Jn 6:16-21 It is I

Jn 6:16-21  It is I

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When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum.  When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.  But he said to them, “It is I.  Do not be afraid.” 

Instead of being relieved, the disciples of the Lord were afraid.  Why?  Was it because He could walk on water; do something they could not do?  Or was it the reality that He was unlike them.

This morning I read an article regarding the LEGO Company.  It turns out that even they have their enemies.  Yes, Lego has enemies.  A feminist organization, SPARK, has decided to wage war on the company after it released a female Lego that loves to sit in the hot tube, have her hair and finger nails done in a beauty salon, etc.  A spokeswoman (of course) for SPARK is calling for a boycott.  She is concerned that little girls will think that this is all they can do.  After all, the feminist movement has worked for years in advancing the careers of women across America.  Unfortunately, during the same time period, women have been degraded as never before. 

I am sure SPARK would not agree with me, but I believe this organization is promoting that little girls grow up in the shadow of men!  Yes.  They define successful women as successful men.  They say that if a man can do it, then a woman should too.  That is, women living in the shadow of men.  They say, “If a man can wear pants, so can a woman!”  Again… women are to follow the example of men.  Is this a good strategy?  It is if you want to ensure your continual existence.  So SPARK will always exist as long as there are men…but in their shadow.

But if you are interested in promoting women strictly, then stop comparing women to men. In fact, let women be women and men be men.  And maybe, just maybe, men will take notice and wash their clothes.  Maybe, just maybe, men will decide to finally wash their hair and groom themselves.  It’s not impossible.  We already have men that wear earrings and put on make-up.

The founder of SPARK is concerned that women only represent less than 10% of the highest positions in corporate America.  She is concerned about POWER.  But she doesn’t seem to be concerned that more and more women are leaving the workforce at home because their husbands can’t or won’t find a job!  She doesn’t seem concerned that women’s influence, among future leaders, is diminishing at an astonishing rate.

I have never heard of SPARK before, and I am guessing that many women have not heard of them either.  Why does SPARK have so little influence on women today?  Because their concerns do not concern women.  Women can do whatever they want today.  And if there are few women as CEO’s than it is because there are not many women that want to be CEO’s.  There are plenty of women (as with men) that believe that these activities are scandalous, useless, a waste of time and insignificant compared to relaxing and enjoying life.  SPARK does not realize that if a woman is getting her nails done then it may very well mean that she is in a financial position to do so.  After all, we are not talking about a career here; we are talking about an activity!  Who knows, LEGO may very well be supporting the very real statistic that more women go to college then men; that women are better educated than men, and therefore have earned the right to such relaxing and enjoyable activities such as getting men to do their nails and hair.  After all, they too deserve to relax and be pampered after a hard day at home or in the office.

I am here to say that women can be women; unlike men.  They deserve to be women; to get out of the shadow of men.  They deserve to do what is best for them: to be themselves. 

The Lord said to his disciples, “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  He walked on water.  They did not.  He is God.  They are not.  Were they offended?  Did they constantly compare themselves to God?  Yes, but the Lord set them straight many times.  He said, “If you want to be great, then serve!”  He said, “With me, all things are possible.”  The women movements that mimic men have been a colossal failure for women.  Women should not try to be men.  Men should not try to be women.  Men and women should be what they were created to be: an image and likeness of God. 

The quest for POWER is an illusion when compared to the life of the Saints.

The quest for POSITION is degrading when compared to the life of Jesus Christ.

Jn 6:1-15 Adding Him

Jn 6:1-15  Adding Him
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One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”

The Lord takes what we have and multiples it.  He takes who we are and adds himself to it. 

Five loaves of bread.  Bread comes from wheat.  We take wheat, add water to it and a bit of yeast and violà…bread!  The Lord takes bread and “adds” himself to it and violà…The Eucharist.  What we do with wheat is almost as surprising as what He does with bread.  Both bread and Eucharist give life, though differently.  Both nourish.  Both are taken and eaten.  Both are taken for granted.  Both are pretty much understandable (and nonetheless surprising).  The only difference between our Bread and His Eucharist is that the first is made by human hands; the other by heavenly hands.

