Happy Easter! It is strange to find ourselves in the final week before the end of the season, the celebration of Pentecost, and the return to Ordinary Time. After the forty days of Lent, the forty days leading up to the Ascension, and these last ten days before Pentecost, I am both eager and reluctant to return to normalcy.

And perhaps that’s a good thing – it would be a kind of tragedy to return to life as if the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ never happened. We know that the Apostles, likely weighed down by their fears & sorrows, briefly went back to being fishermen. Jesus Himself intervened, calling them to cast into the deep once more and sharing with them the bounty of the catch. It is a comfort to me that He went to such great lengths – even after He had fulfilled His work here on earth! – to meet them where they were at and invite them to rediscover and renew their faith in Him.

This last weekend I was blessed with the occasion to baptize my newly born niece, Charlotte Ruth. Gathered together with her parents & brothers, grandparents, and godparents, she received the sacrament of baptism and was anointed with the sacred chrism. Though it was her initiation in the Church, we all were reminded of our own baptism. In fact, every time we enter into a church, we are invited to be reminded of, to rediscover, and renew our faith. Whether in the simple action of blessing ourselves with holy water or something more profound in our encounter with Christ in the sacramental life of the Church, we need the Lord to help us receive & respond to His invitation. May we use these last days of Easter well, asking Jesus to open our hearts to hear His voice and draw ever closer to Him.

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May 12 – In most diocese of the United States, including the Archdiocese of Seattle, the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is transferred to today. This commemoration recalls Christ placing of Himself – and our humanity – at the right hand of the Father. Check out Bishop Barron’s reflection at the Word on Fire YouTube channel.

May 13 – On this day in 1917 was the beginning of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three shepherd children near the town of Fatima, Portugal. Appearing to the children the 13th of each month, the central message of Our Lady was (is!) a call to conversion. The final apparation was on October 13, 1917, known as the Miracle of the Sun, was witnessed by thousands of people – believers and non-believers alike. Read about her message at the Conregation of the Doctrine of Faith.

May 14 – Today is the feast of Saint Matthias, apostle and martyr. He was chosen to replace Judas, as testified to in the account given in the Acts of the Apostles. Though he was well known to the others, having been present during Jesus’ ministry, little was written about him in scriptures apart from his selection. Tradition says that he founded a church in Cappadocia, ministered along the Caspian Sea, and was ultimately beheaded in Colchis for his faith. Franciscan Media has brief reflection on their website.

May 15 – Today is the feast of Saint Isidore of Seville. Largely lauded for his devotion to the preservation of past wisdom & knowledge, he worked to promote teaching and understanding of the faith. Officially named a Doctor of the Church, he is also unofficially considered the patron saint of the internet. Read more about him at Loyola Press.

May 18 – Our saint for this day is Pope Saint John I. He was the first ‘Pope John’ of the Church and became a martyr for the faith by the King Theodoric, who held to the Arian heresy. When Pope John refused to advocate for Arianism in his name, the king had him imprisoned and starved to death. His day of death has since become his feast day in the Byzantine Rite and Ordinary Form of Roman Rite. Read about him at Catholicculture.org.

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