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Christ is Risen! On the fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, we hear our Lord's discussion with the woman he met at Jacob's well. Despite societal prejudices against her as a Samaritan woman, Christ called her to share in the kingdom of God. “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:5-14). St. Photina showed how open she was to Christ by how quickly she believed. Like her, we can reach a higher level of truth through silence. The reorientation of the world heals sin's divisions, but we must let go of discursive reasoning to witness and encounter the body of transcendent truth. Let's imitate St. Photina and drink from Christ's well of wisdom. Christ can remove our dualistic worldview, allowing us to see the kingdom of God beyond that duality, as he revealed it to the world.

On the sixth Sunday of Pascha, the Sunday of the Man Born Blind, we see Christ restore sight to a man blind since birth. When Jesus and his disciples come across the man, they ask if his blindness is a result of his or his parents' sins. Jesus quickly clarifies that the man’s blindness was not a punishment for sin, but rather an opportunity for God’s work to be displayed. Jesus then spits on the ground, imparting his Spirit into the dirt and creating mud. He anoints the man's eyes, allowing him to see. This act is similar to baptism, where a person is re-created and becomes a new person in Christ. The man's faith grows throughout the story, from passively receiving Jesus' healing to acknowledging him as a prophet and finally as the Son of Man. Jesus does not just restore the man's sight but gives him sight, he never had before. The Pharisees, on the other hand, deliberately blind themselves to Jesus' teachings and refuse to see him as the Messiah. This invites us to reflect on our own spiritual sight. Do we allow Jesus to enlighten us, or do we refuse to confront our own sinfulness? Jesus enlightened us in baptism and continues to do so as we grow in our faith and into the divine life.

The Feast of the Ascension is a holy day of obligation and commemorates Christ's completion of our salvation and entry into heaven.

The Chancery is closed in celebration of the Ascension of Our Lord.

Fr. Thomas J. Loya and three married couples will hold a panel discussion on plumbing the depths of the sacramental mystery of holy matrimony. Register by May 17.

On this Sunday, we commemorate the Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council. The Council was held in 325AD in the city of Nicea, not far from Constantinople. It ended on May 29 and came to be observed on the Sunday following the Feast of the Ascension.

​​​​​​​On the fiftieth day after Pascha, we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost which marks the end of the Paschal season. This feast celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Twelve Apostles of Jesus by which the Catholic Church was solemnly inaugurated.

The Chancery is closed in celebration of Pentecost.