Jn 20:19-23 Pentecost Sunday – Year B The narration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is found very vividly in the Acts of the Apostles. The tongues of fire, the thunder, and the wind create a dramatic background of Pentecost. These images have their symbolic roots in the Old Testament. Very often stumbling onContinue reading “The Spirit of Understanding and Forgiveness”
Author Archives: ganshenfu
The Ascent
Mk 16:15-20 Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord – Year B We are celebrating the ascension, remembering the ascent of Jesus Christ to heaven. The gospel however begins with the invitation to proclaim the gospel to every creature. The reference of preaching to every creature is an invitation to consider the whole creation andContinue reading “The Ascent”
Ascending to Divine Love
Jn 15:9-17 6th SUNDAY OF EASTER – Year B Today’s gospel passage is the continuation of the exhortation of Jesus on love. Jesus makes a logical sequence to arrive at the foundational principle of his kingdom as love. The letter of Saint John we read today is a commentary to the gospel, in which heContinue reading “Ascending to Divine Love”
Pruning Until We Can Produce Fruits of Love
Jn 13:1-8 5th SUNDAY OF EASTER – Year B The gospel today invites a reflection on the vine and the branches. Like the shepherd’s image we meditated on last Sunday, another metaphor that Israel identifies themselves with is that of the vine. They have in their memories Psalm 80 that says, “You brought a vineContinue reading “Pruning Until We Can Produce Fruits of Love”
A Shepherd Who Smells Like the Sheep
Jn 10:11-18 4th SUNDAY OF EASTER – Year B The Good Shepherd Sunday takes us to the gospel of the allegory of the good shepherd and the sheepfold. Israel has such an inalienable connection to this metaphor of the shepherd that sometimes it is difficult to extricate the real from the symbolic. With very fewContinue reading “A Shepherd Who Smells Like the Sheep”
Opening Minds to a New Paradigm of Thinking
Lk 24:35-48 3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER – Year B The gospel passage begins with the narration of the excited Emmaus disciples about their long-time encounter with the Lord. As they were talking, Jesus appears in their midst, and encounters the disciples who did not know how to make sense of the nature of the figureContinue reading “Opening Minds to a New Paradigm of Thinking”
The Stories We Tell to the Next Generation
Jn 20:19-31 2nd SUNDAY OF EASTER – Year B The gospel today presents two apparitions of Jesus to the Sunday (the first day of the week) community of the disciples. The resurrection of Christ had begun to gather the dispersed disciples back into their group, who had dispersed when Jesus was arrested. Most of themContinue reading “The Stories We Tell to the Next Generation”
Overcoming Death, the Most Painful Coercion Tool
Lk 24:1-12 EASTER SUNDAY – Year B Easter Vigil presents one of the most dramatic situations in the gospels. The ladies who went to embalm the body suddenly find themselves in unbelievable situations. The heavy stone is rolled off, the body is not found, instead they find two angels telling them that he is aliveContinue reading “Overcoming Death, the Most Painful Coercion Tool”
The Dramatic Unfolding of Prophecies
Lk 19:28-40 PALM SUNDAY – Year B The gospel reading before the procession on Palm Sunday is always the royal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem although the main reading of the day is the passion narrative. The Jerusalem entry is the final backdrop for the capital punishment of Jesus. It was the Passover season inContinue reading “The Dramatic Unfolding of Prophecies”
Redemptive Suffering: A Grain Falls to Raise Many
Jn 12:20-33 5th Sunday of Lent – Year B Jesus is in Jerusalem for the final time before the crucifixion. After the royal entry of Jesus, the leaders of Jerusalem are already plotting to suppress this possible Galilean uprising to keep the powers in balance and prevent a complete takeover by the Romans. On hisContinue reading “Redemptive Suffering: A Grain Falls to Raise Many”
Sunday Homilies 