St Paul who came to our attention as a persecutor of the Apostles' Good News had by seeing, on the road to Damascus,  the risen  Jesus amidst the Glory of the Lord come to an understanding of the meaning of the scriptures which he had previously studied. The Light first seen on the road to Damascus  had penetrated his being and he was totally committed to the mission he had there received.. He was able to follow the Roman roads and seaways to preach to the heart of the Roman Empire; "brining the Good News to the whole world". Today the preaching of the Good News can cover the whole of the digital world in seconds; in the synagogues the congregations couldn't avoid it  but turning to a more attractive website can be done in the twinkling of an eye .

Dear Jesus  help us who are continually distracted by the wonders of the electronic media know that you calling to our hearts is the Holy Spirit, is the only voice we need in this life to make ready for what The Father has prepared for us.

Thomas is again ready to bring a more brutal realism into the discourse of the Lord. He who worshipped "Lord and God" is still able to question in a direct challenge a mysterious saying of Jesus. Our Lord welcomes what another speaker could have found to be an interruption and expands the Good News into "Way Truth and Life the trinity that defines our 2nd person of the Trinity. Thanks be to God. 

Dear Lord let my ears be open to your words my eyes to your creation and my soul to the messages of the Holy Spirit. Let me be with you always even to the end of my life in this world and may the supplications of our Mother, Mary, help me to come to my place with the heavenly Father..

 I find the words about God written by John to be beyond beautiful. There is depth that cannot be "buted".The Light is where we know God and where we can commit ourselves.  We are liars if we deny this Truth and sinners if we fail to keep God in our minds to govern our words and deeds. We sinners, however, need not be afraid because there is always present the Jesus/Holy Spirit to plead for us, to lead us back to the Light through the Mercy won for us by  the Crucifixion of Jesus the Son of God.

Dear Lord let me always keep your Glory and teaching through the life of the Incarnation always in mind. let me not resist the promptings of conscience and do your will in all things. 

The mission of Jesus is an open book to those who are able to accept themselves as his children for they have been chosen by the Father. He is not here to inspire the great thoughts of scholars but to show us a simple way to Eternal Life by following his unburdensome Way . His way is easy for us to follow as his Cross has bought for us a "light Yoke" to guide us.

Dear Lord let me never forget that Jesus is, by his resurrected presence, guiding me on the way to Life.  

 Barnabas and Paul were chosen by the Holy Spirit. The Faith the early Church had in the promptings of the Holy Spirit is certainly lacking  throughout the rest of History as known by me. I can see in a few Saints the absolute belief that the first Christians grasped so eagerly. The ordination of Barnabas and Saul is prepared for by fasting and prayer and then they are sent off. The Apostles were told to follow the Lord but their disciples are "sent off", emitted on their mission to spread Christ's good news to all the world.

Dear Lord the acceptance of your Holy Spirit needs a mission to fulfil it. What about me? help me in my weakness.

Jesus' plain and public speaking about his nature and his relationship to the Father is quite explicit. He is identical with the Father and his presence and words are from and the same as the Father's. This Light that is brought into the world is the same as blinded St Paul. We too are blinded not directly by the Light but by the problems caused by our own egos which want to create  versions of  the Truth to bolster our own  selves. Christ's words need to be interpreted to be understood but in no way changed. In this we must trust the Holy Spirit and beseech him to support those with a vocation to the priesthood, God send us holy priests.

Dear Lord you call us but we do not answer. Let the Church of Peter be purged of the nonsense that is obscuring our way to you. Let your mother's "Let it Be" be our guiding light. Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen!!!

  As their numbers increased so did the their understanding of Christ's message and mission to them. They were overwhelmed by the resurrection but still knew themselves to be Jews, the descendants of Abraham As the pagans began to listen and accept the preaching of the disciples, the question of how the non-Jews could be brought into the fold came to the fore. This was a huge development for  the early church as the idea of belief not linked to race was beyond them. Both Jew and Pagan were united by complete belief in Christ and so they became united as "Christians" through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Lord let me have faith in the oneness of your Church which has the Love you share with the Father and the Holy Spirit as its example. 

