Their hearts are changed (Jackie Bacon)

     The Acts of the Apostles provides us with the opportunity to witness one of the truly “aha” moments in Christianity, when people see something quite extraordinary and they are changed. On the day of Pentecost, we see Peter and the other disciples filled with the Holy Spirit, and Peter interprets the recent Christ events and the arrival of the Holy Spirit for them. The crowds see the effects of the arrival of the Holy Spirit on these simple, flawed fishermen, and what they see and what they hear is so gripping, so compelling, that their hearts are changed. They ask, What are we do to? Peter says, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Peter then issues a call to action: Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. 

    The Greek word for repentance, metanoia, is such a recurring focus in Acts, referring not only to a changed mind, but to a profound conversion that changes the heart, moving people from where they were before to where they are now: a very different place because of Jesus and faith. They are new people, individuals transformed, a group transformed, a Body transformed. That is what Peter is asking the people of Israel. 

--Jackie Bacon,
OLMC Communion Service,
April 2, 2024 

Image source: Fra Angelico, St. Peter Preaching in the Presence of St. Mark (c.1433), https://www.wikiart.org/en/fra-angelico/st-peter-preaching-in-the-presence-of-st-mark

Oftentimes we do not recognize the gift (Fr. Patrick Michaels)

     Oftentimes, in our own self-perception, we do not recognize what God has done in creating us. We do not recognize the gift that he has gifted the world with. We don’t know what we are capable of, but God has loved each one of us infinitely, which means that each one of us has an infinite capacity. The smallest seed brings forth a great, large shrub that gives shade to others. 

     For the longest time, we were all taught to work for our own salvation. That stood in contrast and contradiction to everything Jesus taught. We cannot find salvation on our own. We can in each other’s context. That’s why we gather here. We long to be with the Lord, and we gather here to be with the Lord in each other, to affirm his presence in one another, to help each of us leave this place knowing that God is at work in us, knowing that the infinite capacity of his love is contained in us. We do not control the growth, but we allow it. 

     We have to stop working for ourselves, trying to find that holiness we think only can be found in isolation. Holiness is found in one another. We are blessed profoundly in one another because the gifts that you have not the gifts that I have, and if you want a whole set, you need more than you can bring on your own; we all do. That is what draws us together, for then we encounter the one who makes us holy and we live a love that we are only beginning to understand. This is grace: he is present here, now, always, every time we gather, so that we might live… in him. 

--Fr. Patrick Michaels,
Homily, June 16, 2024

We are so grateful, Fr. Pat,
for these words of wisdom,
which seem so very appropriate today
as we celebrate your birthday.
 You may not often recognize
what God has done in creating you,
 but the OLMC community sees God
working through you daily,
and we know we are blessed to have you.
Thank you for all you do for us,
and for all you do with us!
May you be abundantly blessed
today and always,
as you are blessing to us all! 

Image source 1: Fr. Pat celebrates Mass on Palm Sunday 2025, https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1116331353865611&set=a.1116337687198311

Image source 2: Fr. Pat works with Joe R. and Rodrigo to prepare the OLMC Memorial Day Float, https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1233405612158184&set=a.1233430658822346

At the center of your being (Henri Nouwen)

     Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and ask him more directly to give you joy, peace, and a pure heart. Purity of heart means a heart where God is the center of your attention. Take a simple sentence like “The Lord is my shepherd there is nothing I shall want,” and repeat that quietly during the day until the truth of it enters the center of your being. You will always continue to have feelings of depression, anger, and restlessness, but when God dwells in the center of the storm, the storm is less frightening and you can live with trust that in the midst of all of the darkness you will be led to a place of joy and peace. 

--Henri Nouwen

Image source: Christ in a mandorla, which is often a representation of the door through which we must pass to live in him; Evangelistar von Speyer (1220), Manuscript in the Badische Landesbibliothek, Karlsruhe, Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandorla#/media/File:Codex_Bruchsal_1_01v_cropped.jpg
Quotation source

Jesus is the door (Pope Francis)

    I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (Jn 10:9). Let us listen to those words again: “he will go in and out”. On the one hand, Jesus is the wide open door that enables us to enter into the Father’s fellowship and experience his mercy. Yet, as we all know, open doors are not only for entering, but also for leaving. After bringing us back into God’s embrace and into the fold of the Church, Jesus is the door that leads us back into the world. He urges us to go forth to encounter our brothers and sisters. Let us never forget that all of us, without exception, are called to this; we are called to step out of our comfort zones and find the courage to reach out to all those peripheries that need the light of the Gospel. 

--Pope Francis 

Image source: Jean-Baptiste Champaigne, Le Bon Pasteur / The Good Shepherd (17th c.), https://pba-opacweb.lille.fr/fr/notice/p-167-le-bon-pasteur-1085b7ea-eb28-4555-989e-a8860be95ff8
Quotation source

Able to distinguish (Elizabeth Nava)

        I’ve introduced my children to the voice of the Good Shepherd… so that when they hear it in the world, they are able to distinguish between the Shepherd and the wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

--Elizabeth Nava 

Image source: Artist unknown, Good Shepherd, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Shepherd
Quotation source

The voice of the Shepherd (Pope Francis)

      Let us pay attention to the voices that reach our hearts. Let us ask ourselves where they come from. Let us ask for the grace to recognize and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, who brings us out of the enclosures of selfishness and leads us to the pastures of true freedom. 

--Pope Francis 

Image source: Tom Denny, Witts Memorial Chapel, Gloucestershire, https://www.facebook.com/groups/303462353173920
Quotation source

Sunday Gospel Reflection, April 26, 2026: What are we to do, my brothers?

What are we to do, my brothers?
What does it take to be saved? 

    In John’s Gospel, having just healed the man born blind, Jesus points out to the Pharisees that they themselves are blind, for they have failed to hear Jesus’ voice and follow him, even when he demonstrates irrefutably that he is the Messiah. The Pharisees ignore and deny God’s action; they are the thieves and robbers of whom Jesus speaks, those who will not enter through the gate to salvation that is Jesus. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, Jesus tells them, but they pay him no heed, refusing to listen (let alone believe!), refusing to accept their identity as sheep and cling instead to their own self-interest. The Lord is manifestly not their shepherd. 

    After Jesus’ death and rising, the Christian community will cling to Jesus’ promise of salvation. In the Acts of the Apostles, the crowds ask Peter and the other apostles, What are we to do, my brothers? Peter reassures them that Jesus’ promise is intended for them as well: Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is made to you and your children and to all those far off. God raised Jesus, thus opening a door; they have but to step through it to access eternal life. Likewise, although they may have gone astray like sheep, the author of the First Letter of Peter tells his community, they have but to return to the shepherd and guardian of their souls, Christ, who suffered for them. As Christians, they may suffer for doing what is good, but they have been called, and must follow in Christ’s footsteps, in order to live for righteousness. 

    It is through Jesus that we must go in order to embrace our identity as Christians; we cannot pass through the gate without being touched by his life, his sacrifice, and participate. We too must be patient when we suffer for doing what is good, and hold to his promise of salvation. All who listen, follow and believe will be saved. Are we ready and willing to embrace that promise and believe, as Psalm 23 reminds us, that the Lord is our shepherd, too? 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture Class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com