Heart to Heart: Faith Seasons Podcast

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 6:16-21 is by Tammy Bundy.

Tammy is the author of several books, including Lessons from the School of Suffering with Fr. Jim Willig, and the recent picture book,  Lullaby Prayer. Her weekly column has appeared on EWTN global Catholic radio. You can follow her on all social media platforms, and at TamaraBundy.com.

from John 6:16-21
When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea,
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum.
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.

Read the full scripture passage: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/043022.cfm

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Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 6:1-15 is by John Willig.

John received an engineering degree from Marquette University and followed it with a 40-year career at his family business. Since retirement, John has volunteered at St. Vincent De Paul, The Little Sisters of the Poor, a clothing center serving the needy, and as a communion distributor at The Christ Hospital. He is happily married with 8 grandchildren.

from John 6:1-15
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” ...

To read the full scripture passage, please visit: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042922.cfm

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Today's Season of Joy reflection on Acts 5:27-33 is by Sr. Rita Sturwold, SND.

Sister Rita is a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an international congregation of women religious serving on five continents. She is a lifelong, enthusiastic, innovative, Catholic school educator and administrator. With a keen interest in Catholic education, fundraising and marketing, spirituality and holistic living, Sister Rita is a frequent speaker at local, national, and international conferences.

Acts 5:27-33 excerpt
When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Read the full scripture passage: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042822.cfm

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Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 3:16-21 is by Dan Roche.

Dan is a certified spiritual director with experience in social justice work and church administration. He was a Jesuit before serving as a community organizer in China and India. Dan directed the Family Life Office for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and was Director of the Jesuit Spiritual Center, where he continues to lead retreats. He also is active with the Kairos Prison Ministry. Dan is a husband, father and grandfather. 

from John 3:16-21
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

Full Gospel: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042722.cfm

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Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 3:7b-15 is by Jane Newberry.

Many years ago, Jane married her wonderful high school sweet heart. They were blessed with 3 incredible children and now have 9 equally incredible grand children. She is a retired nurse and now spends her time helping family, friends and others. She’s involved in two parishes and also part of a group called “Discerning Women Deacons.”

from John 3:7b-15
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Read the full scripture: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041823.cfm

I love how John compares the wind to the Holy Spirit. We all see the results of wind and air and oxygen. Trees are moving; children are running. We know that wind and oxygen are there because we need these to live. We also know the Holy Spirit, who really is the oxygen of our spiritual life, is with us as he sends us thoughts and people to help guide us. Sometimes this is in subtle ways in the whispers of our lives. And sometimes this is in louder ways as He repeats events that can shape our lives.

We know the Holy Spirit has a plan for each of us. Maybe he's sending you to help at mass as a server. Yes, women can be servers. Or to become a lector or Eucharistic Minister. I have heard people say they feel unworthy to serve as a Eucharistic Minister or lector, but isn't this how we all feel, unworthy? Don't let this stop you.

Surely the Blessed Mother must have felt unworthy and overwhelmed when the angel appeared to her and asked her to be the mother of the Savior of the World. I have often thought about this. Mary was an unmarried teenager who had never had relations with a man. She could actually have been stoned for being pregnant before she was married. Yet Mary humbly and boldly said, "Yes" to the angel, to God the Father, and to the Holy Spirit.

Wow, what an amazing person she is.

The Holy Spirit uses all of us in some special way. Parents are guiding their children to be good and kind people. Other adults have chosen a single life and are involved in community outreach programs. Children are asked to help others at home, or in their neighborhoods. Young adults are discerning how they can serve others in their careers and community. Maybe the Spirit is calling you to volunteer in a school or take Holy Communion to those who are homebound.

There are so many ways to serve others. Just like the wind, we don't know where these actions will sometimes take us and we don't know how they affect the people whose lives we touch. Being open to where we are being sent can reveal many opportunities as we are doing the work of the Holy Spirit.

One way God has used me is through a program called Healing Touch. I admit I was initially unsure if Healing Touch was really for me and unsure of the benefits for recipients. Early on, I felt very inadequate. Through much prayer and practice, I believe the Holy Spirit has encouraged me to pursue this type of service to others. I feel that I am a small straw that the Holy Spirit is able to work through and I know that healing comes from God.

I want to be clear up front that Healing Touch is an energy approach to healing. It does not replace medical treatment. When we think of the different aspects of healing, we consider physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing.

Read the full reflection: https://youtu.be/fDKJqlzw-3c

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Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 3:1-8 is by Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, Fr. Jim entered the Jesuits in 1971 and was ordained in 1983. He has worked in retreat houses and in ministry, was the national director of the Apostleship of Prayer and currently serves as a spiritual director at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

from John 3:1-8
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at night and said to him,
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man once grown old be born again? ...