The teaching of the source of all theology continues the discourse which is truly the word of God. We must recognise that we have freedom; but the only choice we need to make is to be on the side of Christ; not to proclaim "Lord Lord" but to follow his instruction as they can be found in Holy Scriptures. We can think and meditate and try to understand the depth of the actions of our incarnate God but only guided by our faith in the Way the Truth and the Life .

Lord help me to understand and not be confused by words; let me be guided by the Mother of the Church and regardless of bewilderment  let me too say "yes" to whatever my life has instore for me.

 Our way of life on earth is what brings us to God. Food is much more than a part of our way of life. Britain has not experienced famine in the way it was experienced in the Middle East and so the importance of food  is less noticed. There is no religious significance in the food we eat; we have no taboos. Western Europe has developed under the influence of Christianity for centuries and it is St Peter's vision and the words of Christ "it is not what enters that defiles" that enable us to live free from dietary restrictions. If only we could accept the other teaching of Christ and his apostles as well as we have this one.

Dear Lord, let my life be consistent with your teaching and example let me be directed by the Holy Spirit into doing the will of the Father. Let me avoid all cynicism and truly believe what I pray. 

John's teaching about God continues with the parable of the sheepfold which is God's community. Jesus is surely warning us about false messengers and telling us directly that he is the true path to salvation. Many will come to deceive but his words will stand. The sheep know the shepherd by his unique call. We the sheep know the call of our pastors but are devastated by their response to the same call that inspires us their sheep

Dear Lord save me from the slough of despondency that opens up on all sides . May I share in the hope of your mother as she joyfully awaited your birth, Holy Mother of God pray for me.

 As promised by Jesus the Holy Spirit fills the heart of Peter and he is able to face the authorities  and eloquently praise the Lord;, attributing  the miracle they had  witnessed to the Nazarene whom they had not long before tried, tortured, mocked and killed. John is speaking directly, he knows that we are able with God's Grace to be now the adopted children of God and and we have the great hope of  seeing God in all his Glory and thus becoming like him in image and likeness unclouded by sin.

Dear Lord let the Holy Spirit who inspired your disciples of long ago come into my heart and let my actions this day reflect your grace which is my support.

The perfect freedom of thee Good Shepherd is shown in his commitment to mission which he brought into the world via his Incarnation in the womb of Mary. Mary's "yes" is the perfect acceptance of God's will which Jesus teaches. The perfect knowledge within the Trinity, the Freedom to choose to act to do the will of The Father is ours. If the shepherds we know are less than good then we must have some responsibility for we are all sinners.

Dear Lord help me to try to understand and practise the mission you left to your Church, The sacraments are the Good Shepherd in action in this world; let me have confidence in your ministers.

 The new believers of the first century had so much to confirm their belief. The crucifixion and resurrection had been witnessed by many of those who preached the Word of God and the Holy Spirit was so strong in the hearts of men that their faith was able to perform miracles. I, reading and reflecting on the the Scriptures in  2021, am faced with a different issue. Most people in the Church and in the world do not give any thought to the events of 2000 years ago. For us Life has many issues but is for the most part comfortable; we know that Life must end some day and then who knows what will happen? This distance from the Lord in time is not easy to take. Where are the miracles of  Faith in these days? The only thing that we can rely on is Jesus, the word of the Father working in our world through the Holy Spirit. "I am with you always even to the end of time.

Let not the questions that come into my mind when reading the scriptures hinder my opening of my heart to Love and the support of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus did not weaken the Truth to make it palatable to his listeners. What they heard hurt them. "This is intolerable language". Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life and  I, a sinner have nowhere to go but to him. Our true being is Spiritual. Our flesh does rot and decay. But Jesus saves our Spirit to be reunited with our resurrected flesh on the Last Day. This is why I am living today trying to prepare my soul for Eternal Life; opening my heart to God the Creator and Loving Father of us all.

Dear Lord let your Church be strong in the Truth and not weaken Her preaching to accommodate thus who in their sinful arrogance, work to change  your teaching about the only nuptial relationship, man with woman .

