The Spirit leads Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil, and we hear this: “He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.” Seems like a questionable battle preparation plan. When I fast, I usually feel grouchy at best, and at worst, like I might pass out from longing for a hamburger. Isn’t it better to be well-fed and fully hydrated, especially to face spiritual struggles? Why fast?

Happy Sunday!

Our painting of the church is nearly complete. We expect the finishing touches to be done by Tuesday in time for Ash Wednesday. With the finishing of the painting, we will have completed a major phase in our parish beautification project. The main pieces left after this will be the murals of St. Joan of Arc, the angel images around the stained glass, the extended wood paneling, and some stenciling around the church. The murals will likely not be completed until around Christmas.

Happy Sunday!

Another week gone and our painting is coming along very nicely! It’s incredible to see the simple transformation our parish is undergoing with a fresh coat of paint and a new color scheme in different areas. You might notice most acutely in the narthex. As the painters continue their work in the church you’ll of course notice the difference in the ceiling. Please pray for a successful completion of this project before Ash Wednesday.

Happy Sunday!

Last weekend we were able to have the dedication of our new altar! It was an excellent celebration and I am grateful to all of our staff and volunteers who helped make it go so smoothly! This weekend you will likely see scaffolding in the Church (if not this weekend, then certainly next weekend).

Hello,

There is often some confusion about the sacrament of Anointing. While I can’t answer every question here, I can give some basic information that may be helpful to you. In the first place, this sacrament is the same thing as what used to be called the last rites. In other words, Anointing is the last rites of the Church.

Happy Sunday!

This Monday the office will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There will be morning confessions and Mass but no evening confessions or Mass. This is a big week for the parish. This week begins the painting of the church.

A friend of mine is a young priest who teaches high school physics at a Catholic boys’ prep school. Like many today, the boys often think science and religion are enemies. So, he delights in their raised eyebrows when he reminds them his first full-time job as a priest was to be an astrophysicist.

We hide ourselves and our secrets from God because we are afraid. Even Mary can seem too perfect to approach. The shepherds find the strength to speak to Mary and Joseph at the moment they see the child in the manger. They open their hearts and share what they’ve experienced.

Merry Christmas!

What a great gift to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ this Sunday! I would like to share with you something that is not very well known, but read or chanted at Mass during the Night each Christmas. It is simply titled, “The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and it recounts the historical setting in which the Nativity occurs.

A seminary professor of mine once said, “Don’t confuse enthusiasm for a virtue with the virtue itself.” How easy it’s been in my life as a priest to talk about the greatest of virtues — love — and totally fail to live up to its concrete demands!

Happy Sunday!

Gaudete! Rejoice! This Sunday the universal Church celebrates Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. This name comes from the entrance antiphon for the Mass in which we hear, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”

Happy Sunday!

It is great to be in the season of Advent! Last Sunday began the new liturgical year as we anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. The prayers of the Mass, the antiphons, and readings are full of joyful expectation.

Merry Christmas!

What a great gift to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ this Sunday! I would like to share with you something that is not very well known, but read or chanted at Mass during the Night each Christmas. It is simply titled, “The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and it recounts the historical setting in which the Nativity occurs.