God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. (Jn 3:16) I don’t believe in “coincidences,” a word that means “the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection.”  No, I believe in “God-incidences,” where God gives us two events at the same time and asks us to make a connection – to see that there are no “accidents.” Today, we have two events happening:  the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and Father’s Day.  I can’t help but make a connection.  Do you realize that almost all of the “solemnities” and “feasts” of our Church point to some “earthly” event?  Think about it.  They’re either focused on an event in the life of Christ (His incarnation, His … [Read more...]

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst?and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (Jn 20:19-21a) In the context of the season of Easter, it was only 53 days ago that the apostles were gathered together in the Upper Room for the Last Supper.  Jesus instituted the Eucharist, and fed them His Body and Blood.  He made them priests by commanding them to “do this in memory of me.”  He washed their feet and instructed them about true service.  But what happened when they left the Upper Room that first time?  They ran away like scattered sheep without a shepherd.  Judas sold Him for 30 pieces of silver. Peter denied Him three times. Only St. John, who leaned on His breast at the … [Read more...]

When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.  They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven (Acts 1-9-11) Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, which is the elevation of Christ into heaven by His own power in the presence of His disciples.  In Sacred Scripture, this occurred on the fortieth day after the Resurrection – which was actually last Thursday, traditionally called “Ascension Thursday.”  However, the celebration of the Ascension has been moved … [Read more...]

Beloved: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope. (1 Pet. 3:15) For the last several years our Director of Religious Education, Phillip Bellini, has been running a series of articles in the bulletin on “Apologetics.” Since the word has the same origin as our word “apology,” often time people think that the word means to “say you’re sorry.” That’s not the case, but the origins of the words are similar. Both “apology” and “apologetics” come from the Greek word “apologia”, but the original meaning of the word has changed in our current use of the word “apology.” In the classical Greek legal system two key technical terms were employed: the prosecution delivered the “kategoria” which was like … [Read more...]

You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (Acts 2:37-39) Somebody was recently telling me that, although he didn’t come to Sunday Mass at St. Stephen, he did pick up the bulletin and read my “sermons.” After being assured that he did go to Sunday Mass, just somewhere else, I told him that these bulletin reflections are rarely connected to my Sunday homilies. Although they can be my first thoughts on the Gospel or another one of the readings, there are only rare similarities between this column and the Sunday homily. This is one of the more typical reflections. I plan on preaching this Sunday about the Gospel, which is about Jesus “preparing a … [Read more...]

Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (Jn 10:1-3) This week is the Fourth Sunday in Easter, and it is traditionally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because of the Gospel reading today in which Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd. We’re all familiar with the images: Jesus standing, staff in hand, with the lamb across his shoulders. We have a beautiful stained-glass image of this in the stairway leading up to the choir loft. In fact, it’s the screensaver on my phone! Or perhaps we think … [Read more...]