Parish Blog

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, in this Laetare Sunday (“Rejoice Sunday”), the fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear again that amazing parable of Luke's Gospel, where Jesus justifies his unprecedented practice of forgiving sins to regain men for God.

Many wonder if the expression “prodigal son,” which this parable is named after, is really understood by most people. Perhaps we should rename it as the parable of the “merciful father.”

Dear Friends in Christ,

Jesus tells his followers a parable that concerns us: “The owner of the vineyard approaches the fig tree to pick its fruit and finds none.” This Lent, God demands fruit from us: Are we happy that Jesus calls us to account? Are we surprised? Are we afraid when we see our life as a tree full of leaves but without fruit? The episode begins with anxiety but has a happy ending. God will make one last effort to recover his tree: he will turn the earth, apply fertilizer, and wait another year because he is patient with what he sowed with such enthusiasm. Indeed, we should not reach the end of our lives empty-handed. Lent is an invitation to conversion.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, the second Sunday in Lent, the liturgy of the word invariably brings us the dramatic event of the Lord's transfiguration. This year it is with the nuances typical of St. Luke's Gospel.

It is St. Luke who more strongly emphasizes the praying Jesus, the Son who is permanently linked to the Father through personal prayer, at times intimate and hidden, at times in the presence of his disciples, but always full of joy through the Holy Spirit.

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Year of Evangelization starts this Lent as the first year of the five-year Diocesan pastoral plan called “Via Fidelis.” In the coming weeks, Bishop Fabre will be sending out a pastoral letter detailing this five-year journey. Recently, he shared suggestions for all of us for prayer and evangelization each month during this Year of Evangelization.

Dear Friends in Christ,

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the preeminent issue facing us as Americans is respecting and protecting life, from conception all the way to natural death. Currently, a serious concern for all faithful Catholics is the aggressive manner in which in vitro fertilization (IVF) is being promoted at the federal and state level.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we hear our Lord inviting us to live the life of Christian charity as fully as He did (“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Lk 23:34). This has been the example of our brothers and sisters preceding us to the glory of Heaven, the Saints; for they lived a model of Christian charity with perfection, following what Jesus Christ had said: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48)

Dear Friends in Christ,

God wants all men to be saved, which is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bring us this good news. Deep within our being, we all carry an insatiable hunger for fulfillment. We seek health, satisfaction, intelligence, love, friendship, joy, perfection, and happiness.

Many people only aspire to two things: “efficiency and profit.” Jesus came to revolutionize these criteria by changing the hierarchy of values. If we wanted to translate the concept of “beatitude” into a modern term today, we could perhaps refer to the “complete realization of man.”

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today the Gospel offers us the simple yet profound dialogue between Jesus and Simon Peter, a dialogue that we could make our own: in the midst of the stormy waters of this world, we strive to swim against the current, hoping that our Gospel proclamation will obtain a fruitful response.

Dear Friends in Christ,

    Today, we see how Simeon, ignoring the winter's cold, is awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. Five hundred years before, when the Temple was starting to be built, there was such poverty in the country that its builders were highly discouraged. It was then when Haggai, the prophet, said: “Greater will be the glory of this house the latter more than the former —says the LORD of hosts; And in this place I will give you peace— oracle of the LORD of hosts.” (Hag 2:9); and added “I will shake all the nations, so that the treasures of all the nations will come in. And I will fill this house with glory” (Hag 2:7). In the place of “treasures of all nations,” St. Jerome translated: “the desired of all nations.”

Dear Friends in Christ,

        Wikipedia defines doomscrolling as “the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media.” Have you ever been involved in doomscrolling? Be honest....most of us have done it and we most assuredly know that we can do better with our time; we can in fact be good stewards of the time that we spend on our smart phone. Yes, we must know the truth and we must know what is going on in the Church and the world so that we can more effectively pray and work for the Kingdom of God. But can we have better sources of news?

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today's reading helps us to consider the blessings that come when we enjoy the presence of Jesus and his Mother, Mary, in the midst of human events: “There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.” (Jn 2:1-2).

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we look at an adult Jesus. The child of the manger has grown to manhood and reaches that place in life when He must embark on the divine commission entrusted to Him by the Father. In preparation, He joins the candidates who have responded to John the Baptist in the Jordan River, who were submitting to baptism at his hands to wash away their sins.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, the prophet Isaiah encourages us: “Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you.” (Is 60:1) The light the prophet has seen is the star, which the Three Wise Men see in the east, like many other men. The Magi discover its meaning. Others consider it as something admirable, but that does not affect them. And, so, they do not react. The Three Wise Men realize the fact that, with the star, God is sending them an important message for which it is worthwhile leaving comfort and safety to take on the risks of an uncertain journey. The hope of finding the King leads them to follow the star, which the prophets had spoken of and which the people of Israel had been waiting for centuries.