St. Mary's Catholic Church of Tomahawk, WI

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We are on the fifth Sunday of Easter. In the first reading we see the tension arising between the Jewish and Gentile converts. The Hellenists complain of neglect of their widows by the Hebrew administration. Hence the apostles establish their succession by selecting seven men to take care of these details so that they could focus on praying and preaching. When faced with differences how do we sort to find solutions to solve them?

The second reading describes Jesus as a “living stone”, emphasizing both the reality of Jesus’ resurrection as well as the solid foundation upon which we build our faith. Peter shifts focus from Jesus and says that we too are living stones, implying that we might be rejected by the world for following Christ, but we are precious in the eyes of God as his chosen race, royal priesthood and holy nation.

In the Gospel our Lord emphasizes that in revealing himself, he reveals the Father. But the disciples fail to understand due to their lack of faith. To be sure, if all was understood, there would be no need for faith. Hence the Lord exhorts them to believe Him based on His words and works which they witnessed. He also reveals first, that the purpose of His departure is to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house. Second, that He is “the way, the truth and the life”. Is Jesus our way, our truth and our life?

Fr. Aloysius Royan Anthony