Tag: Matt Maher

Grace, Peace and Love, Alive Again
Grace, Peace and Love, Alive Again

Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023

Annibale Carracci: Holy Women at Christ’s Tomb

If we listen to the song Alive Again by Matt Maher, we may find new peace and a new energy as we ponder the question Where have I gone . . . we may experience a new birth, and we may discover that we are alive again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h30qiH7MSHM

Wishing all a blessed Easter, and offering all of you this Easter Prayer.

May each of us be renewed in Christ.

May each of us be blessed by the Creator.

May each of us be graced by the Holy Spirit.

May we keep in mind that we are Easter people.

May we announce and share the gift of Resurrection that God has bestowed on us.

And may we hold the story of God’s love for all creation in our hearts.

We ask for Christ’s peace.

We rest in the Creator’s hands.

And we come together with and in the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annibale_Carracci_-_Holy_Women_at_Christ%27_s_Tomb_-_WGA4454.jpg
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April 9, 2023

Matt Maher, resurrection
1 John 1: Eyewitness
1 John 1: Eyewitness

Holy Saturday, April 8, 2023

Can we fully understand . . .?

From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.

Can we fully comprehend . . .?

We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!

Can we fully believe . . .?

James Tissot: What Our Lord Saw from the Cross

This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.

Can we fully take this in . . .?

We are more than bystanders to the truth and light that rises from death. We are eyewitnesses to the light that rises from pain. We are one in the body of Christ that rises from death itself to bring life eternal that knows nothing but joy.

Using the scripture links and drop-down menus, spend time with this letter from the Beloved Apostle John. Then watch or listen to Matt Maher’s video presentation on the promise and surprise of resurrection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUQm-F5LFu0

Images from: http://www.crosswalk.com/who-is-jesus/resurrection-of-jesus-christ/ and
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April 8, 2023

eternal life, God is light, joy, Matt Maher, Word of Life
The Gospels: Waiting
The Gospels: Waiting

Good Friday, April 7, 2023

We live in a culture of immediacy; we have created a society that dispels mystery. We insist on knowing our unborn child’s gender; paparazzi tell us the daily intimate details of the lives of the famous. We insist on quick marts, fast food, instant dinners and bread-making machines. We look for comfort, create short cuts through pain, and seek antidotes to suffering.

We fail to teach our children how to suffer well. We shy away from abiding with family and friends who wait for Christ’s infinite, overpowering love to heal and transform. We have failed to learn the lesson of waiting.

This Good Friday, as we mourn what we first believe to be the loss of truth in the face of corruption, let us remain and abide with Mary the Mother of Jesus and John the Beloved Apostle at the foot of the cross. Let us await the promise of light that we know is arriving to pierce the darkness. Let us rest in the peace and joy of the resurrection story.

Matthew 28

Mark 16

Luke 24

John 20

Using the scripture links and drop-down menus, spend time with God’s word. Then watch or listen to Matt Maher’s video presentation on the gift of waiting at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnp60uQ3EAw

Image from: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Galleries/7-Things-You-Didnt-Know-About-Good-Friday.aspx
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April 7, 2023

John 20, joy, Luke 24, Mark 16, Matt Maher, Matthew 28, peace, promise, resurrection
The Gospels: Where is God?
The Gospels: Where is God?

Holy Thursday, April 6, 2023

We constantly ask: Where is God when the defenseless are maimed, abused, tortured or killed? Why does God allow natural disasters to wipe out the innocent? Why doesn’t Jesus protect the vulnerable and acquit the blameless? Where is the consolation and healing of the Spirit?

When we spend time with one or more of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last hours, we begin to comprehend. As we prepare for Good Friday, a day when we remember Jesus act of salvific love, we begin to find the answers to our questions.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: Taking of Christ

Matthew 27

Mark 15

Luke 23

John 19

Using the scripture links and drop-down menus, spend time with God’s word. Then watch or listen to Matt Maher’s video presentation on Good Friday at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbEhvn0rw8M

Images from: https://musicfrombrokenchords.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/jesus-betrayed-by-judas/ and http://www.sarmy.org.au/en/Resources/Sermons/Where-is-God-Understanding-Suffering/
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April 6, 2023

John 19, Luke 23, Mark 15, Matt Maher, Matthew 27, salvific love
Matthew 16:13-20: The Son of the Living God
Matthew 16:13-20: The Son of the Living God

Holy Wednesday, April 5, 2023

A scandalous revelation. Blasphemy. A confession that asks us to lay down our ambitions.

