Morning Voice

May 1, 2022 Third Sunday of Easter - C. Readings: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41; Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13; Rev5:11-14; Jn 21:1-19. “We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:32) An Indian proverb says: “A person consists of his faith. Whatever is his faith, even so, is he.” And a Mexican proverb adds: “It is in our work that we discover love and faith.” Easter season is the time of the encounters with the Risen Lord. It is also the time to witness of our faith in him and faith in the Resurrection. In that sense, every Christian is before all else a testimony, a witness of Christ and faith. Our lives are aimed to witness what we profess in the Creed and to witness of our Baptism. We have all been immersed in the death of Christ, and together with him, we have risen unto new life. This newness of life implies that we should testify through our words and actions what we believe. Life in Christ is a life of testimony. “The d...

April 24, 2022 Second Sunday of Easter - Sunday of Divine Mercy - C. Readings: Acts 5:12-16; Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; Rev1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; Jn 20:19-31. “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:23) A German proverb says: “God forgives sinners, otherwise His heaven would be empty.” And a Dutch proverb adds: “The noblest vengeance is to forgive.” On the 2nd Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the Mercy of God, the overpouring love that forgives sinners and raises unto faith the unbelievers. For, on the wood of the Cross, when he was dying, the Lord Jesus washed away our sins with his blood and the water that poured from his pierced heart. It was an act of mercy. After his resurrection from the dead, he showed himself to his disciples and made them the instruments of that same mercy. Nevertheless, some of his followers who have not yet made a personal encounter with the Risen Lord are still closed in unbeli...

April 17, 2022 Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord. Readings: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Col3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9. “This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance…” (Acts 10:41) A Sicilian proverb says: “The testimony of one eyewitness is worth more than the hearsay of a hundred.” And an Ivorian proverb adds: “There are no witnesses to a dream.” The greatest witness of the Resurrection of the Lord is not the Apostles Peter and John, nor Mary Magdalene. It is the empty tomb. The first that saw the Lord out from death and back to life, and which speaks more loudly of his triumph is the tomb. It could not hold him for longer than announced by the Prophets. The tomb has seen life triumphs from it. It has witnessed the greatest battle, the battle against the forces of evil. And from this battle, only one was victorious, Jesus Christ our Lord. Victory! Victory! Victory! J...

A Hungarian proverb says: “Every wonder lasts three days.” And a Chinese proverb adds: “Yesterday, today, and tomorrow -- these are the three days of man.” The mystery of our salvation, like a theatrical scene is played on three days: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Day. They are three days that give meaning to the whole Christian life. They are the mysterious three days of our faith. On the night of the Maundy Thursday, the Lord gave himself to his followers under the Eucharistic Bread, the species of his true presence always active in the Church and the faithful. On Good Friday, in the ultimate sacrifice of the Cross, the Lord fulfilled all the prophecies that concern him. He gave his life for the sinners to live. And lastly, on the solemn day of the Resurrection, he was restored unto life, a sign of our own future Resurrection. His victory over death preluded our individual and personal victories over sin that leads us to death, spiritual as well as physical. We are cel...