Pastoral Message

As you’re reading these words, it’s the weekend of the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time on the Roman Church’s calendar. In today’s readings, we’re tracking through some fundamental stories to help form us as Christians. These readings appear to be simple, but they’re not easy. The 1st reading this Sunday tells the story of David being faithful and merciful in his complicated relationship with King Saul. Even though David is given what looks to be an opportunity to overcome an enemy

Dear Parishioners and Visitors, What would you prefer, to be rich or to be poor? To be rich or to be poor, which seems better to you? Maybe this is not a hypothetical question for you. I could ask instead, to be rich or poor, which have you already experienced to be the better state of existence? For many of us, we would much prefer to be rich, famous, and powerful. No matter where one lives in this world, money, power and

I am a terrible fisherman. I have no patience, no confidence, no skill and no desire. The only joy I have ever gotten out of fishing was when my son was young and he would get so excited when he would catch even the smallest or ugliest fish. Each time he would eagerly ask me if we could get the fish mounted like the fish that his great grandfather had caught many years before. Being frugal and practical, I never

Last Sunday I was installed as the Pastor of Saints Simon & Jude Church. I’m happy to be your Pastor! Maybe I’m still basking in the glow. Basking or not, I am so grateful to God. And I am grateful to all the folks who had a part in making the day special. After Mass, one lady came up to me and mentioned she thought the term “installation” for a Pastor was strange. I’d agree! Honestly, the term “Installed” might sound

Have you ever felt or heard God in the deepest core of your being inviting you to be his disciple? Perhaps you personally felt the significance of the words: “You are the one I choose today to bring good news to the poor and oppressed. The Holy Spirit is upon you. I am sending you!” These statements reveal to us who Christ is and who we are in him as members of his body, the Church. In today’s Gospel reading, Luke

On every sports team, the players are assigned roles based upon their individual talents as well as upon the needs of the team. For example, in football each team has eleven players on the field for each play. Every one of those players has a specific job to perform during that play. If each player executes his job well, the team is likely to succeed. If not, it will likely fail. Some positions tend to garner a lot of attention;

Today, we’re ending the Liturgical Christmas Season with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The well- known readings we most freely associate with Christmas are known by Bible scholars as the “Infancy Narrative.” But now, you might notice that Jesus’ own Baptism wasn’t an infant’s Baptism. Jesus was Baptized by his kinsman John as an adult according to Scripture. His Baptism instituted the Sacrament of Baptism for us. His Baptism was the beginning of his active years of

As each Christmas comes upon us, we’re reminded how God graciously loves and cares for all of us. May we foster our Savior’s love and spread it among our family and community, so that the love between us grows stronger each day. In the Gospel today, we hear the story of the Magi who look at the Star of heaven. They see the handiwork of God and something that is also mysterious. This inspires them to sense that the entire universe

On behalf of Father Reynold, Father Thanh Tai, and the entire parish staff, may God grant you a joyous, blessed and faith-filled Christmas! We thank God that He so loved the world that He gave us His Son nearly 2000 years ago! Today, as we look back at our Savior’s birth and look forward to His return, we might consider how wonderfully disruptive that first Christmas was. Nothing about the Christmas story is normal, natural, or expected. The incarnation completely upended

As you are reading this, it’s the 4th Sunday in Advent. Christmas is only 6 days away. But I’m writing this little ferverino (that’s a churchy Italian word for “pep talk”) on December 8th – the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. So even though I am writing a few weeks before, there is a great connection between the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the 4th Sunday of Advent this year. And that connection is Mary, our Blessed Mother! And