Dear Followers of the Risen Christ,

On this Fifth Sunday of Easter, John 15:1-8, offers us an image of remaining connected the Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. Easter hope is deep within us and our connection to Jesus’ resurrection remains from our baptism and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls himself the true vine. We remain deeply connected to his life of mercy, love and forgiveness even when we feel cut off from such a gift. We remain connected to the source of life even though Jesus is not physically among us.

In this Easter season, we all see the beauty of new life within the Church. We welcome the new sprouts of life in our children and adults born again in baptism. We celebrate First Communion with our young people so that they can be connected and nourished on the vine of love throughout their lives. We are all inspired by our students allowing the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be given them in the sacrament of Confirmation. New life buds forth in our sacramental life in the Church in these Easter days.

Sometimes as we grew older, we feel less of springtime. From my pastoral experience, I am aware that many people do not feel connected to Jesus when life takes a turn. They site their misfortunes or their inabilities to live a suitable life in the eyes of the Church as examples of dying on the vine. They believe that their choices in life determine whether or not they belong in God. So many people put the blame on themselves that God could not possibly love them and that Jesus could not possibly be for them, since everyone tells them that they are cut off from the Christian family because of sin and doubt, selfishness and greed, and apathy and not feeling good enough to be loved in the first place.

However, we do not make the decisions about whether we belong or not to God. God is the decision maker. I suggest in this Easter season that we cling to the vine of God’s love for us and continue to search for the beauty and hope that rises up within us no matter what happens. Easter makes all things new in the spiritual life. Christ’s resurrection heals sin and division and helps us live in the tensions of life. Easter casts light and hope on our lives when we feel we have been stunted by our inabilities to thrive in prayer and in life.

My heart breaks for people who have given up on God and on themselves. In these Easter days, we need to listen again to this gospel, “ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” I want to live deeply connected in that message for all of us. Jesus, the vine, is our gladness, our joy, our way of life and our hope for tomorrow.

Easter blessings and deep peace,

Fr. Ron

Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC

Oh, Good Shepherd,

Chase down the lost and unseen and

Go quickly to their side…

 To the elderly man that needs a diaper change in the corner room of the memory care unit…

To sit with a newborn waiting for a heart transplant…

To this child’s parents, hold them in their exhaustion…

To a drug addict who was planning to be married this weekend but overdosed after the rehearsal dinner…

To the mentally fragile priest who harshly judges rather than inviting penitents into your mercy…

To the young mother holding on for dear life to her secret affairs and who feels so trapped in her marriage…

To the teenager that is always told he does not belong because he sees the world so differently…

To the police officer who is losing his emotional way with his family because of the suffering he experiences every day…

To the teenage girl who desperately wants to be invited to her prom…

To the restaurant owner who needs money to keep his business open and his family together…

To the religious sister who teaches immigrants along the boarder and needs food and shelter for every new student…

To the wealthy CEO who often gets lost going to work and sometimes can’t find his way out of the company restroom due to his quickly approaching Alzheimer’s…

Oh, Good Shepherd,

Chase down the lost and unseen and

Go quickly to their side…

Read complete bulletin here

Dear Followers of the Good Shepherd,

Today’s gospel, John 10:11-18, invites us to reflect on the Good Shepherd. This Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally called, “Good Shepherd Sunday.” This image of Jesus is an ancient interpretation of the love, concern and thoughtfulness of Jesus that was relevant to the people of his time.

One of the most powerful images of Pope Francis’ pontificate is his desire for a “revolution of tenderness.” This image of Jesus as shepherd is not just about an ancient characteristic of Jesus compassion, but it also an image for us today of how to be a messenger of Jesus’ resurrection and inspiration for other people.

