The Shepherd and the Sheep

04-30-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Jesus uses a very common scene of his time to explain his relationship with the disciples. It highlights some important topics of Christian discipleship. The disciples let Jesus guide them, with docility, for He alone knows how to lead them where there is life, life eternal. Having Jesus ahead of them, they will walk safely, not worrying about losing the way toward the goal.

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Recognizing the Risen Lord

04-23-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace!

The journey of the disciples to Emmaus concludes with a meal shared with a stranger, at first, then no more a stranger but to their surprise, with the Risen Lord. Hospitality is common among Jews, however here it's also a sign of the interior transformation the disciples experienced and lived.

The stranger walking with them reminds them of all the prophecies about the Messiah. It seems that he was doing a liturgy of the Word or a Lectio Divina to help them to understand the Scriptures and how they have been fulfilled in the past few days. Then, his actions during the meal are very similar with Jesus' action at the last supper. This repetition was sufficient for their eyes to be open and for them to recognize the Risen Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

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My Lord and My God – Jesus, I Trust in You

04-16-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples

Thomas can perfectly represent many of us, disciples who impose conditions to their faith. He demands physical contact with the Risen Lord to verify His wounds and believe. The wounds which he had no courage to share or to witness a couple of days prior.

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He is Risen! Alleluia!

04-09-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

The disciples understood the resurrection of Jesus gradually. Peter saw that the tomb was empty and acknowledged the fact. The disciple whom Jesus loved, on the other hand, saw and believed. He is really risen as He promised.

The faith of the beloved disciple contrasts with the faith of Peter. A paradigm for Christian discipleship. While one is sensible to the signs of the Father’s love working in the Son, the other limits himself to the superficiality of the facts.

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Disciples of the Crucified

04-02-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace

In front of Jesus Crucified all idealizations and empty optimisms fall, when they are founded in the erroneous idea of an easy discipleship. A discipleship of glory and recognition. Only those who are capable of recognizing Jesus nailed to the Cross will be able to move forward. Jesus, the messiah of God, bearer of salvation for humanity. Those able to confess Him as the Blessed One, Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. This is the first step to christian and intentional discipleship.

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Lord of Life

03-26-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear fellow Disciples, peace.

The narrative of Lazarus' resurrection calls attention to the motive of Jesus' violent death. The fact that many Jews started to believe in Him put in motion the wrath of the religious leaders. His great gesture seemed to put at risk the faith of the people. Jesus was placing Himself at the same level of Yahweh, God of life and death. Resurrecting Lazarus, He performed something which was due only to God. From there comes their decision to put Him to death.

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The True Vision

03-19-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

The episode of today's Gospel involves, on one side the man born blind and on another, the group of religious leaders, evoking the theme of spiritual vision and spiritual blindness. The man born blind professes his faith in Jesus after hearing the declaration "You are seeing him, the one who speaks to you". This is the process of discipleship. It starts with spiritual blindness and culminates with a profession of faith.

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A Transforming Encounter

03-12-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman changed her life forever. Her prejudice showed by her attitude for being asked to give a drink by a foreigner, a Jew, was changed into an open disposition to dialogue.

The misconception about the place of worship gives place to the correct comprehension of God, who is not limited by time and space. She start this episode as a housekeeper now she is leaving it as a bearer of good news, a messenger of the Messiah.

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It is good for us to be here!

03-05-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples

The three disciples had the experience of seeing God’s beauty in Jesus’ transfiguration. At the same time Jesus manifests the splendor of his humanity, clean from any stain as the Father had planned it for all of us, since creation.

Peter wants to perpetuate this experience that’s why he proposed the building of the three tents. He didn’t even worry about himself and his companions. However that wasn’t Jesus’, God’s plan. They must go down the mountain and continue their journey and discipleship.

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If you are the Son of God

02-26-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Jesus' ministry was marked by temptations...there were many invitations for Him to move away from the Father's way and plan. His affiliation with the Father was always put to trial and questioned.

The insertion of the "three temptations" at the beginning of His ministry indicate a constant in His life, that is, that he would be tempted to the end of His earthly journey. However the narration of today's Gospel has another important element. Jesus will be faithful to the Father until the end and will not give in to the temptation to deviate from the Father's will.

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To overcome enmity

02-19-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear fellow disciples,

Jesus’ fundamental mission was to reconcile everything in His Person (cf. Col 1:20). Reconcile men with each other, and with the Father.

The tendency to live distanced from each other in hate and enmity is present among us since the beginning of humanity. The capacity of unity is not written in human nature. It must be learned through difficult, continuous, daily exercise. When you least pay attention, violence overcomes the human heart and vengeance inspires the cruelest acts in humanity.

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A Different Master

02-12-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Jesus is not attached to the letter of the Law but rather in the spirit of the Law. What is really important for Him is what is behind our observance of the Law. What correspond to the will of the Father for each one of us. That’s why He dared to reinterpret it according to the hidden desire of God and His though behind each commandment.

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The disciple in the world

02-05-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Nunes

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Jesus did not intend to found a community, a church which was closed to itself like a sect, out of touch with the world. On the contrary he founded a group, the Church, to be salt and light in the world, in continued contact and dialogue with the world. In this way the metaphors of salt and light in the Gospel today indicates the activity of the disciples, who though few and hidden like the salt make a great difference in the food (in the world). On the other hand the absence of salt in the food in compared to the incapacity and omission of the disciples in bear witness in the world.

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