 The vision of the victory of Christ is hard for me to adapt to. The Jewish people were somewhat accustomed to this style of writing of about God. In Ezekiel and Daniel the detailed descriptions of God's Power and Glory is much too detailed for our modern taste which has seen the Power of the Atom bomb and other weapons destroy cities and take millions of lives. God is all powerful but it is in his Love that Jesus brings us his Grace working through the Holy Spirit. We must think of St George as the Unknown Soldier; a warrior ready to fight but not for the glory of native land but for the Glory of God's peace.

Dear Lord, strengthen me in this daily battle against my weaknesses; let me be true to what I have read and written. Let me come to the end of this today without falling into mortal sin.

There are many alternatives to choose from for today's second reading. St Paul is exhorting his infant foundations to persevere. He pleads with them not lose sight of the hope that has been won by Jesus' Death and Resurrection; the hope of forgiveness of sins and rising to true life for each and every one of us. I know that I wouldn't be able to withstand the persecution that Paul suffered as I find it hard to live in the conscious presence of the Lord without any negative pressure other than the pleasant temptations from the Devil World and the Flesh. Let me truly know the horror of my sins.

Dear Lord let our pastors be newly inspired to support us and lead us in the struggle to remain true to our faith.

 The Ethiopian was reading the scriptures. Philip heard him so he must have been reciting the passage from Isaiah. The chariot must have been roomy as Philip joined him in it. It must not have been like the war chariots we see in contemporary  reliefs and illustrations. and the Queen's treasurer must have belonged to the Judaic tribe tracing its origins back to the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. With so much history, no wonder that there is so much commentary on scripture without the spiritual interpretation. The Ethiopian asked for Baptism and Philip responded. Is that one sacrament enough to be a Christian? Jesus always added "sin no more" to complete his miracles.

Dear Lord let me not think that my salvation lies in one sacramental moment but let me accept the grace that  avoids sin every moment of my life.

The bread of everlasting life that comes from heaven is the flesh of Jesus. The resurrected Jesus can distribute his flesh eucharistically to all the world until the end of time. The flesh and blood of Jesus are sacrilege to the Jews and utter folly to the pagans. To us living now in the  present they are a real test.. Do we really believe or do we just accept the teaching of the scriptures conduited through the church? My behaviour must be a product of this belief. 

Dear Lord help thou my belief and help those who are supposed to show me the way and care for my soul. Help your priests learn to become holy. The Blessed Sacrament is you.

 We learn so much about God's being in the world not only by St Paul's teaching but also by the way Saul was called to his mission. Going from house to house to seek out believers and doing so because he totally believed that what he was doing was indeed the will of God. God was with the "us" who were then living; the Holy Spirit was guiding the infant church to continue in the light of the resurrection but Saul was able to maintain the persecution. We are created by God to freely chose to do his will but we must first accept the grace that God provides to enable us to do this and not cling to our corrupted consciences as our only guide in life.

I have just lost the prayer that I produced out of this reflection, Maybe  I was too pleased with it. Let me  Lord in true humility pray to do your will.

The fullness of God's revelation comes in this discourse. Jesus is the Son of God and it is his mission to show how much the Father cares for creation by making the Holy Spirit freely available to all mankind through the grace, so painfully won, of the resurrection. Christ is the bread of life; of this we can be sure. The miracle of eternal life is available to all who believe and show their belief by their behaviour. The Blessed Sacrament is God. We can all be ready for our personal last day if this what we truly believe.

Dear Lord I know that there is nothing in myself and in this world that is not known to you. Help me to pray in sincerity of mind and heart; let me learn to know you in the the totality of the way it is possible for me to know you. Let me do your will today and all remaining todays of my life.

 Today is another glorious day of bright sunlight. Stephen prays that the sin of killing him be forgiven because the perpetrators are doing it in ignorance and following the long-time example of their ancestors. St Paul comes to the fore for the fist time. "He thoroughly approved of the killing". His sin is forgiven in a miraculous fashion as the appearance of Christ on the road to Damascus. God forgives the worst of sinners. God forgives me but I sin again. The holy Spirit did not desert Paul and  from persecutor he was turned into the Apostle of the Gentiles. There is much to understand in this. Christ is brighter than today's  brilliant sunlight with a brightness that does not fade the only problem is me.

