The resurrection of Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, create community.  The first letter of Peter proclaims our new birth in baptism.  Birth means we belong to someone.  We eagerly claim our relationship to the crucified and risen one.

Resurrection is real; we just have a hard time perceiving it.  Resurrection, in fact, is a challenge held out to us.  Do we accept the challenge?  Do we submit to the dying that is necessary if we are to rise?

"What is truth?"  Pilate doesn't know.  Pilate very likely doesn't want to know.  Truth includes an acknowledgment of human suffering.  Jesus in his death does this very thing.

Through the Passover, and then through the Eucharist, ancient memories are alive and active in our midst, helping us to "remember forward" regarding our dignity and our call from God to service.

I was a bit distracted on Palm Sunday and did not manage to record a homily.  This is a summary.

"If I can survive death, I can survive anything."  But how does one survive death?  Jesus himself succumbed to death -- but this death was the conquest of death.  The raising of Lazarus prepares us to celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

Recorded while I was having my car worked on -- there may be some background noises.

On Laetare Sunday, I was looking for a "respite" from this sorry winter we've been experiencing.  On that particular day, the temperatures got up around 70.  I'm uploading this the following Tuesday, and we've been hit with several inches of blowing snow.  Maybe I should have prayed for more than a respite.