusalem in 326 to excavate the Holy Sepulcher in an attempt to locate the True Cross.

In celebration of the discovery of the Holy Cross, Constantine ordered the construction of churches at the site of the Holy Sepulcher and on Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335, and shortly thereafter the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began to be celebrated on September 14.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME

MATTHEW 16:24

COMMENTARY.

St. Paul says in First Corinthians “WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED” 1 Corinthians 1;23.

I used to have a problem when gazing upon the cross because like so many, all I saw was suffering and death.  Then my perspective changed The Cross is a sign of contradiction. I saw the love of Christ with His open arms embracing the whole world.

For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19

The cross designed as an instrument of torture, designed to disgrace and dismiss the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam’s Original Sin. Genesis 3:6 The Cross is not a symbol, principally, of agonizing suffering, but of the mind-blowing love God has for us. 

The cross reminds us of many things: atonement, forgiveness, love, mercy, redemption, and salvation.  Christians display the cross in their homes.  They wear it on their person.  They make the sign of the cross before prayer and on entering Church with the waters of Baptism.

With the sign of the cross we remind ourselves and witness to others that we have set ourselves apart from worldly rule and pledge our very selves to God’s reign, the kingdom in heaven.

God will not abandon us nor did He abandon His Son on the cross.  With the words, “It is finished,” John 19:30 Jesus acknowledged that He has remained faithful to the Father’s will and trusts that all will be well.

On Easter, Jesus is raised in glory and sits today and forever at right hand of the Father in heaven, preparing a place for us.

 REFLECTION

Christianity without the Cross is meaningless.  Only by uniting ourselves to Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross can we enter into eternal life. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” Luke 9:23

When we participate in the Mass, the Cross is there, too. The “un-bloody sacrifice” offered on the altar is the re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross.

When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion we do not simply unite ourselves to Christ; we nail ourselves to the Cross, dying with Christ so we might rise with Him in glory.

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19

When we can no longer help ourselves because we have become paralyzed with fear and overcome by darkness, Trust in Jesus!

When we have reached that stage in our life where we can no longer open the door to let light and life in, God can still come through our locked doors to heal our paralysis, and breathe peace among us.

Let us join the prophet Isaiah 53:5 in proclaiming that Jesus, our Savior and Lord, “was pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins; and upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole. By his stripes we were healed”

 O HAPPY FAULT THAT EARNED FOR US SO GREAT,

SO GLORIOUS A REDEEMER!

PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED.

My good and dear Jesus, I kneel before you, asking you with great fervor, to instill in me true sorrow and repentance for my sins and a firm resolve to amend my life while contemplating your five wounds, remembering the words of the Psalmist, “They have pierced my hands and my feet, I can count all my bones.”Psalm 22:17-18

FEAST DAY SEPTEMBER 5

 INTRODUCTION

Saints are not only intercessors but also models for us. Mother Teresa is one of my favorite saints.  Years ago she inspired our whole family, teenage girls included, to spend time in the poorest of poor nations, Haiti, to work with the poor and dying.  We have never been the same since.  We are all called to service at our Baptisms. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25

BACKGROUND

Born in Skopje (North Macedonia) in 1910, MOTHER TERESA joined the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin in 1928 and was sent to India, where she began her novitiate. She taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta from 1931 to 1948, until leaving the Loreto order to begin the Missionaries of Charity.

In 1946, Mother Teresa had a mystical encounter with Christ on a train to Darjeeling September 26, 1946 in which He asked her to take her love for Him a large step further. He asked her to leave the convent of Loreto and begin an order which would serve the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.

During the time of her mystical experiences leading to the founding of the new order, she experienced deep spiritual union and the sensible awareness of God’s Presence in her life.

Here is a small sample of Jesus’ words to Mother Teresa: “My little one – come – carry Me into the holes of the poor. –  Come be My light – I cannot go alone – they don’t know Me – in your love for Me – they will see Me, know Me, want Me…. For them I long –Wilt thou refuse?”

During her lifelong service to the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa became an icon of compassion to people of all religions; her extraordinary contributions to the care of the sick, the dying, and the thousands of discarded has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world.

MEDITATION

 PONDER THE GOOD NEWS SHARED BY MOTHER TERESA

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Each person is Jesus in disguise. I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy.  I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.

 It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.

INSPIRATIONAL POEM

BY Kent M. Keith as “Paradoxical Commandments

PROMOTED BY MOTHER TERESA

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.

Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.  

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.

Do Good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.

REFLECTION

Wherever we are, with whatever talents and relationships God has entrusted us, we are called not to do what Mother Teresa did, but to love as she loved in the Calcutta of our own life.

Made in the very image and likeness of God, We on earth, are God’s love, God’s compassion, God’s will, God’s smile, God’s tears.  We must show the presence of God in this world until He comes again at the end of time.

At the hour of our death when we come face-to-face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing.

Mother Teresa’s 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace that, where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that, where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that, where there is error, I may bring truth;

 that, where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that, where there is despair, I may bring hope; that, where there are shadows, I may bring light; that, where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

 Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to love than to be loved; for it is by forgetting self that one finds; it is forgiving that one is forgiven; it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

MOTHER TERESA PRAY FOR US

FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION AUGUST 6

 THIS IS MY BELOVED SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

…. a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,^* then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision^* to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”… Matthew 17:1-13

INTRODUCTION

On August 6th, we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. In this extraordinary event, found in the Synoptic Gospels and the 2nd Letter of St. Peter, Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. .

