Pastor’s Column 7th Sunday Ordinary Time February 23, 2020 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God. from 1 Cor 3:16-23(2nd reading at Mass) The world is not as it appears to be on the surface. We as Christians know this to be true: God exists; the angels exist; our loved ones continue to live, but not where we are. We know this from scripture, and although we have interactions with our guardian angels, who are always with us, they seldom manifest themselves. This is so that we will have the opportunity to live by faith: once we have seen them, a life of faith will never be possible again. But, at times, when God wills it, God does allow us to gain insight into extr

Pastor’s Column 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time February 16, 2020 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be considered least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (from Matthew 5:17-37) This Sunday we hear part of the Sermon on the Mount, which forms the core of Jesus’ teaching. Here Jesus tells us what is pleasing to God and what is not, and most of this deals with how I treat my neighbor. We should be intensely interested whenever Jesus reveals secrets about the world to come, since we will all shortly find ourselves living there! And one of the

Pastor’s Column 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time February 9, 2020 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do you light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket!” from Matthew 5:13-16 When I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the first time during my first year of ordination, I will never forget our visit to the traditional site where Jesus is believed to have preached the Sermon on the Mount. On this beautiful hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, you can see Jesus using examples from everyday life as he is teaching, local images that were all around his listeners. Many of his examples may still be seen there today. From that hill Jesus’ hear

Pastor’s Column Presentation in the Temple February 2, 2020 Mary and Joseph arrived at the temple, not unlike any typical Jewish couple of the time, they were following the law of the Lord. Notice that the offering they are bringing is a pigeon or a turtledove, the offering of the poor who could not afford the much more expensive customary lamb. Yet here is the irony: while not being able to secure a lamb, Mary and Joseph bring the true Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Anna recognizes Jesus for who he really is when she encounters him. How does she do this? That she was in the temple at just the right moment was no accident. Scripture says that, as a widow of many years, she was always to be