Archives for June 2010

From the Pastor – June 27, 2010

Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1) As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day next weekend, we might reflect a little bit about what it means to be “free.” In the context of the Fourth of July holiday, freedom means being separated from the political control of a king as had been the case prior to the American revolution. But “freedom” means many things. Webster's Dictionary has a very lengthy definition of freedom. In part it reads: “a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence c : the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous.” In all of these … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – June 20, 2010

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Lk 9:18) We might skip over the first part of today's Gospel without thinking too much. Jesus asked: “who do the crowds say that I am.” We might not think about it because we already know who Jesus is. We know He's the incarnate Son of God. He's the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He's the suffering servant. He's the Good Shepherd. He's the Son of Mary. He's our Savior. He's our Redeemer. He's God. But that's the point. Since Jesus is God, He's “everything.” And He came to proclaim Himself as the fulfillment of all of our dreams and desires. As Scripture said: He came “to bring glad tidings to the … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – June 13, 2010

Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. (Lk 8:1) This Sunday's Gospel recounts one story in the life of Christ. It's one visit to a household, one sinner anointing the feet of Jesus, one lesson taught, and one sinner forgiven. When Jesus was on earth in the flesh, He limited Himself to being in one place at a time, and those encounters – so beautifully recounted in Sacred Scripture – reveal him reaching out and touching and healing specific individuals through the power of His love. And Jesus was accompanied by the Twelve Apostles and some women who were witnesses to His love. After the Ascension and Pentecost, the Apostles obeyed the commands of Christ to go out to preach, sanctify (by the Sacraments) … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – June 6, 2010

Jesus Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." (1 Cor. 11:23-25) In terms of a feast in the Catholic Church, today's Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (“Corpus Christi” in Latin) is a fairly recent one. The addition of this special feast to the Church calendar was primarily due to the petitions of a Belgium nun named Juliana who lived in the 13th century. From a young age, Juliana had a great love for the Blessed … [Read more...]