regan.ocd – Page 2 – SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER

May 20, 2025May 20, 2025

21st MAY 2025

JESUS IS THE TRUE VINE AND WITHOUT HIM WE CAN DO NOTHING | John Rasicci

WEDNESDAY, FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER

Acts 15: 1-6 Ps 122: 1-5 Jn 15: 1-8

BEING BRANCHES OF CHRIST THE VINE

The readings of today remind us that Jesus alone makes us whole. Against the argument of the men from Judaea in the first reading about the necessity of the physical sign of circumcision for salvation, in the Gospel passage Jesus affirms that we become God’s children not through external signs but through communion with Him. His living Word grafts us into God’s family. Jesus offers us the beautiful image of interconnected vines – lush, life-giving, and mutually sustaining. He is the true Vine; we are the branches. What matters is believing His words, trusting their power, and surrendering to their transformative grace.

God seeks not outward signs but authentic heart transformation. The apostles exemplify this after the Resurrection – their fears overcome, their lives remade. This “circumcision of the heart” (Romans 2:29) signifies the spiritual renewal God desires for us all. Like pruned branches, we’re called to yield spiritual fruit through our God-given gifts. The warning is loud and clear: unfruitful branches face pruning. Yet this is not about punishment but divine cultivation; in other words, it is an invitation to deeper communion. Unlike the first reading’s preoccupation with technicalities, our call is simpler: to remain joyfully attached to Christ, the source of all meaning.

The imagery of the vine and branches reveals a profound sacramental reality: our connection to Christ is as tangible as sap flowing through living wood. Just as vines share one lifeblood, we receive divine life through the Eucharist – the “sap” of grace nourishing our souls. Our world, parched for authentic love, desperately needs vines heavy with Gospel fruit. In His vine, no branch is superior; all are equal in His binding love. Each branch, whether hidden in cloisters or extending into workplaces, matters equally in God’s vineyard. As we abide in Christ through prayer and the Eucharist, we become living sacraments of His abiding presence. The harvest depends on our willingness to remain in His love.

Response: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord

May 19, 2025May 19, 2025

20th MAY 2025

Verse of the Day - John 14:27 KJV - Highland Park Baptist Church - Lenoir City, Tennessee

TUESDAY, FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER

Acts 14: 19-28 Ps 145: 10-13, 21 Jn 14: 27-31

COURAGE AND PEACE

In the first reading, we hear about how Paul was stoned and left for dead in Lystra; yet he miraculously survived and continued his journey, strengthening the disciples in the cities he visited. His unshakable faith and commitment to spreading the Gospel in the face of such obstacles inspire us to persevere in our own challenges. The courage of Paul teaches us that obstacles are not the end but opportunities to grow in faith and to witness to God’s love.

The message of peace in the Gospel passage taken from John provides further encouragement. Jesus, in his final discourse with the disciples, offers them a peace that the world cannot give. He tells them not to be troubled or afraid, for he has overcome the world. This peace is not the absence of obstacles but the presence of God’s grace and assurance in the midst of them. Jesus acknowledges that hardships will come, but his peace will remain a constant source of strength.

Today, we are urged to live with courage and perseverance, just like Paul. We are often tempted to give up when things get tough, but Paul shows us that being rooted in faith can help us overcome even the most trying circumstances. We are not alone in our struggles; God walks with us, giving us the strength to carry on. Furthermore, we are invited to seek in times of uncertainty the peace that only Christ can offer, a peace that is born from a firm trust in God’s providence, and bears the fruit of courage to face life’s storms with hope and faith. Let us therefore embrace the peace of Christ and the courage of St. Paul. Let us remember that, like Paul, we are called to rise again after every fall and continue on the path of faith. In doing so, we will carry the light of Christ into the world, bringing peace and hope to those around us.

Response: Your friends make known, O Lord, the glory of your reign.

May 18, 2025May 18, 2025

19th MAY 2025

John 14:15-17 – Love and the Trinity – Rev. Tim Ehrhardt

MONDAY, FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER

Acts 14:5-18 Ps 115: 1-4,15-16 Jn 14:21-26

LIVING ICONS OF TRINITARIAN LOVE

As we journey through this Easter season, we are invited to experience the transformative love of the Risen Lord, a love so radical that He sacrificed Himself to free us from sin. Christ’s death on the cross embodies the ultimate love He described: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This divine love initiative comes from God the Father, who continually cares for us and guides us through His Son. Christ’s teachings remain eternally relevant, perfectly suited for every circumstance, era, and culture. They never mislead but always direct us toward truth and life.

