News - From the Pastor

With the leave-taking of Easter we re-enter Ordinary Time to commemorate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. This Sunday’s commemoration, as well as next Sunday’s, is a celebration of Christian theology. Today we ponder the very being of God, our God who has revealed Himself in Three Divine Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is a community of Persons who invites us into this relationship so that we may have a share in His divine life. Those who long for God by living a virtuous life will ultimately experience this union in eternal life. However, even now we can experience union with God, in a different way, through the Eucharist. Every time we participate in the celebration and reception of the Holy Eucharist we enter into the very life of God. We become united with Him and are changed by Him. The Eucharist is the “doorway” by which we enter into the heavenly while still on earth.

We gather on this the Fifth Sunday of Easter to celebrate the Lord’s Day. In our reading from Acts of the Apostles we come to the account of the ordination of the first deacons. They were seven in number who were chosen to assist the Apostles in providing pastoral care for the “Hellenists.” This order was instituted to enhance the ministry of the Apostles so that all could be served in the name of Jesus. The ministry of the deacons began with service at the table but developed into much more. We find the Deacon Stephen preaching, and the Deacon Philip evangelizing and baptizing. It will be the Deacon Stephen who will become the first martyr, the first to die for Christ.

Today as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day we also observe the Fourth Sunday of Easter. This Sunday is traditionally called, “Good Shepherd Sunday” due to the Gospel reading coming from the 10th chapter of John in which our Blessed Lord refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. We find “pastoral” themes throughout the Liturgy of the Word: in the Scripture periscopes, Responsorial Psalm, Alleluia Verse, and the orations during the Mass.

Today is the Third Sunday of Easter and the Scriptural texts speak of the Risen Christ and His triumph over death. In the Gospel we hear the account of the Risen Christ’s walk with two disciples on their way to Emmaus. This event takes place on Easter Sunday afternoon as the despondent disciples flee Jerusalem seeking safety. Jesus, risen from the dead, appears and walks with them although they do not recognize Him. As they share their sorrow and confusion, the Risen Christ proclaims the Scriptures and interprets them. When they reach their destination they recognize the Risen Christ in the “breaking of the bread” and then He vanishes from their sight. As we consider what Jesus had done we see that this was the second time that the Holy Mass was offered. The Lord presides at the Liturgy of the Word; proclaiming the Scriptures and giving the homily. The Liturgy of the Eucharist takes place at the inn at Emmaus where the Lord does what He did at the Last Supper, “He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.” These Eucharistic gestures brought about recognition and faith. 

On this Octave Day of Easter I greet you with: CHRIST IS RISEN! Yes, this continues to be Easter Day and once again the Gospel reading takes us back to the first Easter Sunday and the Sunday which followed. The Second Sunday of Easter has traditionally been called “Saint Thomas Sunday” as a result of the Apostle Thomas who professed his faith in the Risen Lord on this day. More recently this day is called DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY as promulgated by Saint Pope John Paul II in honor of the Lord Jesus whose heart overflows with mercy and compassion for sinners. The mystical revelations made to Saint Faustina Kowalska, a 20th century Polish nun, testify to God’s great love for us shown in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Saint Faustina introduced the Chaplet of Divine Mercy which is prayed on the Rosary for both and living and the dead. We pray on each bead: FOR THE SAKE OF HIS SORROWFUL PASSION, HAVE MERCY ON US AND ON THE WHOLE WORLD. Yes, mercy and compassion are the gifts the Lord freely gives us when we approach Him in repentance. Saint Faustina was asked by the Lord to produce an image of Him as He appeared to her, pointing to His heart from which came two streams of red and white, blood and water. Beneath this holy image are the words: JESUS I TRUST IN YOU.

CHRIST IS RISEN! Truly He is risen! These were the words which were first spoken by the women disciples who went to the tomb of Jesus early on the first day of the week. Angels had announced this news to them. However, it was to Saint Mary Magdalene that the Risen Christ had first appeared and who told her to announce this news to His Apostles. These myrrh-bearing women brought the good news of Resurrection to Saint Peter and his confreres. The Apostles would bravely proclaim that CHRIST IS RISEN after the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Today we observe the Fifth Sunday of Lent as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day. The Scripture texts for this Sunday speak of LIFE and the triumph of life over the forces of death. The Apostle Paul reminds us through his Roman correspondence, “If the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.”  The Holy Spirit, given in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, brings life to us in this present time and empowers us to offer our lives to God so that we may one day share in heavenly glory.

s we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day we also mark the Fourth Sunday of Lent. In today’s liturgy we find the references to LIGHT and DARKNESS. Of course this is to remind us of the light associated with Christ and the darkness which is associated with sin. We are also reminded about the sacrament of baptism in which one is illuminated or enlightened by “putting on Christ.” Visioning as God sees is also a theme which comes through the sacred texts for this Sunday, “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.”

