"God is love," we read in 1 John 4:8 and 16. And God is Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate our loving and Trinitarian God, and give thanks for his gracious love and care for us.

I always wanted to be an altar boy. Even before I started school, I remember pretending that I was serving Mass at home while wearing a cassock and surplice my aunt had sewn for me. When I would go to church, I was fascinated watching those boys who could actually serve Mass for real. I became an altar boy "for real" when I was eight years old, in third grade, and continued serving in elementary school and throughout my years in the seminary, run by Benedictines - the religious order acknowledged to be leaders in the liturgy. I was even appointed Master of Ceremonies, which meant I had responsibility for assigning and training servers for all liturgical ceremonies.

Most Catholics would probably identify Christmas and Easter as great feasts of the Church. Perhaps not as many would think of Pentecost in that way. But indeed it is! Pentecost is called the “birthday of the Church.”

Thursday or Sunday? Some years ago, I was visiting Vatican City and was present for Ascension Thursday Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica. The following Sunday, however, I attended Mass elsewhere in Rome and the Ascension was celebrated there! The fact is, in many places, even in the Diocese of Rome, the Ascension is now transferred to the Sunday before Pentecost. The mystery, of course, remains the same: After his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

"The entire mission of the Messiah can be summarized in this: to baptize us in the Holy Spirit" (Pope Benedict XVI). Today's readings are a preparation to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The first reading describes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Samaria. The second reading proclaims Jesus, crucified and risen to a new life in the Spirit. In the gospel, Jesus speaks about the coming of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit.

In our first reading today, seven deacons are appointed to help build the House of God - the Church. The second reading  speaks about our being built up into "a spiritual house." In the gospel, Jesus refers to many dwelling places in the Father's house. We see that God is definitely in the house-construction business!

May...month of Mother's Day and of Mary. With that in mind, I would like to share a story that was told to me some years ago. It concerns a non-denominational minister whom I'll call Carl. He pastored a large congregation, which was constantly growing and expanding with multiple ministries and outreaches. It was very successful, both pastorally and financially. Everything seemed to be going well for Pastor Carl, except for one problem - he ran into a brick wall in his prayer life.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is called Good Shepherd Sunday because the gospel is taken from John 10, the "Good Shepherd" chapter. Jesus is the "shepherd and guardian of your souls," as the second reading says. The Good Shepherd is always out looking for lost sheep and those who have strayed. The call of the liturgy today to them and to all of us is, "return to the Shepherd."

Where can we find "the path of life?" People all over the world are searching and want to know. "Lord, you will show us the path of life," says Psalm 16, our Responsorial today. This psalm is an unabashed act of faith in the Lord and a prophecy of the Messiah's resurrection.

I have heard it said that the most difficult article of faith to accept is that God loves each of us personally with an infinite love and extends his gracious mercy to us even after all our sins, infidelities, and betrayals. Today's liturgy, one week after Easter, emphasizes the great truth of Divine Mercy and the need to exercise our faith and trust in the salvation purchased by the Precious Blood of Jesus.

In many ways, that is exactly the key question about Jesus. I heard a story about a theology professor at a Catholic college, who would ask his freshman students to list the ten living persons they most admired. The name of Jesus Christ never appeared on anyone's list! When the professor remarked about this, the students' responses were always the same - not one student in his Catholic theology class thought of Jesus as being a living person!

Palm Sunday ushers in Holy Week - a time of unique solemnity in the Church year. I remember that even as a young child, I knew there was something special and unusual about Palm Sunday - not the least of which was the very long reading of the Passion! We begin this week with acclamation and glory, betrayal and arrest, suffering and death - only to end it in victory and glory again one week later on Easter.

Last month we reviewed St. Ignatius Loyola's 14 Rules for Discernment of Spirits for Week One of The Spiritual Exercises. This month we consider the 8 Rules for Week Two. Once again, I have attempted to be faithful to St. Ignatius' thought and intent while putting these Rules in understandable language and concepts. And also, once again this month, I respectfully dedicate this to the Memory of Fr. Harold Cohen, SJ, who taught me and directed me in the Rules for Discernment of Spirits.

The past two Sundays we have seen the themes of water and light. Today is that of life, specifically new life. The prophet Ezekiel refers to restoration and life. In the gospel, Jesus proclaims resurrection and life. The role of the Spirit to bring new life is brought out, especially in the second reading. It calls to mind the saying of Jesus, "It is the Spirit who gives life" (John 6:63).

Just as water was the theme that flowed through the readings last Sunday, so today, the theme of light shines forth in the liturgy. St. Paul tells us that we are "light in the Lord" and Jesus proclaims that he is the "light of the world" as he heals the man who was born blind.

In high school - a very long time ago - we studied a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge called "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," with these lines: "Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink." I was reminded of that by today's readings which speak a great deal about water.  We thirst for natural water but even more so for the water of eternal life that Jesus alone can give us.

The Second Sunday of Lent is always "Transfiguration Sunday." The gospel depicts the Lord Jesus giving his three apostles a "taste of glory" to prepare them for what is to come. The first readings on Sundays during Lent this year take us through salvation history in the Old Testament. Today we hear how God calls Abram to leave his ancestral land - Ur of the Chaldees - to go to the land of Canaan.

Are you serious about wanting to follow the Lord and receive His direction? If so, you would probably agree that it's not always easy to hear the Lord or to figure out exactly what to do in the concrete circumstances of life. If there is an acknowledged expert in this whole area of discernment, it would have to be St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, whose masterpiece, The Spiritual Exercises, contains specific Rules for Discernment of Spirits.

Problems...we've got them! Personal, social, financial, political, etc., etc. - all kinds of problems surround us. How did we get into such a mess anyway? Today, on the First Sunday of Lent, we hear about the cause of all our problems - the root problem called the original sin. But we also hear about the solution, found in the gospel - about the one who resists the devil and overcomes sin.

God's word for us today is clear, direct, and challenging...to be holy, as the Lord God is holy. This particular passage occurs several times in the Old Testament and is repeated in the New Testament (cf. 1 Peter 1:15-16).