Posts by Fr. Rich (Page 20)

How many of us do what the two sons in today’s Gospel did? We say we will do something and then don’t. Or we say no, then have pangs of conscience, and go and fulfill the task. How many times have we done this with our faith? I’m going to get to Mass; I’m going to pray more often; I’m going to be a kinder person. We’ve made these promises and we’ve broken them when something better comes along. We’ve…

Just wanted to say Thank You to the Golf Committee who ran an enjoyable and successful golf tournament last week. It was beautiful day, weatherwise, and a fun day golfing and even winning some prizes. Thank you to the Committee for an outstanding job, the Farda Family for the use of Hideaway Hills Golf Course and the sixty golfers who played.

From “Living with Christ” It’s just not fair! Like children who bemoan being denied something that has been afforded another, we all intermittently rail against God for not getting our just desserts. Why did this faithful, God-loving, and generous person get stuck with cancer, lose a job, or get rear-ended in traffic while another who appears completely arrogant, inconsiderate, and self-absorbed didn’t? Like laborers in the vineyard we challenge God about the perceived inequity of our situation. It’s hard to…

Forgiveness is the topic of the day. A nice word. A great gesture. What we are called to do? But also what can be so overwhelming to truly accomplish. September 11, 2001 is a day we cannot forget. It is a day that congers up feelings of retaliation and hate. It is a day that truly challenges us in forgiveness! How can we forgive? How can we let go? In the human realm, we cannot. But in the spiritual realm…

Whenever anything happens, it immediately becomes public. Social media, cell phone cameras all contribute to sharing with the world all that happens. Now everyone passes judgement on what they see. But no one really knows all that has happened. Jesus said go privately to the person that has hurt you. Then take one or two others, then go to the community of believers. In each instance, our motivation should be love and reconciliation, not rash judgement, retaliation and condemnation. The…

We had or parish picnic last week. For all those who attended, it was a great time. Thank you to the Knights of Columbus who came and helped set up the area. We were entertained by Joe Franzo our DJ and caller for some of the Bingo games. Everyone enjoyed the foods, hot dogs and burgers cooked on the grill by Mike Castrogiovanni. And all served by our volunteers and led by and organized by Karen Miller and her husband…

Do we judge by our own standards or by God’s? That is the question to Peter in today’s Gospel and to us. Fear dictates many of our responses in life, like the pandemic, racial issues, and even what we would like to do to help others. Fear is exclusive and causes us to shy away from others and from doing what we know is the right thing to do. The opposite of fear is Love. Jesus loved us so much…

“Who do you say I am?’ Jesus asked Peter in today’s Gospel. Peter answered with great authority: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” With that Jesus called Peter the “Rock” and said he would lead the Church. What would be your answer to that same question? Would you call Jesus YOUR Savior and YOUR God? Or would He just be generically, the God and Savior? How personally do we take our faith? How far do we…

Thank you to all who bought the raffle tickets this year. We were unable to run the Bazaar but we did what we could with the raffle tickets and food sales. It was really great that so many people came forward to purchase these tickets and buy some of the homemade foods. We didn’t make what we would usually have at the Bazaar, but we did well, I think. Between the raffle tickets and food sales, we were able to…

When I read today’s Gospel about the Canaanite woman wanting Jesus to cure her daughter who was being tormented by a demon, I think about how I pray to Jesus. Do we pray to Jesus only when we want something? Or does our prayer start with the recognition that Jesus has already provided us with so much? When we offer our petition to the Lord, is it a demand or a plea. The Canaanite woman seemed to demand Jesus’ attention.…

THANK YOU to all the women and men who came out to make the pierogi and halupki for our Bazaar food sale. Despite social distancing and wearing masks, everyone had a good time and a lot of work was acomplished. Thank you for your support!

It is I, Jesus says to Peter in the Gospel as he attempts to walk on the water to Jesus. When you focus on the story, the common element is the revelation of who Jesus really is. He is the one whom the wind and the seas must obey, the Master over chaos. When we find ourselves on troubled waters, we can take courage: the Lord is near, even sharing the humble boat of our humanity. If we had the…