Great is your faith: This weekend in our Gospel we hear of the astounding faith of a non-believing woman. She is in desperate need—her daughter is sick, possessed by a demon. Pope Francis states that, in turning to Jesus, the woman is “brave,” like any “desperate mother” who would do anything “for the health of […]
Do not be Afraid: This weekend’s Gospel is one of my favorites. Jesus “made” the disciples get into a boat to precede him to the other side. During their journey, a violent storm appears and their boat was being tossed about by the waves. What a scary sight! But Jesus appears to calm the storm. […]
A glimpse: This weekend we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord, a feast of the Church celebrated on August 6. This is one of my favorite feast days. In the Gospels, Jesus mentions his future death to his disciples. Their reaction is what ours is like. Oh no! But then a week after stating this […]
Treasure: This weekend Jesus continues to tell us of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is like “a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” It is also like “a merchant searching for fine pearls. When […]
Time for the Harvest: The harvest of the wheat is currently taking place amongst farmers. In today’s Gospel, Jesus discusses the fact that some weeds (tares) grow up with the wheat. Pope Francis reflected on this parable: “The teaching of the parable is twofold. First of all, Jesus says that the evil in the world […]
The Sower and the Seed: This Sunday, the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear of the well-known Gospel of the sower who casts seed onto different parts of the earth—some along the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and finally, some on rich soil. Jesus states that the seed sown on rich […]
Come to Me: On this 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear Jesus give us some of the most beautiful words found in Scripture: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus desires to give us inner peace with His presence. I recently read a commentary […]
Westy: This weekend we welcome Fr. Dan Westermann as our new associate pastor. His friends in the seminary liked to call him “Westy.” (So did I). I’ve known Fr. Dan since he was around 14 years old. He is a classmate of Fr. Gary. They were ordained together in 2014. Every time I talk to […]
Fr. Gary: It’s hard to see him go. He is really a remarkable priest. I am going to miss being with him, praying with him, and just talking with him. He’s often mentioned to me how much he has learned from me, but seriously, I have learned a lot from him. He is very dedicated, […]
Par Excellence: This weekend is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Jesus. There are seven Sacraments in the Catholic Church, but the Eucharist is considered “par excellence” because while in the other Sacraments Christ bestows His grace upon us, in the Eucharist it is Christ Himself that we receive. We are […]