Third Sunday of Easter

April 19, 2026

For Leo, our Pope, and __, our Bishop. May Christ open the eyes of our leaders to serve those who search for meaning and love. May Christ’s compassion become food for the Church.

We pray to the Lord.

For a moral and lasting peace on earth. May Christ show us the path to trust and long-term justice. May hope become food that feeds the souls of every person under heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

For a new awareness of Christ in our lives. May our eyes remain open to the pain of others as we journey in Easter. May we work together to bring harmony to our fragile world.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who receive Easter sacraments. May the newly baptized bring zeal and courage to their relationships and families. May we praise God for the courage to journey in faith, hope and love.

We pray to the Lord.

For healing among our fragile or broken relationships. May Christ mend our hearts and restore the divide among lost friends. May the Eucharist become true food in times of trial and misfortune.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who survive body pain and undiagnosed ailments. May Christ heal the bodies and souls of people lost in complex disease. May we experience the healing love of Christ in our midst.

We pray to the Lord.

For the restoration of hope and wonder in Easter. May we bask in joy as we gaze upon the wonder of the universe.  May Christ be our foothold of courage, integrity and enthusiasm in our earthly lives.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who suffer continuing grief. May Christ heal those who live in fear and loss. May Easter bring hope to the burdened and weary.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who have died.  May Christ welcome our loved ones into the glory of heaven. May Christ’s face shine on them forever.

We pray to the Lord.

PRAYER

Rev. Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C.

O Risen Christ, you shattered the fear of your followers and offered your expression of peace. May we listen with genuine love to your voice when we are afraid. May your resurrection claim our hearts with the peace you whisper. May we peer into your redeemed wounds so we may serve the wounded ones on earth today. May we feed the hungry, comfort the ill, serve the anguished, and offer your concord in every broken relationship. May our hearts proclaim you as Lord and God. Amen.

This prayer is published by FaithND. Click here to read today’s reflection

CLICK HERE to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN to today’s reflection

April 12, 2026

Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

Prayers of the Faithful

For all who lead us in faith. May Leo, our Pope and ___, our Bishop courageously touch the wounds of the Body of Christ on earth. May they model service and consolation.

We pray to the Lord.

For young people throughout the world who have received Easter sacraments. May the Holy Spirit guide the newly baptized into genuine prayer and authentic service in our Church.

We pray to the Lord.

For our newly ordained priests in the Congregation of Holy Cross. May our young priests peer lovingly into the depths of human suffering so to find hope in Christ Jesus. May their prayer and service reveal holiness of life.

We pray the Lord.

For the end of war, violence and hatred in our world. For all who starve for love, integrity and justice. May Easter rouse hope in us to serve people most in need.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who live in fear behind locked doors.  May our prisoners find freedom in faith. May people torn apart by dissension and discouragement find solace in this Easter season.

We pray to the Lord. 

For people who live with mental anguish. May we help ease the burdens of people who face despair and loneliness. May Easter give us new purpose here on earth.

We pray to the Lord.

For all artists, musicians and liturgical ministers. May Easter inspire praise of God and the joy of living. May artists bring vitality and creativity to our communal worship.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who grieve in Easter. May our experience of human frailty be eased by the care of Christ Jesus. May our pain be healed and our lives be made new in Easter.

We pray to the Lord. 

For our beloved dead. May our loved ones find joy in the eternal Kingdom of God. May Christ welcome all who have died with mercy and compassion.

We pray to the Lord.

CLICK HERE to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

Homily at Holy Cross House

Ronald Raab, CSC

Good Friday 2026

On this Good Friday, we reflect on the Cross of Christ, for we believe his suffering and death gives way to eternal life and communion with the Father’s love. Before Jesus died, the gospel records two piercing words from his lips, “I thirst.”

The unsatisfied thirst of Jesus is felt in our bodies, as well, when chemotherapy dries out our mouth, when medications sour our taste, when our aging body longs for refreshment. We even know the thirst that comes from addiction, when more is never enough.

As we imagine Jesus’ thirst, we also know thirst in our hearts and souls.  We grow thirsty for honesty when change in routine does not make sense to us. We thirst for consolation when we are forced to let go of relationships that have fed us in the past. We thirst for hope when we feel orphaned after outliving our family members or when we do not feel heard or seen in our aging process. We thirst for contentment as we reflect on how we have pushed God away carrying our self-sufficiency all the way since high school. We thirst for reconciliation when our human words have alienated our friendships. Our hearts thirst for joy when we second-guess our life decisions when the world seems to pass us by. We thirst at the foot of the cross for a friend who has lost a young child or when a family cannot make ends meet. We grow thirsty for justice, especially when war, violence and bombings are on the lips of leaders.  

These simple words from Jesus show his deepest humanity. Jesus’ genuine thirst reminds us that on the night before he died, he promised his Body and Blood would refresh us for all eternity. Only Christ satisfies the thirst of our soul. Only Christ quenches our thirst for forgiveness, for mercy, for peace and our desire for heaven. Love is born in our longing and thirst for Christ.

In our house, when one of us is coming to our closing days, we gather in prayer at the bedside of our brother. So often there is a blue sponge on a stick to dip into water so to moisten the lips of our brother. A few months ago, when Fr. Molinaro was near death, a group of us gathered to receive his silent teachings to us about how to die. We took turns moistening his lips with a blue sponge. As a former novice master, Fr. Ken was still teaching us to look to Jesus on the cross for our true refreshment until the very end.  

My brothers, until the end of our life, we know the words of our founder, Fr. Moreau, “The Cross of Christ, our only hope.” May we bask in such paradox, wonder and refreshment.  

God give you peace.

April 5, 2026

Easter Sunday

Prayers of the Faithful

For all who lead us in faith, especially Leo, our Pope, and ___, our Bishop.  May we bask in the joy of Christ’s resurrection. May our leaders be filled with courage as they pray and serve.

We pray to the Lord.

For the newly baptized. May Christ’s passion, death and resurrection offer peace and hope for all reborn in water the Holy Spirit. May the waters of our baptism be filled with fire, enthusiasm and integrity.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who receive the Sacred Eucharist for the first time in Easter. May our adults and children receive the joy of the Real Presence of Christ. May they be invigorated to serve the lost, the unsheltered and the hungry.

We pray to the Lord.

For the courage to search for Christ. May the disciples inspire us to run toward the empty tomb. May Christ stir the hearts of all bowed down by despair and doubt. May Christ lift our sights upon his face.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who starve for justice and freedom. May our immigrants, prisoners, and survivors of war, find new hope in Christ Jesus. May we work diligently for the well-being of all nations. May war end and gunfire cease.

We pray to the Lord.

For the future of our children on this Easter Day. May Christ bring genuine inner peace and comfort to our youth who may fear the future.

We pray to the Lord.

For our elders who live in poverty and hopelessness. May we face the needs of our people with courage. May we build homes and provide food for our neighbors who live outside.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who cannot afford education. May we provide for our youth the skills to make a living in our society. May Easter inspire us to serve beyond measure.

We pray to the Lord.

For our loved ones who have died since last Easter. May the dead find true home in the loving presence of Jesus Christ in heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

CLICK here to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

PRAYER

Rev. Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C.

Gracious Father, we possess many stones of arrogance and blame. Help us not cast our fears onto others. Help us transform our grudges, resentments, and moments of pride that darken our souls. May these stones of sin be turned into bread. May we learn to feed on the miracles of your healing presence, no matter the turmoil in our hearts. May we become bread for others, our true signs from heaven. May peace feed us into eternity through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

CLICK HERE to read today’s gospel and reflection from FaithND