Deacon Larry Jesmer

My dear Sisters and Brothers: We are listening to the growth of the early church as told through the Acts of the Apostles. Our 1st reading for this liturgy is an address by Peter immediately after the recounting of the Pentecost experience. We do not hear his entire speech, but enough to know that his listeners are moved to ask a good question. Peter confronts them with the reality that the One they crucified is actually the Anointed, the Christ.

Their question seems to flow from a sense that they did not know this and now, “What are they supposed to do?” This conclusion is the same which ends most of Peter’s proclamations, “repent and be baptized.” He added that they had a chance right then to remove themselves from the corrupt generation which had resisted the preaching of Jesus, himself. And so, who is Jesus and what are we supposed to do? The gospel today answers this question.

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4th Sunday of EasterRead More »

To many, the Passion of Jesus Christ is a lesson in history where we sympathize with Christ for the sufferings he went through before he died. We find it hard to believe how the people can be so cruel as to inflict the most severe form of pain on a man we know was innocent.

For Christians, the Passion should be more than a lesson in history. It should become a lesson in life. After all, Christ hung upon the cross for us to give what we need: forgiveness, which is the greatest affection of the Father’s love for us and to ultimately attain the gift of everlasting life with him in the heavenly kingdom. The lesson is truth through love.

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Good FridayRead More »

As I sat down to begin work on this homily I was torn between Jesus’ weeping and the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Like everything I prepare to talk about, something else seems to come into play-the last three weeks where we have heard the Gospel of John. They are the longest gospels that we will hear all year, yet they reveal to us a great deal about the true nature of Jesus and his mission and sacrifice.

Two weeks ago the Samaritan woman at the well was transformed by the encounter with Christ who revealed that he was the one who will quench our thirst through the life giving spring of the Father’s Spirit. Then last week Jesus reals that he is the Light of the World who will open our eyes as he did the blind man’s, in order to see the truth of the Father’s love.

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5th Sunday of LentRead More »

I can’t help but reflect back on my life to see those experiences that have changed my life. Of course, the most dramatic experience was my marriage to the love of my life almost forty three years ago. But there were more experiences that took me a long time to understand.

I would not be surprised that if each of us takes a good look, to reflect on our lives up to the present, we will find times that bewildered us, which challenged us in trying to understand what just happened. The story of the Transfiguration takes us into the bewildered state of mind.

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2nd Sunday of LentRead More »

Collecting things of all kinds is somewhat of a popular activity to do. We collect stamps, bottles of all kinds, bells, rare books, art, coins, and many other articles. A group of collectors was holding an exhibit in a Catholic Church hall. The altar Society ran a snack bar selling hot coffee and hamburgers.

One visitor purchased a cup of coffee and a hamburger. As he was walking around looking at the items on display while eating his burger he went past a display of salt and pepper shakers. (a couple hundred of them) He discovered that his hamburger needed some salt. He set his coffee down and reached for one of the salt shakers and found no salt. He tried at least a dozen of them and guess what-No Salt! Finally he went back to the snack bar and got some salt. …

5th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »