My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

It has been 40 days since we celebrated the Solemnity of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead. Since then, He has been appearing to His Disciples and speaking to them about the kingdom of God. Eventually, the time came for Him to return to His Father in heaven from whence He came. It is this event of His return to the Father that we celebrate this weekend as the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.

My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

Whenever we read the about the beginnings of the Church and the life of the early Jewish Christians, especially as contained in the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2:42 – 47, we cannot but admire the mutual love, unity and fraternity that existed among them. They lived a communal life that bound them together in body, mind, soul and spirit. This exemplary living won them the admiration of many people especially the gentiles (non-Jews) who eventually joined them and increased their numbers. However, their lives at that early beginning of the Church was not without the controversies and disagreements that could be found among people.

My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

As we continue in joyful thanks to God for the gift of the new Pontiff; His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, today’s f irst reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 14: 21-27 recounts the missionary exploits of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas. Their missionary adventure among the inhabitants of Derbe, Lystra, Iconum and Antioch brought them a mixed bag of admiration and praise but not without the rejection, persecution and stoning that followed shortly after.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is always called Good Shepherd Sunday and is a traditional day of Vocations awareness. This image of The Good Shepherd is the enduring and shows God’s care, love and mercy for all of us.

Nobody wants to be called a sheep. It has some strange connotations. But in the eyes of God, we are these most profoundly gentle and pastoral creatures.

“Yes, Lord, I love you.”

We know that St. Peter did follow Jesus and that he was martyred by crucifixion in Rome. The eyes of the world are on Rome this week. St. Peter did as Jesus asked; as the first Pope, he fed the lambs, tended the sheep, fed the sheep. We see in the Gospel, how Jesus in His tenderness and love, called Peter to turn completely toward Him and to follow Him.

Divine Mercy Sunday Nine years ago on Divine Mercy Sunday 2016 and I was praying in my chapel in Williams very early in the morning , quietly preparing for Divine Mercy Sunday Masses.

It is such a special day in the Easter season, and I wanted more to give to the people. Praying in front of the tabernacle I asked Jesus:
“Could You help me out a little here, Lord?

We Are Also Coming Back To Life

We are God’s people, the people of life, through Jesus coming back to Life.

Easter is the Great Feast of Life:
The famous Italian Catechist and Author, Sofia Cavalletti, wrote back in 1993:
“The Christian faith is an obstinate faith; each time confronted by death, it proclaims that death does not have the last word. And this is what we believe, what we affirm, and what we want to announce to the world, because we know that there has already been a first, great victory of life over death in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Hosanna: “God, Save Us!”

Welcome to Jerusalem and Holy Week. We have travelled together to Jerusalem on our yearly pilgrimage to the Holy City.

Today, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem through the Golden Gate, and today we spiritually enter with Him into the Holy City.

Palm Sunday is the portal, the gate through which we pass through into the most special week of the year and of our salvation.

“Neither do I condemn you. Go and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11)

To be dragged out through the busy streets in front of a huge crowd and publicly humiliated in the worst possible way in the society of that time must’ve been as bad as it could get. But then to have the death sentence by stoning to follow, well, that is just unimaginable.

Thank God we know the rest of the story…. This is the great dramatic scene we hear in today’s gospel reading. Jesus says: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

Laetare means Rejoice. Why do we rejoice?

“Now we must Celebrate and Rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”

Laetare Sunday; Rose is the color of Love. Grace is simply the Love of God overflowing into the world. It is Jesus Who Is This Love.

The Parable of The Fig Tree: The season of Lent is a perfect time to reflect on how we spend our time. Do we give first priority to God, tending to our spiritual growth and sacramental life with diligence?

Do we give next priority to our loved ones, focusing intentionally on them each day without distractions from phones, screens, or thoughts of work? If not, now is the moment to repent of our waste of time or of misplaced priorities on our use of time. God is merciful but just. Let’s turn to Him and ask Him to make our lives fruitful while we still have time to do so.

The Mystery of the Transfiguration

“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

In last week’s Gospel, we followed Jesus into the desert where He fasted and prayed. This week, He leads us up a mountain to witness His Transfiguration. Why do we hear both of these experiences in Lent?

The Transfiguration was the most astounding, amazing and mind-blowing experience for Peter, James and John, revealing Jesus as truly the Son of God. What glorious Light shone from the face of Christ as He foretaste of Heaven and a vision of His hidden glory.

A Jubilee Season of Hope

In this 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, we ask: Lord, in these difficult times, we enter into the desert of Lent this year on our annual Journey to Jerusalem with much grief in our hearts for those lost to us…

the bullets and missiles in Gaza & Ukraine; the rhetoric and spin of governments; those still living in fear of the pandemic; Yet we turn to these words of Hope: