Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an

apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization using media both old and

new to share the faith on every continent and to facilitate an encounter with

Christ and His Church. The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring

the transformative power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today we invite

you to join Bishop Robert Barron as he preaches the gospel and shares the

warmth and light of Christ with each one of us.

Peace be with you. Friends on this second Sunday Easter, Mercy Sunday. We read

from the magnificent 20th chapter of John's gospel. St. John of course is a

theological and spiritual genius but also a literary genius in all his

powers. Aron display in this account of the risen Jesus. If we have the eyes to

see we can spy in this story the whole of the Christian spiritual life. Look

out open. On the evening of that first day of the week, John's gospel is very

attentive to the book of Genesis, lots of connections and overtones and

undertones. The first day of the week, the first day, that's a day of creation

when God said let there be light and there was light. This resurrection day is a

day of new creation when the whole cosmos now under God's grace is renewed, is

restored, recreated. Let there be light. Yes, on that first day but now the one

who said, I'm the light of the world will appear in his risen life. Now where

are they the disciples? Well they're gathered in fear in the upper room. You

can only imagine of course after the death of Jesus how traumatic it must have

been for the followers of Jesus. They must have thought, well they'll be

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