Greetings from Texas!

I knew I wasn't in Chicago any more when I saw not just green grass (green! what a wonderful idea!), but wildflowers in the grass along the tarmac. "Oh, this is going to be nice," I said to myself. And as I write this from my sister's house, so far, so good!
I had plenty of time to pray on the plane, and spent it reflecting mostly on St. Paul. Something he wrote to the Corinthians (the second time around) resonated with today's readings in a particular way for me on this Easter Day: "We were so pressed as to feel our life was threatened, so that we might rely on God, who raises the dead." I think today's responsorial psalm, continuing the praises from Sunday, expressed Paul's thought: I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.
Does that mean that if we hope in the Lord, we will escape death? It didn't work out that way for Paul, but even now he "lives, declaring the works of the Lord."
In a way, that's the outcome I hope from Paul in this week of meetings on evangelization. Please pray for us! I will update the blog as opportunity and duty allow.