Relaxed in the Spirit!

Today's Readings

"God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.” Acts 2: 32-33

It's Easter Monday, and dare I say I had the day off!

It was a great day indeed!  I slept until 10.  I had coffee on the back porch, while the birds chirped their little hearts out.  I ate a Polish breakfast bread called Babka that some dear friends gave me at the blessing of the Easter Foods on Holy Saturday.  I enjoyed just being home with my family as we just hung out in our pajamas.  And I watched the Red Sox beat the Yankees!

I guess you's could say that I am relaxed in the Spirit knowing that all is well with God's creation.  I have had a full week of interacting with wonderful people making some very passionate strides in their own faith journeys.  I've seen God at work in the hearts, and actions of many volunteers that made the time to make things happen so that others can rejoice!  In reading a blog on Easter Miracles from "Too Bad It's Raining", my friend Margo sums up the special feeling I hope to communicate, as she reflected on seeing Christ in the faces of her fellow parishioners at Easter Mass, making their way back from Communion.  "I am so moved by the uniqueness and depth of each face. I'm struck by their walks, by their hands folded in front of them or hanging down to their sides. Walking tabernacles, transformed by taking one bite."

I guess I am a witness to the Easter rising of our Savior.  I've seen him pour forth His Spirit, and I've heard the sounds of countless people rejoicing.  Even at Yankee Stadium today, some forty thousand baseball fans became a collective witness of God's love and healing as they accepted the invitation by the PA announcer to join together in two minutes of "silent prayer" (Yep, that's what he called it!) for those affected by the violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut!  And as I type these last few words, that chirping bird from this morning continues to sing God's praise in the once again green branches of a very happy weeping willow tree in my back yard!

Happy Easter everyone... We've got 48 days to go in this amazing season of new life!  Don't waste a minute... Keep witnessing, and keep watching for God's little miracles budding all around you!

Body and Blood!

They all ate and were satisfied. (Luke 9: 17)

In my Faith today, we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, or the Body (and Blood) of Christ! This is a special day for the Faith, my Parish, my family and also myself. We concentrate on the reality that we are fed by Jesus Christ, and that He is truly present in our midst.

The quote above from Luke’s Gospel is the culmination of the “Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes”. Jesus took five loaves and two fish, and fed 5000! I’m sure it was a day like today, and I’m sure the crowd was there to see Christ, and visit with one another. But Christ also needed them to know that He was more than Word; He was food as well!

Isn’t it fitting that my Parish has its annual Summer Picnic today... I think its perfect timing and a wonderful representation of what Church is all about. We gather for Mass, then eat together as a community of faith. Add BBQ, a few moon bounces, snow cones and DJ Jazzy Greg’s Ultimate Picnic Mix, and we are the Body of Christ in action!

Happy Corpus Christi, and keep praying for the Body of Christ throughout the world, especially those who struggle this day. To our friends on the Gulf Coast, God bless you!