When we part from one another, and we are sad, the sadness points to the value of what we have shared. This value is not lost as the Holy Spirit binds us together into the Body of Christ.

"With gentleness and reverence," we share with others the reason for our hope in the risen Lord.

"Once you were no people, but now you are God's people. Once there was no mercy for you, but now you have found mercy." The assurance of 1 Peter 2: 10.

We are closest to God when we are in the midst of struggle.

The Emmaus incident is the most moving of the post-resurrection experiences in the Gospels. We consider how surprised Jesus' friends were. Our faith is not a mere wish-fulfillment.

Let us pay special attention this Easter season to the First Letter of Peter, a letter which is all about "belonging."

"You have said so." All of creation cries out the identity of the one who laid down his life to reconcile us with our God.

Our faith is utterly personal. Jesus raises Lazarus as he draws upon his human feeling.

This is a privileged time in which adults to be baptized make their immediate preparations for Christian initiation.

We are on a journey. We must not trivialize the reality of this journey. We simply live mystery as we go places we may not care to go.