Full scripture: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041723.cfm

What was the greatest day of your life? Do you remember it? I suspect that most of us don't. I sure don't. That's because the greatest day of any of our lives was the day on which we were “born from above.” 

That word that Jesus uses in his conversation with Nicodemus created confusion for him. It could be translated, “born from above,”or, “born again,” which is the way Nicodemus took it. Or it could also mean, “born anew.” Those are all different ways that Jesus told Nicodemus about the requirement for entering the Kingdom of God. 

What’s it mean to be “born from above?” Jesus went on to explain that it means to be “born of water and Spirit.” It seems pretty clear that Jesus was talking about baptism. Now, baptism isn't just an initiation right into an organization. It's much bigger, more important, mysterious and life changing. 

Water is used to clean things, and the water used in our baptisms cleansed us of sin. But it did something more. Though water is necessary for life, it is also dangerous and can destroy life. People drown in water and lose their lives, and that's what happened to us when we were baptized. 

We believe that we were drowned when we were baptized, that we died to an old life and were born to a new life. Baptism killed our old selves and gave us a new life with Jesus who died for us and then rose to a new life, a resurrected life, a life that he shares with everyone who was baptized. 

But, you may say, after baptism people don't look any different. And if they're baptized as adults, they would probably say that they don't feel any different, but they truly are different. Through baptism, they're joined to the risen body of Christ, whose divine life flows into and through them. They're temples of the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in them. 

Think of that. The word for Spirit can also mean wind or breath. So just as the wind is a mysterious and powerful force that comes from who knows where and goes to who knows where, so is the Spirit, the breath of God. Like the wind, which we cannot see, so is the Spirit of God. 

We can't see the Holy Spirit, but like a powerful wind, like the wind at Pentecost that can shake a house, so we can see the effects of the Spirit. And if we're temples of the Spirit, that means that God is not far from any of us, but very close, as close to us and as necessary for us, as our breath. Throughout the centuries, Christians have prayed with a breath prayer. 

They filled their lungs with a deep breath, imagining the Holy Spirit within them, sustaining their new life. And then they exhaled and, as it were, breathed God's loving breath upon the world. Through baptism, we were adopted into God's family. We became true sons and daughters of God. But this can be a bit misleading. Human adoptions are beautiful, but they don't change a child's genetic makeup; their DNA. 

Read the full transcript: https://youtu.be/RG8piaEQuM8

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Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 20:19-31 is by Fr. James Martin, SJ. 

Fr. James is a Jesuit priest, writer, and editor-at-large for the Jesuit magazine, America. In 2017 Pope Francis appointed him as a consultant to the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications. A New York Times Best Selling author, he is a sought after public speaker and media commentator on faith, culture, and spirituality. 

from John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

full Gospel: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042422.cfm

In today's beautiful gospel, we read the story of the Apostle known as "Doubting Thomas."

Now, I've always thought that Saint Thomas gets a rather bad rap. After all, he was one of the most faithful of Jesus' disciples. You'll remember that in the story of the raising of Lazarus, in the Gospel of John, some of the disciples were worried about returning to Bethany, Lazarus's home, because it was in Judea where things were dangerous for Jesus. 

Jesus had just been threatened with a stoning, but Thomas was undeterred, and encouraged everyone to go with Jesus. Beyond that, Jesus had chosen Thomas as an Apostle—one of the 12—so must have seen something good in him. 

But because Thomas was not with the other disciples, at one of the original appearances of the Risen Christ, he doubted the resurrection. He says that unless he himself puts his hands in the wounds of Jesus he won't believe. Now, let's step back a bit. The beginning of the Gospel of John tells us that the disciples were locked behind closed doors out of fear. 

But a closer look at the gospel shows us that Mary Magdalene had already had her encounter with the Risen Christ at the tomb on Easter Sunday and had already proclaimed the good news of the Resurrection to the disciples. In other words, they were still cowering behind closed doors after they had heard about the resurrection. So let's remember that everyone was struggling and was a little fearful and a little doubtful after the resurrection; it may simply have been human nature. But let's get back to Thomas.

On the one hand, Thomas should have known that nothing was impossible with God. On the other hand, no one had ever been raised from the dead in that precise way before—even Lazarus—and so Thomas can be forgiven his doubt. 

But like the other disciples, Thomas had seen many miracles including ones where Jesus raised someone from the dead. Lazarus isn't the only one. There is also the son of the Widow of Nain and Jairus's daughter. It's a reminder to all of us that nothing is impossible with God. Even if Thomas and the disciples had a hard time getting that, we know it to be true. So the call of the Christian is not to hide behind closed doors. 