Dear Lord let me know your grace and let me in sincerity seek it out and thank you for the beauty of this world and your presence in it.

The presence of God in the Blessed Sacrament is promised by Jesus. Jesus the Father and the Holy Sprit is working through the "actions of the priest" to ensure that the bread and wine become his body and blood. Wow! How can I  keep myself away from the Church if I truly believe this? How can sinful priests continue in their office? Do I sin by not condemning the sinful situation where public sinners are approaching the altar to receive what I know to be God's Body and Blood? God knows that I by repeating the words of consecration cannot confect the Sacrament. It is not a magic formula but needs the structure of the Church to guarantee its truth and efficacy. What if the institutional salt stinks.?

Dear Lord send your Holy Spirit anew and renew the heart of your Church. Let our bishops and priests condemn the Devil the World and the Flesh and truly accept Jesus' threefold mission to Peter. Let us see in the Church's servants true representatives of your love and not a source of doubt and stumbling.

 St Luke makes a point of naming the origins of Stephen's accusers. Is this because the native Palestinians were more receptive to the words of the Apostles? Could it be that more of Christ's accusers were beginning to have second thoughts? The Sanhedrin have soon dropped the wise advice of Gamaliel . The Holy Spirit supports Stephen and this strengthens his words. We too need to accept the Holy Spirit and not to be afraid to speak up for the teaching of Christ. We cannot let The World teach us how to behave; our teacher is God.

Dear Lord let your Son and the Holy Spirit be our example and strength as we face the nonsense that is considered by the world to be right behaviour. Protect us and your priests from sin.

Jesus makes it crystal clear that he is our Saviour. We must believe and act as he does. This is crystal clear but....I don't like the "buts " that come into my mind when faced with the hard sayings of Jesus. We must show our faith by acting in the way he does. I must believe and know that God's plan has won for me the saving grace of Jesus and the support of the Holy Spirit. The only thing working against me is my will and weakness of faith.

Dear Lord I pray that today I may keep your words to the front of my mind. I must try to act as you do.Help me God.

 There is the ring of truth about the reports in the Acts of the Apostles. Peter is here stating the facts that he and a lot of the people he is preaching to, witnessed. There is no attempt at intellectualisation of the events .The events are what he knows, as is the teachings of Jesus that he is able to recall. Much that Jesus said is likely to have been missed or forgotten. The surviving uncanonical scraps are proof of this . The Truth is Jesus, the Way is Jesus and LiFe in the Love of God is Jesus. Jesus has saved us. What more do we need to know?

Jesus you know that I try to be true to you and do the will of the Father. Let me open the core of my being to the Holy Spirit and learn to hate sin and to avoid it.

The disciples in the midst of hearing a report from their friends, whose horror at the Crucifixion emptiness had caused them to run from Jerusalem, became aware that Jesus was with them. This was not a spiritual awareness as in "Didn't our hearts burn within us ?"It was their human eyes that first witnessed him and then their hands as  Jesus slowly confirmed for them the destiny that God had in store for them and for all of us. The Resurrection  is the Good News that Jesus entrusted to his fledgling Church. He ordered it to be preached. I can't think that this did not  also mean practise.

Dear Lord may your will be done on earth. May I avoid sin and become holy as you are holy.

 It didn't take long for squabbles to break out . The community was not able to support the perfect life where all things were held in common. The perfect community on earth following the Sermon on the Mount didn't work. In later history the monastic orders made a better job of it for some centuries but in these modern times they too are dwindling into a nothing  divided by vice and mammon. "My kingdom is not of this world " said the Lord. Today we can see the unanticipated meaning of these words. Our church is heading to annihilation . "A large group  of priests made their submission to  the Faith"

Lord do not leave us to the complete decay that seems to be at the end of the road your Church is taking. Let the Church of Love not be destroyed by the failing institution. Let us faithfully know your love by following your commandments, 

They feared to be wrecked. The Lord came to them in their hour of need.

Lord do not let us be submerged under the World and the Flesh. Your Resurrection defeated the Devil. Let it defeat my sins and show me the fruits of your Mercy.

