THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” We tend to think that Jesus endured a trial only at the end of his life before the Sanhedrin and the Roman leaders. But, if we read the Gospels more carefully, we see that Jesus was on trial for the entirety of his public ministry, from friend and foe alike. Every time he did or said something – healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins, asserted that he was one with God – we hear […]
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
You will notice that the two Christmas trees that had been filled with tags for women’s and children’s gifts at Mercy Hospice, as well as local people in need are gone – so are all the tags! Over the past few weeks, so many of you have so generously taken the tags and returned with gifts for these needy women and children whom you will probably never meet; in their name, I want to thank you! Let me also thank those of you who filled the school cafeteria recently with […]
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
“John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Notice where John is preaching: not in downtown Jerusalem but in the desert. That’s a place where God often is found to form his people. Remember, God called Abraham from his ancestral lands where he was a prosperous farmer and merchant, to dwell in the Negev, a desert region on the shores of the Dead Sea. God called the people Israel to leave Egypt, […]
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
This Monday we will join with the universal Church in celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a holy day of obligation and we will celebrate Mass at 6:00pm on Sunday evening as well as at 6:30, 8:00am, 12:10 and 7:00pm on Monday; I hope you will be able to join us for this important celebration of our faith.
Mary enjoys many wondrous titles but this one is of particular importance. In fact, it is so significant that it is under this title that […]
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
As you probably know, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, is in the middle of his first apostolic journey abroad since his election in May. He began his journey with a visit to Turkey to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. This celebration marked a very important moment in Church history when the Nicene Creed was written; we will recite it together in just a few moments. He has now gone on to Lebanon where, as he had already been doing in Turkey, he has been meeting […]
THE SEASON OF ADVENT/RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS COLLECTION
THE SEASON OF ADVENT
“Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44).
With these words, our Lord helps to prepare us for his coming. As we begin a new liturgical year today, the First Sunday of Advent, allow me to reflect on the season of Advent and the Gospel of Matthew (from which we will hear extensively during this liturgical year).
We human beings cannot live without hope. As far as we know, we are the only ones among the animals […]