Pastor’s Post (Page 17)

Veterans are among the many heroes who deserve our respect and remembrance, thanks to their service. One of the ways that we respect those who make sacrifices for our country is by remembering them each year on Memorial Day. Thank a Veteran. Visit the grave of a deceased Veteran. Or at least say a prayer for them: “All Powerful God,We honor today those men and women—Our sons and daughters,Husbands and wives,Fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers—Who have laid down their life for…

Happy Birthday! We think of Pentecost as the birthday of the Church. The Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and they went sharing the word of God and all understood them in their native language. It began the Church. You have received the Holy Spirit at Baptism and its fulness at Confirmation. Do people understand you when you speak of Jesus and faith – and I don’t mean different languages? Do others feel your faith expressed in your words and…

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is praying for his apostles. It reminds us of our prayer. Do we pray? What do we do when we pray? To me, it’s simply talking to God. We speak as if talking to a friend. No fancy phrases required. We should be open and honest, saying what is on our minds and in our hearts. Whether we are happy or sad, hopeful or depressed, upset or at peace, we can share our feelings with God…

In today’s Gospel we read: “I have told you this so that my JOY may be in you and your JOY might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” The perfect formula for JOY is “Jesus, Others, You.” When you put Jesus first in your life, you stay with him and have the joy he promised his followers. When you are concerned about others, you see their needs, and your heart goes out to…

CONGRATULATIONS to the children who received their First Holy Communion this weekend! As they have received the Eucharist for the first time, may they continue to be fed with the Body of Christ as they continue their journey of faith.

In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples fear Paul for he was a persecutor of Christians. But Barnabas takes him under his wing, guides and encourages Paul to move forward, We know the end result, Paul becomes the great preacher of Christianity. This weekend, we have our young children receiving their First Holy Communion. It’s a big step on their faith journey. But they’re still young and continue to need encouragement. Parents, godparents and family are…

The Easter and Christmas collections are ones that help the parish attain its budget and cover the costs that the every Sunday collection doesn’t. With the pandemic over the last thirteen months, we have been down in our regular collections, but your generosity during the holidays is always heart warming. Our Easter collection this year came to $9,971.00. God Bless You for your support and generosity.

This Sunday is not only Good Shepherd Sunday, because of today’s Gospel, but it is also World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Next week, I will be celebrating forty-four years of priesthood. On my anniversary I always think of the priests who influenced my call to the priesthood. They were the young assistant pastors when I grew up. They were in the schools with us, on the playgrounds, always a part of our everyday lives. But there was also this…

Imagine being one of the disciples in today’s Gospel. You just heard the story of the empty tomb and about Jesus appearing to other disciples on the road to Emmaus. You have feelings of hope because Jesus has risen as He said. Then you remember the pain of His crucifixion, the sense of loss and fear on your part, and you’re right back to where you started. We need Jesus again to appear before us, and maybe He does —…

Back in college at a leadership camp, I had to do a trust walk. It was to go blindfolded into the woods only following the voice of your partner. It was the most difficult task I had to do that summer, especially since the person guiding me was a person I just met three days before. In today’s Gospel, Thomas doesn’t seem to trust his fellow apostles. “I won’t believe unless I see Him myself.” Jesus responds, “Blessed are those…

Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. In this Feast we see Jesus show his power, not only over sin, but over death as well. He gives us forgiveness of our sins and promises us a share in eternal life with him in heaven. But how does this Feast influence your every day lives? That faith Jesus had in his heavenly Father to overcome death is the same faith we have that helps us overcome our difficulties in life. If…

Good Friday is a day of Fast & Abstinence.  We abstain from meat on this day.  And we fast, two lesser meals and one regular meal with no food between. This is a discipline of Lent so that we can see what is most important in our lives – Jesus, the Word of God.