During my holiday in the Philippines a few years ago, I visited some of the Holy Spirit Sisters at their convent in Manila.

The mandate we are given today, on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, is to ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the good news to all creation.’

For those we love, we wish the best for them. It’s true, isn’t it!

The Gospels show Jesus teaching the people of His time about His Father using parables, stories, and metaphors that they were very familiar with.

Whenever Jesus talks about sheep and shepherds I realise that I am listening to a “foreign language”.  I am a city boy, growing up in Chicago and attending a seminary in a near-by suburb.

When I was learning how to drive, my instructor insisted that before changing lanes or before entering the traffic, it was not enough to look at the side mirrors but also to turn my head to the back of my shoulder so that I could cover my “blind spot”.

We are in the joyous season of Easter and today we are invited to share this joy with the Apostles of Jesus, especially Thomas, who struggled to believe that Jesus is alive.

In each of the four gospels there are wonderful resurrection stories in which we see the early followers of Christ struggling to grasp the fact and the meaning of the resurrection of Christ.

This is the only Sunday in Lent that has two names: Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday.  This is because the liturgy celebrates two aspects of the mystery of our redemption that we are to keep in mind during Holy Week.

Most of us when we were children may have tried to figure out what would happen if we put a seed in a glass of water. At first, it seems nothing is happening, then maybe after a few days, the outer shell of the seed begins to crack, then slowly a little green sprout springs out of the seed until a little bud forms and a green leaf slowly unravels.

The image of the cross is one of the most popular and most powerful images that we see. Whenever we see the cross, for most of us, we feel some sort of solace and security that we’re assured that everything will be alright.

There is some reassuring and challenging teaching presented to us in the readings of today’s liturgy!

The gospels mention several times that Jesus went off by himself to pray, usually at night. But twice he took Peter, James and John with him – once on Tabor when He was transfigured and once in the Garden of Olives when He sweated blood.

Temptations are a regular part of our lives. Five days a week, I used to go out in the morning and take an hour’s walk around the corner in Macquarie Fields when I was serving in that parish.

The person suffering with leprosy, in today’s Gospel, puts the ball in Jesus’ court and says, “If you want to, you can cure me.” It must have taken an enormous leap of faith for this person ...