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 […]
SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE
On this, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Church calls us to reflect on the kingship of Jesus Christ. His kingship is anticipated in the anointing of David as the king of Israel. In today’s first reading at Mass from 2 Samuel, we hear the Lord God say to David, “You shall shepherd my people Israel.” And, in the Gospel passage from Luke, we hear the Jewish rulers, who have just succeeded in having Jesus crucified, taunt him with “If you are the King of the Jews, […]
THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
We’re fast coming to the end of yet another liturgical year. Next Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King, is the last Sunday of this liturgical year; the following Sunday is already the first Sunday of Advent! And, as you know, each liturgical year features one of the three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark or Luke. This year, we’ve heard from the Gospel according to Luke. As we have heard so clearly in this gospel, Jesus is the hope of the world. No matter what, no matter […]