Posts by Fr. Rich (Page 11)

Behold the Lord will come, prepare His way, make straight His path. . . John [the Baptist] knows that God is preparing something very great, something for which he is to be the instrument; and he himself points in the direction that the Holy Spirit shows him. We know much more now about what it was that God had in mind for humanity. We know Christ and His Church, we have the sacraments. The doctrine of salvation has been perfectly…

We wish to extend  our congratulations  to Steven Miller  who will be  ordained a  Permanent Deacon  in the Diocese of Scranton this Saturday at St. Peter’s Cathedral. Steve, and his wife Karen, serve the parish as lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, members of the  Contemporary Choir, and the various societies. We welcome Steve into the clerical state as he will continue to serve in our parish as a permanent deacon,  joining Deacon Len Jinselli. Steve will serve at all the Masses on…

The Christophers have a saying: “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Today we begin the season of Advent and we light one candle – the candle of Hope. It is a small dim light against a world that often seems forbidding and dark. But we light it because we are a people of hope. It is a hope that we can spread through the actions of our lives. As we watch commercials and see…

A teenager got mad at her parents because they never gave her the things she wanted or needed. So she decided to leave home and go out on her own. She packed her bags. Her parents saw her and said the suit case is theirs, the phone is the daughters but the service will now stop, hope you have a place to stay and plans for meals. She decided to stay home. Do we realize the blessings and graces God…

When Mother Teresa had to make a speech, she did not use notes or read from a prepared text. To get ready, she would simply withdraw to a church or chapel or other quiet place for a few minutes and pray. Then, when the time for her talk came, she always found the words she needed—in fact, her brief and simple words usually went to the heart of the matter and displayed great spiritual depth and wisdom. “Remember,” Jesus told…

This past week we celebrated the Feast of All Saints and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. These two celebrations together remind us of our own destiny, the promise of eternity, and the hope of enjoying the blessed vision of God’s presence forever in heaven. During November, as the earth itself seems to be dying all around us, we take time to remember those who have gone before us “marked with the sign of faith.” We offer special Masses…

Today’s Gospel tells us about Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector, who was curious to see Jesus. He was short in stature and knew he would not be able to see over the crowds. So he went out of his way to climb a tree just to see Jesus who then said I must stay at your house. That meeting changed his life. What would you do to see Jesus? Well, you don’t have to climb a tree, just come to…

In today’s Gospel: who is the bad guy and who is the good guy? The Pharisee who didn’t go away justified was the one who knew the scriptures and lived them to the letter. They taught them to others. They defended the faith and when their country was overthrown they were martyred for that faith. The publican was the sinner who took resources away from the average person through over taxing, and he walked away justified. Why? That’s the question…

Be persistent in prayer is what Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel. But in today’s society, persistence isn’t what we do. We want answers immediately. Such as, I said a prayer this morning and by noon, nothing happened. I guess God isn’t listening! What are we looking for? What kind of answer do we expect? Prayer is our means of creating a relationship with God. In our relationship, our lives are being transformed. We go from wanting something that we…

This message comes as we are trying to end the Covid-19 isolation – our own leper experience of being isolated from society. But as we come back from all this, have we taken the time to show our appreciation? For some it may have been food supplies, some stimulus checks, others live streaming Masses, and still others a phone call simply to check if all is okay. Have we expressed our thanks for these and other things provided us? In…

“Supersize that meal” is what we say at our favorite fast food place. That means more fries and a larger soda. But to Supersize our faith is not the same as the Apostles in today’s Gospel find out. Faith is not about size or quantity as Jesus points out when He says, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can tell that tree to be uprooted and replanted in the sea. And it would obey you.”…

RESPECT LIFE WEEKEND is this weekend. Life is a precious gift from God. We are to live it fully, nurture it daily, and protect it always. Look, through the eyes of faith, at life all around you. See a women carrying her unborn child, a new life so precious. See a disabled person, maybe struggling to move about, but grateful to be alive. See an elderly person and see someone with great wisdom through their life experiences. See that everyday…