 The words of Gamaliel, his wisdom in fact, predate those words about the rationality of religion known as Pascal's wager. It seems to me. however that to believe in God just because he might exist and might ask me to account for all the deeds of my life is lacking in the true faith that the Life Death and the  Resurrection demand. God's love for us, his people, is manifest yet doubts do. exist. We need to believe not because our brain can follow an argument but because our hearts are bursting to reciprocate God's love for us. If we can't do, this "think on".

Dear Lord I need to know that your Grace can fill me and protect me from sin. Let me to return to your Sacraments let not bad example deter me from your Church. 

" Doubts do exist" but some are more critical than others. I have to accept God's "Good News- Christ is risen". I have no alternative to this and I know that The Bible is the record of God's deeds and decrees. The question that I ask about the baskets in today's Gospel. "Where did the baskets come from ?" is not just flippancy but it is an example of "doubt" without damage to Faith that is possible. Some of the deeds and words of the Lord have been subject to human redaction.

Jesus you were tortured on the Cross by my sins. Let not my pride at the  quick quip be before the fullness of your grace that is transmitted through the scriptures. 

Death is threatened to the Apostles as punishment for preaching Jesus. The Religious authorities feel threatened  by  the power of the Resurrection working through these inspired uneducated laymen. 

They are so filled by their Law inspired righteousness that they have neither place nor time to reflect on the Holy-Spirit -inspired understanding of their own scriptures preached by the Apostles. 

I too have a doubt about our Religious Authorities today. They are not threatened with death but crumble away from the teaching of the Holy Spirit as soon as they are faced by the task of defending an unpopular/unfashionable  absolute. The Way the Truth and the Life is not negotiable. It is what will bring us to our Eternity.

Dear Lord let not the unrighteous behaviour of priests  turn us away from you. Urge them to return to a pure uncontaminated faith in you and your gospel. 

The Baptist truly did prepare the way for the Lord. He knew even in the heart of the Temple and the Old Covenant  that Jesus was the Son of God and never ceased to preach the Word. I don't know how much is known about him other than baptism for the forgiveness of sin but he was known to Herod who "liked to listen to him although he was perplexed". Much in the gospel of the Lord is also perplexing so many have offered their interpretations but we must beware of false doctrines remembering Jesus' words "Many will teach in my name"

Dear Lord may my understanding avoid the sin of pride which does not thank you for enlightenment but rather praises itself on its intellect.

 The disciples experienced a miraculous release from gaol. On  a daily basis I too always  have to remember that I have been released from the guilt of my sins. I have to remember that it was Christ who died . It was Christ who suffered torture. It was Christ who tasted his own blood running down from his crown of thorns. And this suffering was not for some idea of sinful mankind but for me the specific person whose sins I know too well.

Dear Lord, let me live without sin this day and let me grow in your love to sincerely hate the cause of your suffering, my sins and the sins of the whole world.

Nicodemus was greatly honoured to receive teaching directly from the mouth of Jesus. These words in John's gospel are the complete word of God illuminating his new covenant. It is a joyful message but at the same time it is severe for those who refuse to accept that  God's message is Jesus  and the Holy Spirit. If I don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God preaching a new witness of the Holy Spirit I am already condemned.

Dear Lord help thou my unbelief which is shown by my sinful  behaviour. Let me avoid all occasion of sin remembering that you are with us even to the end of time.

 There is a lot to be envied about the early Christians. Even if  they themselves were not aware of Jesus when he was walking around on his mission to Israel they knew plenty of people who had seen him and heard him teaching in the Temple. There were people with whom they wee rubbing shoulders who had even seen the risen Lord. Even their way of living was supported by the early church and all things were held in common. Our position today seems much more difficult. But for the individual alive at this moment the gift of faith is still there for the asking and the Lord is still  our saviour and our hope.

Dear Lord  let the example of your early disciples and Church inspire us to put all our trust in you the Way the Truth and the Life.

Nicodemus later helps with entombing the body of Jesus; probably at some personal risk to his standing in the community of the temple. Jesus' words to him must  have prompted reflection which resulted in his actions at the Crucifixion. He had disputed the idea of rebirth as it is impossible to return to the womb once born into the world.. We don't know how he reacted to the Resurrection but Jesus' words as written by John must have been to the forefront of his mind.

