Jesus goes beyond the customs and religious sensibilities of his people. He reacts favorably to a forbidden touch and challenges death to give back a life.

God in Jesus calms even what seems like the most unconquerable disturbances, like storms at sea.

The readings this week show that what is small, hard to see, and even invisible can have vast importance. Whether it’s the tender shoot of the cedar tree or the tiny seed of the mustard plant, what seems slight now will become something mighty.

A psychologist explained something fascinating about shame: No one can put it inside us without our consent. Shame doesn’t enter from the outside but responds from the inside.

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ has a long history—as a devotion when few actually received Communion and as the subject of festive processions. Today we look to it as a celebration of the centrality of the Eucharist in our lives as Christians and Catholics.

The Christian ethicist Stanley Hauerwas has said, “Christianity is not beliefs about God plus behavior. We are Christians not because of what we believe, but because we have been called to be disciples of Jesus.

We hear different “giving of the Spirit” stories today: the spectacular events in the “upper room” and the risen Jesus’ breathing the Spirit on the disciples when he first appeared to them.

At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles Jesus did not ascend immediately; he spent a highly symbolic 40 days—reminiscent of his 40 days in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry—speaking to the apostles “about the kingdom of God.”

John Joseph, who received the 2001 Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award for his race relations and anitpoverty work while a student at Ole Miss, said in accepting his award, “Our love for others demonstrates that we recognize God’s love for us.”

Bearing witness to God's truth, having confidence in God's responsiveness, feeling connected to God's presence—these are gospel messages to contemplate.