Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide: Monday of the Second Week of Easter

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series 

He Is Risen As He Said

Monday of the Second Week of Easter — Born from Above

Communion Antiphon
“Jesus stood in the midst of his disciples and said to them: Peace be with you, alleluia.” (cf. John 20:19)

 

 1. Thinking about the Words

“Jesus stood in the midst…”

Not at a distance. Not calling from afar.

In the midst

Right into:

• confusion
• fear
• uncertainty

 

Again we hear:

 “Peace be with you.”

This is not the first time.
And it won’t be the last.

Because peace is not given once.

 It is spoken again and again Until it begins to settle

 

 2. The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of John 3:1–8) brings us to Nicodemus.

He comes:

• at night
• searching
• trying to understand

And Jesus says something unexpected:

“You must be born from above.”

 

Nicodemus struggles.

He tries to:

• reason it out
• make sense of it
• fit it into what he already knows

 

Jesus is speaking of something deeper:

 not improvement nor adjustment but new life

 

3. Holding the Antiphon and Gospel together

This is very beautiful today.

• The Gospel speaks of being born from above
• The antiphon shows Jesus standing in the midst

 

This new life is not abstract.

It happens: because He comes into our midst and breathes His life into us

 

The disciples receive peace. Nicodemus is invited into new birth.

Both are encounters that change everything

 

 4. For Us — Where is Resurrection today?

Nicodemus asks:

“How can this be?”

And perhaps we do too.

 

When things are:

• unclear
• overwhelming
• hard to grasp

We try to:

• think our way through
• solve
• understand

 

Today gently invites:  not to figure everything out  but to receive new life

 

Where might I be invited today:

• to let go of needing to understand everything
• to allow God to do something new in me
• to receive peace again, even if I’ve heard it before

 

 A quiet question

Am I trying to manage my life…
or am I allowing God to bring forth something new within me?

 

 5. Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You come into the midst of my life
and speak peace.

When I struggle to understand,
teach me to receive.

Breathe Your new life into me,
that I may be born from above
and live from Your Spirit.

Alleluia.

 

Personal Note: Sorry this post is late.  I have been unwell.

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Eastertide: Saturday of the Easter Octave

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

He is Risen As He Said

 Easter Saturday — Clothed in Christ

Communion Antiphon
“All you who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ, alleluia.” (Galatians 3:27)

 

 1. Thinking about the Words

“Put on Christ.”

This is such a striking image.

Not:

• learned Christ
• followed Christ
• admired Christ

But:

 put on Christ

 

Like a garment.
Something that:

• covers
• surrounds
• becomes what is seen

 

And notice:

 All you who have been baptized…

This is not something we achieve.

It has already been given.

So the question is not:

 Do I have Christ?

But:  Am I living as one clothed in Him?

 

 What does this mean?

To “put on Christ” is to:

• carry His presence
• reflect His way of being
• allow His life to shape ours

 

 We do not have to do this perfectly or not all at once. But truly.

 

 2. The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of Mark 16:9–15) brings us to a moment of transition.

Jesus has appeared:

• to Mary Magdalene
• to others

Yet still:

 some do not believe

 

And even in that… He sends them:

Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel.”

 

Now hold the antiphon and the Gospel together:

• The antiphon says: you have put on Christ
• The Gospel shows: disciples being sent to live and proclaim that reality

 

They are not sent because they are ready.

They are sent because:

 they now belong to Him and they carry Him

 

 3. For Us — Where is Resurrection today?

If I have:

• been baptized
• been drawn into Christ
• been given His life

Then today:

 I am already “clothed” in Him.  It is not something to earn but something from which to live.

 

What might that look like today?

• in how I speak
• in how I respond
• in how I carry myself

 

Very simply:

 Do others glimpse something of Christ in me?  Not by effort alone but  by allowing what has already been given to quietly show.

 

 A gentle question

Am I living as though I still need to become someone else…
Am I livings as someone who has already been clothed in Christ?

 

 4. Prayer

Am I Lord Jesus,
You have clothed me in Yourself.

Help me to live today
not from who I think I must become,
but from who I already am in You.

Let Your presence be seen in me,
not through striving,
but through quiet faithfulness.

Send me into this day
as one who carries You.

Alleluia.

 

Personal Note: Sorry that I have posted this late,. I have been unwell.