Dear Lord let your words even paraphrases of your knowledge become dear to me so that my actions may be a reflection, however remote, of your grace acting within me.

 The teaching of our Christian Church is that God created us to be free to chose God before all else. We are not constrained by any force to follow God but must freely chose to accept his love and return it. This is what it means to be human. Today's first reading at mass seems to show that the first Christians did not believe this as they see the events of history as predestined by the Will of the Father. How much does God's total knowledge of everything conflict with the idea of me being able to choose God; to say yes or no to Christ's call, through the Holy Spirit, to follow him to his "Father's  mansion"?

Dear God we cannot understand your ways; let this "unknowing" lead me to the glory and mercy that is your "all in all".

By the time John's Gospel was written the Church had begun to question herself about how to follow the  Christ who still had not returned. The gentiles would have been baffled by the intensity of the mission to know one God. The first Jewish Christians were aware of a special relationship with the one true God and confused by Jesus' "Go out and teach all nations". Baptism or Eucharist; what was the focus of the first cultic rites? What is sure is that they developed from the rites of the Temple. Christianity is a Jewish sect and shares with Jews in God's promises; his Covenant.

Dear Lord, let me respond to your loving kindness and continue in life without fear as you are with me always.

 The first community of Christians seem to have lived a perfect life by following the Sermon on the Mount in all its straight forward simplicity. Must we regret that this living in the Love of Christ did not last? By the time John is preparing his remembrances of the Lord and of His teaching, the disciples are no longer making their own society their own world, but the world is something for them to overcome and to be avoided in tune with Jesus "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his own eternal life" A life won for us by the crucifixion of God and guaranteed by his resurrection.

Dear Lord I have to accept that this World is what you have created for me and allowed it to continue, help me to reconcile it and its faults with the Grace you have given to your people who seem  unable to act in the way taught to your disciples. Lord send us holy priests.

 Jesus' resurrection  is real, so real that those witnessing it have no doubts that the wounded body that they see and touch is God. What would happen to me if this became my reality. What happened on the road to Damascus was the beginning for those who had not seen. The Church filled the empty places in the hearts of men but all the time it longed to recreate the days in Jerusalem with the Lord. There is no true happiness without Jesus. 

Let me truly believe without direct sight and welcome the blessing that is thus acquired. We must believe and acknowledge that Jesus died for us to be resurrected as our new life.

 The proclamation of God's Good News was entrusted to "uneducated laymen". The "temple" refused them but were believing to the extent that they knew the  cripple had been cured in "Jesus Name". The people praised God for allowing them to have witnessed such an event; the priests forbad the disciples to speak about Jesus, the Word of God. Priests of the temple were threatened when the reality of God appeared before them. Were they evil or did the humanity of their institution blind them to the true purpose of the temple.

Dear Lord may I, this day,  keep your presence before me in all that I do and know that sinful priests are not beyond the infinite extent of you mercy.

It is certainly true that more words have been written about the ending of today's gospel than were spoken by Jesus during his life on earth. Scholarship is a wonderful way of passing time during our lives on earth but it too has the ability to capture our souls in the way that more worldly pass-times can more obviously do. If we put ourselves in the place in our lives that truly belongs to God "I may have faith that will move mountains " but without love I will be more than chided by the Lord.

Dear Lord may I truly believe my thoughts and recognise the inspiration that is not mine ; but comes from you.

 Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and able to withstand the aggressive questioning by the temple authorities. The curing of the cripple had been by Jesus' Name. The  "N. A. M. E." is not just  "J. E.S.U.S." but the Being of Jesus who is God. The now absolute faith Peter and the other disciples had in God who raised Jesus thus filling them with The Holy Spirit stayed with the Church in those early days and has been glimpsed again over the passing centuries. But what about today?

Dear Lord you are always with me and the world please let me not lose sight of the holiness that your mercy has brought to all of us.

We believe that Scripture is inspired by God and in the words so preserved he reveals Himself. By the shore His bread and fire show that the Resurrection is truly a body capable of feeling in the way our bodies are. The narrative used to emphasise the wonderment felt by the downhearted fishermen maybe gilding the lily; but the catching of only one fish in the sight of the Lord would have equally confirmed of the uniqueness of the times the disciples were witnessing. The risen Lord is still with us today.

