This week, the Church continues our Easter celebration recalling once again that our Lord rose victorious on that first Easter.
As we began this week, we honored the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist and today, April 29, we mark the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena.
Saint Mark, the author of what most scholars believe to be the first of the four canonical gospels written, played a vital role in spreading the Gospel as a missionary in the early Church. So too, St. Catherine of Siena, who would later be declared a Doctor of the Church, is a pivotal witness to Christ in the midst of the complicated politics of her time. Both disciples faced significant challenges to live the call of following Christ with the courage to carry forth His mission – by telling His story - scripturally and spiritually.
We too are called to have faith in the risen Lord who will never leave us to face our challenges alone. His resurrection was not just a theological notion. It happened in the midst of the Church. All of the post resurrection accounts in scripture center on Christ appearing among us, even to the point of asking Thomas to touch his wounds. The very same thing happens to us each time we celebrate the Eucharist. Christ comes among us to live this life with and in each of us.
May God grant us the courage and grace to preach the Gospel of Christ by what we say and in how we live each day.