God Answers Our Needs

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 2, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 55:1-3 / Ps 145 / Rom 8:35, 37-39 / Mt 14:13-21
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Last Friday, Gia Fuda, an 18-year-old girl from Washington state, went missing. Her car was found on a highway, out of gas, after more than a week of searching. Inquiries yielded negative results, but yesterday they found her alive in the heavily wooded Cascade Mountains east of Seattle. After being brought to the hospital, the girl could not coherently explain what really happened to her, or why she ended up in that deserted area in the first place. (more…)

Be Wise: Don’t Worry

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 26, 2020 – Year A
Readings: 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12 / Ps 119 / Rom 8:28-30 / Mt 13:44-52
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

If you were here inside the church of Holy Name of Mary at exactly 11:00 AM—many of you were here earlier than that— you had a period of three and a half minutes of silence before Mass began. I presume you spent those three and a half minutes in praying, or at least being aware of God’s presence. (more…)

Faith From Unexpected Places

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 12, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 55:10-11 / Ps 65 / Rom 8:18-23 / Mt 13:1-23
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Many of us here are old enough to know that love indeed comes from the most unexpected places. God’s visits to us could also come from different sources. The movies, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, may be just other sources of entertainment for most people, but for a young man named Anthony Ferguson, these movies got him thinking about the deeper meaning of life, and eventually his vocation. (more…)

Come to Me

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 5, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Zec 9:9-10 / Ps 145 / Rom 8:9, 11-13 / Mt 11:25-30
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

For more than one hundred years now, the Statue of Liberty, which reminds us of our freedom, has been watching over the New York harbor. Millions, including me, visit this statue each year. At the base of this statue there is a tablet where the words of Emma Lazarus are inscribed, the first line of which is “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” (more…)

Find Yourself

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 28, 2020 – Year A
Readings: 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16A / Ps 89 / Rom 6:3-4, 8-11 / Mt 10:37-42
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Life since the beginning of this pandemic has been far from normal. We have had to make sacrifices to help prevent the spread of the virus, and some of us are feeling that our freedom to do what we want to do has been curtailed, while others see it as just a reflection of our imperfect lives and the world we live in. We all have to do some things that we may not want to do, but we have to do them. That’s just what life in this world is all about. (more…)

Do Not Be Afraid

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 21, 2020 — Year A
Readings: Jer 20:10-13 / Ps 69 / Rom 5:12-15 / Mt 10:26-33
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

There is a very ancient story about a mouse who was terribly afraid of cats. A magician took pity on him and changed him into a cat. But then, he became so afraid of dogs, that the magician turned him into a dog. Then he became very afraid of mountain lions, so the magician turned him into a mountain lion. But then he became terribly afraid of hunters. At that point, the magician gave up and turned him back into a mouse and said, “There is really nothing I can do that will help you, because you have the heart of a mouse.” (more…)

Not Alone

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
June 14, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Dt 8:2-3, 14B-16A / Ps 147 / 1 Cor 10:16-17 / Jn 6:51-58
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Today our gospel comes from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, and it is the famous Bread of Life discourse. But a little background helps us to understand exactly what’s going on in this gospel.

At the beginning of this chapter, Jesus feeds the five thousand. Needless to say, the people are impressed: this is a great miracle, and they want to see more. At that point, Jesus pushes back a little bit, and He says the words that we have heard today. (more…)

The Wisdom of Love

Pentecost Sunday
May 31, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 2:1-11 / Ps 104 / 1 Cor 12:3B-7, 12-13 / Jn 20:19-23
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Not too long ago, during a gathering with brother Knights of Columbus, a man was wearing a t-shirt which said, “I am not 70 years old, I am an 18-year-old man with 52 years of experience.” Maybe you have seen this before. Many believe that experience gives us wisdom, which means the older we get, the wiser we should be. The years give us experience, therefore wisdom. (more…)

Christ Our Hope

Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 / Ps 66 / 1 Pt 3:15-18 / Jn 14:15-21
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Yesterday, we welcomed the youngest member of our Christian family here at Holy Name of Mary: Theodora Miriam, who is only a few months old, received the Sacrament of Baptism. During the ceremony, Theodora’s big sister and big brother, who are two- and four-year-olds, were so happy, with big smiles on their faces. It occurred to me that these children, with the help of God’s grace, will still be here in Holy Name of Mary long after I’m gone from this world. This gives me hope. (more…)

Holy Detachment

Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 6:1-7 / Ps 33 / 1 Pt 2:4-9 / Jn 14:1-12
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Once there was a young couple who decided, for their first anniversary, that they would take a camping trip to Disneyworld. At this time the husband was working long hours at his job, so it fell to the wife to do most of the preparation. But lucky for this husband, his was a very industrious, hard-working wife.

She planned everything out: She planned where they would stop. She planned the menu. She even went as far as chopping all the things that were going to go in the meals for the week, so that it would require less time to prepare. (more…)