Today’s gospel reminds us that we are not alone in our efforts to re-create the world. Christ has sent us a Helper, the Holy Spirit. In truth He will lead us into a deeper union with the Father and Jesus Christ. This eternal union will enable us to look with hope to the possibilities of the future.

Through Him and with Him and in Him all things are possible.

In today’s world, we need to listen to Christ’s words of truth. There are too many people who speak untruths in order to become famous or rich. Jesus speaks to us about life and how to live forever for God’s sake and not for anyone else. Jesus opens pathways for us which lead to truth and goodness and life everlasting.

How can we distinguish Jesus’ voice from other voices which try to steal our hearts? First, we need to know that Jesus does not glorify Himself. He speaks in the name of His Father. Secondly, Jesus is not looking to become popular. He is already one in love with the Father and the Spirit. Thirdly, Jesus words are challenging and comforting. Jesus will console us and then challenge us to live out our vocation as sons and daughters of God.

Certainly, life is not simple. It is not always easy to know what the right thing to do is. Speaking to and listening to Jesus will help us make decisions that keep us true to ourselves and to God.

Springtime gives us the opportunity and the motivation to believe in and hope for a conversion of society. No matter what has been, we are God’s people who walk with Him. He continues to create and fulfill our eternal desires and possibilities. With God, we are much more than we could ever dream.

Jesus Christ is at one and the same time the beginning and the end of Creation. Through Him, the world was made; in Him it has reached perfection. All of humanity has been transformed by the life of one man, Jesus.

In Christ, we are washed in the living waters of new life. The Son of God brightens our vision of the goodness in our lives and the lives of people around the world. Through Jesus, we experience ourselves as God intends us to be. By breaking bread with us, Christ allows us to become one with Him. Through the mystery of Our Savior’s death and resurrection, we grow in holiness. We become what we are.

The seasons of our lives challenge, renew and refresh us. We exist in a world created by our Heavenly Father. His truth, beauty and goodness are ever-present. The darkness of evil can never overcome the brilliance of God’s glory.

Springtime gives us the opportunity and the motivation to believe in and hope for a conversion of society. No matter what has been, we are God’s people who walk with Him. He continues to create and fulfill our eternal desires and possibilities. With God, we are much more than we could ever dream.

Faith in the resurrection of Jesus is not based on stubbornness or hardness of heart. Our faith is a life-giving conversion of heart. It is the result of experiencing the living God in our lives and the lives of others.

Christ encourages Thomas and all of us to believe in Him so that we can experience the Peace which only God can give. If we become less afraid of being faithful followers of Jesus Christ, then we will experience the Peace and Life given to us by the Risen Lord.

Mary Magdalene and the other women who went to Christ’s tomb to anoint His body were the first to encounter the Risen One. Christ then appeared to Peter and to the other Apostles. St. Paul tells us that Christ appeared to more than five hundred people.

These testimonies are given because the Resurrection radically changed those who encountered Christ after His death. Immediately after His death, the Apostles were frightened that they too would be killed. They were not going to speak publicly about Christ unless something happened to give them renewed courage and faith.

The Resurrection is a mystery of our faith and yet it is a historical event. The followers of Christ had been demoralized by His death. They feared for their lives. What changed them into fearless preachers about new life in Christ? They personally experienced the reality of the Risen Jesus. Blessed are we who have not seen Him and yet believe.

Holy Week is the high point of our journey in Faith, Hope and Love. On Palm Sunday we are the crowd who welcomes Jesus as Our Savior. Holy Thursday increases our Faith in the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the Priesthood. Good Friday places us in a position to witness the suffering and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a day when Hope seems gone but Love calls us to a deeper union with Jesus. Holy Saturday revives our Hope in God as we wait for the fulfillment of His promises. Holy Saturday night and Easter Sunday morning assure us that the Light of Christ is still burning in our hearts.

This journey into the depths of death and the renewal of life is a sacred journey. We die and rise with Christ. Our sufferings are His. His victory is ours. He conquers sin and death. We renounce Satan and are bathed in the glory of God. Our God is Holy and He makes us holy through our union with Him.

God is calling us to be closer to Him. He is asking us to be like Him. All we need to do is to accept this invitation. All we need to do is to give ourselves to Him who loves us to death and beyond.

Belief in Jesus is a fundamental choice that we make. We are able to make this choice because God has blessed us with the grace to believe. All people are given the ability to trust that Jesus is the Savior of the world. This belief is not the result of our weighing our options. Our minds can lead us to a certain point: it is reasonable to trust that Jesus is Lord.

To reach our deepest certainty and intimacy with God, we need God’s help. His grace builds on our reason. When all is said and done we believe because Jesus Christ fills our hearts and minds with an understanding that surpasses human wisdom. He is Life itself!

The Pharisees in today’s gospel could not see God working in the life of the man born blind. They thought they understood goodness and evil but their pride had blinded them to God doing something good when He is not expected to do so. You and I can be tempted to overlook the wonders of God among us in the same way.

Pride is a dangerous vice. We need to be aware of our tendency to think that reality exists only in our viewpoint. To protect ourselves against pride we need to ask if God is trying to show us a different way of "seeing" reality. Is God speaking to us through the goodness of others? Are we too arrogant to listen for God’s opinion?

During the season of Lent let us continue to pray for each other. Each of us needs to see what God wants us to see. Each of us needs to pray and listen for the voice of God in the ordinary moments of each day. If we keep our eyes open we will see the wonders of God.

The woman at the well represents all who are waiting for the Messiah. She and Christ dialogue about water and mountains but they are really talking to each other about eternal life and how to attain that eternal union with God. All humanity longs for a never-ending and satisfying relationship. Only God can provide this for us.

As human beings and as Catholics we need to nurture, and to be nurtured by, the ever-refreshing love of God. Without this faithful and intimate relationship, we will seek less than perfect substitutes for God. When we give honor and glory to God and when we place Him in first place, then our other relationships will thrive. Through the Spirit of Love and the Word of Truth, our hearts will be filled and ready to share with others.

At times it is the misunderstanding of others which can help us to be transfigured into the men and women God has called us to be. Christ was no stranger to insults nor did He let ignorance stop Him from helping others.

In today’s gospel Christ teaches us that following God may lead to misunderstanding from other people. Although we would like to be understood, it is best to seek approval from God. It may be unpleasant to be disfigured by others. It is a blessing to be transfigured by the Lord.

We might know the difference but we may not like the difference and so we become a little arrogant and we set ourselves up for a fall. Jesus in today’s Gospel encourages us to see our pride for what it is: a falsehood that inflates our ego at the expense of our conscience.

Another form of temptation that has been popular is what is called presumption. The devil tries to get Jesus to presume that His Father will take care of everything. Christ, of course, knows that we should not put God to the test.

God has given us an intellect and will to handle most of our daily situations. To recklessly presume that we need to do nothing is to test God’s goodness. In short, we are being unfaithful to God and the gifts which He has given us.

No matter what temptations we face in our spiritual lives, it is good for us to remember that Christ understands and will aid us in dealing with all attractions that would lead us to sin. Christ died to save us from our sins. He stands ready to protect us from all evil.

As followers of Christ and citizens of the world, we at times find ourselves in conflict. We try to build a world of justice through humble and peaceful means. At the same time, we hear that violence will bring justice. We do, however, see that the wrong use of justice can create victims of us all.

Christ reminds us that the humble will inherit the earth. Those who are crying now because of evil inflicted on the innocent will rejoice someday. No matter where we are or how hopeless our situation may seem, we can raise our heads high because Christ’s humble actions led to victory.