Easter Octave 2026 - Friday - Come, have breakfast

 

On Easter Sunday morning, the angel gave instructions that the disciples were to leave Judaea and go to Galilee where the would see the Lord. Well, in today’s Gospel, the disciples have traveled to Galilee—to the Sea of Tiberius, which is another name for the Sea of Galilee—and there they see the Lord.

Now, notice that they’ve returned to Galilee, and they’re not exactly looking that hard for Jesus. They aren’t preaching, teaching, healing, or spreading the Gospel in his name. In fact, they seem to have reverted to their old way of life—they’ve gone fishing.

Well, they might not have been looking that hard for Jesus, but Jesus was looking for them. He makes himself visible to them, he calls out them from the seashore, and when they approach him, Jesus says, “come have breakfast”. 

There is something unique about breakfast. Breakfast is not a royal banquet, it’s a simple meal, typically shared with family. Breakfast is informal; everybody might still be a bit disheveled before having their favorite caffeinated beverage—not everyone is washed or totally awake. The disciples, after a night of working, certainly fit this description. Like a parent for children still groggy from sleep, the Lord makes breakfast for these groggy children, he even calls them children. And in his closeness to them, in sharing the meal, they recognize that it was the Lord.

Easter was 5 days ago, and we, like the disciples are already a bit groggy. Our catechumens, initiated at  the Easter Vigil are still wrapping their minds and hearts about meeting Jesus in the Sacraments.

Maybe, since easter, we like the disciples retreating to fishing, have retreated back into old bad habits already instead of allowing Easter to change us. Maybe, since Lent is over, we haven’t been looking for Jesus that hard in prayer. But it is good that we are here, at Mass. Weekday Mass is so powerful, and I wish more people would come to weekday Mass, because the Lord meets us here for an intimate family meal—like the Lord dining with his disciples on the seashore--to feed us, to reorient us and strengthen our faith for the work he has for us out in the world.

The Collect for Mass today asks God to dispose our minds that the faith we celebrate may be expressed in our deeds. That’s exactly what the Lord was doing on the seashore with the disciples, opening their minds to the reality of his resurrection, that their faith might impel them into the world. And he does the same thing here. May the reality and power of the Lord’s resurrection animate our words and deeds today, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ.

For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received.

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

 

Easter Octave 2026 - Monday - “To the dead, he has given life.”

 

For the secular world, Easter is over now. For disciples of Jesus Christ, however, today is the second day of a fifty day season of glory—reveling in, celebrating, reflecting upon, basking in the light of the most important thing that ever happened. Jesus Christ rose from the dead, just as he said he would.

The Catechism says, “The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross: Christ is risen from the dead! Dying, he conquered death; To the dead, he has given life.”

“To the dead, he has given life.” What powerful words these are! This truth resounds through every Easter Alleluia we sing. It is meant to animate every day of our life.

This is what we see already in today’s readings. In the first reading, Peter stands in Jerusalem and boldly proclaims that the crucified Jesus has been raised up by God. Peter himself is a sign of what the Resurrection does. The man who once hid in fear now speaks with courage. In the Gospel, Mary Magdalene runs to announce the news to the disciples. Sorrow has given way to joy and urgency.

The Resurrection is not only something that happened to Jesus; it is something Jesus now shares with us. His victory becomes our victory. His life becomes our life. Souls, dead because of sin, have been raised up. Lives under the sway of sin are freed. Again, fear is transformed into boldness. Sorrow is transformed into joy.

This season, the secular world, which has forgotten Christ, which never really knew him, is to witness His resurrection through us. That’s why on this 1^st day after easter sunday, we are given examples of Easter witness: Mary Magdalene sharing the news with the disciples, St. Peter boldly proclaiming Christ to the crowd. Mission. The Church has a mission. You and I have a mission. We

The world needs to see signs of his Resurrection in us: in deeper hope, in real joy, in renewed courage, in freedom from sin, in charity and peace. Christ is truly risen, and has given us new life—and that life is meant to be lived.

May the power of Christ’s resurrection continue to raise us to new life and help us to witness to his great victory for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

Brothers and sisters, rejoicing in the victory of Christ who has conquered death and given new life to his people, let us bring our prayers before the Father.

