Easter Season: Easter Sunday to Pentecost
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Fr. Nathan's Easter Season Reflections
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June 10
Pentecost marked the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit. Fifty days after Easter, the apostles were gathered in prayer when suddenly, like a driving wind, the Spirit descended upon them. Tongues of fire appeared and rested on each one. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they began proclaiming the mighty works of God in languages understood by people from every nation. What began in an upper room burst out into the streets. The Church was born—not in silence, but in power, praise, and mission.Read More -
June 2
The first reading this weekend from the Acts of the Apostles presents the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the Church’s first witness unto death. As he was being stoned by an enraged crowd, Stephen—filled with the Holy Spirit—lifted his eyes to heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. In his final breath, he echoed Jesus’s own words from the cross: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Among those witnessing this was a young man named Saul—who would later become Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles. This moment marked not just Stephen’s death, but the beginning of a Church willing to love to the point of sacrifice.Read More -
May 27
A major controversy erupted in the early Church: must Gentile converts follow the Mosaic law, including circumcision, to be saved? Paul and Barnabas debated the issue and were sent to Jerusalem to seek clarity. What followed was the first great council of the Church—the apostles and elders gathering to listen, pray, discern, and decide together. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they sent a letter back to the Gentile churches, affirming freedom from the Mosaic law while asking for a few necessary practices for unity. The message was clear: this is not a human decision alone- “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.”Read More -
May 17
After evangelizing in Derbe and making many new disciples, Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps through cities where they had faced opposition. They returned not to avoid danger but to strengthen the fledgling churches. They encouraged the believers to endure hardships and remain steadfast in faith. In each community, they appointed leaders, prayed, fasted, and entrusted them to the Lord. Finally, they returned to Antioch to report what God had done, especially how He opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. The Church was growing- not just in numbers but in faith, structure, and mission.Read More -
May 11In Antioch of Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas preached boldly in the synagogue. Many listeners were drawn to their message, but opposition quickly arose from some Jewish leaders. Undeterred, the apostles responded with prophetic clarity: the Gospel was first offered to the Jews, but now, since they rejected it, the Good News would go to the Gentiles. Paul quoted Isaiah’s prophecy, revealing their divine commission—to be “a light to the Gentiles.” The Gentiles rejoiced, the Word spread, but persecution intensified. The apostles, shaking the dust from their feet, left the city. And what remained? A community “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”Read More
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- Easter Season Reflection Questions
- Week One: Easter Sunday Questions
- Week Two: Divine Mercy Sunday Questions
- Week Three: Questions
- Week Four: Questions
- Week Five: Questions
- Week Six: Questions
- Week Seven: Questions
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This Easter Season, Father Nathan will be walking us through a series of reflections & devotional questions based on the Acts of the Apostles. We hope you will prayerfully contemplate the questions posed in each message.
Would you like to share your thoughts to the reflection questions & act as an inspiration for others to engage in conversation about Discipleship in our Parish? Will you, like Peter, identify yourself as a witness?
**If you would like to share your answers to any of the questions posed in this series:
· email responses to Lisa Cooper ([email protected]).
· Respond to only 1 question & indicate which question you’re responding to.
· Answer in less than 500 words.
**By submitting your thoughts, you give the Parish permission to use your submission in any of our communication pieces.
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Questions
- Peter says, “We are witnesses.” In what ways are you personally a witness to the Risen Jesus?
- How does your experience of Sunday Eucharist form you to live as a disciple during the week?
- What do you hope to gain from this Easter series through Acts?
- How can our parish become a community that makes the Resurrection visible in everyday life?
- What one step can you take this week to live more boldly as a witness to the risen Christ?
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Questions
- What does it mean for a parish to be a “field hospital”? Have you ever experienced the Church this way?
- How can our Sunday celebrations be more healing, welcoming, and merciful to those who are hurting?
- In what ways does your parish extend Christ’s mercy beyond the walls of the church building?
- What role do the Sacraments—especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist—play in your own experience of healing?
- Pope Francis speaks of the Church needing to go to the “peripheries.” Who in our community needs to feel the healing shadow of Christ through us?
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- Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men.” What might that look like in your life right now?
- Have you ever had to take a stand for your faith? What happened, and how did God show up in that moment?
- How does gathering on Sunday empower you to live boldly for Christ during the week?
- What might be holding us back from speaking the name of Jesus more freely in our daily lives?
- How can our parish become a place where bold, Spirit-led evangelization is a visible, joyful reality?
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- Paul and Barnabas turned outward when rejected. How can our parish respond when we face opposition or indifference?
- Who are the “Gentiles” in our context—those on the margins spiritually, socially, or culturally? How can we reach them?
- How does Sunday Eucharist send us forth into mission during the week?
- In what ways can we personally be “a light” to others in our daily lives?
- What steps can we take to become a more joy-filled, outward-moving parish community?
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Questions
- Paul and Barnabas returned to strengthen new disciples. How are we being called to walk with others in faith?
- In what ways does our parish intentionally form and support spiritual growth?
- What hardships have you faced in your journey of faith, and how have others helped you persevere?
- How can Sunday Eucharist become more than a moment—how can it form us into a mission-driven family?
- What gifts has God given you that you might use to build up the faith of others in our community?
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- What does the phrase “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us” teach us about how the Church discerns?
- How can our parish become a more listening and discerning community?
- What role does Sunday Eucharist play in helping us hear the Holy Spirit—both personally and as a Church?
- Where might God be calling us to unity in the midst of diversity?
- What does it look like to truly “walk together” in our parish—especially across differences?
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- Stephen forgave his killers. What does his example teach us about the power of forgiveness in today’s world?
- How does receiving the Eucharist on Sunday strengthen us to love others, even in the face of hardship or rejection?
- What might it look like to love so boldly in our own lives that others are changed by our witness?
- Where are we being called to offer radical love and mercy in our community?
- How can our parish become a place where sacrificial love is visible and transformative?