Today we mark the Third Sunday of Lent as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day. The symbol of water takes a prominent place in the Scriptural texts which are presented to us for our reflection. In the Gospel the Samaritan Woman meets Christ the Savior at the well in Nablus where He offers her “water welling up to eternal life.” As their dialogue continues she becomes amazed at what the Lord says and she sets out to share the news of what has been told her. Her testimony inspires others to meet the Lord Jesus and so they go forth to quench their spiritual thirst. In Church Tradition the Samaritan Woman is named PHOTIA, which means light. She is the evangelist who brings others to Christ by the power of her testimony. She had introduced her neighbors to Christ who now tell her, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Today we commemorate the Second Sunday of Lent as we celebrate the Lord’s Day. The Gospel reading for this Sunday is the account of the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus. As He was journeying with His Apostles to Jerusalem to accomplish the events which would bring salvation, Jesus stopped to show Peter, James and John a glimpse of heavenly glory for which they would be called to witness after His Holy Resurrection. The glory of heaven would only come after the suffering and death Jesus would endure to bring “life and immortality to light through the Gospel.”

On this first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, we observe the First Sunday of the Holy Season of Lent. We commence our Lenten journey by hearing the Gospel account of the Lord Jesus being tempted by the devil as he fasted and prayed in the desert following His baptism in the Jordan. This was the Lord’s retreat which prepared Him to begin His public ministry for the salvation of the world.

Coming together to celebrate the Lord’s Day we observe the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. We leave Ordinary Time this week with the beginning of Lent on Wednesday. Lent is the 40 days prior to Easter during which we actively engage in PRAYER, FASTING and ALMSGIVING. As we reflect upon the sufferings that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, endured for our salvation we are challenged to conversion and a change of heart. The disciplines of Lent (prayer, fasting and almsgiving) assist us in our responding positively to repentance. I will be reminding you during this holy season of the various opportunities we all have to reform our lives and become true disciples of Jesus Christ.  

Today is the Lord’s Day and the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the first lection from the Old Testament Book of Sirach we hear the words: “If you CHOOSE you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live…Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he CHOOSES shall be given him.” The Old Testament author is reminding us that the Lord God has given us the gift of FREE WILL, we can choose and God does not interfere. The Lord desires us to make choices which will keep us close to Him but unfortunately many times we make choices which separate ourselves from Him who is all-good. The laws of God, the Commandments, have been given to us as a sign of our committed relationship of love with our Creator. These precepts are not burdensome but rather are liberating, freeing us to live our lives in accord with the Lord’s design.

Today we celebrate the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, the day on which the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. This is also the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The word “LIGHT” appears in the reading from Isaiah the Prophet, in the Gospel reading from Matthew, in the Responsorial Psalm and in the Gospel Acclamation. Its presence in the liturgy of the Word is prominent and revelatory. Jesus said that He is “the LIGHT of the world,” and indeed He is.

Coming together on “the first day of the week” we celebrate the Lord’s Day and the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The reading of the Holy Gospel at today’s Mass begins with the words, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying…” What follows is the teaching on the “Beatitudes”, the call to holiness which the disciples (students) of Jesus are to incorporate into their lives. As disciples, we are LIFE LONG LEARNERS in the ways of God’s Kingdom. The teaching concludes with death. Our learning of God’s ways is to have an impact upon our lives so that we can make a difference in the world. Our witness in society will help to transform it into the city of God.

As we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day we also observe the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. In today’s Gospel reading the Evangelist Matthew tells us about the call of the first Apostles, Peter and his brother Andrew, as well as the two brothers, James and John. The Lord Jesus says to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” This call to ministry is especially directed to those called to the sacrament of Holy Orders. Bishops, priests and deacons share in the work Christ had called His first Apostles to undertake in the up-building of His Kingdom on earth. Throughout the Gospel we read how these closest collaborators with the Lord accompany Him and witness the works He accomplishes in word and deed. The Sacred Scriptures tell us that following the Lord Jesus’ Resurrection and Glorification, these men and their successors are authorized to minister in like manner.  

Today we celebrate the Lord’s Day and mark the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. The second lection for today’s Holy Mass is taken from the beginning of the First Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. We read: “…to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.” The Apostle reminds not only First Century Christians of their call to holiness but also 21st Century Christians as well. This call is a universal call, one which is extended to young and old alike.

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. This feast is traditionally observed on the 12th day of Christmas, January 6th, but with the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council now shifts to the Sunday closest to January 6th. This feast is also known as “Little Christmas” or “Three Kings Day”. This day marks the visit of the Magi, Gentiles from the East who came to worship the Christ Child. As the Gospel writer Matthew tells us they were guided to the Lord by following the light of the star which brought them to Bethlehem.

We gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day on this first day of the civil New Year 2017. Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. As we consider the Blessed Virgin Mary and her YES to God’s will we know that so many things were unknown to her.  The Lord did not reveal to Mary all that she would experience as a result of her YES. The joys and sorrows were all unknown, mysteries which she would experience in God’s own time. The Lord provided her with the strength to accept the plan He established which would win our salvation through her Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

TODAY we celebrate Christmas and the Lord’s Day!  The Western Church and some Churches of the East commemorate on this weekend the Nativity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We sing in the Responsorial Psalm for the vigil Masses, “Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.” It is this miracle of the Incarnation which set into motion the economy of salvation. The taking on of flesh of the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, has brought about the coming of the Kingdom of God. In Jesus the forces of evil are conquered and the reign of sin is dispelled,