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Saturday, April 22nd, 2017, 7:00 AM
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"
In Deo Speramus
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(In God We Hope)
(Contact First Name)
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Second Sunday of Easter
(or Sunday of Divine Mercy)
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Then he said to Thomas,
"Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving,
but believe"
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Oremus pro invicem
(Let us pray for one another)
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Christ
Come right through our fear-shut doors;
breathe your Holy Spirit into us.
Give us please your peace
that comes from
perfect
love,
to
us,
not
to hoard
such treasure,
but to give it out
to all who would believe.
Make us instruments
of the power
of your
resurrection!
Amen
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First Reading
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They devoted themselves
to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common;
they would sell their property and possessions
and divide them among all according to each one's need.
Every day they devoted themselves
to meeting together in the temple area
and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
The Word of the Lord
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Discussion Questions
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How could the early Christians "sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one's needs"? Could you go this far? Or would you sell some? What about your time-could you give all of? Some of it?
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| 2. |
Can you describe this early Christian community in a short sentence? Are there other groups that fit your description? How is your faith strengthened by the faith of others? Why did they "eat their meals with exultation"? What fills you with "awe"?
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Second Reading
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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The Word of the Lord
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Discussion Questions
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According to Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium, #276, was Christ's resurrection just an event of the past?
Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. Each day in our world beauty is born anew, it rises transformed through the storms of history. Values always tend to reappear under new guises, and human beings have arisen time after time from situations that seemed doomed. Such is the power of the resurrection, and all who evangelize are instruments of that power.
November 24, 2013
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| 2. |
Hans Urs von Balthazar says this: "We are not the ones who grasp Christ and anchor ourselves to him. Rather, Christ has caught up with us and grasped us." Which of these "graspings" makes you feel more secure? How does Balthazar's sentence relate to this reading's sentence, "God ... gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection"?
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Alleluia, alleluia.
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JN 20:29
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You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe!
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Alleluia, alleluia.
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Gospel
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On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
Thomas, called Didymus, 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 nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
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Discussion Questions
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"Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst." Can any doors be locked tight enough to keep Christ out? Explain. Do you yourself have "locked doors"? How is peace connected with forgiveness of sins?
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2.
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Resurrections weren't an everyday occurrence at the time this Gospel was written. Was it unusual for Thomas to be skeptical? Does John's Gospel story of Thomas help those through the ages, who may have doubts about Jesus' resurrection?
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| For what are we born if not to aid one another? Ernest Hemingway "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then we'll have peace." By: Jimi Hendrix "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Abraham Lincoln If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us.
1 John 4:12
Deus fit homo ut homo fieret Deus God became human so that humans might become God (Catholicism, Page 2 by Fr. Robert Barron) "The Glory of God is a human being fully alive." Meyers, Robin R. (2009-02-19). Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus (Kindle Location 639). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
God "dwells in us."
God's love is not meant for us alone;
we must give it away.
Do small things today and for many tomorrows,
with a generous heart.
Give God Away Today!
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Help us then, Lord,
to be so united with the paschal mystery of Jesus,
that through Him the world can become a better place to dwell.
You promise us much for this life
and for our eternal presence with You;
may we live into that promise
each day.
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An interesting thought:
The birth of St. John is celebrated on June 24th, in the moment of the summer solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to reduce. On the other hand, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated on December 25th, during the winter solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to grow, to get longer.
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