Joy: Offering Ourselves to God

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 18, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 45:1, 4-6 / Ps 96 / 1 Thes 1:1-5B / Mt 22:15-21
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Saturday, eight days ago, the first millennial saint was beatified: Blessed Carlo Acutis. He died just fourteen years ago. Blessed Carlo would say that his life’s plan was always to be united with Jesus. He spent a lot of time in prayer and, being afflicted with leukemia at a very young age, he could have complained to God why this was happening to him. Instead he said that the only thing we have to ask for in prayer is the desire to be holy. (more…)

Living in the Kingdom

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 11, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 25:6-10A / Ps 23 / Phil 4:12-14, 19-20 / Mt 22:1-14
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Today’s gospel comes from the twenty-second chapter of Matthew. Just a little bit earlier, in chapter twenty-one, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and promptly cleanses the temple. What follows is a series of confrontations with the Jewish leaders. Today, in a parable, Jesus likened the Kingdom of Heaven to a wedding banquet. (more…)

Faith and Hope

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 4, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 5:1-7 / Ps 80 / Phil 4:6-9 / Mt 21:33-43
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A few days ago, I had the privilege of being at the bedside of a great man, when I was called to give the Last Sacrament to Clint Shay, a member of our sister parish, Resurrection. He had turned 98 last March. I was expecting to see a man already nonresponsive, but when I got there, Clint was not only conscious and alert, but he even gave me a big smile and asked me how my mother is doing in the Philippines. He said, “I heard she is now 105 years old—only seven years older than me.” (more…)

St. Vincent de Paul, Patron of Richmond Diocese

[Following is the text of Bishop Knestout’s September 26 letter to the Diocese of Richmond]

Dear Faithful of the Diocese of Richmond,

Today we continue the celebration of the bicentennial jubilee of our local Church.  This Mass commemorates St. Vincent de Paul, the patron of the Diocese of Richmond, and recognizes the Catholic presence in the Western Vicariate of our diocese. (more…)

Attitude of Gratitude

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 20, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 55:6-9 / Ps 145 / Phil 1:20C-24, 27A / Mt 20:1-16A
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A few days ago, when I read the gospel that we have just heard, I was once again reminded of one of my Mom’s favorite sayings, “If you want to be a happy soul, you should look upon the donut, and not upon the hole.” As a result of having the habit of counting her blessings, and never, never comparing herself to others for more than 105 years now of having a wonderful life in this world, my Mom is still as happy as ever. (more…)

Forgive and Be Forgiven

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 13, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Sir 27:30-28:7 / Ps 103 / Rom 14:7-9 / Mt 18:21-35
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

All of us know that learning never stops. We go to school and learn the basics, but we have to constantly keep up. My kids can’t imagine a world without the internet. It shows how the world has progressed in availability.

But just learning isn’t enough. Memorizing information can only get you so far. You have to process that information and actually learn the concepts. This can also happen with our faith. When we are young children, we learn Bible stories and our prayers. Hopefully, we don’t stop there. We don’t just repeat what we have learned but digest the information and internalize it and learn the lessons it is meant to teach. (more…)

Live Love

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 6, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Ez 33:7-9 / Ps 95 / Rom 13:8-10 / Mt 18:15-20
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Yesterday we had one of the biggest, if not the biggest, attendance we’ve ever had at a First Saturday Mass here at Holy Name of Mary. Part of the reason is because we had some visitors from other states who came to worship with us.

After the Mass, I had a chance to talk to a family who had driven several hours, so they could be with their elderly parents here in Bedford County. Their children had been looking forward to this for months: the opportunity to see their grandpa and grandma. So thankfully this trip, in spite of the pandemic, was not out of the question. As you know, it is not easy to travel these days, but love was a powerful motivator for them to make this kind of sacrifice. (more…)

Presence: God’s Blessings

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 30, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Jer 20:7-9 / Ps 63 / Rom 12:1-2 / Mt 16:21-27
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A couple of decades ago, I had the privilege of being around a group of Religious who were just sparkling with joy. They are called Dominican Sisters of Sparkill and I happened to be their chaplain for a couple of years. I would say those were “heaven on earth” experiences. It was a joy to watch those nuns, especially those who lived in the retirement section and the infirmary. They spent the whole day thanking and praising the Lord. (more…)

Who Is God?

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 23, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 22:19-23 / Ps 138 / Rom 11:33-36 / Mt 16:13-20
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Many people love to watch television, but ever since I got high speed internet eight years ago, I have to confess I very rarely turn on my TV to actually watch something coming over the air (except for football.) I have Netflix; I’ve got Amazon Prime; and I do watch those. But the thing I probably watch the most is YouTube, because I love YouTube. (more…)

Go Forth With Faith

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 9, 2020 – Year A
Readings: 1 Kgs 19:9A, 11-13A / Ps 85 / Rom 9:1-5 / Mt 14:22-33
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

For the past few years, during religious education, I have given a church tour to various classes. These seem to go over pretty well. I show them many things within the church area – we talk about the holy oils, the tabernacle, the altar and the relics of the two saints who reside within the altar. This week as I was doing some research, I came across a piece of information that I knew but hadn’t thought about. I was reminded that the main part of the church is called the NAVE. This word comes from the Latin word for boat. The Church fathers all agree that, whenever you read about a boat in the Gospels, it is a metaphor for the Church. (more…)