These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
"Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (MT 5:20-26)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060922.cfm
Sometimes we prefer to get the cart before the horse, but the Lord won’t let us get away with it. If you want to get religious, says the Lord, you have to start by mending fences.
Then the prophet Elijah prayed: “Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have turned their hearts back to you.” (1 Kgs 18:20-39)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060822.cfm
The story of the prophet Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal is one of the most exciting in Scripture. But even more impressive is the prophet's simple prayer to the God who "can change hearts."
When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:12-14)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060622.cfm
Today we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary who remained in prayer with the early community of disciples. We call her Mother of the Church for the Lord Jesus has entrusted her to our care and says to us as he says to Beloved Disciples in every age, “There is your mother.”
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 104)
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! How manifold are your works, O LORD! the earth is full of your creatures.
R Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060522-day.cfm
The work of creation never ends—because God is not finished with us yet. And that is really Good News!
It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written. (Jn 21:20-25)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060422.cfm
We come to the second conclusion of the Fourth Gospel with the passage about the Beloved Disciple. We learn that the Beloved has written these things, and as the writer of this passage says, “We know that his testimony is true.” Obviously, the Beloved has died, but why would there be any doubt about whether this disciple would not die, unless the Beloved is truly Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead? The Acts of the Apostles also comes to an end with Paul under house arrest in Rome freely preaching the gospel and fulfilling the words of Jesus: “You will be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Tomorrow is Pentecost, the end of the Easter Season. Today we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary who remained in prayer with the early community of disciples.
