by Faith Central & Steve Welsh
“Jesus said to His Disciples:
‘I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vine Grower.
He takes away every branch in Me that does not Bear Fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it Bears more Fruit.
You are already pruned because of the Word that I spoke to you. …”
“… So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then #Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, He said to His Disciples,
‘Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.’
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign He had done, they said,
‘This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.’
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
“… The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to Him.
Whoever believes in the Son has Eternal Life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the Wrath of God remains upon him.”
“… Some people want Jesus without the Church. No can do. Jesus is found in His Church, among those who have gathered. There is surely joy to be found in a personal relationship with Jesus, but the Lord also announced a special presence whenever two or three are gathered in His name. It is essential for us to discover how Mass attendance is essential for us if we want to experience the healing and blessing of the Lord. This Gospel has a lot to say to us about the need for us to gather together to find the Lord’s blessing in the community of the Church, in His Word, and in the Sacraments. Let’s look at today’s Gospel in five stages. …”
“… Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’
When He had said this, He showed them His Hands and His Side.
The Disciples rejoiced …
… He breathed on them and said to them,
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.’
… a week later … Thomas was with them.
… Jesus said to him, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen Me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’ …”
“… [Jesus] stood in their midst and said to them,
‘Peace be with you.’
… Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have.’
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet. …
‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about Me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.’ …”
“Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.’ …”
“On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb. …
… Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. …”
“After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
… the angel said to the women …
‘Do not be afraid!
I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.
He is not here, for He has been Raised just as He said.
… go quickly and tell His Disciples,
“He has been raised from the dead,
and He is going before you to Galilee …’ …”
“… Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your mat, and walk.’ Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. …”