News RSS Feed

Moses was about eighty years old as he quietly led his father-in-law’s flock across the desert to the base of Mt. Horeb. After his escape from Egypt, he had been dwelling in that region with his wife, Zippo’rah, and their son for about forty years. He was probably expecting to slip peacefully into retirement.

The transfiguration of Jesus is told in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and read by the Church on the Second Sunday of Lent. This year we hear Luke’s account which has one very interesting addition. All three tell of Jesus’ appearance being transformed into dazzling white, and all three tell of Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus. But only Luke tells us what they were speaking about. The “spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31).

Sometimes prayer is a battle, a battle to stay focused on what matters most: our relationship with God. Our thoughts and feelings can easily be accosted by distractions and temptations. That’s only human. Even Jesus, who was human and divine, allowed himself to be tempted, as we hear in the gospel reading for this Sunday. Each year on the First Sunday of Lent of Lent we hear the story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. The gospels tell us that it was the Holy Spirit that led him into the desert, and Matthew and Luke point out the specific reason Jesus was led there: “to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:2).

Lent means Springtime. Are you ready for Spring? We have had a taste of Spring with the nice weather lately. But just because Lent begins this Wednesday does not mean that every day to Easter will be warm and sunny. Such is life.

Among the many religions of humanity, why do we think that Christianity is the best? The Second Vatican Council took up this question in it’s “Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostrae Aetate). It is the shortest “Declaration” of Vatican II, consisting of only five paragraphs, so it is not meant to be a comprehensive treatment of the subject. The Council fathers set forth their modest intention in the second sentence. Regarding the Church’s “task of promoting unity and love among people, indeed among nations, she considers above all in this declaration what people have in common and what draws them to fellowship.”

How did Jesus lay the foundation for the largest continually existing human institution ever? By the wisdom and love that flowed through everything He said and did, and in a way which was rather unconventional. His unconventional wisdom is expressed in today’s gospel passage when He declares that those who are normally seen as unfortunate are actually blessed.

It was the worst night ever on the lake. We spent all our energy hauling in the nets countless times for nothing, not a single fish. There we were cleaning our nets on the beach, and looking forward to a morning nap, when I heard some people gathering behind me. I turned and, to my surprise, I saw Jesus sitting in my boat! He smiled and waved me over with some urgency as more people gathered around. I felt a certain need to rescue him, so I dropped my net and ran to him. James and John noticed and did the same.

In this reflection from Fr. Ernest, we here St. Peter thinking back to that moment that he first encountered Jesus and he was called to follow him.

At the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria (or Egeria) made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and observed many of the Christian liturgical rites which had already developed. She wrote about these in her journal which was discovered in 1887. Among the many liturgies she described is the observance of Jesus’ birth on Epiphany (January 6), and the gala procession in honor of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later (February 15). Why was the Presentation celebrated 40 days later?

Pope Francis has declared this to be a Jubilee Year for “Pilgrims of Hope.” What is a jubilee year? Jesus refers to it in today’s gospel. Quoting from the Prophet Isaiah he declares: “The Spirit of the Lord… has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives… to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (61: 1-2; 58: 6).

There is a Love eternal in the heavens which is the source of all things seen and unseen. This Love created everything and loves everything, especially those made in the image of Love. Since it is the nature of Love to give itself to the beloved, the beings created in the image of Love are complimentary—as they give themselves to each other in love they become one. Originally, the Lover and beloved danced together in a harmony of giving and receiving love. Each thrilled and rested in the joy and peace of knowing they were loved.

Last week I had a wonderful visit with Rose Zigler who is 91-years old and recently learned that she is terminally ill with cancer. She had never received the Anointing of the Sick, and we both thought it was about time. What a blessing it was to pray with her and Linda, one of her five children.

On that first Christmas Eve, after the shepherds were aroused by a host of singing angels, they ran to the manger to tell Mary and Joseph all about it. Then, St. Luke tells us, “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2: 19). Mary does not speak much in the gospels. She was a contemplative; indeed, she had much to contemplate!

As we come to the close of 2024, let’s count our blessings. If you had a great year, you will probably find it easy to joyfully count your blessings and thank God for them. If you had a rough year, you may find it difficult to count your blessings and maybe more difficult to thank God for anything. And for some of you, maybe the only blessing you can think of is that the year is almost over! Somebody thank God for that!

This verse from the Christmas Mass at Night sums up the blessings God has showered upon IHM in 2024. “The grace of God has appeared” in our midst in countless ways thanks to so many people sharing their gifts with our parish family.

It’s Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word which means “rejoice.” We are called to rejoice because we are more than halfway through our Advent journey—just ten more days until Christmas! St. Paul encourages us, “Rejoice in the Lord always… The Lord is near” (Philippians 4: 4-5). For this reason, we light the rose candle and wear rose vestments. But do you feel like rejoicing today?

Join us for an Novena top prepare for the Birth of Jesus on Christmas starting December 16th and finishing on December 24th. Most days we will pray the novena at 6:30pm (Dec 21 @ 5:15pm, Dec 24 @ 10:30pm). Each night will consist of adoration and the novena prayer.

s we journey through Advent, it seems that there is more and more to do even as the days are getting shorter and shorter. Would you like an opportunity to calm down and prayerfully prepare for Christmas? If you take a moment to recollect, might you discover a special intention you have for this coming Christmas, for yourself or for someone else?

In a world of isolation, anonymity, and keyboard-warriors, Alpha offers content and guidance for churches, ministries, and individuals to create a space for honest and open conversations about life’s biggest questions.

On this First Sunday of Advent, I am still lingering in the spirit of Thanksgiving Day. This national holiday fits well into the last week of our liturgical year, inviting us to be thankful for the blessings of the past year even as we begin a new season. I am so grateful for the graces God has been pouring out upon our parish. I do not have the space to mention them all, but I would like to mention one of them which we are celebrating this Sunday. In our second reading St. Paul prays: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all…” (1 Thessalonians 3: 12). The Lord has been answering his prayer at IHM.