Art: Sketchbook series: “Cruciform”. Easter Season brings the re-imagining of the experience, material, and shape of the cross.

April 28, 2024

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Let us pray for all who lead us in faith. May Pope Francis, our pastors, bishops, educators, and spiritual guides, help us remain connected in faith and in our work for justice.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for true connection to Christ Jesus. May the Resurrection bring us deep faith and robust joy. May hope compel us to serve others.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for farmers, winegrowers, gardeners, and all who tend the earth. May seeds be planted with patience and hope. May Christ remain with us always.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our newly initiated. May we support the people who have joined us in faith. May the Church discover the integrity of all branches and the beauty of the true vine, Christ Jesus.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people confused about their future and anxious about their gifts and talents. May we affirm the young and walk with those who question the value of life. May hope be born in our next generation.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for a rich harvest of integrity in our political systems. May we affirm the beauty of life and work diligently for our common future.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our weary, our sick, and for people who have lost hope. May Easter ring out in the lives of those who feel disconnected from God and community. May we unite the bonds of hope for all people.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people who live outside. May all who find shelter under bridges or in deep woods find hope for their future and refuge within the shelter of our care.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people who have lost memory. May we help tell the stories of our loved ones. May we reach out and remain connected to our faith communities.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our beloved dead. May we remain connected to the vine of Christ’s love even in death. May love flourish in heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

CLICK here to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

Art: Sketchbook series: “Cruciform”. Easter Season brings the re-imagining of the experience, material, and shape of the cross.

Click here to read my latest article in the Holy Cross newsletter

“The Easter Memories that Feed Us”, The Priest Magazine, May 2024

CLICK HERE TO read my latest article in, “The Priest Magazine”

Art: Sketchbook series: “Cruciform”. Easter Season brings the re-imagining of the experience, material, and shape of the cross.

Art: Sketchbook series: “Cruciform”. Easter Season brings the re-imagining of the experience, material, and shape of the cross.

April 21, 2024

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Let us pray for Francis, our Pope, and ___, our Bishop. May all who shepherd the Church find joy in prayer and courage to act in justice.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our children who receive Eucharist for the first time in the Easter season. May our next generation discover a true hunger for God and a loving desire to live for others.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for parents and grandparents of our children who receive sacraments. May they find tears of joy for the lives of the young and the miracles of children. May all parents model faith with courage and integrity.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for vocations in religious life and priesthood in the Church. May we courageously explore God’s call to shepherd others and to bring faith alive in our world.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for all who shepherd the sick. May all healthcare workers discover their true call to help heal other people. May they reach out in the nighttime to comfort those who cry in pain.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to listen to the voice of Christ Jesus. May we discover in our silent prayer the miracle of God’s call within our hearts. May our hearts sing with hope in our communion with God.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to befriend the lost and discouraged. May we run toward people who feel isolated and alone. May we shepherd the stranger into the love of community and the richness of prayer.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people caught in brambles of self-hatred. May we help those who feel abandoned by family and the Church. May we reach out to people suffering depression and mental anguish.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our beloved dead. May Christ shepherd our loved ones in the green pastures of heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

Art: Sketchbook series: “Cruciform”. Easter Season brings the re-imagining of the experience, material, and shape of the cross.

CLICK here to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

Art: Sketchbook series: “Cruciform”. Easter Season brings the re-imagining of the experience, material, and shape of the cross.

April 14, 2024

Third Sunday of Easter

Let us pray for all who lead us in faith. May Francis, our Pope, and ___, our Bishop, be given joy and integrity to teach all to work for justice. May they model prayer and service, the joy of the gospel.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for all who have received Easter sacraments. May our new Christians discover their call toward lives of prayer and works of justice.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for children who have been hurt by the hands of parents, teachers and siblings. May we listen to the stories of our young people with concern and honesty.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to witness Christ’s resurrection amid the chaos in life. May our human suffering give rise the healing power of Christ Jesus. May love flow from our lips and justice become the work of our hands.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people who search for God. May faith be modeled by all Christians so the world may know the love of Christ Jesus. May Easter ring out in our care for people.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for prisoners confined behind bars. May Easter sustain the lives of people in fear.  May Christ’s healing and freedom be known in every heart.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for orphans, widows and people who feel abandoned in life. May Christ’s love be known in our sadness and in our quest for community and relationship.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people who struggle to believe in themselves. May Easter bring us a clearer view of our own worth in Christ Jesus. May love be our food, and kindness become our hope.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for all who are ill and frightened by the future. May Christ’s healing touch become hope for people who ache for new life.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our beloved dead. May Easter joy be made known in our friends who now see the face of Christ Jesus.

We pray to the Lord.

CLICK here to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

Invitation to Audacious Joy

The imprint of Mary of Magdala’s rush from the empty tomb remains in us who believe. We may sense her heartrate, the commotion of her limbs to push her body forward. We may feel the scars of her wounds from the seven demons. We hear her testimony echo in our ache for God We catch our breath as she runs toward the brothers and cries out in audacious joy.

Other companions of Jesus were slow to believe the tomb was empty. They struggled to wipe away their tears of stubborn grief. We may feel such obstinacy of heart. When bitterness becomes our only food, we may feel only hopelessness. When we constantly hear news that enshrines false power, revenge, or the devastations of war, our hearts may be fearful of the new life Christ is offering us. Change may become unimaginable. We may even fear Mary of Magdala’s testimony.

Jesus had revealed his new life around a simple table with his disciples. He shared the memory of bread and cup with them. And Christ still invites us to dine with him at Eucharist. He invites us, especially in the midst of suffering, and give assurance that new life is possible for us all. Sharing Christ’s presence in Word and Sacrament opens us to forgiveness, mercy, and healing. Christ offers us the grace to surrender to his love. He invites us to sit, to ponder, to quit running toward fear that we also may hear and understand the beautiful testimony of Mary who first found her way to the empty tomb.

—Fr. Ronald Patrick Raab

Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC, serves as religious superior at Holy Cross House, a medical and retirement facility at Notre Dame, Indiana. He is a retreat director, award-winning author, and visual artist. Learn more at ronaldraab.com.

I am continually grateful to Liturgical Press for publishing my reflections in Give Us This Day.

Art: Sketchbook series: “Cruciform”. Easter Season brings the re-imagining of the experience, material, and shape of the cross.

April 7, 2024

Second Sunday of Easter

Let us pray for Francis, our Pope, and ___, our Bishop. May they herald peace in words and in action. May the Risen Christ inspire all leaders of faith.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people hesitant to believe in Christ Jesus. May the wounds of life be touched and healed in the love of Christ’s resurrection. May our suffering give way to new life.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for all who have been born again in baptism. May all who have received Easter sacraments be enlivened with peace and joy.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to touch the wounded Body of Christ on earth. May we work diligently for justice and the end of violence and war. May we realize the suffering of others and know the miracles of God’s presence in our midst.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for all wounded by illness and disease. May we sit among the sick and hold the hands of those who cannot sleep in the night. May we be instruments of healing in the love of the Risen Christ.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for the end of political hatred and backstabbing. May we work together for the common good and raise up the dignity of all people. May hope be born among us.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to lift up the spirits of our elderly. May we stop to listen to the stories of our older generation. May we learn from those who have lived through many hardships.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to engage the lives of our children. May we lift up the talents and lives of our next generation. May we learn the value of listening to one another’s stories, concerns and dreams.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to grieve our dead. May we know the beauty of our grief and the love it contains. May our dead find true home in heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

Art: Sketchbook series: “Cruciform”. Easter Season brings the re-imagining of the experience, material, and shape of the cross.