Last Sunday, I began my homily around two points: the reality of gratitude and the sense of mission. A deep spiritual and psychological emotion and faith consolation is filling my heart when I look back at my short years of pastorship at St. James-St. Leo parish. For five years you have welcomed me despite my…
It is no accident that the words “disciple” and “discipline” come from the same root: Latin disciplina, meaning “teaching.” As disciples of the Lord, we are taught through discipline. We need that discipline when we are tempted to compromise our ethics or ignore our conscience and do something we shouldn’t or fail to do something…
We like to think of Jesus bringing peace and joy, healing and inspiration as he traveled from village to village with his disciples. But at this point in Luke’s Gospel he is making his way to Jerusalem, where he knows what he will face, and his message has become sobering. The road to redemption is…
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,When St. Pope John XXIII initiated the process of Vatican II, he proposed the process ofdiscernment known as SEE, JUDGE and ACT. It seems that St. Pope John XXIII might havelearned this way of discernment through today’s three parables: The Wedding Banquet and the Servant (vv. 35-38) The Arrival of…
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, Today’s parable is entitled “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” The parable was an answer to thisperson who wanted Jesus to tell his brother to give his share from their ancestral inheritance. Inthe meantime, let’s set aside the title of the parable and quickly go over the parable itself.…
Fr. Gerard Lecomte, CJM The Holy Spirit draws us here today to listen to God’s living word, to receive the Lord in the Eucharist, and to give praise and thanks to God. During the week, many of us work hard to make our lives comfortable, aiming for a promotion or raise, earning enough to afford…
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, The heart of the Gospel passage is PRAYER and for certain, prayer is the heartbeat of Christianlife. As we have heard earlier, Jesus did not only teach His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, but Healso explained to them the value of prayer using two examples. The first was about a…
Today was established by Pope Francis as the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. As we remember the Joachim and Anne the grandparents of Jesus this week, we ask for blessings on all our grandparents and seniors. In today’s gospel Jesus goes to a certain place to pray. He seems to know the secret…
Dear sisters and brothers, The two prominent characters in today’s Gospel passage are Martha and Mary. Throughout thecenturies, these two characters symbolize the two ways of serving in Church, which are morecommonly known as “ora et labora” (to pray and to work). Martha, who is busy with manythings, stands for the active life, whereas Mary,…
Our pastor is enjoying his summer vacation in France. Today’s pastor notes are provided by Fr. George: Loving is not too tricky, right? Many of us are surrounded by kind, lovely people trying to do the right thing. Indeed, to “love your neighbor as yourself” seems like it should be easy enough. Treat people like…