The image of the “Good Shepherd” is not just a call for vocations within the Church. This image is also an invitation for all people to enter into the mystery of holiness. Jesus wants the best for us. Jesus’ redemptive love and compassion is real and genuine if only we could get over our pride that our sins must certainly be larger than Jesus’ love. Sometimes it is easier to hold on to our anger rather than to love, to settle for our bitterness rather than to search for healing, to cling to our hatred rather than to build relationships. The Good Shepherd listens to our unsatisfied souls and longs to bring us the peace we desire.

I am often intrigued how many of us resist an image of Jesus that is about compassion and wholeness. We enjoy separating out people from ourselves so that we can be right and others can be wrong. If we hold on to separations, then we can live a rather smug life believing that Jesus is certainly on our side and not on the side of people who really need the living Christ. Sometimes, our separations about people keep us from changing our attitudes, opinions and lives. However, the compassion of Jesus is healing and sustaining. Jesus’ invitation to live in harmony heals our sin, division and ego. The Good Shepherd helps us come home to forgiveness and integrity and justice.

We learn in our prayer and in the Eucharist that God loves us profoundly. This love changes us into becoming people of great hope. Because of the Good Shepherd’s love for us, we become this image of Jesus in our world. We open our arms to the outcasts, the lost, the sinner, the immigrant, the addict and the prideful and help people understand that hope is possible for them as well.

Pope Francis aches for the Church to become a place of mercy, understanding and compassion. He wants to ignite this revolution because he understands for himself the Good Shepherd. The living Christ is not destructive or vengeful, not full of hate or fear. I pray as well, that the Good Shepherd will invite us all into the healing we desire and then challenge us to bring people together with hope and integrity.

Here are some questions to consider this week:

How do you interpret the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd? How do you receive Jesus’ compassion? How are you being called to help shepherd others in need?

Blessings,

Fr. Ron

“What if I receive…?” Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC

Litany based on John 6:35-40

What if I receive communion today as if…

For the first time…

I was truly hungry for your love…

I could be open to your forgiveness…

I was quiet enough to listen to you…

I could be still enough to encounter you…

I wanted to remain in the love you promise…

I could encounter the Bread of Life…

I could sip the miracle of your presence…

I was open to being led…

I could embrace your mercy…

I could love you…

I was ready to be changed…

I could not live without you…

Your Kingdom was already here…

Your love and mercy would fill me…

Your hope for our world is tasted…

Your peace would be manifest…

Your tenderness would show us how to live…

Your simple presence would be accepted…

Your compassion would be shared with the forgotten…

Your call would be heard by the self-reliant…

Your Body and Blood would become our only hope…

On behalf of all people in poverty…

On behalf of all injustice…

On behalf of all who grieve…

On behalf of all who hate and divide…

On behalf of all sinners…

On behalf of all who thirst for holiness…

On behalf of the deaf and blind…

On behalf of all who ache for harmony and hope…

On behalf of the tired and jobless…

On behalf of the widow and orphan…

On behalf of teens struggling with sexual identity…

On behalf of the naked and immigrant…

On behalf of all trapped in sex trafficking…

On behalf of all prisoners and addicts…

For the last time…

Read full bulletin here

Dear Followers of the Risen Christ,

In this resurrection passage from Luke 24:35-48, Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” This is the second week now that our gospels invite us into such a mystery. These are the first words that Jesus says after the resurrection. These words remain brimful of love for us as well. This invitation brings to us an abundant source of reflection. Jesus asks us two vital questions today in the gospel, “Why are you troubled? Why do questions arise in your hearts?” Bring the peace of Jesus to your hearts, your thoughts and your actions in this Easter season. Here is a litany to help us reflect on the peace we long for in Christ Jesus.

Peace to you…

When the spark of love for your spouse has grown cold.

When you feel trapped by your family and caring for their needs.

When you tire of picking up after your children and feel resentment toward them.

When you are trapped between caring for an aging parent and your children.

When you are ensnared in self-loathing and you feel the world is an ugly place.

When it is easier for you to complain about others than support and encourage them.

