Monday in the Octave of Easter

1. Lectio

“They went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news…”

It is a curious mixture—
fear and joy,
running and trembling,
touching and telling.

They clasp His feet—
and are immediately sent.

“Go and announce…”

Which suggests that resurrection
is not something to be possessed,
but proclaimed.

2. Meditatio

While walking through The Glenn,
I passed by a Red Bud tree in bloom.

And I heard it before I saw it—
a low, persistent hum.

Not noise, exactly—
but activity.

Upon closer inspection,
the tree was alive
with bees.

Countless bees—
moving with purpose,
with urgency,
with something that looked suspiciously like joy.

They were not wandering.
They were working.

Drawn by something unseen—
ultraviolet patterns,
subtle signals,
a hidden richness in the flower.

And then I remembered:

When a bee finds such a place,
it does not keep the discovery to itself.

It returns.

And there—
in the quiet democracy of the hive—
it performs a dance.

A “waggle dance,” they call it.

A strange, almost comical motion—
and yet, one of the most precise acts of communication in nature.

Direction.
Distance.
Delight.

All conveyed
so that others may come and see.

And I thought—
with some discomfort—

that this is exactly
what I am meant to do.

For my daily Lectio Divina
is, in truth,
a kind of waggle dance.

A small, imperfect, perhaps even slightly ridiculous attempt
to announce
where I have found something good.

And yet—
how often I hesitate.

How often I analyze, refine, delay—
as though the message needed perfection
before proclamation.

But the women at the tomb
did not compose a statement.

They ran.

Fearful—
and overjoyed.

Which may be the only proper way
to announce the resurrection.

3. Contemplatio (Chestertonian Synthesis)

Chesterton might say that the modern man is embarrassed by enthusiasm,
especially when it concerns something as outrageous as resurrection.

We prefer explanations
to exclamations.

We would rather dissect the flower
than dance about it.

And yet, the bee does not write a treatise.
It dances.

Because truth, when truly encountered,
demands expression
before it demands analysis.

The great scandal of Easter
is not merely that Christ is risen—
but that such a thing could be told
with joy.

The apostles do not begin as theologians—
they begin as witnesses.

And a witness, by nature,
must announce.

For what is seen
must be said.

And what is said
must be shared.

4. Oratio

5. Actio — In Light of Laudato Si’ and Synodality

…the world cannot be analyzed by isolating only one of its aspects, since “the book of nature is one and indivisible”, and includes the environment, life, sexuality, the family, social relations, and so forth. It follows that “the deterioration of nature is closely connected to the culture which shapes human coexistence”.[11]

Laudato si’ §6

Good News is not meant to remain hidden,
but to be lived and shared in community.

Today, I will:

• Share one word of encouragement or faith with someone else.
• Speak openly about where I have found hope.
• Walk synodally—recognizing that the journey of faith grows when it is shared.

For communion is not silent—
it is announced.

6. Song Pairing 🎵

🎶 “Birds and the Bees” – Dean Martin🎵

7. Movie Pairing 🎬

🎬Movie: “Bee Movie” (2007)

My Story

• Bishop Matthiesen, who rode the white horse of public activism even as he brought abusive priests into our diocese such as John Salazar—wounds that still mark us today. I spoke with him often, pleading with him to reconsider his “no regrets” about bringing those priests here…
• Bishop Yanta, who sought to enforce the Dallas Charter even when Bishop Matthiesen resisted him, and who bore the personal and pastoral cost of doing so. I met with Bishop Yanta about Bishop Matthiessen’s “no regrets” stance. He listened. He believed me. He acted where he could. And when he retired, he urged me—quietly but firmly—to keep speaking out.
• Bishop Zurek, who told the Diocese of Amarillo he had “no facts” about the Philadelphia report even as Amarillo’s connection to that tragedy was headline news. When I continued to speak out, as Bishop Yanta had once urged me to do, he later wrote that I was not among the faithful and loyal disciples whom the Lord Jesus desires.
• Bishop Daniel Cardinal DiNardo…

While we recognize your thoughtful suggestion for a renewed dialogue on Bishop Matthiesen, the present circumstances do not present an opportunity for it. I think it would foster division not dialogue. We remain confident in God’s providence and hopeful for what the future may bring.

from a letter dated March 5, 2026