Easter Week
Acts 4:1-12 | Psalm 118:1-2, 4, 22-27 | John 21:1-14

"By what power or in whose name have men of your stripe done this?" —Acts 4:7

Peter denied Jesus three times when Jesus was about to be crucified. Even after seeing Christ risen at least three times (see Lk 24:34; Jn 20:19, 26), Peter rebelled against the risen Christ by returning to the fishing business (cf Mk 1:17; Jn ... More

The 76 years of Isidore's life were a time of conflict and growth for the Church in Spain. The Visigoths had invaded the land a century and a half earlier, and shortly before Isidore's birth they set up their own capital. They were Arians—Christians who said Christ was not God. Thus ...

Easter Week
Acts 3:11-26 | Psalm 8:2, 5-9 | Luke 24:35-48

"Everything written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and psalms had to be fulfilled." —Luke 24:44

Wouldn't it have been a wonderful thing to have walked with Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? We would have heard every Scripture in the Old Testament that prophesied Jesus' Passion, death, and resurrection.

Well, the Church ... More

Benedict held important posts in the Franciscan Order and gracefully adjusted to other work when his terms of office were up.

His parents were slaves brought from Africa to Messina, Sicily. Freed at 18, Benedict did farm work for a wage and soon saved enough to buy a pair of oxen. ...

Easter Week
Acts 3:1-10 | Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9 | Luke 24:13-35

"Two of them that same day were making their way to a village named Emmaus seven miles distant from Jerusalem, discussing as they went all that had happened. In the course of their lively exchange, Jesus approached and began to walk along with them." —Luke 24:13-15

During the forty days of Lent, many of the Scripture passages read at Mass showed that the Messiah must suffer and die (see Lk 24:26-27). If we have listened to the Lenten readings as intently as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus listened ... More

Francis of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative solitude and wished only to be the "least in the household of God." Yet, when the Church called him to active service in the world, he became a miracle-worker and influenced the course of nations.

After accompanying his parents on a ...

Easter Week
Acts 2:36-41 | Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22 | John 20:11-18

" 'What are we to do, brothers?' Peter answered: 'You must reform and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ.' " —Acts 2:37-38

Why was Mary Magdalene the first person known to have met the risen Christ? It was because she was immersed into Jesus. At dawn, Mary Magdalene was at Jesus' tomb to be near His dead body. When His body was gone, she exclaimed: "The Lord has ... More

Today’s saint could be a patron for those of us who feel so overwhelmed by all the problems in the world that we don’t know where to begin.

Hugh, who served as a bishop in France for 52 years, had his work cut out for him from the start. Corruption seemed ...

Easter Week
Acts 2:14, 22-33 | Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11 | Matthew 28:8-15

"Go and carry the news." —Matthew 28:10

In Matthew's Gospel, the first commands Jesus gives to the first people who saw Him after His resurrection are: "Do not be afraid! Go and carry the news" of My resurrection (Mt 28:10). After His resurrection, Jesus speaks primarily through His ... More

A "do not disturb" sign helped today's saint find holiness and peace.

Stephen of Mar Saba was the nephew of St. John Damascene, who introduced the young boy to monastic life beginning at age 10. When he reached 24, Stephen served the community in a variety of ways, including guest master. ...

Easter Sunday
Romans 6:3-11 (Vigil readings) | Acts 10:34, 37-43 | Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 | Luke 24:1-12 | Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 | John 20:1-9

"They killed Him, finally, hanging Him on a tree, only to have God raise Him up on the third day and grant that He be seen, not by all, but only by such witnesses as had been chosen beforehand by God." —Acts 10:40-41

Alleluia! Jesus is risen! We don't have to wait to die to share in the power of Jesus' resurrection. In Baptism, we have already "been raised up in company with Christ" (Col 3:1). Like John (Jn 20:8), Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:16), and the two ... More

Peter lived at a very busy time in history. The Great Western Schism (1378-1417) was settled at the Council of Constance (1414-1418). France and England were fighting the Hundred Years’ War, and in 1453 the Byzantine Empire was completely wiped out by the loss of Constantinople to the Turks. At Peter’s ...

Holy Saturday
(no Eucharistic readings) |

On Holy Thursday, we celebrated Jesus' gift of Himself to us in Holy Communion. On Good Friday, we received Holy Communion, but had no Mass. Today, Holy Saturday, we have neither Mass nor Communion. During the day today, we can't even go to ... More

Born in Casoria (near Naples), Arcangelo Palmentieri was a cabinet-maker before entering the Friars Minor in 1832, taking the name Ludovico. After his ordination five years later, he taught chemistry, physics and mathematics to younger members of his province for several years.

In 1847 he had a mystical experience which he ...

Good Friday
Isaiah 52:13—53:12 | Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 | Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25 | John 18:1—19:42

Jesus "bowed His head, and delivered over His spirit." —John 19:30

During Lent, many churches depict the crucifixion of Jesus graphically. They show movies or slides showing the brutality of Jesus' crucifixion. Some churches display a real crown of thorns or even have you hear the pounding of the hammer driving ... More

Not only is the name of today's saint a bit hard to pronounce and spell. It's also difficult to learn about such a modest and gentle man who lived in the fourth and fifth century and who is better known in the Russian Orthodox Church.

The birth date of Hesychius (pronounced ...

Holy Thursday
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18 | John 13:1-15

"You shall eat like those who are in flight." — Exodus 12:11

Moses commanded the Hebrews who were leaving Egypt to eat like those who were in flight from tyranny. This is likewise timely advice for modern Christians. We should eat as those who are fleeing:

• from sin,
• from a culture of ... More

Francis, the last of 12 children, was born in northern Italy into an aristocratic family. He lived at a particularly turbulent time in history, when anti-Catholic and anti-papal sentiments were especially strong.

After being trained as a military officer, Francis was spotted by King Victor Emmanuel II, who was impressed with the ...

Holy Week
Isaiah 50:4-9 | Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34 | Matthew 26:14-25

"Morning after morning He opens my ear that I may hear." —Isaiah 50:4

The Lord will open our ears every morning to hear Him. He will give us words to rouse the weary (Is 50:4). Because we hear God, we will speak in His name. We will have "a well-trained tongue," that is, the tongue of a disciple of Jesus (see Is ... More

Born in Cadiz, Spain, and christened Joseph Francis, the youth spent much of his free time around the Capuchin friars and their church. But his desire to enter the Franciscan Order was delayed because of the difficulty he had with his studies. Finally he was admitted to the novitiate of the ...