Dear Lord let not the beauties of your world occupy us to such an extent that we lose sight of you. Let our pastors  (and us)turn off their TVs and use their time to study the things of heaven.

 When Peter preaches it is a partial answer to the question that can be asked about what  Jesus spent on did on earth. He was with us much more time  than recorded in the Gospels.. We know that he went back from the Temple and was "subject" to Mary and Joseph; but the following twenty years are a blank. The Gospels cover a three year period but even then much more time elapsed than reported therein. Peter was a fisherman but preaches as an authority on God's word. Jesus did teach. He was in truth "Rabbani".

Lord let me experience in full the effects of your teaching on earth. Let me strive to know you as the first disciples did and let my faith result in works outside of myself. 

Jesus resurrected is the same Jesus as known to the disciples but in a new mode of being. We cannot walk through walls; other forms and molecules get in the way. We can imagine a spiritual being being able to move about at will. Jesus calls this "a ghost"( if the translation is correct). He is flesh and bone and blood but in a mode completely beyond our experience and knowledge. The Resurrection is what gives meaning to our living; otherwise it would be hopeless. Without Christ our lives would still be God's creation but how would we be forgiven for our sins? God's creation is an act of Love and the Incarnation Crucifixion Resurrection, Jesus, is that Love in saving mercy.

Lord let the devotion I feel at this moment stay in my soul by avoiding sin and occasion of sin throughout this day. Let me truly know you.

 As he is recognised he vanishes from sight. All of Jesus' showing of himself at this Eastertide have this in common. Jesus is always present but not too our senses of this world. We still live in the  pre-resurrection world part of the Universe created by God. With the resurrection there is a new life that must be lived in a new world a new creation where Christ will be all in all. We call this heaven.

Dear Lord may my wish to be fully your servant not vanish as I come to recognise you and let your will be done at my end-times.

Jesus gave a mission to his disciples., particularly to Peter and John. In today's Gospel  their mission to go out and proclaim the Glory of God and the Sonship of Christ begins in the temple where they have become familiar figures. Familiar too is the beggar who astounds the regulars by his leaps and bounds. Jesus too performed many miracles but those signs had no effect on the Temple authorities.

Dear Lord may we the non seeing but believing spiritual descendants of your disciples know that we are always supported by you and that you will cleanse us of the negatives that blight  your Church

 God promises us wisdom to use our freedom to follow him. I try my best to use this gift of God but still i am alone. Not one of my family can be with me in worshiping as did the disciples. the Risen Lord. Peter's missionary efforts in the temple were highly fruitful but that ground had been well prepared by Jesus himself. This is why I am alone but known by God,

Lord let me improve my acceptance of life with you. Open the hearts of my family to receive the blessings that you have for them. Let us follow you to Galilee the place where you are.

The wrappings that are left behind prompt Mary's first reaction and thoughts. Someone must have taken him. She does not ask why the wrappings of a corpse have been removed. The gardener is questioned and Jesus speaks to her. All the encounters with the Lord  of New Life are initiated by him. Mary did not recognize, it was the Lord that revealed himself.

Lord I am not worthy but you in your infinite mercy have become my Saviour. Please show the same mercy to those I love.

 St. Peter is a new man today, surely a leader tasked by the risen Lord.  Out of him has grown the Institution we know as the Church. Jesus gave him the keys. But Jesus also showed his risen self first to the women who had returned to the tomb. What of John? "What is it to you? These events of 2000 years ago are the key to God's revelation of how we should lead our lives today. But for each of the women and Apostles present at that time millions of us have lived and strived to do God's will. Some of us are still striving.

Lord help me to be with you always in my thoughts words and deeds.

The story of the abducted body is still with us to this day among the chosen people and others. Paschal sees the persistence of this story even its being recorded in the Scriptures as a "proof" of the veracity of the Resurrection. The first converted Jews made no effort to suppress it for they had seen the risen Lord and inspired  by the Holy Spirit knew and proclaimed that he was the living Son of God. God is with us we must not fear.