Who do people say that I am?

What do we reply when we stand before the world?

Who do you say that I am?

What do we reply when we stand before the Lord?

You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the savior of the world.

Are we willing to stand before those who doubt or jeer? Are we willing to carry hope, peace and joy into the world?

We reflect on our willingness to act on what we say we believe. Musician Matt Maher presents a video reflection on what our ambitions might promise or condemn. Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5PHGRMHm8o

Image from: http://scpeanutgallery.com/2012/07/22/morning-reading-matthew-1615-16-nlt/
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April 5, 2023

hope, joy, Matt Maher, peace
John 13:21-38: Betrayal in Jerusalem
John 13:21-38: Betrayal in Jerusalem

Holy Tuesday, April 4, 2023

One of you is going to betray me . . . [And] as soon as the bread was in Judas’ hand, Satan entered him.

We have become too familiar with the story of Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus the Christ. Today we focus on small details as we read various translations, watching Jesus as he firmly, boldly, patiently and even gently steps into the betrayal he knows awaits him.

What you must do, says Jesus, do. Do it and get it over with.

A crust of bread dipped in wine.

Judas, with the piece of bread, left. It was night.

Thirty pieces of silver. The Potter’s Field. Murder Meadow.

Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I’m telling you: ‘Where I go, you are not able to come.’

The prophet Jeremiah’s words fulfilled to the letter.

“Master,” says Peter, “why can’t I follow now? I’ll lay down my life for you!”

Gerard van Honthorst: The Denial of St. Peter

Denial in the courtyard.

“Really?” Jesus replies. “You’ll lay down your life for me? The truth is that before the rooster crows, you’ll deny me three times”.

The faithful disciples scattering in terror, gathering in hope.

Today we reflect on heroes, heroines, fidelity and betrayal and how Jesus, Judas and Peter bring us the message of the Gospel. For a video message from musician Matt Maher that reflects on the role of Judas in God’s plan, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnibI0Vac0w

Matthew 26 & Matthew 27 tell the story of Peter’s denial and Judas’ end. If there is time today, we reflect on these verses using the scripture links.

For more reflections on betrayal, enter the word into the blog search bar and explore.

Images from: http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2015/03/damned-lies-on-destiny-of-judas-iscariot.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial_of_Peter
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April 4, 2023

Judas, Matt Maher, Matthew 26 & 27, Peter, Satan
John 12:1-11: Anointing in Bethany
John 12:1-11: Anointing in Bethany

Holy Monday, April 3, 2023

Perhaps it was in deep gratitude that Mary, Lazarus’ sister, uses a jar of expensive aromatic oil to anoint and massage Jesus’ feet when he visits his friends’ home in Bethany. These are the same feet that will be pierced in a short time giving us a sign of Jesus’ deep sacrificial love for each of us. Other omens of the drama to come unfold in these verses: Judas’ betrayal and the plot to do away with Lazarus. As we read and reflect on these verses today, let us consider how Jesus’ great love is met with great betrayal. On this Holy Monday, let us resolve to bring healing and peace to the world – even in the face of great deceit or duplicity – so that in our small way we might perform our own anointing of Jesus’ feet.

Matthew tells the story of Jesus’ anointing in Bethany in the house of Simon, a man who suffers from leprosy. (Matthew 26:6-13) For another Noontime reflection, enter the words The Anointing in the blog search bar.

Today we might also consider the Passover anointing of the faithful before their exodus from Egypt and how it foreshadows Jesus’ anointing in Bethany. For a video message from musician Matt Maher that reflects on the Exodus Passover and the Last Supper, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN9hroFevrM

Image from: http://www.bible-reflections.net/articles/mary-shows-us-the-better-way/3194/
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April 3, 2023

betrayal, Judas Iscariot, Lazarus and Mary, Matt Maher, Matthew 26:6-13, Palm Sunday, Passover