How can we ignore the obvious?  Why do we ignore the miraculous?  Why do we turn our heads and ignore the obvious and miraculous fact that the Lord wishes to add himself to us?  Is he not constantly taking who we are and adding himself to it?  He is.  He is constantly taking what we do (or have) and multiplying it.  He seeks and wishes to reveal His Divine presence in so many ways.  Here are just a few examples that I have come up with thus far.  Does the Lord not add himself to our instinct to survive?  Does He not take this raw product and refine it?  You know, similar to what we do with the coco bean and the soy bean.  Do we not take our “mammal-ity” and turn it into humanity?   Does the Lord not take our humanity and turn it into Christianity?  Does he not make us more valuable, useful and exciting in giving than in receiving; in dying for one’s friend rather than surviving at any cost?  Does he not take our instinct-to-survive and turn it into an instinct-to-forgive?

Information comes from what we see, taste, smell, hear and feel.  Our brains enable us to gather intelligence, collect information, and finally make right judgments.  But where do ideas come from?  Where did the idea of God come from?  If God cannot be seen, touched or felt (although He was in the person of Jesus Christ), then how on earth did “God” come to be?  Where did this idea, found in all cultures and at all times, come from?  An atheist once told me, “In the beginning man created God.”  How?  How in the world could Jews create a loving, forgiving, caring and peaceful God from their unloving, unforgiving, uncaring and violent surroundings?  Maybe it was more like, “In the beginning man acknowledged God.”  Violà!  How did he do it?  Maybe the same way all ideas come from.  Maybe the same way the idea of a car or radio came to be.  Take for example a horse.  We can all see a horse.  But only Henry Ford saw horsepower.  And he was right.  We can all talk.  But only Guglielmo Marconi saw the radio.  And he was right.  We can all see Jesus.  But only Christians saw the Lord.  And they were right!  Maybe God saw man…and he was good.

From His revelation and our reflection we find God and our true selves:  who we are and who we were meant to be.  We can get the right ideas of who He is when we make ourselves more like Him. 

Let’s take what we have and multiply it.  Let’s take who we are and add Him to it.  Let’s take our hormones and add His morals to them.  Let’s take our hormones and add His love to them.  Let’s take our strange addictions and, instead of publicizing them (or supporting them), have Him remove them.   Let’s take our mistakes and add His blessing upon blessing to them.  Let’s take earth and add Our Father to it.  Let’s take our touches and add His touch to them.  Let’s take our hands, designed to grasp and handle, and offer His beautiful sacrifice through them.  Let’s take our simple meal and turn it into His banquet for five thousand!  Let’s take our five loaves and two fish and let the Lord take it from there.

Jn 3:31-36 Above All

Jn 3:31-36 Above All

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The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.

You would think that if you were an atheist, you would know much about atheism. You would think that if you are a Christian, you would know much about Christianity. In a recent debate, the formidable self- described atheist, Professor Richard Dawkins, stated that most Christians do not know the New Testament. In fact, when self-described British Christians were asked to name the first book in the New Testament, only 35% could identify Matthew as the correct answer. Dawkins thus concluded that these individuals were “not really Christian at all.” He might have a point.

But when Dawkins was asked in a recent debate to give the full title of “The Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin he was confident he could. His Christian opponent then said, “Go on then.” Richard Dawkins then said, “On the Origin of Species…Uh. With, Oh God, On The Origin of Species. There is a subtitle to the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life.”

To the amazement of the audience, this formidable debater and high pope of Darwinism could not answer the question. His opponent then said, “If you asked people who believed in evolution that question and you came back and said 2% got it right, it would be terribly easy for me to go “they don’t believe it after all.”

Well done! But the truth is: Prof. Richard Dawkins has always had the tendency to make himself big by making others feel small. And this time, it backfired! Which may actually help him in the long run.

To believe in God means to open oneself to God. If science were the sole avenue to the Creator, then Jesus Christ would have appeared at Oxford, and as a scientist. But he didn’t. If philosophy were the sole means to God, then the Lord would have appeared in Athens; as a philosopher, the likes of Plato or Aristotle. But he didn’t. If music were the venue to God, then the Song of Songs would have started Graceland. But he didn’t. He chose to write no music and chose to play no instrument. He and his Apostles were no Paul Lennon or Beatles in the middle of the desert.

