Pastor's Corner

Early in this new year and with Lent around the corner, I invite you to make a resolution – to become more conscious of what you are supposed to do at Mass. The message introducing each weekend Mass invites us to, “recommit ourselves to participate fully in the congregation’s parts of the Mass, and so bring honor and glory to God by worshiping in Spirit and in truth.” This refers to what Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:24, "God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in truth."

On January 9, Pope Leo provided a forceful commentary on what is currently happening in our world and in our country in an address to 184 ambassadors from countries with full diplomatic relations with the Holy See. He said, “War is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading... The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined.

You probably have made one or more New Year’s resolutions for 2026. Some may address areas such as our physical wellbeing, others our mental/emotional/spiritual wellbeing and others may have to do with our relationships. I share with you portions of a reflection from the January 5th installment of The Daily Anchor entitled “Step 1 to lasting change” from Chris Stefanick of www.reallifecatholic.com.

Happy New Year! As we look at the new year ahead of us, I invite you to keep in mind that God calls each of us to courageously live His Will in our lives, not merely our own will. Hopefully, our will and God’s will match. But, it’s not easy. Pope Benedict XVI once shared a timely thought about what our lives should be about. He said, "The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness." Here is a reflection from St. Ignatius of Loyola that can help you focus on what is most important in life.

Did you ever think about the lengths God went through to show how much He loves you by becoming a human being?

Jesus is God’s way of reaching out to you and me. By sharing our humanity, He’s letting us know how very special we are, that He wants to be one with us, that He understands us, and that He’s someone we can relate to.

During this season, we’ll probably hear more than once the familiar song: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” But, for some among us, it’s really not. If anything, they might say just the opposite. That’s because this time of year is very difficult for them. There are a number of circumstances that can make it so. Some people are grieving the loss of a loved one. For these folks, this season brings back some fond memories, but they are tinged with sadness. Other people are facing financial hardship and are unable to provide gifts for their family members as they usually do.

Back in 2021, we began to offer a monthly 5 pm Mass on Sunday in response to the need expressed by many parishioners for a time that makes Weekend Mass more accessible to active families. The attendance at it indicated that it indeed filled a need, not only for young families, but for young adults and many others as well. And so, a year later, as this Mass became more popular, with the support of the Parish Pastoral Council and the cooperation of our Senior Assistant Priest at the time, Fr. Bill Williams who agreed to alternate with me celebrating this Mass, we decided to offer it on a weekly basis.

The following is an excerpt from Archbishop Richard Henning’s “I Believe” column in the November 28 edition of the Pilot newspaper entitled, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” He invites us to consider this time of Advent as a time of spiritual preparation for the Coming of Jesus that involves some penitential practice.

He writes, “As I reflect on these powerful readings for the beginning of Advent, I feel moved to speak of penance. When we see the depth of God's love and recognize the magnitude of His grace, it is right to turn away from sin and towards the light of Christ.

This weekend begins the season of Advent. A number of years ago, Bishop Joseph Maguire of Springfield, MA, wrote a pastoral letter to the people of his diocese entitled, Enduring Love, about the meaning of Advent as a time of preparation for Christmas. He asked them to pledge to spend the season of Advent in preparation for the birth of Christ and resist anything that tries to make the feast of Christ’s birth a secular, commercial holiday. I’d like to share with you a portion of his letter with the hope that you, too, might make this pledge.

It doesn’t seem possible we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving this week. One fundamental spiritual practice of our Catholic faith is by expressing gratitude to God. We offer thanks and praise to God every time we come to Mass! It is an acknowledgement that all is gift from Him from whom all good things come. In a culture that often looks for what we can get, our faith tradition focuses on what we can give, including thanks. It is in the spirit of Psalm 116:12, "How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me?" that we instinctively seek to give back in some way, even if it’s a token of our gratitude.

In a world characterized by a growing prosperity of some and an increasing poverty of others, Catholic Social Teaching calls us to use a basic moral test to measure how we as individuals and as a society are treating our most vulnerable members. With the chasm between rich and poor widening in our country and in the world, we need to recall Jesus’ story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46), which clearly describes the accountability we must render before God regarding how we have put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. This is what the Church refers to as the Preferential Option (Choice) for the Poor.

Do you remember hearing your mother say, “Be careful whom you make friends with!”

She knew associating with someone who would not be a good influence could cause you to do something you’d later regret; for example, you might get in with the wrong crowd. She may have also wanted to protect your little brother, who looks up to you, from being negatively influenced by the bad language or behavior exhibited by you and your friends.

In the month of October, the Church marked Respect Life Month. As we begin the month of November, the Church remembers all of the faithful departed, commonly known as the month of All Souls. It is a month when we pray in a special way for all of those who have died, and particularly for those who have need for purification before being united to the Lord in heaven, traditionally known as purgatory.