The Vine and the Branches In our Gospel Reading for this Sunday, Jesus says “Abide in me as I abide in you.” With this statement, Jesus vividly describes our relationship with God through the imagery of the vine and branches. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. He is the foundation, source and […]
Fifth Sunday of Easter Read Post »
We Are Called to Serve Dear brothers and sisters, on this Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Universal Church celebrates the 61st World Day of Prayer for Vocations. This Vocations Sunday was established by Pope Paul VI in 1963 (during the early sessions of the Second Vatican Council). It was prompted by concerns over the declining
Fourth Sunday of Easter Read Post »
Our Merciful God Dear brothers and sisters, I am sure that most of us have seen a young child learning to walk. When the child falls, the parents will try to help them stand up and walk again. No matter how many times the child falls, the parents will reach out and help them rise
Sunday of Divine Mercy Read Post »
When we talk about Easter, we talk about the stone being rolled away and the empty tomb. Yes, the stone is rolled away so that the voices of prayer can be heard again with acclamations of “Alleluia!” because Christ is risen, and He wants to lift us up and to rise with Him in victory
From Hosannas to Crucifixion Dear brothers and sisters, today we enter Holy Week as we celebrate Palm Sunday. Today we commemorate the arrival of Jesus at the gates of Jerusalem. With palm branches in our hands, we shout “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” This depicts the events that occurred in Jesus’ time when people gathered
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Read Post »
Be Humble and Obedient In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear Jesus saying, “Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say: Father, save me from this hour?” Jesus was troubled, He was feeling afraid, He may even have been in distress. This is a side of Jesus that we don’t often see, but we
The Fifth Sunday of Lent Read Post »
The Cross, Sign of Salvation Dear brothers and sisters, the cross is a dreadful and humiliating punishment that was used from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD. The cross is a method of executing the death penalty that involves a very long, cruel, and painful process of persecution. Crucifixion is a punishment
The Fourth Sunday of Lent Read Post »
Cleansing our Hearts In the Gospel this Sunday, we heard that Jesus cleansed the temple. What Jesus did may make us squirm a bit. The usually gentle, compassionate, merciful Jesus has become a person who was whiplashing: driving out sheep and cattle, scattering monies, knocking over tables and not sparing the pigeon-sellers. But Jesus gives
The Third Sunday of Lent Read Post »
Finding God in Every Situation Dear brothers and sisters, the Transfiguration experience, the experience of communion with the glorious God, is a joyful experience. Peter and the other disciples did not want to lose that precious moment. Like the disciples of Jesus, each of us has surely had a “mountaintop experience,” where we feel the
The Second Sunday of Lent Read Post »
Repentance and God’s Forgiveness Today is the first Sunday of Lent and in today’s Gospel we heard that the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness where He remained for 40 days and was tempted by the devil. He was with the wild beasts and the angels looked after Him.During those 40 days in the
The First Sunday of Lent Read Post »