For the Church throughout the world: that, renewed by the joy of Easter, she may boldly proclaim that Christ is risen and bear convincing witness to his victory by lives of holiness, charity, and peace. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the Holy Father, bishops, priests, and deacons: that the power of the Resurrection may strengthen them in their ministry and make them fearless heralds of the Gospel. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who govern the nations: that the risen Christ may turn hearts from violence, division, and despair toward justice, reconciliation, and the dignity of every human life. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who were baptized or received into the Church at Easter: that they may remain close to the risen Lord and grow each day in the new life of grace they have received. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those whose souls are burdened by sin, fear, grief, illness, or hopelessness: that the Lord Jesus, who gave life to the dead, may raise them up with his mercy and fill them with peace. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who have died: that they may come to share fully in the triumph of Christ’s Resurrection, and for the consolation of those who mourn them. Let us pray to the Lord.

Priest:
Heavenly Father, you raised your Son from the dead and made him the source of new life for the world. Hear the prayers we place before you and make us faithful witnesses of the Resurrection.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Easter Sunday 2026 - Easter Renewal

 

He is Risen, Indeed He is Risen! Alleluia!

On Good Friday, the world was darkened by an eclipse of the sun. Evil was so tangible that even the earth shuddered with an earthquake. It was a day when lies and conspiracies and plotting seemed to conquer truth, and darkness seemed to eclipse light, and death seemed to have been victorious over life, and Satan seemed to have gotten the upper hand on God.

But enough of that. For now we celebrate a morning when the tomb was empty; a morning when light was so bright it blinded roman soldiers and burnt an image into a burial cloth; a morning when life triumphed over death, and truth trumped falsehood, and hope was victorious over despair, and faith championed doubt, and God put Satan in his place. For He is Risen, Indeed He is Risen! Alleluia!

The extraordinary news of Easter morning is that not only did Jesus Christ conquer death for himself, but that he shares that victory over death and sin and despair and darkness and sin and evil with us. His victory is ours. He invites us to share in his triumph. If that is not extraordinarily Good News, I don’t know what is.

On the High Holy Days, many of us come to Church for a lot of different reasons: perhaps you are here today because it’s simply family tradition or because it just seemed like the right thing to do; perhaps you are a life-long Catholic, and there was never a doubt that you’d be at Church on Easter Sunday.

Maybe there’s a bit of darkness, or a lot of darkness in your life, and you just needed to draw near to the brightest light you possibly could today. In that case, you’re in very good company, because I’m pretty sure everybody in this Church has experienced are periods in life that seem more like Good Friday than Easter Sunday. Periods of life when you wonder about life’s meaning, periods of life when we seem stuck on a cross, or overwhelmed, like life has buried us in a tomb, when we struggle to find God amidst all the chaos and violence and evil in the world.

The message of course today is that Good Friday does not get the last word. Easter morning does. Our faith in Jesus Christ allows us to be confident that evil and death do not get the last word. So, if there is a part of your life, that still seems to be stuck in Good Friday, I invite you to ask Jesus very sincerely today, to enter that part of your life, to transform it. Ask him to come into that Good Friday broken relationship, that Good Friday doubt or confusion, that Good Friday sense of defeat. And to allow him to bring Easter Victory to your Good Friday sufferings.

A number of years before his death, Pope Francis offered these words on Easter: “Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.”

In just a few moments we will renew our baptismal promises. From time to time I meet a college student or older adult who, though baptized as an infant has left the practice of the Catholic faith: they aren’t coming to mass and they don’t accept the truth behind particular Church teachings.  I ask them why they’ve left the practice of the faith in which they were raised.   And they often say, “well, I was baptized as a baby, so I didn’t get a choice to become Catholic or not.”

Well, to all of you, who feel like you didn’t get a choice, today, and every Easter, we renew the promises of our baptism, we renew our faith that Jesus rose, we renew our belief in all the Church teaches in his name.  You will then be sprinkled with the Easter waters, that the Lord may breathe new life into your religious commitments.

In fact, the Early Christians celebrated every Sunday as a “little Easter”. They knew that without this little Easter every week, they’d be allowing those forces which conspired against Christ on Good Friday to have power over them. So, if you want to make this Easter part of your deliverance out of the Good Fridays in your life, make every Sunday a “little Easter”

For, if the power of Christ’s resurrection is to overflow in your life, constant faith must be an open conduit. Don’t shut off the flow of grace. If you are tempted to do so, remember that it’s the power of the world trying to isolate you again.

So today, the priest will ask every one of you here six questions for the renewal of your baptismal promises.  The first three have to do with Sin.  Christ’s Easter victory was a victory over sin, so the Christian is to seek to be rid of anything that has to do with sin.  So the priest will ask, “Do you renounce sin, so as to live in the freedom of the children of God. Do you renounce the lure of evil, so that sin may have no mastery over you? Do you renounce Satan, the author and prince of Sin?”

What are we saying, when we say “I do” to these questions?  I’m promising to do everything in my power, with the help of the power of Easter, to put an end to sin in my life, to put an end to all self-absorption and all selfishness. I’m promising to do everything in my own power to change my life, to alter my daily and weekly routines, that they can better reflect the Christian faith as taught by the Catholic Church.  I’m renouncing all of those excuses of laziness which hinder the power of Easter becoming more manifest in me. All the powers of lust which cause me to focus on passing earthly pleasure instead of eternal heavenly joy. Today, we readily turn away from these things. For those excuses, those sins, are the most likely culprits for not enjoying the peace and joy God wants for us.

The last three questions of the baptismal promises concern the doctrines of the Faith.  Do you believe in God the Father, do you believe that Jesus Christ suffered and died and rose again, do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church.

These are teachings the Church professes every Sunday when we profess the Creed.  These are the truths upon which our religious life rests.  These are the truths that give us strength in the face of temptation, they are the light of truth in the darkness of the world’s confusion and error. Amidst all of the nonsense in the world, all of the error perpetuated through modern media, all the fake news out there, the Christian can say, I know these things to be true.

We renew our baptismal promises today, and by doing so open ourselves to the power of Christ’s Easter Victory. Through them, we become heirs of the promises of Christ, that we, like him, shall be risen from the dead and live forever. For he risen from the dead, indeed he is risen, alleluia, alleluia. 

 

 

Easter Vigil 2026 - Our place in Salvation History

 

On this Easter Vigil night, our Scripture readings took us on quite a journey, through the various stages of salvation history.

We began at the beginning, with creation itself. In Genesis, God brings light from darkness, order from chaos, and life where there had been nothing. Man and woman were made in God’s image and likeness, created for communion with Him. Already, there at the very beginning, are foreshadowing of what we celebrate tonight: the giving of life, the restoration of communion.

Our second reading, saw Abraham willing to offer his only son as a sacrifice to God, so strong was Abraham’s faith. While God spared Abraham’s Son, God did not spare his own, but handed him over to us for our salvation. And through Abraham came the promise of a great people, a family too numerous to count—a promise fulfilled in us—in the Church, in which God gathers people from every nation into his family through faith and Baptism.

In our third reading, God delivers his enslaved children through the waters of the Red Sea. This is not only Israel’s story; it is ours. For again this reading foreshadows, what God does here tonight and in the life of the Church—God delivers us from the slavery of sin through Baptismal waters to the freedom of the children of God.

In our fourth reading, Isaiah recalls the waters of Noah, through which God brought a cleansing of the wickedness of the world. These waters, you guessed it, foreshadow the cleansing waters of baptism.

In our fifth reading, Isaiah again speaks of water: the water that quenches thirst, but also grain that becomes food, and the promise of everlasting covenant. Here Isaiah foretells not just baptism, but Eucharist, the body and blood of the new and everlasting covenant.

In our sixth reading, Baruch speaks of the wisdom of God which is meant to guide the lives of his people—"those who cling to this wisdom will live” says Baruch. Here Baruch foreshadows the Wisdom of Christ—whose words are everlasting life.

In the seventh reading and last of the Old Testament readings from Ezekiel spoke of the day when God will sprinkle his people with water and put a new spirit within them. Here of course is a foreshadowing of Baptism, and Confirmation, the giving of the Spirit.

Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist all given to us, so that we may share in the Victory of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we proclaimed in the Gospel and by St. Paul in his letter to the Romans.

All of these Scripture readings are not just a collection of important moments from Israel’s history. They help us to understand and experience that from the beginning, God has been preparing humanity for what we celebrate tonight: deliverance and new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Tonight, all of those promises, all of those foreshadowings, all of that long preparation comes to fulfillment. For, tonight is not merely the anniversary of something that happened long ago. Tonight, the risen Christ acts in his Church. Tonight, he draws people into his death and resurrection. Tonight, he makes all things new.

That is why this night is so fitting for the initiation of our catechumens. Dear catechumens, tonight you do not simply join an institution or adopt a set of religious ideas. Tonight, by Baptism, you are brought through the waters. You are freed from the slavery of sin. You are cleansed. You are claimed. You are made sons and daughters of God. In Confirmation, the Holy Spirit will be given to you in a new and powerful way, sealing you as belonging to Christ. And in the Holy Eucharist, you will come to the altar to receive the Body and Blood of the risen Lord, the food of the new and everlasting covenant. Tonight, the whole history of salvation which we have heard proclaimed becomes personal in you.

