Posts from 2025 (Page 2)

Our theme for Respect Life Month is “Life: Our Sign of Hope”, which ties into this year’s Jubilee Year of Hope. Our ethic of life in the Catholic faith affirms that every human being bears the image of God and is deserving of dignity and respect. From the unborn child in the womb, to the person on death row in prison, from the elderly person in a nursing home or our neighbor who is struggling with mental health issues, poverty…

We are all rich enough to share our blessings with others. God has blessed each one of us with wealth or health or special talents or social power or political influence or a combination of many blessings. Today’s Gospel parable invites us to share what we have been given with others in various ways instead of using everything exclusively for selfish gains. We need to remember that sharing is the criterion of Last Judgment. When we face that judgement day,…

Today’s readings remind us that we are God’s stewards, and that God expects faithful and prudent stewardship from us. They challenge us to use our God-given talents and blessings, like wealth, wisely to attain Heavenly bliss. We need to be faithful in the little things of life: St. John Chrysostom’s said, “Faithfulness in little things is a big thing,” and Mother Teresa said, “Do little things with great love.” Hence, let us not ignore doing little things, like acknowledging a…

A young man, who, like many, felt the weight of life’s challenges. He saw the cross as a symbol of suffering, a burden he didn’t want to carry. He avoided anything that resembled sacrifice or hardship, preferring comfort and ease. He saw the cross on others, in their struggles and sacrifices, and felt a sense of resentment towards it, for he believed that this suffering was something imposed upon them not something they would choose. One day, during the Feast…

To be a Disciple of Jesus requires 100 percent of our life. Half measures will never do. That is what we hear in today’s Gospel of the “good-enough Christian: one who meets the minimum requirements of Church membership.” Good- enough isn’t good enough. Being the Body of Christ makes us sharers in the life of Jesus! And he was never known to do things halfway. If our intention is to follow Jesus, we have to be thoughtful about the size…

I wish to take this space to express my gratitude to all those who worked long and hard to make our parish Homecoming Bazaar a success. A Bazaar of this size just doesn’t happen overnight. Many people gathered months before to express their ideas and plan this year’s event. Those plans were put into motion by those same people, making contacts in and around town. Sponsors were solicited so that our tents would be affordable. Raffle Tickets were organized and…

The venerable Bishop Fulton J. Sheen tells us that we will have three surprises in Heaven. The first surprise: We will be surprised to see that many people we expected to be in Heaven are not there. St. John of the Cross gives the reason why they are not there: “At the evening of our life, we shall be judged on how we have loved.” The second surprise: We will be surprised to see that the people we never expected…

The weather was beautiful, the workers were ready and enthusiastic, the foods were delicious, the games were fun and the prizes were really nice. That says we had a great Bazaar. I just wanted to say Thank You to all those who participated in this year’s festival. From Denise Brosnan, chair person, to all those who made this a success: set-up & clean-up crews, cooks, Rocco, Gio & Vince, the servers, the games attendants, the security people, and the entertainment.…

When I first read this Gospel many years ago, I was really taken aback. Is Jesus condemning us to the fires of hell? Is He pitting us against each other to cause havoc? It really didn’t make any sense! Then I started to pray with this particular Gospel. And as I did, I realized that the fire that Jesus speaks about is the Gospel – it’s the Word of God. It challenges us to live our faith, not just say…

Last weekend I gave my homily about what is needed and what we want in our lives. After those Masses and finishing up the bazaar, I started to reflect on what I have. Last week and weekend, I saw so many people gathering to help at our annual bazaar. Could we have used more, always. But those who were here worked, enjoyed themselves, and did a great service for the Church. That made me realize what I (we) have here…

Our Gospel message today invites us to share our blessings with others. The parable of the rich fool gives us a warning as well as an invitation. It reminds us that our possessions are merely lent to us by God, and that we are accountable for their use. We must be generous in sharing our time, our treasure, and our talents, the three elements of Christian stewardship. Every one of us is rich in one thing or another. The parable…

This coming weekend is our annual Homecoming Bazaar. It is called Homecoming because so many people, who have moved away, come back to the parish for the bazaar. It could be for the homemade foods and delicacies. But more so, it is for meeting old friends and acquaintances. The Bazaar is more than a parish fund- raiser. It is an event where our parishioners come together make new friends, welcome visitors and guests, have a good time, and truly come…