I think the Lord chose none of the above because he knew we would do them better. Instead, what he chose to do was something that had never been seen before, done before or thought of before. He chose to do something remarkable, the likes of which we still marvel at every single time we witness it, hear about it and think about it. He chose to be small.

All our lives we look to be big. We want to grow up. We want to have a bigger home, a bigger role, a bigger impact. There is something inside of us that drives us to be BIGGER AND BETTER. And guess what? That’s good. But how? That’s the question. Christ answers the question: be small. Be humble and you will be great! Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground it cannot bear any fruit. The Kingdom of God may be likened to a mustard seed that grew and became a tree.

There is nothing wrong with being big, that is the goal. But if you want to be really big, then make yourself really small.

Too many of the great modern philosophers are great among themselves, but not among us. They tend to spend all their time arguing among themselves which doesn't really leave much room for us. They seem to care more about their theories then care about us.

The great scientists are great because they discover things for us. But they never invented a single thing they ever discovered. They write books that include detailed explanations, diagrams and drawings of Heavens and humans as if they were plans of things to come! They take awards for plagiarism! They never give credit to God who did it all and without any known drawings.

Art no longer impresses us because (contemporary) art doesn’t seem to reflect us. It is no longer the image or reflection of the inner soul. Instead, it is the image of a lost and dark soul.

The great schools have failed us. In their ignorance and/or arrogance they either encouraged or failed to stop the terror of European Enlightenment, Fascism, Communism and Nazism. But the Church, in its meekness sent forth the terror of Communists and Fascists: Bl. John Paul II. Schools can take no credit for the Mother to fallen human nature: Mother Theresa. No great school ever educated the heart of St. Francis of Assisi. And not a single school was willing to accept Montreal’s architect of miracles: St. Andre Bessette. This is to name just a few.

From our vantage point, everything on earth looks big. From our vantage point, everything in the Heavens looks small. That’s a good hint that we have a bad point of view!

God is very big and made himself very small. Those who wish to be big must think big (eternally) but not act big (as if they were God). To know the Lord requires an exterior as well as an interior microscope and telescope. To serve the Lord requires tenacity as well as humility. To love the Lord requires a heart as well as a brain.

The one who comes from above is above all, including me. That makes a lot of sense, given the fact that The who comes from above came down to me.

Jn 3:16-21 God So Loved

Jn 3:16-21 God So Loved

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For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

It’s not that the Lord never condemned. He did and he does. He condemned sin: lying, stealing, adultery, idolatry, etc. So, let’s not even think for a moment that Christians are not allowed to condemn sins. We are and we must! But what we must never do is allow ourselves to condemn or reduce an individual to their sins; to reduce someone to rubble; to caste them aside; to change their name; to call someone who steals ‘a thief’ or someone who commits adultery ‘a whore’. The Lord did not come into the world to reduce the world to rubble; to turn it into one big stone. He came to give life to the world; to turn on the light switch; to switch things up. After all, Christ did not give blood, shed tears and shred his flesh to come in second place; to lose. He gave it all to save us all. He showed us how to win.

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, and what the Father gave to the world I can give to the world. I can give His Son to the world. I can give His Son’s love to the world. I can be His love in the world.

I think that love incites two possible reactions: love and jealousy. I do not agree that indifference is a reaction to love. In fact, I’m starting to see that indifference is a cover for jealousy. Love inspires us to either become a follower or a rioter; a believer or an unbeliever. And as we can see, Jesus Christ inspired both…and in great number.

The Sadducees …filled with jealousy …heard the report [that the Apostles were no longer in prison], they were at a loss about them, as to what this would come to. Then someone came in and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people.” (Acts 5:23-25)

Jealousy fueled Herod. Jealousy fueled the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jealousy fueled the Sanhedrin. Jealousy fueled Judas. Jealousy aims to separate some from others. Love aims to unite some with some others. No matter what the Pharisees or the Sadducees threw at the Apostles; no matter how many times they warned them, they kept coming back. The Apostles were imprisoned, beaten down and thrown out. And still, the Apostles kept throwing Jesus at them. And eventually the Apostles, along with Jesus won. The days of the Pharisees, Sadducees, elders and chief priests are long gone. Only Christ remains.