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Friday of the Easter Octave

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

He Is Risen As He Said

Easter Friday — Come and Have Breakfast

Communion Antiphon
“Jesus said to his disciples: Come and eat. And he took bread and gave it to them, alleluia.” (cf. John 21:12–13)

 

 1. Thinking about the Words

“Come and eat.”

So simple. So ordinary.

Not:

• a command
• not a teaching
• not even an explanation

Just an invitation.

And then:

 He took bread
He gave it to them

 

There is something deeply familiar here.

This echoes:

• the feeding of the crowds
• the Last Supper
• and now… the Resurrection

 

The Risen Jesus does not begin with:

• correction
• or mission
• or instruction

He begins with:

 nourishment
 presence
 care

 

 2. The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of John 21:1–14) brings us to the shore.

The disciples have gone back to fishing.

• familiar
• ordinary
• perhaps a little uncertain

They catch nothing.

 

Then:

Jesus is a voice from the shore. They follow His instruction to cast the net again
this then gives them an abundance. Slowly:recognition begins

 

But notice…

Before anything else happens:

Jesus prepares a meal

 

Now hold the antiphon and the Gospel together:

• The Gospel shows: Jesus waiting, cooking, providing
• The antiphon gives us the heart of it:
  “Come and eat.”

 

This is not rushed.

It is:

• quiet
• relational
• deeply human

 

3. For Us — Where is Resurrection today?

How often do I think:

• I need to do more
• fix something
• understand something
• prove something

 

And yet today:

Jesus says: “Come and eat.”

 

Not:

• Come and explain yourself
• Come and prove your faith

Just: Come

 

Where might I be invited today to:

• receive instead of striving
• pause instead of pushing
• allow myself to be nourished

 

And especially:

When I receive Communion, do I come as one who is hungry
and willing to receive?

 

 4. Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You stand on the shore of my life
and invite me to come.

When I am tired, uncertain, or searching,
teach me to receive what You offer.

Help me to recognise Your presence
in the simple, ordinary moments of this day.

Nourish me with Your life,
that I may live from You
and not from my own striving.

Alleluia.

 

Personal note: I am sorry this post is late.  I have been unwell. 

Come Holy Spirit Series: The Spirit who reminds

 Come Holy Spirit Series

Come Holy Spirit: the Spirt who reminds us.

 

Come Holy Spirit — The Spirit Who Reminds

Continuing the Journey

As we continue our journey through Eastertide, we move more deeply into what it means to live with the Holy Spirit — not as something distant, but as Someone active and present within us.

Last week, we reflected on the Spirit of Revelation — the One who opens our eyes.

This week, we encounter another gentle but powerful action of the Holy Spirit:

 

 The Spirit Who Reminds

 

Scriptural Foundation

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
— John 14:26

 

What Does It Mean That the Spirit Reminds?

At first glance, this might seem simple — almost too simple.

Reminding sounds like:

• memory
• recall
• something small

But in the life of the Spirit, this is profound.

The Holy Spirit does not remind us of random things.

He reminds us of:
Jesus
His words
 His truth
 Who we are in Him

This is not just memory.

This is: living truth returning to the heart

 

 The Disciples Needed Reminding

After the Resurrection, the disciples did not immediately understand everything.

Even though they had:

• heard Jesus teach
• walked with Him
• witnessed miracles

They still:

• misunderstood
• forgot
• became afraid

It was the Holy Spirit who: brought everything back together

“Then they remembered His words…” (Luke 24:8)

This is the work of the Spirit:
Not new information —
but truth made alive again

 

 How the Spirit Reminds Us Today

The Spirit Who Reminds is at work when:

• A Scripture suddenly comes to mind at exactly the right moment
• You remember something you know is right, just when you’re about to go the wrong way
• A truth you learned years ago suddenly becomes real
• In a moment of fear, you remember: “Do not be afraid”
• In discouragement, you remember: “I am with you”

This is not coincidence.

This is:
 the Holy Spirit actively guiding from within

 

 A Personal Reflection

How often do we think:

“I should know better…”
“Why did I forget that?”

But the spiritual life is not about perfect memory.

It is about:
 allowing the Spirit to remind us

Again and again.

The Spirit is incredibly patient.

He doesn’t say:
“You should have remembered.”

