Pastor’s Post (Page 20)

I just wish to extend to you and your loved ones greetings for a holy, blessed and joyous Christmas. We celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. In this unusual year where we have experienced a pandemic, mask wearing, social distancing, closing of businesses and a lot of isolation, we need some joy and happiness. Maybe we can’t celebrate with all the family gathering. Maybe we haven’t been able to shop, visit or even prepare our favorite recipes. But…

Today we light the rose colored candle of JOY on our Advent wreath. It is Gaudete Sunday or Rejoice Sunday. We await the coming of Jesus but already know He is here. So we rejoice. In the midst of a pandemic, do you feel the joy of Jesus in your life? The joy of Jesus’ presence is more that a family gathering at dinner, or a special Christmas card or present. It is the joy that Jesus, the Son of…

Today’s Gospel starts by quoting Isaiah: “Behold I am sending my messenger ahead of you; … Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist was that messenger, but maybe, so are we in today’s world. We all have opinions of how best to do things: how much should we give; how much time can we share; or how much inconvenience will we put up with to spread the message of Jesus. We must use John’s…

Today, we begin the Advent season which means Christmas is just around the corner. Advent is a journey of faith. We await the coming of the Lord. So what do I plan to do while I wait for the Lord’s coming? Stay awake! Listen! Watch! Do I see yourself as the work of God’s hands? What changes do I need to make in my own life? When have I been unconscious to the feelings of others or ignore the importance…

Just wish to express my thanks to all who donated for our Thanksgiving pantry and food distribution. So many of you donated turkeys; others donated food items; Cub Scout Pack #85 canvassed the area and collected over six hundred nonperishable items for the pantry; and some of you donated money to help needy families. To all of you, THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU for your kindness and generosity.

The accent on the corporal works of mercy is “mercy.” Feeding the hungry may mean listening to someone to whom no one listens. Giving drink to the thirsty may include offering kind words or praise to those who rarely hear anything positive. Welcoming the stranger often involves countering prejudice with an openness to all God’s children, no matter how different or fearful they may seem. Clothing the naked is also a summons to work for justice so that no one…

What are the talents that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel parable. Maybe those talents are the gifts, graces and abilities that God has given to each of us. One of those abilities is to preach the Word of God. In the Gospel parable, different people received different amounts of talents. As priest and pastor, I am to use my gift of priesthood to preach the word through sermons and my ministry. Maybe your talent of preaching comes in the…

Imagine being given $86,400 for one day. But by the end of the day, the is money is gone. So you have to spend the whole amount each day. What would you do? What would you spend it on? We may not get the money each day, but we do get its equivalent in time. Each day is 86,400 seconds to live. It’s gone at the end of day and at any moment it could all be just taken away.…

Today we celebrate All Saints Day. What is a Saint? How do you become one? The Church has its own process of canonization: looking at the life of the individual, recognizing miracles in their name and other procedures. But in the eyes of God, what is a saint? I can’t speak for God, but I think today’s Gospel puts us on the right tract to sainthood. Jesus gives us the Beatitudes: blessed are the poor in spirit, the pure in…

Whenever you ask a group of little children questions about Jesus or faith, or what does God want us to do, their answers always come down to ‘love.’ Maybe, in their own simple ways, they have the right answer. Because in today’s Gospel when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, that was His answer: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and Love your neighbor as yourself. We don’t need to complicate the words of…

Jesus’ response to the Pharisee’s attempted trap was priceless: ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar; but give to God what belongs to God.’ We’re all good at giving to Caesar – pay taxes, cover our bills, fix the property, care for what we own. But how good are we at giving to God? Do we give Him our devotion and thanks: MASS. (In person, life-streamed)? Do we honor HIS WORD: help those in need? Do we show Him RESPECT:…

Today’s Gospel is the third parable speaking about the Kingdom of God and the Lord’s invitation to enter. We are told today that we are invited to the Banquet. Maybe that banquet is the Eucharist; maybe the banquet is the Church. Jesus tells us these three stories making the same point because it is a crucial one. And the Church chooses to recount these three stories in a row each year we’re reading Matthew, it’s because the message is equally…