Today we celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day. On this day, we call to mind the birth of our nation. As Catholics, we are called to truly cherish in a very special way the many freedoms we enjoy in this country, freedoms not available to many people in other parts of the world. Our bishops have called on us to reaffirm our commitment to appreciate and guard our freedoms, especially our right to religious liberty.  We are reminded that they should never be taken for granted. (Read more…)

As we are starting summer, many of us will have an opportunity to take a break from school or work and make time for leisure activities. As we make plans for leisure activities and travel, I will strongly encourage all of us to keep our focus on God. The time for Mass and prayer should be included in our plans.

When attending Mass, especially during the summer months, I would ask all of us to exercise prudence and judgment in how we act and in what we wear. (Read more…)

Today we celebrate Father’s Day remembering fathers in a special way. As we know, Pope Francis has placed great emphasis and focus on fatherhood, reminding us that being a father is a great privilege and also a great responsibility. Many of our parishioners are fathers, and they are challenged to set a good example for their children as they grow in wisdom and knowledge.

In one of his weekly addresses, on Father’s Day, Pope Francis specifically addressed fathers, saying, “I ask that you have the grace to be very close to your children, letting them grow, but being by their side. (Read more…)

We might have thought that before God created the angels and before he created the people on this planet, He must have been alone out there somewhere.  But when God sent His Son to save us, we learned that God was never alone.  He was always a family, a sharing community of three – Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The three Persons in God are so united in love and submission to one another that the three act as one, always in perfect harmony.  That boundless love of God spills over into all His creation, so that God’s love for us, too, is unlimited.  God loves each one of us totally.  We divide our love and put limits on it, but God loves fully, completely, and endlessly. (Read more…)

This Sunday we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. On this day, we see the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit upon his Apostles. And as we know, the Holy Spirit will transform the lives of these Apostles. These frightened men who abandoned Jesus at his Passion will be transformed into bold witnesses who clearly show that they not only understand the teaching of Jesus but also are willing to put his teaching into practice. (Read more…)

Today, May 29th, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, commemorating that day when Jesus was taken up to heaven, to the glory of his Father – 40 days after he rose from the dead and 10 days before the Feast of the Pentecost.  What is so significant or important about this feast?

Once, I was asked, “If Jesus loves us and lives forever, why did he leave?” It’s an excellent question. If we consider the Ascension simply in terms of Jesus leaving us, then we might wonder why He did it. (Read more…)