He gently says:
 “Let me remind you…”

And in that moment:

• peace returns
• clarity returns
• direction returns

 

 Living With the Spirit Who Reminds

This week, the invitation is simple:

 Pay attention

Notice:

• what comes back to you in prayer
• what Scripture rises in your heart
• what quiet prompting redirects you

Instead of rushing past it, pause and ask:

 “Holy Spirit, what are You reminding me of right now?”

This is how relationship grows.

 

 For Reflection This Week

• What truth do I need the Holy Spirit to remind me of right now?
• When have I experienced a “timely reminder” that felt like grace?
• Am I making space to notice the Spirit’s gentle voice?

 

Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit,
You who gently remind.

When I forget what is true,
bring it back to my heart.

When I lose my way,
remind me of Your voice.

When I become discouraged,
remind me of Your promises.

When I forget who I am,
remind me that I am Yours.

Teach me to listen
when You speak quietly within me.

Come, Holy Spirit —
remind me of Jesus.
Amen.

Collect Series: Second Sunday of Easter Year A

 Collect Series

The Mass: Collect Series

COLLECT SERIES

 

COLLECT

 

The Collect for the Second Sunday of Eastertide reads as follows:

 

God of everlasting mercy, who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast

 kindle the faith of the people you have made your own,

Increase, we pray, the grace You have bestowed,

that all my grasp and right understand in what font they have been washed,

by whose Spirit they have bee reborn,

by whose Blood they have been redeemed. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

 

1.    What does God’s mercy mean to me?

2.    How will I celebrate Mercy Sunday?

3.    In what areas of my faith does my faith need kindling?

4.    What does it mean to me be to be reborn in the Spirit?

5.    What difference will it make to my life this coming week to have been redeemed by Jesus?

“Peace be with you… Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Gospel opens in a locked room.

The disciples are not gathered in triumph, but in fear.
The doors are shut. Their hearts are shut. Their hopes feel shattered.

And into that space—without force, without accusation—Jesus comes.

“Peace be with you.”

Not once, but three times.  This is not just a greeting. It is the first act of mercy.

Jesus does not say: “Where were you?” “Why did you abandon me?”

Instead, He gives them exactly what they do not deserve and deeply need:
peace, presence, and restoration.

 

 The Wounds That Speak Mercy

Jesus shows them His hands and His side.

These wounds are not hidden.
They are not erased by the Resurrection.

They remain—transformed, not as signs of defeat, but as signs of love that endured.

This is the heart of Divine Mercy Sunday.

In the revelations to Saint Faustina Kowalska, Jesus asks that we contemplate the rays flowing from His heart:

• Red – the blood (life poured out)
• Pale – the water (mercy washing and healing)

The same reality is present in this Gospel:
The open side of Christ becomes the source of mercy for the world.

 

Thomas: The Honest Disciple

Then comes Thomas.

He is often remembered for his doubt—but perhaps he is simply the most honest.

He does not settle for second-hand faith. He wants encounter.  “Unless I see… unless I touch…”

And what does Jesus do? He returns.  He comes again—for one person.

This is Divine Mercy in action:

• Patient
• Personal
• Persistent

Jesus meets Thomas exactly where he is, not where he “should” be.

 “My Lord and My God”

When Thomas encounters Jesus, everything changes.

Notice: he never actually touches the wounds.

The invitation alone is enough.

What he receives is not proof—it is mercy.

And his response is the most profound profession of faith in the Gospel:

“My Lord and my God.”

 

 Divine Mercy Sunday – The Heart of the Gospel

This Sunday is not an “extra theme.” It is the unfolding of the Resurrection itself.

Mercy is not something Jesus does after rising—
Mercy is what the Resurrection reveals.

• The locked doors → opened by mercy
• The fearful disciples → restored by mercy
• The doubting Thomas → embraced by mercy

And now…

You.

 Personal Reflection

Where are the “locked doors” in your life right now?

• A fear you haven’t voiced
• A disappointment that still lingers
• A place where your faith feels uncertain

Jesus does not wait for you to fix it.

He comes into it.

And He speaks the same words:

“Peace be with you.”

 

A Prayer for Mercy Sunday

Jesus,
You come into the closed rooms of my life
without judgment, without hesitation.

Show me Your wounds—
not to shame me,
but to remind me how deeply I am loved.

In my doubts, be patient with me.
In my fears, speak Your peace.
In my weakness, pour out Your mercy.

