The Fifth Sunday of Easter  
The Gospel of this Sunday, the Fifth of Easter, proposes a twofold commandment of faith: to believe in God and to believe in Jesus. In fact, the Lord said to his disciples: “Believe in God, believe also in me” (Jn 14:1). They are not two separate acts but one single act of faith, full adherence to salvation wrought by God the Father through his Only-begotten Son.
 
The New Testament puts an end to the Father's invisibility. God has shown his face, as Jesus’ answer to the Apostle Philip confirms: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). With his Incarnation, death and Resurrection, the Son of God has freed us from the slavery of sin to give us the freedom of the children of God and he has shown us the face of God, which is love: God can be seen, he is visible in Christ.
 
St Teresa of Avila wrote: “the last thing we should do is to withdraw from our greatest good and blessing, which is the most sacred humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. The Interior Castle, 6, ch. 7). Therefore, only by believing in Christ, by remaining united to him, may the disciples, among whom we too are, continue their permanent action in history: “Truly, truly, I say to you,” says the Lord, “he who believes in me will also do the works that I do” (Jn 14:12).
 
Faith in Jesus entails following him daily, in the simple actions that make up our day. “It is part of the mystery of God that he acts so gently, that he only gradually builds up his history within the great history of mankind; that he becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries and by the decisive forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that, having risen again, he chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the disciples to whom he reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the doors of our hearts and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him” (Jesus of Nazareth II, 2011, p. 276).
 
St Augustine says that “it was necessary for Jesus to say: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (Jn 14:6) because once the way was known, the end remained to be known” (cf. In Evangelium Iohannis Tractatus, 69, 2: CCL 36, 500), and the end is the Father. For Christians, for each one of us, hence, the way to the Father is to allow ourselves to be guided by Jesus, by his word of truth, and to receive the gift of his life. Let us make St Bonaventure’s invitation our own: “Open, therefore, your eyes, lend your spiritual ear, open your lips and dispose your heart, so that you will be able to see, hear, praise, love, venerate, glorify, honour your God in all creatures” (Itinerarium mentis in Deum, i, 15).
 
Dear friends, the commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ, “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6), is the main task of the Church. Let us invoke the Virgin Mary that she may always assist the Pastors and those in the different ministries to proclaim the Good News of salvation, that the Word of God may be spread and the number of disciples multiplied (cf. Acts 6:7)
 
 
– Pope Benedict XVI, Regina Caeli on May 22, 2011
 
Christ is Risen!  He is Risen, Indeed!
 
Happy Easter! 
 
The Regina Caeli of the Fifth Sunday of Easter given by Pope Benedict XVI highlights the reality of our faith in Jesus Christ – to believe in the Son of God is to believe in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Citing the wisdom of Saint Teresa of Avia, Saint Augustine, and Saint Bonaventure, our Pope Emeritus invites us to consider the implications of our faith in the Lord, how our creed must directly impact our manner of life. 
 
It remains my hope that each of you are deepening your life of faith, even in these strange days.  That no matter our circumstances or state in life, this moment continues to allow you to renew your relationship with the Lord Jesus.  Once again, I propose that these unique days are a surprising moment of retreat, just as I  did in previous weeks.  The guide of our Lenten Retreat continues to be helpful – prayer, listening to the Word of God, and penance.  This sure method will increase our life of grace even as we engage the weeks of Easter.  I encourage you to begin each day anew, no matter how yesterday went especially as we confront the temptations of our isolations.  In this Month of May we can engage the Rosary with renewed conviction, renewed vision, to make our habit of prayer a time of companionship with the Mother of God as we seek Jesus Christ.  Further, we cannot loose sight of the primacy of the Bible – the Sacred Scriptures, God’s own Word – in our life of faith.
 
We are Easter People, may each of us trust in Jesus Christ and live accordingly.
 
 
 
Sunday, a day set apart for the Worship of God

Let us remain faithful to the precepts of the Word of God, keeping this day as our Sabbath.  First  I would reference my post from earlier in Lent – “To whom shall we go?” – it has a bunch of suggestions, links, and helps.
 
Further, I would suggested either participating in a live-stream Holy Mass (there is always EWTN, among others) or prayerfully reading the Scriptures of the Day – here is an at home liturgy with prayers and readings – and, be sure to pray a Spiritual Communion. Also, it is May, so please make time for the Rosary.
 
And… there is always Fr. Mike Schmitz – for insightful videos and Holy Mass – as well as the YouTube Channel of The Diocese of Harrisburg.
 
From Red to Yellow

In these first days of transitioning as a County, and a region, from the ‘Stay-At-Home’ order to a status of reduced limitations while remaining vigilant to maintain social distancing.  The ‘Yellow Phase’ is not a return to normal, not by any means.  Please, I urge each of you for your own health and so that we are able to enjoy the benefits of our many weeks of isolation proceed with caution during this limited release in the midst of this difficult public health crisis.  If we fail to navigate this phase with caution we risk the infection, suffering, and death of many persons.
 
Also, as many of you are aware, the Diocese of Harrisburg has issued updated Liturgy and Sacrament Guidelines that impact many aspects of Parish Life once a County is designated by Governor Wolf to enter the ‘Yellow Phase.’  In these past days, I have diligently taken up the efforts of reading, processing, researching, and discernment in light of these new guidelines and the many factors of concern in our present moment.  These guidelines impact Holy Mass, the opening of the Church, the Sacrament of Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and Pastoral Visits – to say that they are comprehensive would be accurate.  Further, Bishop Gainer has permitted a great deal of latitude to Pastors to implement these guidelines as appropriate and prudent in Parishes, certainly this phase will have a diversity of applications in the coming weeks due to a various considerations unique to each community.  Our current situation is marked by an abundance of new and uncertain elements, adjustments will need to made as we figure out what will and what will not work.  Yes, I have consulted with priests in the Diocese, researched the recommendations of experts and the recommendations of many Public Agencies, and I am drafting a first plan of action that I hope will be responsible: balancing the most important canonical, theological, public health, and practical issues.  Please pray for me and all of the Pastors as we determine how to best implement these guidelines in each of our Parishes during these unprecedented times.
 
 
Pray for the Little Sisters of the Poor and Religious Liberty

The Little Sisters of the Poor again find themselves in court defending their community against attempts to force Catholic religious to violate their conscience. The Supreme Court of the United States hears oral argument this past week in the case of Little Sisters of the Poor v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Additionally, the Court will hear oral argument on May 11 in the consolidated cases of Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel. These cases involve the right of Catholic schools, free of government interference, to choose teachers who will teach and model the Catholic faith.  More information on this case and its implications on Religious Liberty can be found here.
 
 
 
Christ is Risen!  He is Risen, Indeed!
 
 
 
Know of my prayers for you, please pray for me!
 
Father Wilke
 
Saint Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, pray for us!