And for the rest of us, tonight is a summons to remember who we are. For following the baptism of our Catechumen, all of the baptized, with lighted candles, will renew our baptismal promises. We will renounce Satan, and all his works, and all his empty show. We will profess again our faith in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The renewal is to be for each of us, not an empty recitation of familiar words, but a true renewal of our identity, as baptized members of the body of Christ. We are baptized into his victory, and that victory is to resound in our lives.

So tonight let us rejoice. Let us rejoice for those who are about to be initiated into the mystery of Christ and his Church. Let us rejoice that the same grace once poured into our own souls is still alive and powerful. Let us rejoice that the God who created, called, delivered, cleansed, fed, instructed, and renewed his people throughout salvation history has done all this so that we might share in the victory of his risen Son for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Holy Saturday 2026 - Morning Prayer - Jesus descended into Hell

 

In the Apostle’s Creed we profess that after Christ was crucified, died and buried, “He descended into Hell.” Christ was not condemned to Hell, like the rest of humanity. Rather he descended; he went willingly and with purpose.

The Catechism says, “Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there.
From the time of Adam, all who died, whether evil or righteous were deprived of the vision of God. And Christ went to those who souls who awaited their Savior. The ancient homily for Holy Saturday puts it this way: “he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve…the Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory.”

I remember my first holy Saturday as a seminarian. I was home for the triduum, and I went to pray in my home parish church. And I brought with me my breviary, the liturgy of the hours, and for the first time encountering the famous patristic reading describing Jesus descending into hell preaching to Adam, the first man, who has been asleep in death from time immemorial.

Listen to these words, spoken by Christ: ‘I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

In order to prepare for easter, Jesus descended to the depths of hell, to those who were distant from God, maybe we reach out today to someone towards whom we’ve grown distant, wish them a happy easter and invite them to church tomorrow. The Lord no doubt wants to use us to knock on the doors of the hearts of the fallen away. We do well, certainly to pray for those who reject the invitation to return to Church.

We quietly and prayerfully wait for easter today, but we also recognize that though he was in the tomb, Christ was still at work announcing the Gospel, which is our easter mission. May these last few hours before Easter, prepare us well for the great celebration and our share in the great mission for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Good Friday 2026 - Press the Cross to your heart

 There was a young boy, about 8 years old, who liked to have his own way, and would become very angry anytime his will would be contradicted.  He would talk back to his parents and teachers, fight with his brothers and schoolmates. He would be disciplined in school and at home, but nothing seemed to alter his behavior or attitude, and his parents began to despair.

One day, there was an unexpected change.  His selfishness seemed to entirely disappear; he became one of the most obedient and gentle children.  His parents began to wonder about this change of behavior, and then they noticed that from time to time, the boy would put his hand to his chest, and press something under his shirt close to his heart.  

The boy’s father asked what he was doing.  The boy said, just something grandpa gave me to help me.  The boy took out a crucifix which hung from a thin chain which he had been wearing underneath his shirt.  “When I am angry that I’m not getting my way, I press this image to my heart, I think of what Jesus suffered, and then I find it easy to be good.”  

Today we press the cross to our hearts.  

An eastern orthodox saint named St. Symeon the Theologian who was a monk in the 11th century wrote, “The only way to protect oneself against the devil is by constant remembrance of God: this remembrance must be imprinted in the heart by the power of the Cross, thus rendering the mind firm and unyielding”.

Today, we press the cross to our hearts, that its power might be imprinted there—the power of self-emptying love. When the Cross is pressed to the heart, it teaches us how God loves us, and it teaches us how to endure trial, temptation, and suffering. The devil tempts us toward pride, resentment, despair, and self-will. The Cross teaches us humility, forgiveness, hope, and surrender to the Father.

We venerate the cross today in some outward sign of devotion, so that we may venerate it every day in our actions, in our attitudes, in our speech. Self-emptying love is to mark everything we do, because Jesus self-emptying love has marked us. 

We press the cross to our hearts because we have been pressed to God’s heart, by God himself. In the Passion of the Lord, we see just how near God has drawn to us. He has not loved us from a safe distance. He has entered into our suffering, our betrayal, our loneliness, our fear, even into death itself. The Cross is the proof that there is no human misery Jesus has refused to touch, no sinner is unwilling to seek.