The first reading presents Paul and Barnabas performing miracles through the power of the Risen Lord, only to be mistaken for pagan deities. Paul seizes this misunderstanding as a teaching moment, revealing the true God who lovingly sustains creation. Similarly, in today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals the profound unity between Himself and the Father. Keeping His commandments means loving Him, and loving Him means loving the Father. This reciprocal love becomes complete when the Father and Son send the Advocate; i.e., the Holy Spirit who dwells within the hearts of all who believe.

This is the Easter mystery we’re called to live: The Father’s love is incarnated in Christ and perpetuated through the Spirit, who continues Christ’s presence, moving us to love others divinely. To refuse the Spirit is to reject Christ and the Father. As Easter people, we become living icons of Trinitarian love when we welcome the Spirit’s promptings, embody Christ’s self giving love in relationships, and proclaim the Father’s mercy through word and deed. This is our Easter mission – to become sacraments of the Trinity’s love in our wounded world. Today, let this prayer rise from our hearts as we continue to rejoice in the mystery of Easter: Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with the love of the Risen Christ, that we may radiate the Father’s mercy to all we meet.

Response: Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.

May 17, 2025May 17, 2025

18th MAY 2025

Love One Another Stock Illustrations – 1,187 Love One Another Stock Illustrations, Vectors & Clipart - Dreamstime

SUNDAY, FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Acts 14: 21-27 Ps 145: 8-13 Rv 21: 1-5 Jn 13: 31-35

LOVE: THE KEY TO EASTER RENEWAL

From the missionary zeal of Paul and Barnabas in Acts, to the glorious vision of a new creation in Revelation, to Christ’s commandment of love in John’s Gospel, we see a common thread: God is making all things new, and we are called to be instruments of this transformation. Our first reading from Acts shows Paul and Barnabas at the heart of their missionary journey. They don’t just preach and move on; they strengthen the disciples, encourage them to persevere in faith, and even return to visit them, ensuring that the young Church is rooted in Christ. Notice their message: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” This is a crucial Easter truth: New life in Christ does not mean a life without suffering. Rather, it means that our sufferings are transformed by the grace of the resurrection. Paul and Barnabas knew this firsthand; they had been persecuted, stoned, and rejected, yet they kept going because they trusted in the Risen Lord’s promise. How do we respond to hardships in our faith journey? Do we see them as obstacles or as moments where God is refining us? Are we actively encouraging one another in faith, like Paul and Barnabas did? Or do we leave our brothers and sisters to struggle alone? The early Christians thrived because they were a community of believers, supporting one another. We must do the same.

In our second reading, we hear the breathtaking vision of St John: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race… He will wipe every tear from their eyes… ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” This is the ultimate fulfilment of Easter – the resurrection of all creation. God is not content with merely fixing the brokenness of the world; He is making it entirely new. This new creation is not just a future hope; it begins now. Every act of love, every moment of forgiveness, every work of mercy is a foretaste of this new reality. Are we living as people of the “new creation,” or are we still clinging to old ways of sin, despair, or selfishness? Are we a sign of this new creation? Do people encounter hope, healing, and reconciliation when they meet us? God is making all things new today, and we are part of that work.

Jesus gives us the key to this renewal in the gospel: “I give you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” This commandment is new not because love was unknown before, but because Christ has now given us the measure of love: “As I have loved you.” How did Jesus love us? Totally. Sacrificially. Without limits. He loved us to the point of laying down His life. This is the love that renews the world. This is the love that turns a group of fearful disciples into a Church that transforms history. Do we love with Christ’s self-giving love, or with a love that is conditional, impatient, or self-serving? Does our love extend beyond our comfort zone – to the poor, the marginalized, the difficult to love? Jesus says, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples.” Not by our words, not by our buildings, not by our traditions, but by our love. If the world is not seeing Christ in us, perhaps it is because we are not loving as He loved.

