Our “Penny” Auction fundraiser took place in our church hall on Sunday, April 24th. Thank you to everyone who helped with this event. Thank you for all the very kind donations. Thank you to our Parishioners who came and participated showing that they really care for our church. May God Bless You All.
“Penny” Auction Thank You Read More »
The setting for this Sunday’s Gospel is the Last Supper. Jesus had promised to give the Holy Spirit to instruct and guide the Church after His Ascension into heaven, but at this moment of His final meeting with the apostles before His death He was eager to tell them what was closest to His heart. He did so in but a few words: “Love one another.” These days some Catholics think that the Church has gone soft. They lament the fact that the practice of fasting and abstinence has been lessened both in its frequency and its severity. They say there is too much talk about mercy and not enough about penance. They judge that the Church is lax about allowing frequent communion. They seem to be of the opinion that the “good old days” meant it was a challenge to be a good Catholic. The truth is that some of the external practices were easy to comply with in comparison with the command of Jesus. When we face what His commandment entails, we see that it is far from easy, especially when we understand what Jesus meant when He declared that His commandment is new. That is what He meant when He added, “Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for each other.”
It was this commandment of love which inspired the preachers of the early Church, like Paul and Barnabas whom we heard about in the first reading, to travel great distances under difficult circumstances to proclaim the good news. It was love which made their hearers accept the faith and persevere in it so that the Church spread throughout the world. It was love which moved the martyrs to give up their lives. It was love which inspired saints to serve others unselfishly without hope of gain. And it is this same love for each other which will make us good Catholics today. Participating in the Eucharist helps us to become more and more like Christ so that we may keep His commandment, “Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for each other.”
Fifth Sunday of Easter (“C”) – April 24, 2016 Read More »
When Jesus uses the image of sheep to describe those in His care, He is describing a situation to which His listeners can easily relate. In the Old Testament, priests, prophets and kings failed in their responsibilities to such an extent that God the Father took back the flock into His personal care, and now they are entrusted to Jesus, the good shepherd. Sheep need a shepherd to look after them, to guide them and keep them safe. Just as parents recognize the different cries of their own children, so the good shepherd listens for the cry of His sheep. And just as children recognize the voice of their parents, so those who belong to Jesus listen for His voice and follow Him.
Perhaps we can gather from what we have already said that God’s house as described by Jesus is not some many-roomed country mansion, good to look at but impossible to live in. The church is not a museum to be visited, holding the treasures of a bygone age. The Church is a community of people who care about the world in which we live. The care about the people among whom we live, especially those who are most in need. Today we ask God to help us all to recognize the voice of the good shepherd and to follow Him; to understand, however, that we are not just sheep who follow, but sharers with Jesus in His mission to seek out and save those who are lost. Today is a day for all of us to commit ourselves in such a way that young people from our community will feel that a call to priesthood is a natural and normal way to find happiness and fulfillment for their lives; to be shepherds and not museum guides.
Fourth Sunday of Easter (“C”) – April 17, 2016 Read More »
The story of Jesus’ appearance by the See of Galilee after the resurrection is one of the great dramatic stories in the New Testament. Most of the disciples had returned to Galilee and were just sitting around until Peter perked them up by suggesting that they went fishing. A man shouts to them from the shore and tells them where to cast the net and find fish. Immediately, the nets are heaving with the catch. When the disciples reach shore, they realized it is Jesus, and He feeds them. On the shores of the See of Galilee they once more find themselves called. Peter especially is asked to reaffirm his love for Jesus 3 times, overriding his denying of Jesus 3 times. What Jesus always did among the disciples He does again – He gives life and hope in abundance.
Being followers of Jesus gives our lives meaning and direction. We are often busy but without a strong sense of purpose and meaning. Mission today includes recognizing our connection in love with the natural world that is God’s creation. As we offer God the “fruit of the earth” in the Eucharist, we are called to respond to the world’s poor people, who are struggling to survive amidst the diminishing abundance of the natural world and ravages caused by climate change. We also reflect that followers of Jesus are called to be people of hope. Amidst the disappointments in everyday life or the violence in today’s world or human abuse of God’s creation, we are to look for the signs of hope and retain a positive vision. Even when we feel unworthy and powerless, God is with us and blesses us.
Third Sunday of Easter (“C”) – April 10, 2016 Read More »
Jesus picked 12. To start with, they were very different. There was a core of fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, John) but there was also a tax collector (Matthew). They came from different places around the Sea of Galilee, and had strong feelings about other villages. Our Lord took them and molded them into disciples. He taught them to bury their differences and work together, although occasionally this went wrong, as when James and John put in a bid for preferential treatment. He issued them with basic rules for going out to preach the kingdom of God: not to take extra clothes or spare cash, for instance; to accept hospitality where offered; not to hang about where they weren’t wanted, but to shake the dust off their feet and move on. But the time did come when individual character triumphed over training. Judas went off and betrayed the Lord. Peter made bombastic promises, but lost his nerve and denied Jesus. The others made themselves scarce in this of crucifixion. Only John was there at the foot of the cross. After the resurrection, none of them believed Mary Magdalene when she said she had seen the risen Lord. John believed, Peter wasn’t sure what to think. Then the twelve barricaded themselves in the upper room out of fear. Thomas wasn’t there. When Thomas heard that Jesus had visited the ten, he stubbornly refused to believe without physically touching and feeling. A week later he surrendered: “My Lord and my God!”
Some of disciples inclined to believe, some were skeptical. If it hadn’t been for Pentecost, the would have gone their separate ways, and their time with Jesus would have been just a memory. But God had other plans. Look at our first reading today. There are the old familiar faces, but signs and wonders are being worked through them. The crowds revere them, and thousands are seeking baptism. If we read a little further in the Acts of the Apostles, we find them being sent to jail, we find them taking on opposition for Jesus’ sake, which previously would have made them quake in their boots. That’s why the Holy Spirit did, and does. The risen Christ lives again in His disciples.
Second Sunday of Easter (“C”) – April 3, 2016 Read More »