It is to both hope and expect that God will be with us in all things. And that again, nothing is impossible with God. But Jesus knows that the disciples need more than just the report from Mary Magdalene. So as today's Gospel tells us, he appears despite the locked doors and gives them what they need: Peace. 

Now Thomas, as we've said, is not there. And when the Risen Christ appears again, he knows now what Thomas needs and he shows him his wounds. God speaks to us in very personal ways, tailored to our own circumstances. Jesus gave Thomas just what he needed and asked for: 
physical proof. ...

Read the full transcript: 

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Today's Season of Joy reflection on Mark 16, 9-15 is by Sr. Francis Maag. 

Sister Francis took her vows with the Congregation of Divine Providence 68 years ago. Over her career she served as principal with seven different schools, in four different states and five different dioceses. She remains an active participant of Divine Mercy parish in Bellevue, KY.

from Mark 16:9-15
When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had driven seven demons.
She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that he was alive
and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

To read the full scripture passage, please visit: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041523.cfm

"Go into the whole world, and proclaim the gospel to every creature."
This is the call to everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus. This call to proclaim the gospel is the universal mission of every Christian. It is to proclaim Jesus. It is to share his teachings, and example of living his divine truths about life. 

How can one carry out this mission unless one knows the gospel? How can a person know the gospel if there's no one to teach it? How can one share the truth of Jesus and the gospel if one is not sent? 

To proclaim Jesus one must not just know about Jesus, one must know Jesus—have an experience of Jesus—and become a true believer. A true believer will be motivated to share the good news of the gospel with enthusiasm. All true believers are sent by Jesus himself to share the gospel with every creature.

Excuses abound. I am too young; too old; too uneducated; too busy; too...
It is well to note that Peter and John—Jesus's close Apostles—were considered uneducated by the people of their time. Yet they were recognized as companions of Jesus. They knew Jesus. They had experienced Jesus.

The Jewish leaders had seen the man who was cured by Peter's intercession. Nevertheless, these leaders ordered Peter and John not ever again to speak in the name of Jesus. The apostles retorted: "It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard." 
To enthusiastically proclaim the gospel. One must have a personal experience of Jesus and truly know him and his message. Become a true believer. One cannot pass on to another what one does not have in their own heart and soul. 

When Mary Magdalene excitedly reported that Jesus was risen and alive, the apostles didn't believe her. When the two disciples on the way to Emmaus returned to Jerusalem with joy, to tell the apostles they had seen Jesus, they weren't believed.

Eventually the apostles too experience the Risen Jesus and initiated the church. To proclaim this good news—the news of salvation and restoration of our relationship with God, through Jesus—we need courage and commitment. 

Let us enthusiastically respond to the beautiful and challenging call. Let us, in the words of Saint Paul, "Be ambassadors for Christ. Go into the whole world, and proclaim the gospel to every creature."

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Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 21:1-14 is by Sr. Leslie Keener, CDP.

Sr. Leslie is a Sister of Divine Providence of Kentucky and the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati. 

from John 21:1-14
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way...

Full Gospel: https://bit.ly/3oh9xHF

The Gospel for today from John finds us with Peter and some of the others on a seashore after a long night of fishing but catching nothing. Does this feel like déjà vu? Well, we have been here before, but it’s in the Gospel of Luke. That lakeshore, after a long night of unsuccessful fishing, is where Jesus first catches Peter’s attention. Like this story from John, Jesus tells him to cast out the net again, and, like this story, Peter catches an abundance fish. Despite his great success, Peter decides at that very moment to leave everything, including that great catch, and follow the one who called him. He becomes a fisher of people and no longer a fisher of fish. 

And yet, here he is again at the seashore doing the exact same thing. It’s like nothing has changed. Except everything has changed. 

A cosmic shift has taken place, and Peter is trying to go back and pick up his life as if nothing happened. But Peter is not the same person who followed the advice of Jesus in that first encounter. Since then, he’s experienced terrible suffering, but he’s also seen the glory of God. He may have had the ordinary experience of breakfast with Jesus every day when he traveled with him, but he also witnessed Jesus healing people, casting out demons, and calming the sea. He felt Jesus remove his sandals and tenderly wash his feet, and he’s been to the mountaintop to see Jesus transfigured. After everything, how could he be the same? 

Breakfast by this seashore with the resurrected Christ may feel beautifully familiar, but Peter is going to have to recognize that his life has changed. Jesus called him to fish for people, and it’s time to follow his call and stop clinging to the past. 