Let the Holy Spirit be manifest in our Church leaders let not the troubles of being a human organisation obscure the Living Lord who must be proclaimed to all the world again and again and again!!!!

 The truth is that the Resurrection was witnessed by no man. The missing body from the empty tomb could have had no meaning for the scattered disciples. Those first moments without neither hope nor comprehension were torment for those whose guilt at their desertion of their Master could not be forgotten. What did Peter feel in his self knowledge? The grief of Mary and the women was overwhelming. Then the Lord showed Truth to His witnesses.

Dear Lord your resurrection into new-life can only be witnessed by my life in a Church that is true to you . Enter into the hearts of the descendants of your apostles that they may sincerely minister to us your flock on earth.

The human weakness of Peter during the events of Thursday and Friday would seem to be unforgiveable and yet the The Resurrection chose him to be one of the witnesses of the Son of God in bodily form. By the time he preached to Cornelius he too was a new man reinforced by the grace poured out freely without regard to merit.

Dear Lord let me know truthfully that it is you that chooses me not I you.. With your grace let me respond to do what you require of me.

 Today is a day of emptiness for the Church. Jesus is dead. Our source of right living is no more. Peter is an empty shell of a man . His brother can offer no comfort. The close disciples sleep in the upper room the others are scattered throughout the city, Some have even returned to their homes remote from Jerusalem. But the devastation in their hearts is shared by all. Jesus their teacher, their hope for change, their hope for freedom, their hope for favour from God lies rotting in a borrowed tomb. Where are the blessings promised by the Lord?

Dear Lord let me sincerely share in the dejection of your disciples and let daily cares of my life not absorb me to forgetfulness of you.

Has there ever been such a day as today before or after this . The night of the Passover must have been similarly momentous for the families preparing to flee with Moses and worse for those who lost their first-borns. But Moses was still there visible as a leader. And since then there has been and still are days and nights of slaughter. But even Hiroshima is not of such terror as today .The author of life is dead.  What will happen to our being. " The God of the living and the dead" is dead.

Dear God  send your Spirit into the hearts of all your people and let the emptiness of the whited sepulchres be open to receive the grace that should be spread by your sacraments that are in their charge.

 I must try to approach the Lord with true emptying of self; and yet it is myself that wants to to d the approaching."iI" want to pray as a soul before his master. The typo at the beginning of the last sentence shows my mind. My little "i" cannot get on with being true to the belief that sometimes fills my being for the the big "I" is always there in the background wondering whether what I write would appear sincere to a reader.

Lord let my soul sincerely belong to you and let me "Bless you Unawares". Let me be always aware of the cross on which you cried out in despair this day 2000 years ago. 

John's account of the events of Good Friday is surely the account of an eyewitness but without the profound emotion of that day; the despair felt by all the disciples; the utter shame of Peter ; the desperation of Judas unable to change the course of his actions. And what about Mary who watches her only son bleed to death; is this the Father's business that he must be about? What can she make of his words to John.? All of these were there in this time  but John writes his account after the being of the world has become totally changed by the Lord's resurrection The world is totally changed by God's resurrection as Son with Holy Spirit to guide and support us through our lives. This is what we must find in the corruption  that is Church.

 This day is the day of death for God whose love knew no limit to bring salvation to us all. Dear Lord, Let me not refuse this love by forgetting my place within your loving mercy.

 The Lord's passing through the land of Egypt destroying all the first born is a cruel image of our God. How can we reconcile that cruelty with the love that God was showing for his chosen ones Israel. It is quite terrible to think about. But God so loved the world that he as his Son brought His Spirit into the world by the killing of Himself He allowed to happen tomorrow. His Spirit is the guidance that the Church is to pass on to us who are left in the belief of this day.

Dear Lord send you Spirit into our hearts that we might today we able to withstand all temptation and be a people fitting for your love.

Jesus washing the feet of his disciples is an image that is much more comfortable than the "Passover of the Lord". But it is the same God in both. How can we know and love God who is so seemingly contradictory. It seems that the answer which we must find in the freedom God allows to us in our being  must be used to know him, love him and serve him in this world and be happy with him in the next.

Lord let our clergy be for us examples of right being and loving service, and not of hollow knowledge.