In Caesarea Philippi, (six days before Transfiguration on Mount Tabor) Jesus asks them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds that Jesus is “The Messiah, the Son of the living God” Mtatthew 16:16. Jesus acknowledges that Peter’s response could only be prompted by the Father and designates Peter as the leader of the Church. “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,” Matthew 16:18

Next, Jesus astounds those present, saying he will soon go to Jerusalem where he will be killed and then rise on the third day. His followers couldn’t grasp that such events could possibly happen if he was truly the Messiah. In fact, Peter argues, “No such thing could ever happen to you.”  Jesus offers a stern response: “Get behind me, Satan!(def. adversary) You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” Mathewt 16:22-23.

A GLIMPSE OF GLORY

 BOOK OF DANIEL CHAPTER 7:12

Daniel had a dream or four beasts which represented the four kingdoms that oppressed the Jews, Babylon, Egypt, Persia, and Rome these all wpold be replaced by the kingdom of God when the promised Mesiah arrives

 …the Ancient of Days took his throne. His clothing was white as snow, the hair on his head like pure wool…  I saw coming with the clouds of heaven^c One like a son of man.^* When he reached the Ancient of Days…He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away

REFLECTION

On a mountain, for a brief time, the splendor of Christ’s eternal divinity is revealed. The apostles witness how Jesus will appear in heaven and we too, as followers of Christ, will share in his glory. His passion was not the end, so too our suffering, our death. is not the end.

Both before and after the Transfiguration, Jesus told the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die at the hands of the elders, saying, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 17:22-23.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” Matt 16:22

Do we look at things in this world the way God does or are we caught up in trends and what is popular?

The three disciples who saw the glorified Lord were given a vision meant to strengthen them for the difficult days ahead when Jesus would be arrested and crucified.

It is a foretaste of the glory that will be theirs in the Kingdom of God. This moment, forever embedded in their minds, will help them to endure the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Let us reflect back on the times in which we have caught a subtle glimpse of the glory of our Lord.  Perhaps while reading Scripture where we have encountered the majesty of God. Or perhaps moments that occurred at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Holy Hour.

Let the Glory of God wash over us and fill us with fortitude to endure present difficulties in order to share in that Glory one day. Jesus is the light of the world. Let him enlighten us so we can radiate to the world as St Paul says in Galatians, I no longer live but Christ lives in me Galatians 2:19-20

 Do not light your lamp and put it under a bushel Matthew 5:15 A popular traditional gospel song may say it best…. This little light of mine

This little light o’ mine, I’m goin’ let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Everywhere I go, I’m goin’ let it shine…

 CONCLUSION

JESUS WELCOMES US INTO HIS GLORY

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…. a holy city, a New Jerusalem, coming down from God…, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God..He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain… REVELATION 21:1-4

FEAST OF ST, MARY MAGDALENE JULY 22

 “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”

 “Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the woman, your faith has saved you; go in peace!” Luke 7:44-50

 REFLECTION

Jesus does not acknowledge his critics but addresses the repentant woman and praises her for her great love and faith and sends her on her way sanctified and redeemed.  From that moment, Mary Magdalen became a faithful disciple and witness all the way to Calvary.

“So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little”

Does this mean if I am not a great sinner I will love Jesus less, not necessarily.  I believe Jesus points out to Simon that this woman’s love is so dramatic because her love for God and her desire to be made whole is so strong.

Do we have that desire to be made whole again? Her Faith has saved her not on her own but through the grace of God.  Pray for that faith.

Jesus asks Simon, “Do you see this woman?  I place the emphasis on the word see because Jesus has told us “they have eyes but do not see and ears yet they do not hear” Mark 8:18

Jesus reminds us to focus, to see and listen, less we miss God’s presence especially in others. Do we miss God’s invitation due to noise and clutter in our world?

MARY MAGDALENE IN SCRIPTURE

In the 6^th Century, Saint Pope Gregory the Great identified St. Mary Magdalen as the woman who anointed Christ’s feet with perfume in the home of Simon the Pharisee.  In the New Testament Mary Magdalen is mentioned among the women who accompanied Christ and ministered to Him. Luke 8:2-3

Mary Magdalene is named as standing at the foot of the cross. “There were also women who ministered to him, looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome” Mark 15:40   

  …by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary wife of Clopas and Mary of Magdala. John 19:25

Mary Magdalene was the first to see the resurrected Christ, “When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons” Mark 16:9

Mary Magdalene followed the burial of Jesus to the tomb and saw where He was buried, and came on Sunday to anoint Him. She was rewarded with His appearance and commissioned to go evangelize and spread the Good News.  He is Risen! 

“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,”Rabbouni,”which means Teacher

DO NOT CLING TO ME 

Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary then went and announced to the apostles, “I have seen the Lord, and what he told her”. John 20: 15-18

REFLECTION

When Jesus speaks to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection, “Do not cling to me.” John 20:17.  Jesus invites us along with Mary Magdalene to enter into the experience of faith which goes beyond what can be discovered by our “senses.”

Remember Jesus’ words to Thomas after the resurrection behind closed doors, “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”  John 20:29

Our first parents, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden spread death where there was life.  Mary in the garden of the Resurrection announced life from the Holy Sepulchre, a place of death.

Saint Mary Magdalene is an example of true and authentic evangelization; she is an evangelist who announces the joyful central message of Easter. ”He is Risen!”