Parish Blog

Dear Parishioners,

Today we celebrate those two apostles whom Christ chose as “pillars” to continue his work in the Church. Peter received the mission to found and govern it; Paul, the mission to spread it throughout the world. Remembering them in a single day, we become aware of the Church's dual dimension: to be one and to be catholic. And....this feast is especially important to us because our parish was founded on the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. This date completes 172 years for our parish!

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend Holy Mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, a feast instituted in the late 13th century to commemorate our Lord’s institution of the Eucharist, which is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (Catechism, # 1324). Accordingly, this is a feast in which we are called to give rightful honor to our Lord’s true presence in the Blessed Sacrament. It’s also a good time for us to reconsider our own relationship with the Eucharist, most especially how reverent we are in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and in particular our own reverence in receiving Holy Communion.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the mystery at the center of our faith, from where everything originates and to where everything returns: the mystery of the unity of God, and at the same time, his subsistence in three equal and yet, different persons. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, unity in communion and communion in unity. In this great day, we must realize that this great mystery is ever present in our lives: from the very Sacrament of our Baptism — which we have received in the name of the Holy Trinity — to our participation in the mystery of the Eucharist, which is made for the glory of the Father, by his Son Jesus Christ, thanks to the Holy Spirit. And it is also the sign by which we Christians recognize one another: the sign of the Cross, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, on Pentecost, the promise that Christ made to the Apostles is fulfilled. On the evening of Easter Sunday, He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (Jn 20:22) The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost solemnly renews and brings to completion this gift with outward manifestations, with tongues of fire no less. Thus, the Paschal mystery is culminated.

Dear Friends in Christ,

The disciples knew well that this farewell was forever. They would never see Jesus again with the eyes of the flesh, so feelings of sadness and longing well up in their hearts. However, the promise also comes to mind: “I will be with you until the end of the age.” Christ leaves but stays? How did they understand this paradox?