To love means to open oneself to another. To love unconditionally means to open oneself up to Jesus Christ. To believe in Jesus Christ means to open ourselves up to others. It means to share the Good News; to live a crazy life!

The Lord deserves my love. He has paid his love with blood. I will be counted among the living in Heaven as long as I love on earth. His words are a gift to me. They are honest and true; like no other. The Lord is the alpha and the omega of the world. He reduces all epochs, all ages, all seasons and all times by his singular and everlasting life. I refuse to be mastered by the glamour of sin, of superficiality or by the trivialness of the moment. All idols grow old. All idols eventually collapse. Only the Lord survives. Only the Lord expands. The light of Christ enlightens my life and those around me. He reveals to me the sham of staged performances and appearances. While revealing the sham of the make-over, the costumes and the clowns, he reveals the beauty of purity, modesty, virtue and the depth of character.

Love is truly amazing and crazy, “It is just as crazy to not be crazy about Christ as it is to be crazy about something else” (- Peter Kreeft).

Jn 3:7b-15 Think Eternally

Jn 3:7b-15 Think Eternally

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Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born from above…Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

In order to heal those who had been bitten by snakes, Moses was ordered by God to fashion a serpent out of bronze and lift it over his head. Those who saw it and had been bitten would be saved. So my question is, Why so much drama? Why so much work? Couldn’t Moses have simply touched the sick person and everything would have been solved? No. The Lord told Moses, Do what I say. Of course he could have told Moses, “Snap your fingers and there, it’s done.” But the Lord does not ask Moses to be practical. God asks Moses to think like He does, eternally. God thinks long term. This life saving act would one day be used by the Son of God as an example – an important example – of who (and what) saves: Jesus lifted up on the Cross.

You must be born from above. It’s time to think eternally, to live surprisingly, to share lovingly. It’s time to be holy. The Lord is inviting Nicodemus to think BIG; to be different; to live not like man does but like God does.

Recently, I went to Braums with a beautiful family to get some ice cream. While we were enjoying our wonderful treat Julian’s mom asked her five-year-old son, “Why don’t you tell Father what happened to you this past Sunday at Mass?” I immediately glanced over at Julian and his face turned bright red. Now Julian is a wonderful child but was very hesitant in explaining what happened. He tried as hard as possible to make light of the situation by putting a big smile on his face and acting a little silly. Eventually, and with a lot of prodding from his siblings, he let it all out. He said, “I was not a very good boy in Church. Mommy gave me two quarters to put into the collection basket.” I said, “That’s great Julian. Did you give the money to God?” “Well”, he said, “I didn’t drop the money into the basket. Instead, I pretended to drop it in there.” “Ouch!” that hurt. But then things got worse. “When mommy told me to let go of the money, I dropped only one quarter in the basket. I didn’t put both of them like I was supposed to.” Uh-oh! This is only getting worse. Julian then defended himself by explaining himself, “I wanted to keep the money so that I could get some bubble gum!!!”

When we think short-term, we tend to think desperately. When we think desperately, we risk everything. When we risk everything, everything goes out the window! Teenagers, by their very nature, think in French or Latin; that is, À la mode or carpe diem. Of course, not too many teenagers will hold on to fifty cents for some bubble gum. But they will do things or hold on to things that offend God. Little Julian thought fifty cents was more important than God. He thought some bubble gum was more important than God. He thought in the short term. Don’t we do the same? “I will break whatever commandment I have to so that I can be happy.” “I will do whatever it takes to become popular (or successful).” “I will do whatever it takes to get accepted at this or that school or to pass this or that test.” Why do we think like this? Because we think today “is the most important day ever”, much more important than God, or His commandments, or my future, or my reputation. We have a very hard time imagining better days ahead or things making much more sense in the long run.

