Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

09-24-2017Weekly ReflectionDeacon Jeff Arner

The Gospel parable today gives us insight to who our God is and his desire for all of us to spend eternity with him. How might you have felt if you were the first to be picked that day by the landowner? In the beginning, you might have felt grateful that you were picked, because you would know that you and your family would have money to sustain your needs for that day. It was a very common practice to be paid each day that you worked, so that your family would have their needs met. At the end of the day, when getting paid along with everyone else; I know that I would have been growing in excitement thinking that I was going to be paid more then those who came in at the end of the day. Only to be let down because my wage would be the same as everyone else's. I probably would have been envious of those who came in at the end of the day too! If I would have been one of those who was picked at the end of the day, I would have been very grateful because I knew that I would have something to give to my family. Even if I was one of the first one's paid, seeing that I got a full day's wage, I would have been overjoyed.

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Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

09-17-2017Weekly ReflectionFr. Chauncey Winkler

"Forgive your neighbors injustice, then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven" This quote from today's first reading sounds a lot like "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Sirach goes on to say that the way we treat others, particularly those with whom we are angry, is what we can expect from the Lord. "Can anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?"

When the forgiven man went to demand payment from his debtor, he heard from him the very same words and actions that he had so recently offered to the king. But the forgiven man did not recognize his own voice in the debtor. He did not see his plight in the debtor's plight. What he did not or would not see brought him to condemn himself with his own words and actions. He only made an inescapable demand on himself when he spoke to the debtor.

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23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

09-10-2017Weekly ReflectionDeacon John C. Navaretta

Today’s Readings are all about relationship. God expects all of us, every human being, to have the same relationship with each other and with God, as God has with us. And God has only one expectation concerning relationships, that they are relationships of love. Love as God sees love as an action, not as humanity sees love, defined as an intense feeling of deep affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, intimacy,and other fuzzy feelings. These are simply feelings not love. It is the action of love that generates all the fuzzy feelings; an action that calls us to give of ourselves. Then through this self-giving we generate an array of warm fuzzy feelings for those to whom we give and for ourselves.

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22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

09-03-2017Weekly ReflectionFr. Raymond

One of the important and more meaningful parts of Catholic doctrine that is often neglected or not so well developed in some Christian denominations is the incredible value of suffering. Many Christians believe that Jesus suffered and died for us so that we will not have to suffer at all. This is only partially true. When we go through the gospel, we see that Jesus never shies away from reminding his disciples the challenge of following him, and this includes suffering. He declared in the gospel: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."

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Who do you say that I am?

08-27-2017Weekly ReflectionFr. Chauncey Winkler

Dear Parish family,

What is your commitment to Jesus Christ? Let me be clear, I'm not asking what your commitment used to be when you were younger, or what you would like it to be someday in the future, or what you wish it was like if only circumstances were different. The question really is what does my commitment to Jesus Christ look like today, this week, this month, and this year?

Up to this point in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has been challenging his disciples regularly with hard lessons, dispelling their false ideas with his truth, pointing out weaknesses they didn't know they had, and calling them to mature discipleship. Now Jesus brings them to Caesarea Philippi and asks them for a commitment. "Who do you say that I am?"

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Persistence and Never Giving up in our Search for God

08-20-2017Weekly ReflectionFather Tony Okolo, CSSp

Today’s gospel presents us with the story of a Canaanite woman who seeks Jesus’ help for herdaughter who is under demonic influence. Jesus’ response and the woman’s faith challenge us onhow to respond when we seek God’s assistance in moment of need, trial and difficulty.

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Jesus Walking on the Water - Reaching Out in Faith

08-13-2017Weekly ReflectionDeacon Andy Kresha

Jesus is Lord of all the winds and waves, of all nature. To believe in Jesus Christ is to believe in the Son of God, as God.

Whether control over nature, the healing of sickness, the raising of the daughter of Jairus from death, the multiplication of loaves of bread to feed 5000 people, or Jesus himself rising from the dead, we see His great signs and wonders. How slow are we to faith! We are afraid of so many things. Yet to trust in God is to know that his only Son will help us to walk out on the water as we face the storms of life.

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The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

08-13-2017Weekly Reflection

Mary’s love for Jesus was surpassed by none other. She had a special love for her Son, who is God, that made a claim on her entire being, body and soul. It is no wonder then, that upon her death Mary was taken body and soul into heaven so that she in her totality could dwell forever with her Son. Our celebration gives us the opportunity to ponder what heaven may be like and help us to long, even more fervently, for the fulfillment and joy that only God can eternally provide.

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The Transfiguration of Jesus

08-06-2017Weekly ReflectionFather Barnabas Duniya

Jesus speaks of himself as the 'son of man.' He used the generic expression that simply means 'man.' He used this expression to avoid misunderstandings that other titles say; king or messiah, might have caused.

He used the term also to refer to the vision in the book of Daniel in the first reading: 'son of man' refers to the one, who brings salvation to the world, which is a clear prophecy of the coming Messiah (Mt.20:28; Jn.3:13; 18:36).

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Understanding vs Wisdom

07-30-2017HomiliesDeacon Mike Woiwode

The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. God said, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." If God were to ask you and I the same question, what would we ask for? I've asked this question several people over the last 10 days and I got many different answers. I had only one that had the same request that Solomon had requested from God, "Give me the understanding to know right from wrong." This is what Solomon had asked for and that pleased God. In the Book of Kings, Chapter 3: 5-12, we find that this understanding Solomon received is called Wisdom. And if we read on a bit further, lines 16-27, we read a story that we are very familiar with, the splitting in half of a baby.

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Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

07-23-2017HomiliesFather Tony Okolo CSSp

Patience in the midst of Evil

Jesus preaches to the crowds a number of parables in today’s gospel reading. In the first parable, he tells a story of a man who planted good seeds in his vineyard and while everyone was asleep his enemy went and planted weed. The servants discovered it and requested they go and uproot the weed, Jesus tells them, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned but gather the wheat into my barn”.

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Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

07-16-2017HomiliesFather Barnabas Duniya

Humility is the foundation of the spiritual life. Because of this foundation, the Lord God can dwell more fully within us. In today’s parable, “A sower went out to sow.” Now either this sower is foolish, or he knows something that we don’t know. If you were driving down a paved road, and came up behind a farmer driving his tractor, dropping seed for miles on the path, will you have concern for him? Doesn’t he know he’s wasting his time, energy and money? Why is the Gospel so slow in entering our hearts?

The sower in Jesus’ parable acts in a similar way: “…as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.” Jesus explains the parable of the sower: “The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.” This parable is an invitation to a radical choice in which words are not enough, deeds are required.

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Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

07-09-2017HomiliesDeacon Patrick Toilolo

In our gospel reading we hear Jesus say, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

A yoke is a piece of wood or metal placed over the necks of two animals walking side-by-side. It keeps them in line when plowing a field. Instead of being independent the animals become dependent on each other. They must depend on each other to save their own neck. If one of the animals runs ahead or sideways, then both get a stiff neck.

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Hospitality of heart!!

07-02-2017HomiliesFather Barnabas Duniya

The woman in the first reading was open to life; she welcomed the prophet into her home, was aware that he was a holy man of God, and set about facilitating his mission.

The second reading could be seen under this light too since it speaks of entry into the new life of Baptism. This sacrament demands generosity towards those who have pledged their lives to the gospel.

At Baptism the grace of Christ is given to us and frees us from sin. This sacrament joins us to Christ; immersion in water symbolizes the burial, taking away our guilt; emerging from the watersymbolizes the Resurrection of Christ.

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