Like Thomas,
may I come to know You not just in my mind,
but in a living encounter—

and say with my whole heart:
My Lord and my God. Amen.

Praying the Communion antiphon series Eastertide: Thursday of the Easter Octave (Easter Thursday)

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Eastertide

He is Risen as He Said

 Easter Thursday — A Chosen People

Communion Antiphon

“O chosen people, proclaim the mighty works of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light, alleluia.” (cf. 1 Peter 2:9)

 

1. Thinking about the Words

“Chosen… called… proclaim…”

These are not passive words.

They speak of:

• identity
• movement
• mission

 

 Chosen people

Not because of achievement or not because of worthiness but because God has drawn us to Himself.

 

Called out of darkness

This is very real. Darkness is not abstract: It is

• confusion
• fear
• sin
• heaviness

We know it.

And yet:

we are called out not left there

 

Into his wonderful light

Not just light— but wonderful light

There is joy here. Beauty. Clarity. Life.

 Proclaim

Not keep it. Not hold it quietly. But share it.

 

2. The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of Luke 24:35–48) continues the moment of encounter.

The disciples:

• have seen
• have heard
• have touched

And now Jesus opens their minds to understand.

 

And then: He sends them

 

Now hold the antiphon and the Gospel together:

• The antiphon says: “proclaim the mighty works”
• The Gospel shows: disciples being prepared to be sent

 

They are no longer:

• just witnesses
• just receivers

They are becoming proclaimers

 

 3. For Us — Where is Resurrection today?

If I have been:

• called
• brought out of darkness
• drawn into light

Then this is not only for me.

 

Where might I be invited today to:

• speak a word of hope
• share something of faith
• live in a way that reflects light

 

Not loudly or not forcefully. Rather simply  as someone who has been called

 

A quiet question

Do I live as though I am still in darkness…
Do I live as someone who has already been brought into light?

 

Why do the disciples not recognise Him?

After the Resurrection, Jesus is:

• the same
• and yet not the same

He is not a ghost. He is not a different person. He is transformed.

We see this across the Gospels:

• Mary Magdalene thinks He is the gardener
• the disciples on the road do not recognise Him
• even in the upper room, they are startled

So yes—His appearance is not immediately recognisable in the ordinary way.

 

2. But the deeper reason is within them

This is the more important layer. Their minds and hearts are still shaped by:

• grief
• shock
• trauma
• expectation of death

They have seen:

• crucifixion
• loss
• the end of everything they hoped for

 

So even when Jesus stands before them: they are not yet able to receive what they are seeing

 

 3. Their expectation is “stuck”:

“their brain had got stuck… in a loop”  They are still living inside the belief:

 “Jesus is dead” So everything they see is filtered through that.  Even truth… gets misinterpreted.

 

 4. Recognition comes as a gift, not a deduction

This is very important. They do not “figure it out.”

Instead:

• Mary hears her name
• the disciples recognise Him in the breaking of the bread
• Jesus opens their minds

 Recognition is given, not achieved

 

 5. When there is too much to process

When something is overwhelming:

• the mind protects itself
• it slows things down
• it cannot absorb everything at once

So, the Resurrection is not: instantly understood. It is: gradually received

 

So what is “stopping” them?

Not just one thing:

• a transformed presence
• grief and trauma
• fixed expectations
• emotional overwhelm

And yet…

Nothing is actually blocking Jesus.  He keeps:

• coming
• speaking
• showing
• giving

 

And this is where it becomes very personal

Because we do the same.

Sometimes:

• we don’t recognise grace
• we don’t recognise His presence
• we don’t recognise what is new

Not because He is not there. But because we are still holding onto what we expected.

 

You might carry this today:

“Lord… help my heart catch up with what You are doing.”

 

 Final thought

The disciples are not failing.  They are: being led, step by step, into something too big for them

And Jesus is incredibly patient with that.

 

And so with us.  He does not rush us or put pressure on us to “get it.”

 He invites us to just:  walk, listen, receive. Until… recognition comes.

The Church gives us 50 days to celebrate this Resurrection.

 4. Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You have called me out of darkness
into Your wonderful light.

Help me to live as one who is chosen,
not in pride,
but in gratitude.

Give me the courage to proclaim,
not with many words,
but through the way I live this day.

Let Your light be seen in me.

Alleluia.

 

He is Risen As He Said.