Author: Kevin Murray

Happy Feast of the Ascension! Today’s celebration marks the fortieth day after Easter Sunday which commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven, according to Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2. Tradition designates Mount Olivet near Bethany as the place where Christ left the earth. The proper feast falls on Thursday. It is one of the Ecumenical feasts ranking with the feasts of the Passion, Easter and Pentecost among the most solemn in the liturgical calendar. The Ascension is an

We tend to throw around the word “love” rather casually these days. We “love” pizza; we “love” the Dodgers or the Angels; and, of course, “love” is what makes a Subaru a Subaru. There are hundreds of popular songs with the word “Love” in the title or in the lyrics. At a higher level than pizza or sports teams or cars or music is the love that we have for our Lord, our spouse, our children, our parents, and our

As of Saturday, May 1st, the currently assigned priests have been serving the parish of Sts. Simon & Jude for 10 months. We’ve said Masses indoors and out, in all kinds of situations and in all kinds of weather. We’ve gone from the parish office being closed to everything opening up for church and spiritual business. And we’ve been learning about you all – your perceived history as a parish, your narrative that explains your raison d’etre, your hopes and

Blessings and peace be with you! Today, Good Shepherd Sunday, Jesus reveals himself as a good shepherd who knows his own flock and sacrifices himself 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 blessed moment when we realize and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our shepherd. Notwithstanding how poorly some people might treat

“Those who say, ‘I know him,’ but do not keep his commandments are liars.” I love this passage from John because he doesn’t pull any punches. Like any good New Yorker, he tells it like it is. What part of “liar” don’t you understand? Of course, John is merely repeating what Jesus said a bit more tactfully in the upper room: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Neither Jesus nor John are giving out helpful hints for happy living.

Happy Eastertide y’all! “He is risen. He is risen, indeed!” You might have heard this greeting that has ancient and potentially seminal power, since some branches of the Christian family tree attribute the greeting to have come from St. Mary Magdalene’s own lips. Remember Mary was the first witness to the glorified, risen Lord, Jesus Christ. I love this greeting myself. It states in most affirmative terms a truth which we might take for granted if we only focus on historicity, hagiography

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

Today the Church celebrates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem surrounded by people that acclaim him as one sent by God to save and lead the Jewish people in fulfillment of their scripture. Each of the four Gospels contains an almost identical account of Jesus entering into Jerusalem surrounded by an adoring crowd because they each felt that it was essential to connect Jesus to the promises of salvation which were found in Hebrew Scripture. Often this entry is claimed to