Posts by Fr. Rich (Page 3)

Three clergymen were deep in a discussion of the best positions for praying while a telephone repairman worked nearby. “Kneeling is definitely best,” claimed one. “No,” another contended. “I get the best results standing with my arms outstretched to heaven.” “You’re both wrong,” the third argued. “The most effective prayer position is lying on the floor face down.” The telephone repairman could contain himself no longer. “Hey, guys,” he interrupted, “the best praying I ever did was hanging upside down…

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to “pray always”. How can anyone pray “always”? We have to sleep or we will become “weary”. We have to work. We have to eat. How can we “pray always”? The fact that what Jesus says might seem impossible should tell us that He is trying to get us to think differently about what it means to pray, let alone “pray always.” Like today’s parable, God wants us to bring our problems and sufferings…

Reading today’s Gospel challenges us to think about how often we say “thank you” or show appreciation in some way to someone who has helped us, been kind to us or simply been with us sharing their time and interest. These actions can bring some healing to the “Leprosy” which may not be a physical illness but a loneliness and a separation from life and fellow human beings, which afflicts many people. I am sure we have come across people,…

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…