Pastoral Message

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

Do you ever wake up with a song playing in your brain? Sometimes I wake up to pop music history. Sometimes these tunes have accompanied dreams; sweet or not so sweet. Sometimes, it’s just a line or two in a song that just loops over and over and over. I’ve recently awakened to the Buggles, the Cure, ABBA, Patsy Cline, Beyonce, Credence Clearwater Revival, Queen, Glenn Miller, Skeeter Davis, Marshall Crenshaw, the Dead Kennedys, and Eres Tu by Mocedades. My

Happy Laetare Sunday! The fourth Sunday of Lent is sometimes called “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. Throughout Lent

The Gospel verse today is John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.”  It is a passage that we have heard often and are reminded of by signs at sporting events stating, “John 3:16.”  It’s all so familiar that most of us simply take the passage for granted: “Of course God loved the world and sent His son…Did you catch the score of the

Hey Y’all, We’re celebrating the second Sunday of Lent. On this Sunday we’ll hear about Abraham passing a test by being obedient to God by offering Isaac his only son as a sacrifice. We’ll also hear St. Paul’s logic, proving that God is “for us.” And the Gospel is St. Mark’s version of the happenings on that mountain top when the Transfiguration of Jesus revealed some important truths to Peter, James and John. That’s all great theological stuff. I take a lot