Christ invites us to be holy (like him), to think eternally (which means think big), to live surprisingly (differently) and to share lovingly. It’s never easy because we hardly ever think eternally.

This morning I celebrated Mass for our elementary school kids. As I looked out at my young congregation and saw all the children hold hands while they recited the Our Father, I recalled as a child what I thought about that. I couldn’t stand holding hands. I hated it. We had assigned seats and I hated holding this one kid’s slimy, filthy, disgusting hand for so long. But now, as an adult, I look out there and I love seeing it. I see so many things differently as an adult. Will we not see things differently from heaven…or from Hell?

Once upon a time reputation was considered a virtue. It was hard earned. It took years to achieve. You didn’t want to lose it and you made sure you fought for it. The early Christians had an amazing reputation: “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common” (Acts 4:32).

What happened? Look at where we are today? The Christians shared all they possessed because they had only one person in mind: Jesus Christ; they had only one thing in mind: Heaven. The community of believers believed in Jesus and in Heaven, two eternal truths. THINK ETERNALLY. Everything else turns to sand.

Jn 3:1-8 Born from Above

Jn 3:1-8 Born from Above

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Jesus answered Nicodemus, “What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I have told you, ‘You must be born from above.’”

A few nights ago, I celebrated a junior ring ceremony at Ursuline Academy. It was a beautiful event full of faith, tradition, elegance, friendship and unity. All the kids were dressed in their beautiful red graduation gowns. They all looked the same. So what do we do when everyone looks the same? What happens? Well, we start looking for differences. And I have to admit, I looked too. I think it is a consequence of the Fall. I caught myself looking at the types of shoes the kids were wearing. After a few minutes, I discretely looked around the audience to see what others were doing. I was not alone. Many had their eyes focused on the shoes the kids were wearing. I thought to myself, “Aha! I am not the only one that fell into this trap.” I guess there is nothing wrong with looking for differences, as long as they are not defects we are seeking. We all know that if we look long enough at anyone, we will always find defects. What an awful tendency we have of looking down rather than looking up. No wonder the Lord speaks of looking up; of being “born from above.”

I cannot emphasize enough the important role Christians have in society. We have been called to rock the earth; to shake things up; to shake people up. “As the first Christians prayed over Peter and John, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

To me, it is just as impressive to see someone shake as it is to see the ground shake. It’s nothing short of a miracle to move a soul to repentance as if it were a mountain of dirt.

The Lord invites his people to not only stop seeking what is below and to start seeking what is above, but also to be from above. That is, BE ANOTHER CHRIST! Be bold. Be courageous. Be holy.

Nicodemus was a man that had too much to lose. That is the reason why he felt comfortable being around Jesus, but only in the dark. He never got around to coming around. He was a man of good intentions but not so good with action.

“It’s the economy stupid.” I’ve noticed something. I’ve noticed how schizophrenic we are. When you go to most school, it’s all about the brain. When you go to see a movie, it’s all about the heart. When you go to a restaurant it’s all about food. When you vote, it’s all about the economy. But life isn’t like that. Communists thought they could quiet us with guaranteed employment. Scientists think they can conquer us with power and tools. Experts think they can satisfy us with their wealth of knowledge. Politicians think they can appease us with all their promises. They are all wrong! When we eat food it goes everywhere within our system. When we look at the sunset it moves the heart to sing, the soul to dance and the mind to write poetry. When we work it’s not for money it’s for a purpose. When we elect someone, it’s to be represented properly.

Our biggest problem is that we never seem to get to the bottom of things, and if we never get to the bottom of things, we won't get on top of things. If we keep seeking short term solutions then we will lose sight of permanent solutions. Our schools, our homes, our families and our children are suffering not because we don’t have enough stuff or staff or funding or timing. We are suffering because we do not seek what is above. It is the Lord that provides direction. If we don't seek that which is above us, we won't have much below us. We seem to come to the Lord during tragedies and funerals. It seems like we only reach out to Him during the night.

Jesus Christ is the only one that invites us to be more than just sentimental, practical and intelligible. He is the only one that invites us to be more than human. He wants us to be from above.

Don’t let that which is from below drive you! It’s not about the economy; it’s about dignity, and the Lord supplies plenty of that to man.

