The Lord Walks Beside Us!

Please recognize Him!

Happy Third Sunday in Eastertide!

Alleluia! The Lord has Risen! Alleluia!

We continue to bathe in the great event of the Resurrection of the Lord! We will celebrate, in total, fifty days of the greatest event of human history, the Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead!

Let us praise Him! Alleluia!

As we celebrate, we have the Gospel Portion St. Luke 24:13-35, and we will meditate on

“Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
Luke 24:35

As we celebrate the third Sunday in Eastertide, we meditate on the Road to Emmaus. This resurrection encounter occurred on the First Resurrection Day. Two disheartened disciples were walking back to their old lives. Though they heard that the other disciples, both women and men, experienced the Empty Tomb, they were not convinced. Jesus, the Resurrected One, joined them in their walk. They could not recognize him, perhaps because their deep sadness blinded them. But they listened to their walking companion, and their hearts burned with faith as he proclaimed the Holy Scriptures to them.

When they were at the table, Jesus broke the bread, and they finally recognized their Lord and started back to their lives as Jesus’ Followers. They went back to the others in Jerusalem.

I believe we can apply this event in our lives. Jesus Rose from the Dead, so He is always with us. However, life gets rough, and depression is often a reality in our lives. We may not recognize the Lord’s presence in our sad moments. Here is where reading Holy Scripture and participation in Holy Mass make us recognize that Jesus never left us a will see us through whatever storm we are going through.

Jesus never leaves us; He is always with us!

We need Easter! We need the hope that it brings!

Easter Blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Rejoice In the Gift of Divine Mercy!

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

We close today with the Octave of Easter. Happy Easter!

Our Gospel Portion for today is St. John 20:19-31, and we will meditate on

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:28

St. Thomas was not present with the others when Jesus came to them on Resurrection Sunday. He could not believe the account of his brothers that their Lord had risen from the dead. It was too much for him. However, a week later, on Sunday, Jesus came to see his disciples again, and this time Thomas was with them. When Jesus challenged Thomas’ stubborn disbelief, Thomas responded with the famous words we meditate on today. Thomas surrendered his will and gave it over to the Lord.

St. Thomas represents us. When life situations bring doubts to our hearts and minds, we must remember that Jesus is Risen! Jesus is truly Risen! His mercy is real and no matter what we go through, we will rise again!

We place total trust in Jesus and push forward with whatever Jesus has tasked us to do!

We need to look at what this faith did to Thomas and the world he brought Jesus to. He founded the original Churches of India! These Churches are still around for almost 2,000 years.

The power of the Resurrection and the Divine Mercy it brings will transform us and the world around us!

Faith changes things and transforms us and all around us!

Bathe into the Divine Mercy and be renewed!

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Resurrection Power!

Jesus lifts us in the midst of a very depressing moment that our world is going through.

Life can get very difficult, but Jesus helps us from falling into the feelings of the time.

Our Gospel Portion today, Easter Sunday, is St. John 20:1-9. We will meditate on,

“Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.”
John 20:8

The other disciple is believed to be the author of this Gospel, St. John.
Imagine that this is John on Good Friday, standing as an eyewitness, and now he sees the empty tomb. The Crucifixion was the saddest moment of his life, and now he is experiencing a moment that would transform the world. John shares this with us, and we have followed him from under the Cross to the Empty Tomb.

When we experience our saddest moments, we know that we will rise out of them if we hold on to the Lord!

The world will not destroy us because Jesus destroyed death! Let us live in Him!

Easter Blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Let Us Stay with The Lord This Holy Week!

He has healing in store for us!

Happy Palm Sunday!

We enter the holiest week for followers of Jesus. We begin with the joyous day of Jesus entry into Jerusalem, the Holy City. The joy is limited because sin is so abundantly present in the world. But for our meditation for today, let us meditate on the joy.

Our Gospel Portion is taken from the reading used in the Great Procession of Palm Sunday, St. Matthew 21:1-11, and we will concentrate on

“And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’”
Matthew 21:9

The Holy Liturgy begins with great joy. The people have seen great signs and wonders during the three years of Jesus’ Ministry. Their lives were changed through encounters with Jesus, which brought tremendous healing.

However, many in the crowd singing ‘Hosanna’ would turn to shout, ‘Crucify Him!’ But there was the remnant that did not turn from admiration to condemnation. We have Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the other women named Mary. We have Salome and the mother of James and John. We have John himself who stood under the Cross, too.

Let us join the remnant of true believers. Let our hearts and minds join with theirs and receive the healing that our lives need.

Have a fruitful Holy Week!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/ec40177f7

The Lord Will Set Us Free!

No matter how dead we may feel, the Lord is calling us to life now and forever! Trust the Lord!

Happy Sunday in Passiontide!

Our 5th Sunday in Lent brings us to the end of our Lenten Season 2026. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. Our Gospel Portion this week leads us into the mystery of the Passion. It is St. John’s Gospel 11:1-45, and we will concentrate on

“The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go’.”
John 11:44

Our Gospel Portion is the Raising of Lazarus. We know that this miracle comes toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It was dangerous for Jesus to come to Bethany because it was only two miles outside of Jerusalem. It was where the Jewish leadership was, and they wanted to eliminate Jesus. Jesus was a threat to their way of life. He questioned much of their understanding and practice of the Law.

The Holy Siblings, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, were like family to Jesus; He loved them dearly. Lazarus died, and Jesus called him to life after being dead for four days. This event had many witnesses, and many conversions to Jesus’ way of life occurred there. However, there is a message for us to take for ourselves this Lent: be set free!

Sometimes I feel spiritually dead. So many things are happening in the world that seem to force me into a cocoon. It is not a good place to be, and people need me to be present to them. When I see myself turning inward to avoid the outside craziness, I call on Jesus, and He sets me free, and I can help others be free too!

Jesus can and will break what holds us down, but our job is to turn toward Him and be free, regardless of the circumstances in the world.

When Jesus set you free, you are free indeed! (See St. John 8:36)

Have a blessed and fruitful Passiontide!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/ec40177f7

I Was Blind, and Now I See!

Thank you, Lord, for giving me sight again!

Rejoice! Happy Laetare Sunday!

We have just completed three weeks of Lent, and we rejoice in the Lord who has brought us to this point in our Lenten Journey. There is so much going on in our world that it may close our eyes to the truth of Divine Love at work. In Lent, we allow Jesus to touch us and help us see what is good and deserving of our attention.

Love wins!

We place our trust in the Lord who made Heaven and Earth!

Our Gospel Portion today is
St. John 9:1-41, and we will meditate on,

“He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went and washed and received my sight.’”
John 9:11

The man born blind was given the gift of sight. This was an extraordinary moment in human history. Jesus did this in a very intimate way. The Pharisees had to respond because everyone in this region who witnessed the miracle knew this blind man. They all encountered him begging for his livelihood. The miracle was a God thing! These Pharisees could not accept this event from the Divine because it would require them to believe and change their lives.

Obviously, the blind man’s life was changed! He had an intimate exchange with Christ, and he could see. But this sight was much more than physical. He saw spiritually, and he saw these Pharisees for who they were, false guides and blind fools.

We, too, can be people like these Pharisees. We can look at love and be blind to it. We can hate others.

We need lent! This is the time when we can get more intimate with the Lord and overcome the blindness that living in the world can create in us.

Let us enter more deeply into the mystery of Divine Love, and see anew with the Eyes of Jesus!

Rejoice and be glad, Love Reigns!

Happy Laetare Sunday!

Pax, the Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/9dd5eaf85

Be Thirsty for the Lord!

The Lord desires to feel us with Himself!

What a glorious yet challenging time Lent can be for us!

Happy Third Sunday in Lent!

On this International Day of Women, we are reminded about one woman who is speaking to us today after almost two millennia, the Samaritan Woman.

We have her encounter with the Lord as our Gospel Portion for today, St. John 4:5-42, and let us meditate on

“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:14

In Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan Woman, He reveals that He will provide for her and all of us!

This woman was lacking something deep within her, but could not find it. Her marriages did not fulfill this need. She was trying to quench her thirst for meaning in all of the wrong places. Jesus revealed to her that He is what she needed.

Lent is so beautiful! We are reminded that we thirst and need Jesus to quench it.

Let us put ourselves in the place of the Samaritan Woman and let us receive the Lord! He wants us to quench our thirst with Him. May we all share our encounter with Jesus with everyone who will listen. May we all quench our thirst for meaning in the Lord!

Happy International Women’s Day!

Be blest and be a blessing!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Let Us Be Transformed!

Father God said, ” Listen to Jesus!” We must apply His words to our lives!

We celebrate the Second Sunday of Lent, and we look anew at the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus. Our Gospel Portion is St. Matthew 17:1-9, and we will concentrate on the following verse,

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Matthew 17:5

The Transfiguration is a key part of the events in our Lord’s life. It helped the Apostles understand who Jesus is and what they were supposed to do. For us, it is the same.

Jesus appeared in glory! His true nature was revealed to the Apostles and to us who follow their lead. Father God tells us who Jesus is and what we must do to be faithful to God: listen to Jesus. But this listening means little if it does not change the way we live our lives. We must do what Jesus tells us; this makes us faithful and helps transform our world.

This Season of Lent is so important for us and our well-being. I know I need to be reminded of what God expects of me. It reminds me that I must respond to the hate in the world with the Love of Jesus! I know that I must teach love by the way I treat everyone. I ask you to do the same. I hope everyone will listen to Jesus, put that into action, and make the world a better place.

May we be the change in the world that we want to see.

Happy Sunday!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Live On the Divine Word!

Our temptations may not control us; let Jesus be our guide!

First Sunday of Lent, Blessings!

We have begun the Great Fast of Lent, and what a marvelous time it is! We have the time to be the best that we can be. Let us use this time well and excel in our relationship with the Divine.

Our Gospel Potion for this First Sunday in Lent is St. Matthew 4:1-11, and we will meditate on

But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4

Jesus fasted for forty days, and He was hungry. He is our model. He came to be one of us so that we would be one with Him. In this weakened state, the evil one tempted Him. Jesus modeled for us what to do when we are needy and temptation comes our way: use the word of God. In it, we have our weapon to fight off the enemy.

We need Lent because our lives can get rough, but we do not have to surrender to things that God does not want from us. We have the tools to remain in good standing with God.

Lent reminds us of the power we have to face life’s difficulties as sisters and brothers of Jesus; use Jesus as our model.

Lenten blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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