Author: Kevin Murray

Blessings and peace be with you. May Almighty God continue to guide us and bless us with good health, strong faith and renewed hope. Today, on Good Shepherd Sunday, Jesus revealed himself as a good shepherd who knows his own flock and is a sacrifice for them: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” (John 10:11-18) What a joyful and

“Do you love me more than these?” This is the beginning of the commission Jesus gives to Peter at the end of John’s Gospel. It is also His question and commission to each of us two thousand years later. I just took my dad to see Mark Wahlberg’s movie, Fr. Stu. It’s the story of a man who decides to become a priest later in life. As it turns out, the real Fr. Stu actually attended the same seminary (Mt. Angel

Easter Monday I was feeling a bit lethargic so I decided to go and get a foot massage. I don’t do this very often but my budget allowed for a $40 splurge, plus tip, so I “yelped” it, found a spot and went. At the well-reviewed massage place, a young dude named Joe began beating the stuffings out of me. I have found with this kind of body work, there is no gain without ample pain – and Joe made

Happy Easter! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Blessings and peace be with you. May Almighty God continue to bless, guide and grant us good health and strong faith in the risen Lord. As we are joyfully celebrating Easter, let us recall all the blessings that the Lord has bestowed on our families and us. We also remember Jesus' sacrifice and give thanks to Him for bringing salvation to the world. Today, I will share a story, which summarizes how much Jesus loves us. One day,

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus riding into Jerusalem to the cheers and adulation of onlookers. They are shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Until this moment, Jesus has resisted attempts to honor Him. Instead, He has worked tirelessly as a servant of all of the people of the region: teaching the curious, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, raising the dead, forgiving the sinners, and comforting the neglected. He opened His heart to every

Back in the day- around this time of year- I was preparing to become a Roman Catholic Christian. I was part of a group of candidates and catechumen who made up an RCIA class. For those who don’t know, RCIA is the acronym for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Candidates are folks who are already baptized in another denomination of Christianity. Catechumen are unbaptized folks. So, I was a Candidate since I had already been baptized in the Baptist

Happy Laetare Sunday! The fourth Sunday of Lent is referred to as, “Laetare” Sunday. “Laetare” means “Rejoice” in Latin and “Joy” is the theme of today’s liturgy. Traditionally, the liturgical decorations and the priest’s vestment will be changed to a rose or a light-violet color to highlight the fact that Easter is drawing near. We observe our Lenten sacrifices of prayers, fasting and almsgiving, but is also a time for us to rejoice and celebrate even as we do penance. In