James "Jimmy" Burke

VIGIL SERVICE followed by Visitation
5:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, 2022
St. Michael's Catholic Church

MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL
10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 23, 2022
Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist

Sustaining Our Alleluias
By Fr. James Martin

“Remember: Easter is a whole season!” That’s the refrain of a priest in my community who works with welcoming new Catholics into the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). My friend is a stickler for celebrating the entire Easter season, which doesn’t end on Easter Sunday—but begins there and extends until Pentecost (June 5^th).

How can one pray to “sustain our alleluias” this month, especially since all of May is part of the Easter season? To begin, we can engage with the daily Gospel readings, which remind us that the Easter “event,” as theologians like to say, was revealed not only on Easter Sunday, but over time. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene immediately after his resurrection, and she was then missioned to proclaim the Good News to the rest of the disciples. But in the days and weeks leading up to his Ascension (40 days by tradition, a way of saying “a long time”), the Risen Christ revealed himself in different ways to the disciples—by appearing suddenly in a locked room, while cooking a simple breakfast by the Sea of Galilee, and over a dinner at an inn. Each of these events, once the disciples recognized Jesus, was a cause for joy—for alleluias.

As we move through the Easter season, perhaps we can meditate on the different ways God is present in our lives. Can you remember how the Risen One has been revealed to you—in sometimes surprising ways? And what would your own “alleluia” sound like? Remember: Easter is a whole season!

Gospel Reflection

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” According to Pope Francis, how do we keep our faith from becoming “static,” to make sure it is always “growing”?

“He teaches us: he teaches us the mystery of faith, he teaches us to enter into the mystery, to understand the mystery a bit more. he teaches us Jesus's doctrine … so that the doctrine grows, but always in the same direction: it grows in comprehension. … Faith is not something static; doctrine is not something static, it grows. It grows like trees grow, always the same, but bigger, with fruit, but always the same, in the same direction. And the Holy Spirit prevents doctrinal error: he prevents it remaining stuck there, without growing in us. … He will make the doctrine of the Lord grow in us until it reaches maturity.”
                                       -- The Spirit Teaches Us Everything | Pope Francis | May 11, 2020

I’ll be away Monday through Friday visiting my family and priest friends in Philadelphia.  I am grateful to Fr. Tom Peyton for celebrating the weekday Masses.   – Fr. Jerry