Hello,

The Ascension is the completion of the Resurrection. When Jesus rose from the dead, He rose up, and now in the Ascension He continues that action, He rises further upward. In fact, He rises all the way to the right hand of God the Father. When we see that the Ascension completes what began at the Resurrection, then it makes a bit more sense. Then also we can see its meaning and the great hope that it holds out to us. Just as Jesus rose from the dead and went up to God, so shall we who have been baptized. In the Ascension, we see the model of our own salvation, which we wait for in hope.

Happy Sunday!

Congratulations to our newly confirmed and to all those who received their First Communion. This past Friday we had our First Communion and Confirmation Mass in English and the Friday before we had it in Spanish. I am very grateful to all of our catechists who made this such a splendid year. We have such a great team of catechists and volunteers who make everything run so smoothly. I want to offer a special word of gratitude to Laura Gallant, our Coordinator of Religious Education. This was her first year in the position and she did a wonderful job supporting our families, catechists, volunteers, and all the children who received Sacraments this year. Thank you Laura!

Happy Sunday!

This Sunday we have another short yet powerful Gospel reading. Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” How profoundly simply is this new commandment that Jesus gives the disciples. “Love one another.” There are no conditions, just a blanket command to love. Jesus tells us that we are to love as he has loved us. How has he loved us? By dying for us while we were still sinners. He did not wait for us to understand everything perfectly. He died for us knowing that we would still, at times, choose sin. Likewise, we are not to wait until we have assurance that someone won’t turn against us. We are called to love one another even if we are not loved in return.

Happy Sunday! And Happy Mother’s Day!

I hope that this day is one filled with many blessings for all of the mothers in our parish. During this month of May, a month of Mary, we entrust our whole parish, but in a special way all mothers to the protection and guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Luke tells us twice in the beginning of the Gospel he wrote that Mary would ponder the events of her life in her heart. She constantly kept a contemplative spirit and would bring to the Lord everything happening concerning herself and her Son. She is an example for all Christians and in a special way mothers, who always hold their children very dear to their hearts.

Hello,

We are now in the season of Easter and will be for several weeks. Then comes the Ascension and Pentecost and then after that Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi. There are many great celebrations ahead of us this year before summer settles in. The liturgical year is just so rich. I encourage you to look ahead at your calendars and maybe plan something nice for those days. Just as at Easter, the family celebrations that go along with the liturgical celebrations add to our experience of God’s goodness to us. But for now it is Easter.

As we complete the Octave of Easter the Church invites us to dive into the great mystery of God’s unfathomable mercy. It was St. John Paul II who said, “Where, if not in the Divine Mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope?” We too are aware of the great storms of our society and world. There is a constant tension in the world in the midst of political instabilities, violence, hatred, and much more. And yet, it is in the Divine Mercy that we find refuge and hope. We seek protection under the great goodness of God who can take on the sinfulness of mankind and offer healing and forgiveness.

Happy Easter!

Jesus Christ is risen! A very happy Easter to each and everyone of you. This is the great solemnity that follows upon the 40 days of Lent and begins the 50 days of the Easter season. We spent 40 days preparing ourselves through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Now the Church invites us to celebrate for 50 days in the joy of the risen Lord.

Happy Palm Sunday!

Holy Week is upon as we celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend. Mass begins outside with the blessing of palms and procession into the church. The movements are important for us. We do not merely go through the motions and walk in like any other Sunday. Rather, we are among the crowd who sing “Hosanna” as Jesus entered Jerusalem the week before His Passion.

Happy Sunday!

I pray everyone has had a good week. Thanks to all of our volunteers for another wonderful Fish Fry! If you haven’t had a chance to join us yet this Lent, next Friday will be our last Fish Fry of the season. Please come on by and grab a plate of our wonderful food prepared by your fellow parishioners. It is always a wonderful time and a good chance to connect with people outside of Mass.

Happy Sunday! Thank you to everyone for your prayers while I was away in Honduras on a mission trip. It was a beautiful time. I was able to serve with Fr. Denis, a Honduran priest I had met 9 years ago when we were both seminarians. He is now the pastor in the town of Taulabe. One of the things he asked our group to help with was visiting some of the small towns, or “aldeas”, that are under his care. His parish includes not only San Gaspar in Taulabe, but also the 36 surrounding aldeas! Our group was able to go to some of the more distant aldeas and put on catechetical programs and offer home visits. I would go to a different town each day to visit the sick, celebrate Mass and hear confessions. My step count certainly went up as many of the homebound live in places that are only accessible on foot.

Hello,

A recent letter in this bulletin got me thinking about some general principles that might be helpful. Put simply, on the one hand, the Church grows and develops over time, but on the other hand, there is also the possibility for corruptions and error. The trick is to know the difference and to be on the right side, that of legitimate development. But it is not just a test or a problem for us, instead it is the nature of the Church and of our Christian life: it changes over time. This is because the Church is a living reality, not frozen in any particular point of time.

Happy Sunday!

It has been great to see everyone coming back and joining us for the Fish Fry! Everything is as good as I remember. It’s great to see so many people form the parish and surrounding parishes coming to enjoy our wonderful operation. Thank you especially to Deacon Andy for organizing everything and to our volunteers who make everything go so smoothly. Many of our volunteers arrive early in the day on Friday and stay until after everything is finished. If you have never volunteered I would encourage you to reach out to Deacon Andy, even if you are only able to help for an hour. Every little bit helps!

There is a debate among some Catholics that claim the only way to receive our Lord in Holy Communion is on the tongue, as opposed to in the hand. Ultimately, this casuistry is without warrant as both forms have a history and tradition in the Church, and they are not pitted against each other as if reception on the tongue is somehow an evolution beyond reception in the hand. Here’s why: