Pentecost Sunday

"Come, Holy Spirit, fille the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the fact of the earth." Our Pentecost prayer recognizes the power of the Holy Spirit to fill us with the flame of God's love, reminding us of God's love for us and enkindling our love for God. Then the face of the earth will be renewed. When you look around our world, when you look around your life, do you see God's love, God's face? The face of the earth doesn't always reflect the face of God. Sometimes it seems we are surrounded with chaos and pain. Politics, economics, family dynamics can be disheartening. We need someone on our side to help us make it through. Can the power of Pentecost touch us? Can we allow the Holy Spirit to empower us?

Seventh Sunday in Easter

On this Mother's Day, I wish to extend to all mothers of our parish a very blessed Mother's Day. May our dear Blessed Mother Mary pray for all our mothers living and deceased. In the blessing at the end of the baptism rite, the priest blesses the mother, who holds her child in her arms, using these words: "God the Father, through his Son, the Virgin Mary's child, has brought joy to all Chrisitan mothers, as they see the hope of eternal life shine on their children. May He bless the mother of this child. She now thanks God for the gift of her child. May she be one with her child in thanking God forever in heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord."
As we honor women called to motherhood on this Mother's Day, we are certain that God will continue to bless our mother with His gentle strength to care for our families by using wisely the unique gifts found only in mothers. We pledge our support to all moms as we join them in seeing the hope of eternal life on us, their children.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

In the first line of our Gospel this weekend, Jesus says that if we love hime we will keep his word. That might be a tall order, since keeping our own word is hard enough. Napoleon said it well when he advised: "The best way to keep one's word is not to give it." The author of the bestselling book The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, knew about human weakness. He wrote, "Promises are like crying babies in a theather; they should be carried out at once." But the Gospel challenges us to do more than give a quick response. Keeping our word is a lifetime action. The Gospel also reminds us that if we do keep Jesus' word, the Father will love us and dwell within us.

This week our second group of second graders will receive Jesus for the first time in Holy Communion. We pray for them and for their families that they will always turn to Jesus to help them in times of difficulties.

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Don't we just always want life to be perfect? We already have so many blessings, and yet we always seem to want each day to be perfect. We get angry or upset when something doesn't go our way or when there is some roadblock to our plans. St. Paul reminds us that life in Christ will not always be easy. He said, "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." Difficulties are also part of the Christian life. Thank God that He knows how to help us. He became one of us. Jesus also gave us the sacraments to help us as well. This weekend our first group of second graders will receive Jesus for the first time in Holy Communion. We pray for them and for their families that they will always turn to Jesus to help them in times of difficulties.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

The Gospel today says that the sheep know the shepherd's voice. But can sheep be fooled by someone just imitating the real shepherd? How many eloquent and clever preachers have turned out to be charlatans intent on fleecing the flock for their own gain? But the real voice of our Shepherd Jesus cannot be duplicated. It is a voice we recognize because it speaks not just to our ears but to our heart as well.

Third Sunday of Easter

Scripture scholars have long wondered about the possible meaning of the count of 153 fish in the catch described in today's Gospel. One proposed that there are 153 varieties of fish found in the Sea of Galilee, and therefore the number symbolizes all generation of people.

Yet the most important number in today's Gospel is the number three. This was the third time that the resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples. Jesus asked Peter if he loved him three times. And we are left pondering our triune God: three persons in one, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Second Sunday of Easter

The story from Acts of the Apostles this weekend reminds us of the great mercy of God. It describes the growth of the early community and good works of the apostles. In particular, the care of the sick is highlighted as well as the cures that were performed. We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the mercy of God was made manifest through the action of human beings. Like the apostles in their day, we too are called to be men and women who help reveal God's mercy in the world. Our outreach to the sick, our concern for the poor, our care for the lonely, are all expressions of divine mercy.