When darkness covers your thoughts and hatred falls from your lips.

When you feel you have not received the respect you think you deserve.

When you are restless and negative and unsure.

When you feel more hopeless than engaged in love.

When you cannot find the words to compliment yourself or others.

When people just don’t seem to give you a break.

When your image of God becomes one of judgment and hatred.

When violence surrounds your soul and thoughts.

When you feel more comfortable with putting others down.

When you feel just a lack of inner peace and solace.

When hardness of heart has destroyed your friendships.

When the burdens of life reveal your temper.

When lack of charity has changed your attitude about yourself and others.

When stress is your only friend.

When violence seems to be growing within everyone.

When your negative judgments about other people grow stronger.

When we want to condemn and not embrace.

When we put some people on one side and other people on the other side.

When we blame others for their disease or addiction or difference.

When we feel we are better than others.

When we turn religion into a weapon of hate.

When the hardships of the world overwhelm you.

When we cannot surrender to the love of Jesus.

When our prayer is rote and routine.

When we feel we do not have time to pray.

When we no longer feel within our hearts the remedy of mercy and love.

When we postpone Easter joy.

When I ignore Jesus’ invitation to be in peace and at peace.

When my troubles rise up stronger than his peace.

When hope eludes me.

The resurrection of Jesus heals us, from the inside out, from our inner struggles into becoming people of hope and faith. Allow Jesus to offer you such peace.

Peace, the real peace of Jesus be with you,

Fr. Ron

This is my article from Give Us This Day for Tuesday April 10, based on the scriptures for today.

Creative Hope

 The resurrection of Christ Jesus reimagines our lives on earth. Life from above brings hope and healing in our worldly needs. We hold these things in common. The Holy Spirit dwells in our humble hearts and loving imaginations. This is how we maintain the power of the risen Lord.

I attempt as a pastor to help people share their possessions of love by learning to serve others in need. I also discover that offering art classes and poetry writing groups helps us feel connected through vulnerability and honesty. These forms of creativity come from our common lives and past mistakes, our lived experiences of embracing God.

One retiree wrote his first poem grieving his father who died more than fifty years ago. A businesswoman wrote about her childhood nightmares because she felt the warmth and support of the writers’ group. Teenagers in recovery have also found their new voices of hope in class. Men living in a halfway house find their liberated voices expressing emotions in charcoal and acrylic. I myself picked up a paintbrush for the first time four years ago. My passionate voice of faith is revealed now in color.

People desire healing and truth. Everyone learns about things of heaven when lives on earth are changed. Easter reimagines the past, offers emotional safety, and gives us all hope for tomorrow. The Holy Spirit gives us courage to live in exuberance, vitality and expression. Our real possessions come from imagination and creativity to build joy and hope for people on earth.

Fr. Ronald Raab, CSC

Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC, is pastor of the Tri-Community Catholic Parish in Colorado Springs, CO. He formerly served as associate pastor at Saint Andre Bessette Church in Old Town, Portland, OR. Learn more at http://www.ronaldraab.com

