A bonus episode for Easter! As we are in the midst of Easter, Holy Week, I wanted to offer a few reflections on Easter season, in this case a reflection on Palm or Passion Sunday, which has just passed, and on Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord, which will soon be with us. These reflections are both based on columns I wrote for America Magazine, columns that appeared in April 2014 in America Magazine and are available online today at America Media. They also appeared in the first of my three books of columns published by Liturgical Press, The Word on the Street: Sunday Lectionary Reflections, Year A.

The first reflection is Humble is He

Palm Sunday (A), April 13, 2014

Readings: Mt 21:1-11; Is 50:4-7; Ps 22:8-24; Phil 2:6-11; Mt 26:14-27:66

“He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:8)

The second is Risen in History

The Resurrection of the Lord Sunday (A), April 13, 2014

Readings: Acts 10:34-43; Ps 118:1-23; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9

“We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem.” (Acts 10:39).

A Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

This podcast emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement at St Mark’s College, the Catholic college at UBC, a centre that explores the Christian and Catholic intellectual tradition and seek to learn from others, other Christians, other religious traditions, and those who do not claim any particular or formal religious affiliation.

What Matters Most is produced by the Centre for Christian Engagement at St Mark’s College, the Catholic college at UBC. The CCE is a centre at St. Mark’s College that explores the Christian and Catholic intellectual tradition and seek to learn from others, other Christians, members of other religious traditions, and from those who do not claim any particular or formal religious affiliation. Our goal, then, is to talk to a lot of people, to learn from them, to listen to them, and to find out what motivates them, what gives them hope, what gives them peace, and what allows them to go out into the world to love their neighbors.

A few thanks are in order. To Martin Strong, to Kevin Eng, and to Fang Fang Chandra, the team who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.

I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.

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Thanks again for listening and remember what matters most.

John W. Martens

Director, Centre for Christian Engagement

Easter Reflections