From the Pastor's Desk

The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time(01/29/2012)

Moses was considered the Great Lawgiver, the greatest prophet for God in the Old Testament. God spoke directly to Moses, but as we hear in the first reading today, the people of his day asked not to hear the voice of the Lord come from the fire, for it was too terrifying. God then promised that he would raise up a prophet from among them to speak His WORD. He raised up many prophets over the years but of course the most important Word was Jesus, God-made-man. Jesus speaks the Words of God because He is the Word of God.

Humanity’s challenge has always been to listen to the Word and obey it. From the time of the Garden of Eden we know that we are being tempted to not listen to/obey the Word. Satan always tries to lead us into disobedience, not through an all-out disobedience at once but by slowly watering down our obedience and respect for the Word. Satan knows that if most people were asked directly, “Will you disobey God,” they would refuse. So Satan doesn’t make it an issue of obedience, rather he shows us something tempting, which always looks good, but which has an underlying edge of disobedience. Over time he dulls our senses and conscience to that underlying reality so after some time we don’t always know that we are sinning.

The only way out of that trap is to renew our relationship of complete and utter devotion to God and His ways, to trust in the teaching handed down by the Church to guide us, and to change our ways. It is not easy but we are promised the presence of the One who speaks God’s love for us to help us. Amen!.

The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time(01/22/2012)

Is time running out for you? That’s a very profound question. The readings today remind us that our response to God’s call for repentance and conversion is not something to be delayed. There is urgency to the Gospel message, and we hear it today. Paul tells the Corinthians that they must not delay in turning away from sin and turning back to God. We must not let the business of our everyday tasks keep us from our momentous task of discipleship. When Jesus calls the disciples in today’s gospel there is an immediate response. They drop everything and follow Jesus.

Since we live in the post-resurrection era of the church and human history, we sometimes don’t recognize the urgency of everyday conversion. We have already made our decision for Christ, right? What more is there to do? Well, simply put, plenty. Most of us, if not all, are not yet perfected in Christ’s love. There are probably many parts of our lives that are not totally in harmony with God’s will. It is easy to become a little lax in our ongoing conversion because it can be tiring to always be on guard. We are constantly being tempted away from God, tempted to ease up on being a disciple, to not take it so seriously. “Don’t be a fanatic” is one of the devil’s simple but deadly snares. Only if we are alert and on guard, as Jesus reminds us, will we stay on the path of the Lord. And the more we progress in holiness, the more we offer good example to others and give glory to God with our lives. May God bless us on our journey to perfection in Love! Amen!

The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time(01/15/2012)

Do we hear the Lord when He calls? Or do we think that the Lord hasn’t called ME, maybe someone else, but not ME! If we are expecting a “burning bush” or booming voice from the sky when the Lord calls, then we probably haven’t been called. But what if God calls us in the ordinary events of our life? That is the way God normally communicates with us. First, in the beauty of creation God calls to us, telling us something about Himself and about ourselves if we are “listening.” Then God reveals Himself in His Word of Scripture, teaching us how to behave in relationship with God and others. Most particularly, God reveals Himself in the person of Jesus, true God and true man. And finally, Jesus reveals Himself for us down through the ages in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

Do we hear His voice at mass? It’s impossible when we carry all our worries and concerns with us into the liturgy. Instead, we are invited to gently set our burdens and preoccupations aside in our mind and open our hearts to hear the Lord. The Lord will teach us about His Love for us and inspire us in response to lead a life of love and care for others that will be a witness to Christ in the world. God inspires us to inspire others, especially our children. May God bless us with open hearts all our lives! Amen.

The Epiphany of Our Lord(01/08/2012)

The feast of Epiphany celebrates the revelation of the new King’s birth to the whole world, not just to the Jewish people. We are part of the world to whom the message of the new-born king is announced. Having heard the message many times before in our lifetimes, we may be a little blasé about the announcement. That would be a shame, for the message is just as important for us this year as it was 2000 years ago. Jesus is born again in time for each of us at Christmas time when we humbly accept the gift of His presence for us. As we celebrate Epiphany, we become the magi who find the presence of the Lord and then take that knowledge with us into our daily life. We share the good news with those we meet; Our Lord has indeed come to save all of us. Let us rejoice in the Lord always!

May the Lord bless us in this New Year with the richness of His presence, and may others come to know the love of God through us. Amen!

Mary, Mother of God(01/01/2012)

Most blessed and happy New Year!

From all of us on the parish staff come our prayers for a holy and grace-filled year. I hope we learned some important lessons in life last year that we may put into effect this year to allow more of God’s love and grace to flow through us. Nobody ever wishes for hard times but often hard times bring us closer to the Love of God through our growth in compassion for our neighbor. Our Blessed Mother is an example of beautiful peace and grace and will help us to grow in holiness and love in this new year.

The New Year reminds me also of the grace of the sacrament of Reconciliation; it is a time for renewal and starting over again. We can let go of the sins and mistakes of the past, though not always their consequences, and begin a new life in God. What a miracle! May God help us with the new life only He can give. Amen!

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