o, who do you pray to?  I know – you pray to God, but how do you understand God?  Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. As we profess in our creed, we believe in one God, the Father almighty, in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son and in the Holy Spirit.  One God in three persons, in perfect communion with one another.  It is, indeed, a mystery of our faith and, as we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “[t]he mystery of the Most […]

We speak of Pentecost as the birthday of the Church.  It’s a very important event for all of us who follow Jesus.  We even have a stained glass window featuring the Pentecost event; you’ll find it in the back of the church to your left.  Just as the Passover event marked the birth of Judaism, so Pentecost marks the birth of Christianity.  As you know, we Christians are the spiritual descendants of the Jews and so many of our important celebrations represent the fulfillment of the promises made to the […]

We’re all familiar with the story we heard in tonight’s first reading.  It’s easy to pass it off as just another cute story but it is important to understand its significance in our Salvation History and the lesson it teaches us.  The account of the Tower of Babel is one of the mythical stories we find in the Book of Genesis.  And remember, these are legendary stories that teach us about God.  This one explains why there were so many languages in the world.  It follows the stories of Adam […]

If you knew that the prayers you offered up today would be among your last, what would you pray for?  Wouldn’t you focus on your highest priorities and most heartfelt desires – for yourself, for those dear to you?  That’s what Jesus did.  Our gospel passage today is part the last major prayer Jesus offered before his arrest and crucifixion.  He had just spent three years in intense ministry with his disciples.  Thousands of people had heard his message and seen and experienced his miracles.  By his death, he would […]

I’m not sure how many of you still carry change with you.  I just keep some quarters in my car in case I need one for a parking meter.  I took one of those quarters and have it here; I’m sure you’re all familiar with it.  If you have one with you, I invite you to take it out and look at it.  On the front, you will notice an image of George Washington, the first president of our great country.  And, what’s on the back of the coin?  Now, […]

I don’t know about you, but I frequently feel a heaviness in my heart these days as I reflect on so many events that unfold around us.  We’ve just passed the terrible milestone of 1 million deaths known to be caused by COVID-19 in our country; the number is in the millions around the world.  We’re all gripped by the ongoing war in Ukraine, where unknown thousands have been killed.  And just yesterday, our nation was rocked, once again, by a mass shooting, one more time in an elementary school […]

Everyone is familiar with the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  This well-known dictum has ancient roots, perhaps dating back to an Egyptian morality play written in 1800BC, and clearly seen in the Book of Leviticus, written about 450 years before Christ.  In fact, some version of the Golden Rule is found in all of the major world religions and in most philosophies.  In Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, we see it mentioned as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.  It’s […]

It’s so good to see you children who are about to receive Holy Communion for the first time, all dressed up and excited.  I’m sure you parents are thrilled to see them dressed up; that doesn’t happen very often.  I’m delighted that so many members of your family are here, as well, and I hope you know that all of us – everyone here at Mass – is praying for you as you take this important step in being even more a part of our worshiping community.  On this Mother’s […]

It’s so good to see you children who are about to receive Holy Communion for the first time, all dressed up and excited.  I’m delighted that so many members of your family are here, as well, and I hope you know that all of us – everyone here at Mass – is praying for you as you take this important step in being even more a part of our worshiping community.  We have this wonderful tradition here in our parish of celebrating First Holy Communion at the regularly scheduled Sunday […]

“Peace be with you.”  Three times in today’s Gospel, we hear the risen Lord assure his disciples with these comforting words: “Peace be with you.”  And, although this greeting of peace, “Shalom,” was a common expression among the Jewish people of his day – as it still is today – it had taken on a much deeper meaning for the followers of Jesus who had just gone through three days filled with anything but peace.  It made them think of our Lord’s words of encouragement to them just a few […]