“What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?” (Luke 11:11-13)

For most of us, there will be many seasons of life where we feel like God is handing us a snake instead of a fish. I certainly have been there! It’s often hard to understand how God is working in our lives, particularly when we are suffering. As a new parent, I have a new appreciation for how being a mother or father means not always giving children what they want…

And yet, when Martha understandably speaks up and points out the injustice of the situation to Jesus, his reply is confounding. Instead of nodding in agreement and suggesting that Mary should pitch in, he answers Martha with this affectionate reprimand: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her."

The scholar of the law asks Jesus, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus, in His provocative wisdom, doesn't offer an immediate answer. Instead, He returns a question, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" This exchange is profound. Jesus speaks truth in terms the scholar understands, using the familiar framework of the Law to prompt the man to discover answers to his own questions

In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends out 72 of his disciples (separate from the 12 Apostles) to prepare the hearts of the towns Jesus intends to visit. And in this short passage Luke teaches us some of the essentials of the Christian mission. Before they even begin, Jesus asks them to pray. But isn’t it interesting what Jesus asks them to pray for?

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Each Sunday since Pentecost, we have continued to celebrate the rippling joys of Easter in each Sunday liturgy. Last week, we observed Corpus Christi; today, we honor the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

So at every Mass, when Jesus’s Body and Blood become present in the Eucharist, we are not just “receiving Communion,” we are participating in a holy and mysterious covenantal relationship which is the culmination of all of salvation history. When the priest offers us Jesus’ body and we respond with “Amen,” we are saying yes to this profound and intimate relationship between God and his people.

Today's readings speak to us in different ways of a fundamental mystery of the Christian life: the Most Holy Trinity. God is one in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It seems appropriate to reflect upon this mystery right after the Easter season and Pentecost, as Jesus speaks many important truths about who God is in his final days with his disciples.

What a profound experience for the first disciples gathered together during Pentecost. I love how St. Luke describes how "suddenly" the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2:2 — without warning. First, their lives were suddenly changed by Jesus, and now they were suddenly changed by the Holy Spirit.

On the evening of the Last Supper, Jesus fully embraced His role as high priest, which is to offer intercession and sacrifice. The Gospel today is His final priestly intercession before being arrested, convicted, and crucified, so these are particularly powerful words. He begins by praying not just for the disciples present but all who will come to believe through them...i.e. YOU.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks words of deep reassurance to His disciples—and to us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

These words, spoken on the eve of His Passion, carry profound weight. Jesus knew what awaited Him: betrayal, suffering, torture and death. In this context, he wants to give us a vital lesson: it is possible to be at peace in the middle of difficulties!

Today’s Gospel shares with us a beautiful message: to love one another as Jesus loves us. Jesus loves in so many ways, particularly through His compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and mercy (Col. 3:12). Jesus doesn’t just command us to love, He shows us how to love! Think of how often we fail to love others, whether it be by putting ourselves first, struggling to forgive, or lacking patience. Loving at all times is not an easy task, but you can ask Jesus to help you love better!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us insights on not only His relationship to us but also His relationship with God, the Father. Both are incredibly intimate relationships. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me.” How beautiful to reflect on how Jesus knows us! The more time that we spend with God in prayer, in particular with Scripture, the better we will become attune to His voice. Even amidst all the other voices of this world, even if His voice is just a whisper, we will know His voice if we spend time with Him.

When Peter reaches Jesus on the shore, he encounters a familiar sight: a charcoal fire, just like the one by which he denied Jesus three times after the Last Supper. But as Peter approaches this charcoal fire, he is not greeted by taunts or accusations; instead, he is met only with Jesus’ peaceful invitation: “Come have breakfast.”

Looking at Thomas, we see clearly that he lacks faith in the Resurrection of Jesus. However, notice how Jesus comes first to meet Thomas in his unbelief. “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.’”

With great humility and an almost desperate jubilation, we approach the great mystery of the Resurrection. A very happy Easter to everyone — the sacred day without which true “happiness” would be only a passing shadow or a wishful dream. As Saint Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised... if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.”

He was journeying towards the Holy City, to celebrate the common feast of Passover, knowing that in the mysterious gifts of Bread and Wine he would give himself forever to his own. As He rides on the donkey He thinks about your freedom, the gate that will be open for you and me. Our friend Jesus is calling us to the heights of God himself; to those heights He wanted to lift every human being.

This week's Gospel presents a dramatic confrontation: a woman brought before Jesus, accused of adultery. The scribes and Pharisees, seeking to trap Jesus, force Him into a judgment. But "Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger" (John 8:6). Why this pause?

Recently a friend described to me the experiences of a blind person. Everything in their life is three-dimensional, and understood through spatial awareness. Even in modern cases where sight is restored through surgery, achieving full vision and mobility can take many years. When Jesus heals the blind man it is a healing of the whole person. We see how the opening of the eyes of the body has also led to the opening of the eyes of the soul. The plot unfolds quickly, leading the healed blind man to finally discern Jesus’ true identity and profess faith in him.

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus boldly and intentionally pursues a woman on the fringes of society. The Samaritan Woman is someone well aware of her sin, her social status, and her past. She knows her own story, and as she makes her solitary way to draw water in the heat of the day, she does not seem interested in any new chapters or new encounters. But Jesus is unperturbed: he wishes to know her, and to show her the new life that is possible for her.

Sometimes we are on the mountaintop with Jesus in the glow of his divinity, and sometimes we are deep in the valleys of fear, doubt, or distrust. But the amazing thing is that Jesus is with us in those valleys, too. He never abandons us, and even when our faith falters, he is always unwaveringly faithful to us. Jesus knows that Peter isn’t perfect, yet he still confirms him as the first pope. God knows that Abram didn’t always trust his promise, but he still keeps that promise and confirms Abraham as a great father in faith.