Dear Family!

As Year A, B and C in Lent reflected on ‘Temptations of Jesus’ on the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year A, B and C in Lent on the 2nd Sunday we reflect on the ‘Mystery of the Transfiguration of Jesus’. One of the focal points that caught my attention is the journey of the disciples. Peter, James and John were fishermen. They were used to the depth of the ocean, chillness of the water and softness of the sand. They were guided by Jesus to experience something so contrasting and different to an average fisherman. On their way up the mountain, they experienced the towering height of the mountain, the heat on the rocks and the hardness of stones and thorns.

Dear Family!

Many see Lent as a ‘Service Check.’ Though this imagery is very fitting, it is not the total picture of Lent. Lent is not a temporary adjustment that we make for a period of 40 days; nor it is a hibernation period for ‘hypocrites and tax-collectors’. The season of Lent is called the ‘Season of Grace’ since the season of Lent brings in a sense of urgency and utmost importance to be near God.

Dear Family!

The general focus of the readings today is Love. Popularly we hear that love involves more than one person. Aristotle thought of love as a union, saying “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” Annette Baier in her book ‘Unsafe Loves’ writes of love as not just an emotion people feel toward other people, but also a complex tying together of the emotions that two or a few more people have; it is a special form of emotional interdependence.

Dear Family!

As we continue to count our blessings, this week especially we reflect on the blessing of our children. We are one of the blessed parishes with a Catholic School as part of a parish ministry. And in fact, we are the only Catholic School in our county. In his special letter to parents and guardians our Bishop reminded us that “Catholic Schools Week is not just a week-long event; it is a reminder of the commitment we have made to provide a Catholic education that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit of our young learners.

Dear Family!

In the last three Sundays the Church reflected on the baptism, Mission Statement of Jesus, Jesus as the Word (Word of God Sunday), and we see today how Jesus puts those elements in His ministry as ‘The Prophet like Moses’ (1st reading). His announcement of the Kingdom of God was accompanied by God’s love to each and every one of us.

Dear Family!

The Universal Church celebrates, as the Church teaches, “The Sunday of the Word of God, instituted by Pope Francis and to be held every year on the third Sunday of Ordinary Time, reminds us, pastors and faithful alike, of the importance and value of Sacred Scripture for the Christian life, as well as the relationship between the word of God and the liturgy: “As Christians, we are one people, making our pilgrim way through history, sustained by the Lord, present in our midst, who speaks to us and nourishes us.” (Dec 17, 2020, Congregation for Divine Worship & the Discipline of the Sacraments).

Dear Family!

We just concluded the Season of Christmas. What did we experience as a praying community? “When we assemble for liturgy in the Season of Christmas, then, we are a church haunted by a child with many faces. Each of us brings to the assembly the image of the child within, whether that child be possibility or prison. Each of our local communities brings the images through by our devotional arts, whether those images be of past childishness or future maturity.” (Jennifer Glenn) Thus the sentiments of Christmas expressed in our liturgies proclaim the spirituality of all the Baptized.

Dear Family!

It was wonderful to start the year with the celebration of the feast of the Motherhood of Our Lady. May the blessings of our Lady be upon us throughout the year. As part of the Christmas Season, we celebrate the feast of Epiphany today. The word ‘Epiphany ’ means ‘to appear or shine’. Epiphany refers to the divinity of Jesus ‘shining upon ’the earth. Epiphany refers the manifestation of the Divine Nature of Jesus.

Dear Family!

I continue to wish you Merry Christmas! Thank you for making the most of all the opportunities that were provided for you in as many Masses and community time created for you! There were so many people that I am grateful to those for making this year’s Christmas: Starting with our priests and deacons. Our Director for Music Lisa Sforza and the whole choir for their time put into preparing and helping us to have a great worshipping experience. We are grateful to the Decoration Committee headed by Diane and Duane Volk and all the volunteers in donating long hours in making our already beautiful church more beautiful. We thank all the liturgical ministers (Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors and Ushers) and all the altar servers for their role in making this year’s Christmas memorable.

Dear Family!

Reflection: Christmas for Christians is a day of gratitude. Gratitude leads us to prayer, where our hearts are filled with wonder and praise. Christmas leads us to the sense of wonder. God presents himself as tiny, fragile, vulnerable, and dependent. Compared to the strong, muscular, powerful, parenting and patronizing people we are in front of God.

Dear Family!

Reflection: We are celebrating ‘Gaudete Sunday’ (Laetare Sunday in Lent) as the Universal Church rejoices in the Lord because ‘the Lord is near’ echoing the Opening Prayer, “we who look forward to the birthday of Christ, experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving.”

Dear Family!

Reflection: Pope Francis encouraged the world with his advent message in the following words: “Dear friends, it will be good for us today to ask ourselves how we can prepare a welcoming heart for the Lord. We can do so by approaching His forgiveness, His Word, His Table, finding space for prayer, welcoming those in need. Let us cultivate His expectation without letting ourselves be distracted by so many pointless things, and without complaining all the time, but keeping our hearts alert, that is, eager for Him, awake and ready, impatient to meet Him.” (12-3-2023)

Dear Family!

Reflection: There is no better ‘Good News’ than the advent of Our Lord Jesus Christ! Happy Advent to all of you! The greatest treasure of Advent is Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Vestments and decorations are expressed in purple for the season as the theme point to ‘Staying awake’. The way to stay awake is through penance, preparation and sacrifice. Also, it is important to distance ourselves from flashy decorations and nostalgic carols that can take us away from this ‘preparation’ - to focus our minds and hearts on getting our hearts ready for the ‘Child Jesus’.