BLOG: Julian Paparella
Have you ever asked yourself the question: who did Jesus go to see first after rising from the dead? We know that when the disciples arrived at the tomb first thing on Easter morning, Jesus was not there. Where did He go? Saints over the centuries have said that He probably went to see His ...read more
Have you ever imagined the moment when Jesus rose from the dead? The Gospels don’t tell us anything about the actual moment of the resurrection. We know the disciples found the tomb empty on Easter Sunday. But what must it have been like the moment Jesus came back to life, when His body went from ...read more
Have you ever felt stuck in the dark, longing for some new light to shine in your life? Jesus knows what it’s like to feel trapped in the darkness. That’s what He experienced on the night of Holy Thursday, as he waited to be put on trial and condemned. So too, Jesus comes to sit ...read more
What is the resurrection? Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the resurrection of Jesus, three days after his death. This is what we celebrate every year at Easter. It is also what we celebrate every Sunday, the day of the resurrection! ...read more
What do we celebrate at Easter? The whole mystery of Easter can be summarized in a simple phrase: God stretches out his hands. God stretches out His hands between the Cross and the Resurrection, between death and life, between heaven and earth, uniting all of humanity with Himself.  ...read more
What is the connection between synodality, Lent, and Easter? In what sense is our journey through Lent and Easter synodal? The answer can be summarized by two key ideas: “walking together” and “transformation.”  ...read more
As we journey once again through this season of Lent, let us take a moment to ask ourselves: What is the meaning of Lent?  ...read more
As we celebrate 10 years of Pope Francis, our minds go back to the evening of March 13, 2013, when he first appeared on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. ...read more
Yesterday marked one year after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. We can ask ourselves: what can we do? We are not political leaders who can hold summits or peace talks. We aren’t soldiers on either side of the battlefield. We may feel distant or helpless before the tragic events that have unfolded these past ...read more
What is your reaction when you receive a gift from someone? Do you ever wish they had gotten you something else? Does it sometimes make you feel obligated to give them something in return?  How beautiful it is when a gift doesn’t make us feel disappointed or obligated but deeply grateful, wanting to give in ...read more