And he does follow that call. As we see in our first reading from Acts, he takes up the mantle of leadership and becomes a surprisingly eloquent preacher. It may have been easier to keep returning to his old life, the familiar, the comfortable, but he lets go of that and moves forward to share the Good News.

Even though Peter seems slow in following Christ’s call, I do feel for him. For me, too, the familiar and comfortable have a sort of appeal to them, particularly during hard times or times of transition. And yet, God hardly ever calls me to do what’s easy and comfortable. God usually calls me to go out on a limb, to reach farther, to grow. God’s call often feels risky. Sometimes it is risky. 

And that’s what Gospel living is. Just when we get used to something, God calls us to something more – to love more deeply, to move toward an encounter with someone I don’t know, to adjust my attitude to embrace someone I may have judged before. God loves in giant, abundant, and expansive ways, and if I’m to love like God does, I’m going to have to stretch. That’s uncomfortable sometimes, but also deeply satisfying and energizing, as only a call from God can be. 

Here we are in this Easter season, these fifty days of resurrection that may not feel dazzling every single day. We still need to earn a living, take care of loved ones, do the dishes, mow the grass. We live in the ordinary, but that doesn’t mean we have to cling to what’s familiar. Let’s stay open so that we keep growing. We, like Peter, are called to keep sharing the good news of God’s abundant love, to extend the reach of God’s love. When we say yes to Christ’s call, whatever that might look like for each of us, it may feel uncomfortable at first. That’s ok. Christ, the one who calls us, is with us.

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Today's reflection on Luke 24:35-48 is by Fr. Kevin Flaherty, SJ. 

Kevin is a Jesuit priest from Cincinnati, OH who has lived in Lima, Peru for more than 30 years. He is the spiritual director for Jesuit seminarians and offers spiritual and psychological accompaniment for priests, sisters, and pastoral ministers. On weekends he helps in a poor parish where he was previously pastor.

from Luke 24:35-48
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.” ...

Full Gospel: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042122.cfm

Our Gospel reading today from the 24th chapter of Luke places us with the disciples huddled in the upper room. They're listening to two disciples who had fled Jerusalem and returned to say, 'an unknown companion on the road became Jesus in the breaking of the bread.'

Jesus appears to them in their midst, with the greeting: "Shalom, peace be with you," but they can't hear that greeting. Their hearts can't take it in.  They're trapped by their own fear; panic. They don't know what will happen to them. Will they too be tracked down as criminals and even tortured and killed?

They still think they're seeing a ghost and a ghost never brings anything good. A ghost comes to haunt and torment. So he says, "Give me to eat." and he eats with them. A piece of fish. Slowly, they open their eyes and their hearts and they realize: We are with Jesus.

The crucified Jesus is the Risen Lord. And that is our deepest mystery. Jesus is the fulfillment of all scripture. He has brought us his life. The Risen Lord isn't known by any new miracles. In fact, he often appears to people as with Mary, the gardener, an unknown companion on the road, the voice calling out from the beach, and he identifies himself through his wounds with Thomas; now with the disciples. That's the deepest mystery. 

Jesus is the miracle. Jesus is life—the way the truth, and the life. That is what we receive in Jesus; in the resurrection. That's why we place a crucifix above our altar. That's why with any prayer that we make through the spirit—in the Risen Lord—to God, is done with the sign of the cross.

One of the things I've most appreciated and value in my life here in Peru, is sharing the life of poor people and their faith. Maria I first met in our Parish, in a very poor area, when she was a catechist 30 years ago. 

She came from a very poor family; was always bubbly and a life-giver; loves working with children. And most of her life has been dedicated to caring for children in very, very poor areas of a slum; for children who often have nowhere to go after school and she creates community of learning and of joy and of faith. 

That's her life, in the midst of which she's raised three kids, two of whom have finished college. She also carries a life-threatening illness, but you would never know it.

When you meet Maria, it's a smile, it's peace, it's joy, it's a joke, but inside, you know, she carries the Risen Lord; that all of her life and her suffering and her wounds have been united to Christ and she lives a faith giving life to others. 

That's what makes us witnesses. Letting the Lord's Grace into our wounds—our vulnerability. Letting us be touched by God so that we can then live in peace in God's love. And when we have been touched by Christ and the Risen Lord, then we want to reach out to others.

Then we are gifted to discovering Christ in the poor—in the wounded—and those who share our journey of life.

So let us rejoice in the resurrection; be joyful and look to meet the Lord who appears to us in so many ways. Especially through the healing of our wounds and in caring for others.

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