Franciscan Media

The resurrection of Jesus is not simply a pledge of a new life in the future, but rather an affirmation that the new life Jesus has promised has already begun. St. Paul once urged the new Christians in Corinth to allow God to be “everything in all of you.” The resurrection of Jesus shows the type of life toward which God’s grace and mercy will always lead each of us—if we allow that.

As the darkness of Good Friday gives way to the jubilant “Alleluia” of Easter, we profess our faith with all the joy of St. Thomas in seeing the Risen Lord. “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

– from Meeting God in the Upper Room: Three Moments to Change Your Life

In the washing of feet on Holy Thursday, we catch a glimpse of the servant leadership Christ taught his disciples to practice. “But Jesus summoned them and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them…. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.’” (Matthew 20:25–27).

The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told his disciples not to worry because the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say. When you face tough choices, pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to know what is right and for the strength to do it.

– from the book A 40-Day Spiritual Workout for Catholics

Our thoughts turn to the passion and death of our Lord, and we long to share his pain with him. What is the pain of Jesus? It is the pain of loving and not being loved in return. He has loved us with an everlasting love, and what do we give him in return? We allow our minds to be preoccupied with little things and so spend many hours without thinking of Jesus. And yet our hearts and minds, bodies and souls, belong only to him. Let us meditate on the sufferings of Christ each day.