Jn 20:19-31 Easter Insecurities

Jn 20:19-31 Easter Insecurities

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Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

We tried to get rid of him. We killed him and then we buried him. But God refused to go away. He came back, like an ugly truth, resurrected and still bearing the signs of his crucifixion.

When we can’t stand the truth we tend to call it ugly. We want to bury it. When the truth hurts, we tend to want to kill it. But truth does not go away; it always seems to come up to the surface; just like the Lord, who rose from the dead.

“Unless I see…” In one way or another, we can all relate to Thomas. He thinks like so many of us do. He has a very contemporary mind. I don’t mean in the sense that he demands proof in everything in order to believe in something. That’s simply an excuse to cover something deeper! What I am referring to is that Thomas suffers from what many contemporaries suffer from: insecurity. And insecurity is a very serious problem. It causes people to lie, to react harshly, aggressively, and even spitefully. Just like modern man makes excuses for everything from atomic bombs and wars to abortion and euthanasia. Insecurity cheapens life like lies cheapen the truth.

…I will not believe.” Why do we turn away from God? Why do we put conditions on the God of love? It’s because we are insecure. Thomas has a very personal problem. He thinks his problem is with one person in particular: Jesus. He doesn’t like what happened. He doesn’t think it was fair that he was left out. We can relate. If there are prizes to give then everyone has to receive one. If all the participants receive a certificate then I better receive a certificate. And if I don’t, “Woe to that person, it would be better if that person had never been born!” But let’s be honest. Does the Lord have a problem or do I have a problem? Do my insecurities get in the way of friendships, teammates and choices? Did the Lord do something wrong? Did my friends do something horrible?

By all accounts, it appears as though Thomas had been absent for just a brief amount of time. Maybe he had gone out to get some supplies for the others. Maybe he volunteered or maybe Peter sent him. Either way, there is one thing for sure: He was not there when the Lord appeared. He was not there to experience the Easter joy! Why? Why? Thomas must have asked this a thousand times: Why did the Lord appear when I was not there? Why did He choose that exact moment to appear to the others but not to me? It must be because He never cared about me. Look at my life. I’ve always been full of doubts and loneliness. When people ask me how I am I can’t seem to say more than, “Not too bad.” I don’t think God ever loved me. In fact, I know He loves the others more than me. He knew that I had gone out for a moment. He knew I wouldn’t be there. He knows everything. Why would he do this to me? Wait a minute…I know what he wants. I know why…I know why. He knows I question everything. This is his way of telling me, “Leave…you don’t belong here with the others. I don’t need you. I don’t want you.” Well, I’m not leaving. I won’t leave and I won’t believe unless I see him for myself.

When the Romans began crucifying people, this type of pain was literally beyond words to describe. Nothing in the language could accurately describe the intense anguish caused during crucifixion. So the Romans invented a new word: Excruciating, which means “from the cross”.

Thomas was surrounded in the upper room with insecurities and people. And if insecurities are like nails, then people (even friends) can be like hammers. Thomas saw himself getting hammered by his friends, especially his best friend, every single day. Eight long excruciating days would pass before Christ appeared again; and every single day of waiting must have felt like a nail going deeper and deeper into Thomas’s skin. Only the Lord could convert his insecurity into His security; only the Lord could take him down from his cross. “Do not be afraid” is an invitation from God to free ourselves from all forms of insecurity. Insecure people cut themselves. Insecure people have eating disorders. Insecure people take drugs. Insecure people, like bullies, make life miserable for others.

This Gospel passage offers much to meditate on. Christ appeared to all the Apostles, but like Thomas, he did not appear to me. Let us rejoice and be glad for Christ says, “Blessed are they who do not see but believe!”

The Lord showed Thomas his hands, feet and side. There were no nails. Let us rejoice and be glad and may we never exchange His security with our insecurity. May Christ’s nails never appear in my flesh! No wonder why the Lord repeats twice to his men, “Peace be with you.”

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. Today is a reminder that no one knows us, hears us, loves us or cares about us as much as the Lord. This is the truth. Let us trust in the Lord.