Dear Family!

On Thursday, Pope Francis published a new encyclical focusing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dilexit Nos - He loved us) in the context of a world which seems to have lost its heart. The Pope calls for a change of perspective, urging humanity to rediscover what is most essential: the heart. This encyclical will commemorate the 350th anniversary of the first appearance of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Mary Alacoque in 1673.

Dear Family!

People say, when looking for a job it is not what you know but whom you know that counts. We see that happen in our gospel today. Some theologians and bible scholars reflect that this could be the first schism in the church which took place under the eyes of Jesus - two disciples against ten and ten against two. The reason of the dispute is not any theological discussion or dogma but the lust for power, competition for position.

Dear Family!

This Sunday, the readings focus on seeking the Wisdom of God. Jesus is our message as Jesus is the Wisdom of God (1st Reading) and Jesus is the Word of God (2nd Reading). There could be three kinds of people: the morally wanting, the morally good and striving for ‘Perfection’. Jesus shows the young man in the Gospel the Heart of God.

Dear Family!

The month of October is very special for us Catholics: We remember this month as Month of the Rosary as well as Pro-Life month..  The USCCB also remembers it as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. In October we also celebrate the World Food Day (October 20th) and World Mission Sunday (Last Sunday of October).

Dear Family!

The readings remind us of the importance of being God’s collaborators. Moses and Jesus faced with the question of those who are working for God and those who are not. Those who seem to be working for God in fact may not be, and those who seem not to be working for God in fact may be. We see that happen in Church leadership - Are your leaders caring for you? Do they lead you by example in being trustworthy, responsible, and humble in their service to the Church?

Dear Family!

We began our Faith Formation classes last Tuesday! With God’s guidance and the wisdom of our Catechists, we can share our Christ-Experience with our children and form them in faith. We have some large classes of children, especially our 8th grade both in School and in Faith Formation. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Faith Formation Team for all their dedication and service to our parish community.

Dear Family!

The theme of the readings this Sunday invites us to the total obedience in taking up the Cross of Christ. That is our mission as Christians, to pattern our life after the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. Our suffering needs to be associated with the ultimate suffering of Jesus on the Cross.

Dear Family!

There are at least seven occasions in the New Testament we see Aramaic words are used to stress the power of Jesus words. My favorite of them all is the Aramaic word ‘Abba’ (Mark 14:36). We also find others like ‘Talitha kum’ (Mark 5:41), ‘Raca’ (Matthew 5:22), ‘Rabbouni’ (John 20:16), ‘Eli Eli lema sabachthani’ (Matthew 27:46) and ‘Hosanna’ (Mark 11:9). The gospel today uses ‘Ephphatha’ Be opened! (Mark 7:34).

Dear Family!

The readings this Sunday help us to reflect on objectives of our Christian Faith. Too often the ‘externals’ constitute who we are as Catholics. Our ritual practices, our decorations, our insistence and compulsions on rules, rules, and more rules may very well enslave us to the basic level of life as Christians.

Dear Family!

We are concluding the final reflection on Jesus’ teaching about the Bread of Life in the sixth chapter of John. In the Gospel, this Sunday we learn that hard teachings are often rejected and ignored by the majority of our society. Our faith is the answer to the evils of society. Peter showed his faith in Jesus when ‘many of the disciples’ left Jesus. This differentiates Peter from the mob culture. Peter would validate his faith in Jesus further by saying, ‘Even if all these people leave you, I will not.’

Dear Family!

We continue to reflect the ‘Bread of Life’ discourse in the Gospel of John. We began reflecting on the ‘Bread of Life’ discourse in John from the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time. This week is the fourth installment of the discourse from the same 6th Chapter of John (John 6:51-58). Next Sunday we conclude the discourse by reflecting on the last passage (John 60-69).

Dear Family!

We continue to reflect the ‘Bread of Life’ discourse in the Gospel of John. The Word of God is indeed the food for the prophets in the Old Testament. Ezekiel was asked to eat the scroll and prophesy to the people (Ezekiel 3:1). When Jeremiah devoured the words, they brought joy to his life (Jeremiah 15:16) and in the First Reading today we see Elijah was asked to eat and be strengthened by the food ‘for the journey will be too long’ (1Kings 19:4-8).

Dear Family!

The second reading this Sunday could be seen as a unifying element of the readings on God’s life-giving love to us. Saint Paul reminds us that we must no longer live as Gentiles do. He teaches us that once we come to know Christ, there must be a radical change within us. This leads us to a holy way of life and care for the other.