Today we offer solemn intercessions on behalf of the world and the Church, pressing our needs and struggles to his cross and those of the whole world.  We also solemnly venerate the wood of the cross, we press the cross to our lips, or our foreheads, to remember his great love, and that we may be rendered firm and unyielding in the face of temptation and confirmed in the desire to carry our crosses in union with the Son of God, and to bear the message of his love to a world in desperate need of it for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

Holy Thursday 2026 - "Do this in memory of me"

 “In the Sacred Triduum, the Church solemnly celebrates the greatest mysteries of our redemption, keeping by means of special celebrations the memorial of her lord, crucified, buried, and risen.

Pastors are given special instruction on their responsibilities during these holy days. The instruction in the Roman missal itself says, “Pastors should not fail to explain to the Christian faithful, as best they can, the meaning and order of the celebrations and to prepare them for active and fruitful participation”

This evening we celebrate what is called the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. As normal, this mass includes the liturgy of the word, from which we read from the sacred scriptures, and also the liturgy of the Eucharist, which contains special orations unique to this day, particularly about the Lord’s institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Ordained Priesthood at the Last Supper. Between the two normal parts of the mass is a special ritual of the Washing of the Feet. After the distribution of Holy Communion, the Eucharistic fragments will be processed through the Church back to the Tabernacle.

Tomorrow morning we will celebrate the Church’s official Morning Prayer at 9am tomorrow. Followed by the Stations of the Cross at noon and the Good Friday Passion Liturgy at 3pm. It is a particularly solemn liturgy, beginning with the priest laying prostrate in the bare sanctuary. After readings from Isaiah and the letter to the Hebrews, the entirety of St. John’s Passion will be proclaimed. Special solemn intercessions are offered before we have the beautiful once a year ritual of the veneration of the cross. Holy Communion which is confected this even will be distributed tomorrow, and we then depart in silence.

That’s the order of things for Holy Thursday and Good Friday. The Easter Vigil, the Mother of all Vigils, will be celebrated at 8:30pm, and that Liturgy, well, you just have to experience for yourself. 

That’s “what” we are doing, but why are we doing it?

“Do this in memory of me”. Three times we heard it already. Twice in St. Paul’s description of what the Lord said at the last supper in our second reading. And the third time in the Gospel, when the Lord says that we must remember what he has done for us, and do it for others. 

During the Triduum, we remember how Jesus washed feet. We remember how Jesus took bread and wine and transformed them into his body and blood and how he made the Apostles the first priests of the Church, so that Sacrament could be repeated for all ages. During the Triduum we remember how he took up the cross. We remember how he spoke words of forgiveness from the cross. We remember how he gave his blessed mother to be the mother of all disciples. We remember how he gave up his life as a sacrifice. 

Why do we do, what we do? Why do we remember what we remember? Because he told us to. We celebrate and remember because he told us to. We eat his flesh and drink his blood because he told us to. We keep watch in prayer because he told us to.

In the first reading, we heard how the Lord commanded the Jewish people through Moses to keep the memorial feast of Passover every year, as a way to remember and celebrate what God did for them in delivering from slavery in Egypt. And now we too remember our deliverance by God over these three Sacred Days, by gathering in prayer, reading the scriptures, singing hymns, processing, venerating, prostrating. 

Personally, these are my favorite days of the year. I love being a Catholic because of these Sacred Three days. And I love being a priest because of these Sacred Three Days. For as a priest, not only do I get to speak such beautiful prayers in the name of the Church, I get to witness your faith and devotion as you have your feet washed, and as you venerate the cross, sometimes with tears in your eyes, and to witness your joyful fire on the easter vigil, and the sense of renewal on Easter Sunday. 

Holy Thursday in particular is a special night for priests. For we trace back our priesthood back to the Last Supper on that first Holy Thursday. This is the origin of the priests’ mandate to serve the Church, to put the needs of the Church before our own, to lift up the worries of the Church and the struggles of the Church in prayer. Please offer special prayer for priests tonight, that your priests may continue to put God and the Church first in our life, always.

And as a beautiful reminder of how priests must always be men of humble service, I now call forward those who have been chosen for the washing of the feet. May they be a reminder for us all, of the need to allow the Lord to wash every part of our lives, our bodies, our minds, our souls, of the filth of sin, and to pour ourselves out in humble service to the Lord always, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.