2nd Sunday and Octave of Easter…our only remaining week long celebration feast of the church year.

This octave, the 2^nd week of Easter is about two themes: Thomas (us) doubting and Jesus commissioning the apostles/disciples “as the father has sent me so I also send you” to go forth and proclaim and to witness to the Risen Christ.  Be at peace for you have received the Holy Spirit.  With courage and Spirit they are commissioned to go forth with their hearts burning within them.  Oh that we should be so fired up each Easter season; oh that our hearts would burn within us so that we, too, might go forth with Spirit and courage to proclaim the Good News of the Risen Christ.  To proclaim Hope in our modern chaos and turmoil and culture of violence.

For me, this is what this week of Easter time is calling me/us to: with courage and filled with the Holy Spirit, to go forth and bring the Good News of Hope to ourselves, our families, our friends, our churches and our world.   BE AT PEACE AND HAVE COURAGE!

The 1st reading for this Sunday is what our Monastic way of life is all about: they devoted they had every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area (monastic oratory) for prayer and the breaking of bread in their homes (monastery).   So, this week, we are invited to receive the Holy Spirit and to be at Peace.  Then we are to have courage and in our daily monastic living; we are commissioned to go forth and bring the good news of the Resurrection–HOPE to a world devoid of hope.

Will each of us accept our call and our invitation to witness to Jesus who became the Christ in Resurrection and who is the gift of HOPE to us and to our world?

Marilyn Carpenter, OSB