“Brothers and sisters: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you.” (1 Thes 3:12) During this week when our country celebrates “Thanksgiving Day,” I want to express my thanksgiving to so many of you for your goodness to me. This past weekend with the Archbishop made me realize how truly blessed I am to be living in such a wonderful parish. Without meaning to exclude anyone, I do want to mention in particular a few people. First, I'm grateful to our Archbishop for his pastoral leadership and pastoral presence that made last Sunday so important in terms of promoting unity in our parish. Second, I want to express my deep gratitude to the leadership of the former Our Lady of Good Counsel and St. Henry parishes for their promoting … [Read more...]

“Jesus says, ”˜My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.' So Pilate said to him, ”˜Then you are a king?' Jesus answered, ”˜You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.'” (Jn. 18:36-38a) On the last Sunday in Ordinary Time we remember Christ as Universal King. And it's powerful to recall that His Kingdom was established on earth not as an exercise of power, but in an exercise of humility. Look at our church. Our forefathers who built this church had the Kingship of Christ in mind even before the feast of Christ the King was … [Read more...]

“Brothers and sisters: Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God.” (Heb. 10:11-12) Over the next two weeks, there are three important events happening in our parish. And they are each centered on the “Paschal Mystery.” What is the Paschal Mystery? Simply put, the Paschal Mystery is the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. When the Jews were slaves in Egypt, God told them to slaughter a lamb in the evening twilight and to place its blood on the two posts and the lintels of their houses. Seeing the blood, the Lord would “pass over” their homes in striking down the first-born of the Egyptians. … [Read more...]

“Jesus sat down opposite the [Temple] treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mk 12:41-44) What a great Scriptural passage to make a pitch for “parish stewardship”! The description of the treasury here shows how the people supported the Temple at the time of Jesus as they had since the building of the temple 960 Before Christ (B.C.). As you might remember, the First Temple in … [Read more...]

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Mk 5:1-9) Happy Anniversary of Our Time Together! It's hard for me to believe it, but this weekend marks the one-year anniversary of my coming to Good Shepherd Parish. And it has been a very blessed year for me. Of course it has been an adjustment going from working in an office in Rome to ministering in such a complex and diverse parish in a … [Read more...]

“Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” (Mk 10:43-45) Each of us has a deep longing for God. Despite our “worldliness,” we have a deep desire to encounter God. This is nothing new. It's been the story of human history since the Fall of Adam and Eve as man has tried to “transcend” (the word means to “climb across”) the difficulties of this earthly life and reach into a higher reality that is God's peace and tranquility. And that's why God sent us His Son. Jesus joined Himself to our humanity to give us the capability to “climb across” to our Heavenly Father. Jesus makes God the Father accessible to us. And so each of us wants to “see” … [Read more...]

“Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:43-45) Jesus presents us with a paradox in the Gospel today. If we want to be great, we need to be a servant. He turns earthly ideas of greatness on their head. It reminds me of a story told to me by one of my professors in seminary, a famous author who taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University named Fr. John Fullenbach. One summer, during a break in the university year, Father Fullenbach he decided to spend some with working in Calcutta with Mother Teresa and her sisters. On the first day he found himself walking with a sister through the worst … [Read more...]

“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mk 10:25-26) Before I entered seminary, I heard a homily preached on this Gospel passage. The priest explained that one of the gates to enter Jerusalem that was called the “eye of the needle.” Camels could only go through the “eye of the needle” if they were crawling on their knees and stripped of baggage. The implication was that we only get to Heaven “on our knees” and free of attachment to possessions. At the time, it seemed like a good explanation. But when I was in seminary studying Sacred Scripture, I learned there was no such gate. His cute story was a complete fabrication! However, there are explanations … [Read more...]

“But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Mk 10:6-9) “Marriage is the intimate, exclusive, indissoluble communion of life and love entered by man and woman at the design of the Creator for the purpose of their own good and the procreation and education of children; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.” Gaudium et Spes, 48 Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of the “wedding feast of … [Read more...]

“At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mk 9:38-40) Most of us call ourselves Catholics. But what does it mean to be “Catholic”? You might hear different definitions these days. When I was working in the Vatican, someone who “wasn't Catholic” was someone who didn't follow the Holy See in matters of doctrine. On the other hand, there exists a group called “Catholics for Choice” that purports to be “Catholic” while attacking the moral teachings of the Church and promoting the “right” of woman to kill … [Read more...]