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  Easter Saturday Gospel – Mark 16:9-15 Snap Out of It Franciscan Church, Abu Ghosh (Emmaus) A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you." The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me." So the rowboat went on. Then a motorboat came by. "The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."   So the motorboat went on. Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety."   To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."   So the helicopter reluctantly flew off. Soon the water rose ab...
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  Easter Friday Gospel – John 21:1-14 Sitting around the Campfire The Sea of Galilee at Capernaum Please forgive my sense of humor today but, in a different reality, today’s Gospel reads like a pilot episode for a new TV comedy.   A group of men return home to their village after 3 years on the road and they try to return to their former occupation – fishermen.   It doesn’t go well; they spend the whole night and catch nothing.   Then as dawn breaks, some joker on the beach (calling them children) yells to them to go fishing over there.   Yeah, right!   So they do and they catch a boatload.   One of them recognizes the guy on the beach as their dearest friend.   And what does Peter do – he jumps into the Sea and swims ashore, in his best version of Forrest Gump.   When they all get there, their friend has made a fire on the beach and has cooked them breakfast.   So they sit down and what do they talk about with this long-lost fri...
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  Easter Thursday - revisited Gospel – Luke 24:35-48 Peace Be With You Family Time It was many years ago!   We had just returned home from attending the funeral for my grandfather, my Pop Pop!   It was late at night and I was wide awake, staring at the TV but not really paying attention, and quietly (or so I thought) crying my eyes out over the loss of my dear Pop Pop!   And then our daughter, Jaime, barely 3 years old, came into the living room.   She climbed up onto my lap and asked me why I was crying.   I told her I was missing Pop Pop.   Then she gave me this big hug and said, “You don’t have to cry, Dad; Pop Pop is up in heaven.” How can I possibly add to that??   Seriously, out of the mouths of babes! The Apostles are all huddled together behind locked doors.   They are in fear for their lives and crushed under the weight of sorrow and sadness over the death of their Master.   And then Jesus appears to them.   With si...
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  Easter Wednesday Gospel – Luke 24:13-35 Chance Encounters Knoxville Airport A couple of days ago we did a bit of shopping at our little local Amish market.   As we loaded up on fresh baked goods and strawberries the size of your fist, I noticed the cashier was having a bad day.   At one point, the manager took her outside and, when she returned, she looked so angry and ready to burst into tears.   For whatever reason, she must have been chewed out by her boss. So when we finally got to the register and paid for our groceries, I just thanked her and told her I hope she has a good/better day.   That got just a bit of a smile from her and she brightened up, if only briefly. It made me think of all the chance encounters we have on a daily basis and how much a small gesture of kindness can make such a big difference. I’ve done a fair share of traveling these past 2 years, lots of frequent flyer miles to/from Chicago and Knoxville and I’ve crossed paths with...
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