SUMMER PROJECTS UPDATE
It’s hard to believe that summer is coming to an end; I hope you’ve enjoyed some time for rest and relaxation! As we do every year, we have undertaken a number of projects throughout our parish facilities over the summer months. After addressing the ongoing leaks that have occurred in the parish center for more than a decade by patching the flat roof, we finally replaced it this summer. It was 26 years old and well beyond its life expectancy. This was one of the projects we had planned to […]
TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
The people of ancient Israel believed that they were God’s Chosen people; they were special and holy in God’s eyes. They were forbidden to associate with Gentiles. They were not to do business with them or even pass through their towns. And yet, we hear in all four of the Gospels that Jesus often associated with Gentiles. It was one of the many strikes against him by the time he was led out to the cross. But, it was also a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and clearly an essential […]
SOCIETY OF THE DIVINE WORD ANNUAL MISSIONARY COOPERATIVE
In this Sunday’s gospel account, we hear of Jesus healing the daughter of a Canaanite woman after declaring “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” (Mt 15:28). Even though Jesus had, at first, turned her away, explaining that “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” he acceded to the woman’s pleas due to her strong faith in him. Then, after his Resurrection, as he prepared to return to the Father, Jesus commanded his disciples to make […]
NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Last week, we heard in the gospel that Jesus fed the thousands after they followed him to a deserted place; you will recall that he had gone to this deserted place to pray. Today, we hear that, after he had fed the people, he dismissed them and even made his disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the lake so he could finally get some time to pray. He knew that he had to spend some time by himself to commune with his heavenly […]
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
This coming Saturday, 15 August, we will join with the universal Church in celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, into heaven. It is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year since it is celebrated on a Saturday. It will be celebrated at our regular 8:00am Mass on Saturday but, since it is the principal feast day of the Blessed Mother, I would like to offer you some reflections on it.
We in the Western Church celebrate the Solemnity of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary […]
EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” As we hear, once again, the well-known account of Jesus feeding the hungry crowds, I’d like to call your attention to this first line of today’s gospel account. Remember how it came about that John the Baptist died. He was beheaded at the whim of King Herod during a banquet that he was holding in his opulent palace to celebrate his birthday. Notice, Herod’s feast is marked by brutal […]
Catholic University of America Collection/Transfiguration of the Lord
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA COLLECTION
Last May, Pope Leo XIV promulgated his first encyclical letter. Entitled Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, it addresses familiar concerns about AI. The title, Latin for “magnificent humanity,” points to the document’s teaching that no machine can replace the God-given magnificence of the human person. Pope Leo writes: “We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace” (§15).
This […]