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…)

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…)

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…)

Walking and Talking With Jesus

Third Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33 / Ps 16 / 1 Pt 1:17-21 / Lk 24:13-35
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Today, the beginning of the third week of the season of Easter, is also Sunday of the Word of God. Our Holy Mother Church wants to remind us how important Sacred Scripture is in our lives as Christians. We all know that words have power. They can create, encourage, strengthen, enlighten, and can even help us to recover from a serious illness. (more…)

Think: Everlasting Life

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
April 12, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 10:34A, 37-43 / Ps 118 / Col 3:1-4 / Jn 20:1-9
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we always proclaim the mystery of our faith. As we know, our life in this world is in itself already a mystery. Nobody in this world can understand himself or herself completely. For example, even the best medical scientists don’t fully understand the full nature of coronavirus, and that is why they are still not able to find a way to cure those who are afflicted by it.

But the good news is that, even without the aid of a vaccine, which is still nonexistent as we speak, there are now more than four hundred thousand people all over the world who have recovered from COVID-19. (more…)

Connecting With the Lord

Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 29, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Ez 37:12-14 / Ps 130 / Rom 8:8-11 / Jn 11:1-45
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Ever since I have had a Facebook account, I usually deactivate it during the season of Lent. Three years ago, after the forty days of Lenten season, for one reason or another, I just didn’t bother to reactivate it. So my Facebook account was practically dead for about thirty-six months. (more…)

Faith, Our Antidote for Fear

Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 22, 2020 – Year A
Readings: 1 Sm 16:1B, 6-7, 1-13A / Ps 23 / Eph 5:8-14 / Jn 9:1-41
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

This morning I had the chance to talk with my relatives in New York and California. Because of this coronavirus, we now have more time, not only to reconnect with our relatives and friends in other parts of the country and the world, but also many of us have rediscovered our relationship with our God. And this is indeed a silver lining in the dark cloud of this COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)

Faith: God Is With Us

Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2019 – Year A
Readings: Is 7:10-14 / Ps 24 / Rom 1:1-7 / Mt 1:18-24
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A couple of weeks ago when I was in the Philippines preparing to fly back here to the US, the Philippine weather bureau had announced that a super typhoon was about to hit our island. This caused the airlines to cancel all of the flights. This super typhoon was probably the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane.

The most popular shelter there during the storms has always been the Catholic churches, because they are the biggest and the strongest buildings in the islands. Most of all, people feel safe there because, as we all believe, the Lord Jesus is present there in the church: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. (more…)

Trying to See God

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 3, 2019—Year C
Readings: Wis 11:22-12:2 / Ps 145 / 2 Thes 1:11-2:2 / Lk 19:1-10
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

There are some questions there’s only one answer to….

… Like, when your wife asks, “How does my hair look?” There’s only one answer to that.

… When your kid comes up and says, “I drew this picture for you, Daddy. Will you put it up in your office?” There’s only one answer to that question. (more…)

Life, Progress, and Discipline

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 25, 2019 – Year C
Readings: Is 66:18-21 / Ps 117 / Heb 12:5-7, 11-13 / Lk 13:22-30
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A few days ago, during my flight to Minneapolis, I noticed that more and more people, especially the young ones, are using digital boarding passes. This means they use their cell phones to be able to board the plane. This is on top of using it to buy stuff, instead of using actual credit cards. Quite a few states now, for the past few years, have been testing digital driver’s licenses. (Virginia is a little bit behind in the digital race.) In just a few years, maybe even months, all you will probably need is your cell phone, to travel and drive anywhere and buy anything, for as long as you don’t run out of battery. Because if your battery is dead, you are dead. (more…)