Pastoral Messages

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 8.30.26

Sunday’s Readings: Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27

…from your Pastor’s Desk – “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” To understand today’s Gospel we must look back to a time in our lives when, in retrospect, we see that something, or someone we wanted, and didn’t get – turned out to be the very best in the long run. …

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8.16.26

Sunday’s Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28

…from your Pastor’s Desk – Food for Dogs? – Sunday’s Gospel can give a headache both to preachers and to people in the pews. Jesus refuses to hear a woman because she is, in his metaphor, one of the “dogs.” OUCH. You know the story. The Canaanite woman cries out for help and Jesus at first will not even talk to her. …

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8.9.26

Sunday’s Readings: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33

…from your Pastor’s Desk – Where do you find God? Only in church? Only while praying? Only in times of need or distress? Only in those we expect to be holy or pious people? Too often we look to great people and to the events in our lives to find God, as if our encounters with God have to meet certain standards and criteria in order to be true. …

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 7.26.26

Sunday’s Readings: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12; Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52 OR 13:44-46

…from your Pastor’s Desk – Prayer for Grandparents – Lord Jesus, you were born of the Virgin Mary, the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne. Look with love on grandparents the world over. Protect them! They are a source of enrichment for families, for the Church and for all of society. …

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 7.12.26

Sunday’s Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 OR 13:1-9

…from your Pastor’s Desk – Start up your time-machines or jump into your DeLorean – because we are going ‘Back To The Future’. Here is an excerpt from our Parish bulletin dated July 13, 2014. Which was, coincidentally, the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A – just like this weekend. And which, coincidently, was the first weekend of my assignment here. So …