Easter is not just a season but a reality that must transform everything we are and do. Like Paul and Barnabas, we are called to be missionaries of hope, strengthening one another in faith. Like John’s vision, we are called to live now as people of the new creation, where God dwells among us. Like Jesus commands, we are called to love radically, so that the world may believe. This is the Easter mission: to be witnesses of resurrection, not just in what we say, but in how we live, love, and renew the world around us. Let us pray that the risen Lord may fill us with His Spirit, making us instruments of His love and renewal in the world. May our lives proclaim, in word and deed, that He is alive and that His kingdom is at hand.

Response: I well bless your name forever, my king and my God.

May 16, 2025May 16, 2025

17th MAY 2025

SATURDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

Acts 13:44-52 Ps 98:1-4 Jn 14:7-14

LET US ABIDE IN HIM

The Gospel passage of today presents the paradox in the life of the apostles: they physically walked with God incarnate yet still struggled to comprehend His divine nature. The words of the Lord – “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” – reveal the mystery we are invited to share. Unlike the disciples, we encounter Christ not in flesh but through faith, sacraments, and communion with His Body, the Church. This spiritual vision demands purer eyes that see beyond bread to recognize the Eucharistic Lord, beyond the ink of the written word of Scripture to hear the Living Word, beyond daily trials to perceive Divine Providence at work.

Our modern challenge mirrors the confusion of the apostles. We possess two millennia of theological development, countless devotional aids, and instant access to the sacred texts – yet like Philip, we still plead, “Show us the Father.” Why? Because knowing Christ intellectually differs radically from abiding in Him existentially. The saints demonstrate this distinction: St Francis of Assisi didn’t just study about poverty – he personified it; St Teresa of Avila didn’t merely analyse prayer – her life was prayer. Their knowledge emerged from loving obedience, as Jesus taught: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to make our home with them”

This Easter season, our “Alleluia” must transcend liturgy. The new life in the resurrection demands the proclamation to the world of the salvation that Christ brings by His triumphant victory over death. Yet before addressing distant corners of the earth, we must evangelize the hidden corners of our hearts. Intellectual knowledge about Jesus is easily shared; surrendering our entire selves to Him is harder. Transformation begins when we move from knowing about Christ to abiding in Him. Let this be our prayer: Lord, strip away my assumptions. Reveal Yourself to me anew; not through others’ experiences, but through Your living Word and sacramental presence. Make my heart Your dwelling place.

Response: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

May 15, 2025May 15, 2025

16th MAY 2025

I am the way the truth and the life John 14:6 Bible verse wall art canvas - 16 x 24

FRIDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

Acts 13: 26-33 Ps 2: 6-11 Jn 14: 1-6

WAY, TRUTH, LIFE

In a world that craves constantly for novelty and relative ‘truths,’ Jesus reminds us that He alone is the way to the Father, the ultimate truth that gives meaning to our existence, and the life that leads us to eternity.

To walk in the ‘Way’ of Christ is to follow Him. The first reading recounts how Jesus was condemned and put to death, yet raised to life by the power of God. His entire journey beautified by his obedience, suffering and its ultimately glory, reveals the way every Christian is called to tread. Like Jesus, we are called to take up our crosses, seeing them as stepping stones toward our own transformation in Christ. The Christian way is not about avoiding suffering but embracing it as a participation in Christ’s redemptive work.

Jesus is also the ‘Truth’ – the truth that suffering, when united with Him, is salvific. The world teaches us to reduce pain and maximize pleasure; yet Christ teaches the meaning behind suffering. His Passion was not in vain; it earned salvation for humanity. This is the truth that we must grasp: suffering, endured with faith, purifies, redeems, and ultimately leads to glory. Without discipline, there is no victory; without the cross, there is no resurrection.

Finally, Jesus is the ‘Life.’ A Christian’s life is not merely about life here on earth. It is a call to commune eternally with God. To live in Christ is to begin that eternal life here and now. Every Christian is called to live with this perspective, knowing that beyond the sufferings of this world lies the fullness of life in God’s presence.

Will we embrace Jesus as our Way, our Truth, and our Life? The road may be narrow, but it leads to heavenly glory – that is our faith. Let us not be afraid to walk along Christ the Way, to trust in Christ the Truth, and to hope in Christ the Life.

Response: You are my son. It is I who have begotten you this day.