Monday Message, May 4, 2026
KNOW
If you have not yet sent this survey out to all your catechists, parents, young people, etc. please do so today. The survey can be found at tellbishopfrank.org.
The final list of all Confirmation dates is complete. Please review and contact Patrick if you have any questions.
Save these two dates: Saturday, September 12, 2026, for the Fall Forum and Tuesday, April 20, 2027, for the Confirmation Dates Meeting.
The New England Catholic Biblical School (NECBS) offers a 4-year Certificate in Biblical Studies to help individuals learn all 73 books of the Bible and prepare for deepened theological knowledge, both for personal and spiritual enrichment and for lay ministry in the Church. Discover more here. We will host a few satellite locations in our diocese this fall.
From our neighbors to the north: Family Life, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Tribunal present Annulments: A Workshop to Promote Understanding and Healing. The goal of this online workshop is to help the faithful and parish leadership understand what an annulment (decree of nullity) is and separate it from the myths that have long surrounded this topic. We will cover the process and the grounds for an annulment, how long it takes, and more. Our hope is that a clearer understanding becomes a pathway to healing through a return to full participation in the sacramental life of the Church. Details are here.
REFLECT
The Scripture readings around the Easter season are filled with great challenges. Yes, Scripture is always filled with challenges, but I really like the ones we find in the readings around Easter.
We have the women running to the tomb. We have Peter reconciling with Jesus. We have the apostles walking to nowhere and meeting Jesus on the way. We have Thomas the doubter – who we must remember is recognized as a saint (that always gives me hope).
Eventually, we have the apostles looking at the sky, waiting for what’s next.
But the people who have been on my mind of late are the disciples in the upper room. We hear that they were in the upper room and the doors were locked. Jesus arrives. Thomas isn’t there. You remember the story.
Then, a week later, Jesus arrives again and shows Thomas his hands and feet.
The doors were still locked.
Think about that for a minute. We focus on Thomas because he doubts, and his name means twin, and we, doubters and sinners, are his twin. We think about Thomas because we get Thomas. We struggle and wonder and question and doubt.
But don’t let the other ten off the hook. They experienced the Risen Christ. They welcomed him. They interacted with him. This guy with whom they had interacted and lived and shared their lives with had been brutally put to death. They buried him. Now, he had been raised and was standing, breathing and talking in their midst.
But after he left, they locked the door.
I am not sure what the lesson is for you, but for me, it raises the question about my own openness to the resurrection experience. When I experience Christ in the flesh all around me, do I welcome it and share it, or does the fear overwhelm me?
Do I lock the doors to feel safe or to avoid responsibility?
Maybe that’s why we celebrate Easter for so long. The dead are raised. What has happened for one is suddenly possible for all. After a lifetime of saying, “yes” to God – even unto death – God validates his life choices and says, “yes” right back to Jesus.
God resurrects that which we crucify. Isn’t that nice?
LAUGH
