The Encouraging Thomist

Feast of Pentecost Numbers 11:24-30 Psalm 104:25-37  Acts 2:1-21 John 20:19-23 I. Santo Evangelio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo,  según San Juan.  "Al llegar la noche de aquel mismo día, el primero de la semana, los discípulos se habían reunido con las puertas cerradas por miedo a las autoridades judías. Jesús entró y, poniéndose en medio de los discípulos, los saludó diciendo: "¡Paz a ustedes!" "Dicho esto, les mostró las manos y el costado. Y ellos se alegraron de ver al Señor. Luego Jesús les dijo otra vez: "¡Paz a ustedes! Como el Padre me envió a mí, así yo los envío a ustedes." Y sopló sobre ellos, y les dijo: "Reciban el Espíritu Santo. A quienes ustedes perdonen los pecados, les quedarán perdonados; y a quienes no se los perdonen, les quedarán sin perdonar." El Evangelio del Señor. [John 20:19-23, DHH (Dios Habla Hoy)] ______ I bet everyone is very glad  that their bulletin has the English version of this Gospel Passage,   or else, I imagin

The Ascension of Christ Icon Easter VII (Sunday after the Ascension) Acts 1:6-14 Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 I. Being left,  alone,   all by yourself    is an absolutely terrible feeling.  If you have ever dropped off your kids  or your grand-kids at the babysitter or at the daycare,   and they throw an absolute fit,    you know how deep-seated this fear of being left alone can be!     Even when you know that you aren't really leaving,      you are just dropping them off for a playdate! But this natural fear within us  stays with us throughout our lives. The first time you moved away from home,  even though it may have felt liberating for any number of reasons,   did it not also carry with it a feeling of loneliness,    an absence,     leaving a home or a family that you have never lived away from      your whole life? It happens in adulthood as well,  as family, friends, neighbors   move away from the towns that know them    and the only connection to

The Apostle Paul Preaching Icon Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 17:22-31 Psalm 66:7-18 1 Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21 I. A very good friend of mine and priest in the Church  told me about an experience that he used to have   when traveling the University of Arkansas campus    as an undergraduate.  Between classes,  he would be doing a number of things on a normal day at university,   such as hoofing it cross country to make it to the next class,    or going to lunch with friends,     or getting done with homework in order to go to church. But a constant source of anxiety for him as he made his way through campus  was a Christian evangelism group on campus   that was constantly out en force    stopping students as they went here and there     and sharing the Gospel.  ...except when he started to describe exactly what kind of Gospel they were preaching,  it started to sound "less like the Gospel   and more like a hostage situation."    [his words, not mine!] The Evangelism group wou

The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen Icon I. There is a song that pops into my head  almost invariably   when I hear this Gospel passage from St. John this morning,    and it is the song, "That Where I am, there you may also be" by Rich Mullins.      If you have a moment, I encourage you to listen to this song: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfQ-eHHbvIM&list=PL0mnF7gQKRQidoqEXNhOnYYfn4kthzcb5&index=19] If you listen to the song,  you will undoubtedly find that the lyrics are taken directly from John 14 that we read this morning:   as he writes:  "In my Father's house, there are many many rooms,   and I'm goin' up there now to prepare a place for you    that where I am there you may also be." For those of you who might not know who Rich Mullins was,  he was an immensely popular Christian musician and hymn writer   who was heavily influenced by the life and witness of St. Francis of Assisi.    Mullins even wrote a song about St. Francis's life call

Jesus the Good Shepherd Icon The Third Sunday of Easter Acts 2:42-47 Psalm 23 1 Peter 2:19-25 John 10:1-10 I. I love being in charge,  don't you? I like it when I have the ability to chart my own path,  go where I think is good,   do the things I believe to be in the right    and not have to explain myself to others in so doing. Yet, if I'm honest with myself,  I also sometimes feel so lost in my own freedom,   my own perception of what is right,    that I completely go down the wrong paths,     even when I'm convinced that they are right. I both really love having the freedom I have,  yet I also get lost and frustrated that I don't know where I should be going. And, when I examine this a little closer,  I find that...   it isn't that I have a free will to act that is the problem.    The problem is that      I'm infatuated with being in control. Maybe you are like me.  I want to be in control of my world,   ordering