Self-Portrait for 35th Anniversary of Priesthood, April 2018

My Place at the Table after Thirty-Five Years

The Real Presence of Jesus rests

In my soft hands

Not real work some would say

No work-related cuts or calluses

Lifting up the Bread of Life

The Body of Christ

Reflects back to me

The beauty of ordinariness

Dipping bread in homemade soup

For strangers

Serving family recipes

Around rectory tables

To spiritually malnourished friends

Sharing fresh loaves from the oven

When their bread has become stone

Lifting up the Cup of Salvation

The Blood of Christ

Remains heavy lifting

After all these years

Of carrying within me the bruises of many

I now conceive the primacy of blood

For parishioners’ mastectomies

Accident survivors

Mothers giving birth

The deep cuts of suicide

And the bloated fear of blood

In friends and strangers

Who died of AIDS

The Word of God

Falls from my mouth

More easily now

Since I have learned to listen more deeply

Conversing with people who need healing

From their mental illnesses

From wars and abuses that were not their fault

Or multiple addictions

Or sheer stubbornness

And now I finally admit in my silence

I am poor too

Since I am powerless to change them

From my own talents

Or to convince others that Jesus is not silent

My shoes are worn now

My shoulders slumped and my belt tight

For my possessions are many

As I walk in faith

And pace around my own infidelities

And my heartbreaks

For the step-by-step journey to love is long

Where the Word becomes flesh

Jesus remains present

In sacramental oil and song

As I mark and anoint another forehead

As a tattoo for salvation

Or a brand of fidelity

For the many who remain afraid to die

I am still surprised

By the consolations falling from

My mouth when a divorce is imminent

When a husband cannot admit infidelity

Or when a wife hides her multiple prescriptions

Or when a police officer knocks

On a parents’ door

During the nighttime

The Forgiveness of Jesus

Rests more comfortably

Within my heart

As mercy becomes a constant friend

As tender as a spring jonquil

And as hearty as an ancient oak

In my reluctant surrender to love

The years have drawn me more closely

To admit my insincerities and peccadilloes

And to see with sheer delight

Surprises that enflame

My heart with gratitude

So that there is more room

Under my skin

For both Jesus and myself to be together

Under the same roof

Of our priesthood

Bishop William McManus, John and Rosemary Raab, April 9, 1983

Dear Believers in the Risen Christ,

On this Second Sunday of Easter, we hear from John’s Gospel (20:19-31) that Thomas probed the mystery of the wounds of the Risen Christ. He fell to his knees and put his fingers into the hands of Jesus and his hand into his side. He declared, “My Lord and my God!”

For us to discover the Risen Christ, we all must probe the mystery of the wounded Christ. We have become the Body of Christ in our world through our baptism. We must fall to our knees in face of the wounded Christ, the wounds we all bear in faith and love. For us to find the real meaning of Jesus’ resurrection, we must reach out to people in need, those who face hunger and hatred, violence and crimes, war and neglect. If we extend our lives to those who are humbled by suffering, then we shall discover the grace of God’s love and redeeming compassion.

This gospel identifies Divine Mercy. Christ’s merciful presence to Thomas becomes a longing and model for us all. Pope John Paul II declared this Sunday as Divine Mercy Sunday in 2000.

Mercy is not something we do for ourselves; it is not an act of our will. Rather, mercy is a sheer gift of God. We cannot save ourselves. God initiates his presence and forgiveness in our lives. Mercy is an abundance of love and peace as seen by the disciples behind locked doors in this gospel text after the resurrection. God’s compassion and forgiveness are given to us through the passion, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. God’s love is far greater than we can imagine.

This gospel story is told on all three cycles of liturgical readings on this Second Sunday of Easter. Our Holy Cross men are ordained priests on the Saturday after Easter. So on this Sunday, each new priest preaches this gospel at his first Mass of Thanksgiving after ordination. I celebrate my 35th Anniversary of Ordination on April 9 this weekend.

In this gospel, Jesus comes to his disciples after his death. They are behind locked doors. He offers them peace. “Peace be with you,” he says to his disciples whom he knows are shaking in fear. This peace is from the mouth of the Risen Christ and I invite you to make his peace your desire and your prayer in the Easter Season.

This gospel invites us into a scene with Jesus and his disciples. It is a scene in which we too encounter Christ Jesus. Place your life in this beautiful scene. The images of this text are broad with grace and deep with meaning.

Here are some things to consider this week:

I find myself locked in fear these days because…

I ache for the peace of Jesus because…

Jesus, please bring my heart to your peace because…

Please bring the chaos and hatred to your peace because…

Jesus, help me probe the mystery of the wounds of our world in faith…

Jesus, bring Easter hope to my life because…

Peace be with you,

Fr. Ron