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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 1, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 / Ps 78 / Eph 4:17, 20-24 / Jn 6:24-35
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor
In last Sunday’s gospel, we read about the way Jesus fed a very large crowd of people with very limited resources—only five loaves and two fish. Everyone had their needs met. After that, Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee.
Today’s gospel tells us what happened afterwards. The people follow Jesus across the lake. When they meet Him, their reaction is, “Let us make Jesus our political leader, so we can eat well every day and have a supplier of our needs.” However, Jesus tells them frankly that they did not follow Him because they believed He was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, and intended to grow spiritually. Instead, they followed Him because they merely wanted more food to eat. (more…)
KEEP READINGSeventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 25, 2021 — Year B
Readings: 2 Kgs 4:42-44 / Ps 145 / Eph 4:1-6 / Jn 6:1-15
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon
A well-known pastor and faith healer traveled around the country, going to various places, and doing revivals. He came to town and he set up shop in a local church, and people came from all over the countryside, because they had heard of him. He started his service, and people lined up to experience the healing that this man purportedly offered. (more…)
KEEP READINGThe Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 6, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Ex 24:3-8 / Ps 116 / Heb 9:11-15 / Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor
Yesterday, one of the headlines was about Cathy Boone, a 49-year-old homeless woman in Oregon. She died last January with nothing. She was homeless, no family, no friends. But they discovered after her death that she actually had inherited close to $900,000 from her mother. The state had tried to get in touch with her. Somehow she was estranged from the family when her mother died, and she just lost it. Her life had been spiraling downward. So she died penniless and homeless, and yet she had actually inherited almost a million dollars. (more…)
KEEP READINGThird Sunday of Easter
April 18, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 / Ps 4 / 1 Jn 2:1-5a / Lk 24:35-48
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor
On the day that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to two of His followers walking on the road to Emmaus. These two men, as Saint Luke the Evangelist related to us in today’s gospel, recounted what had taken place on the way and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
What was their story? Just like all of the disciples, they were so sad while they were walking on the road, because their friend, their teacher, and their Lord was crucified and died. The risen Jesus walked along with them, but they failed to recognize Him. (more…)
KEEP READINGSunday of Divine Mercy
April 11, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Acts 4:32-35 / Ps 118 / 1 Jn 5:1-6 / Jn 20:19-31
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor
A number of years ago early in my priesthood, when I was an assistant pastor in a big church in Manilla, I was having a pastoral conversation with my pastor, Monsignor Jose, and we heard a commotion and shouting on the second floor of the church’s pastoral center. The building was adjacent to the rectory where we lived.
I ran to see what was going on, and Monsignor followed me, just walking slowly. When I got there, I saw a middle-aged woman shrieking and screaming with her mouth foaming, and being pinned down on the floor by seven men and women, but she seemed to be a lot stronger than all of them. I was reminded of one of the scenes in the movie, The Exorcist, when I saw her. (more…)
KEEP READINGSecond Sunday of Lent
February 28, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 / Ps 116 / Rom 8:31b-34 / Mk 9:2-10
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor
One of Chevrolet’s cars is named after the second fastest land animal in the world, the impala, which can run up to fifty-six miles per hour. It can also jump to a height of over ten feet and across a distance of thirty feet. And yet, an interesting fact about this magnificent animal is that it can be kept in a zoo with only a three-foot wall. How can this happen?
The reason is that these animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will land. As we know, many people also play it safe, like the impalas. (more…)
KEEP READINGThe Baptism of the Lord
January 10, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 / Ps 29 / Acts 10:34-38 / Mk 1:7-11
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon
Week after week, we hear four readings from the scriptures. The first reading generally comes from the Old Testament. The psalm generally (but not always) comes from the Book of Psalms. The second reading generally comes from the Letters of the apostles.
We have a three-year cycle of readings for the gospel. In Year A, most of the gospel readings come from St. Matthew. Now, we’re in cycle B, and for the most part the gospels come from Mark. In Year C, they generally come from Luke. The Gospel of John is distributed throughout those years. (more…)
KEEP READINGThe Nativity of the Lord
December 25, 2020 — Year B
Readings: Is 9:1-6 / Ps 96 / Ti 2:11-14 / Lk 2:1-14
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor
Jane Wolford Hughes, a Catholic author and a good friend of Bishop Holley, wrote a small book that is being quoted by many preachers. It’s called, “If You Listen Really Hard, God Will Tell You Stories.”
When Jane was a little girl, her grandfather took her fishing. She wasn’t fishing herself, but she just liked to spend time with her grandfather. She was a very chatty little girl, and she talked a lot. One day her grandfather said, “You know, Jane if you could just be quiet for a little while and listen really hard, God will tell you stories.” (more…)
KEEP READINGSecond Sunday of Advent
December 6, 2020 — Year B
Readings: Is 40:1-5, 9-11 / Ps 85 / 2 Pt 3:8-14 / Mk 1:1-8
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor
A few years ago, my pastor from the Philippines, from the time when I was a newly ordained priest, came to visit me in my church in the Tidewater area. He was planning to be there on a Saturday afternoon, and he told me that he would concelebrate with me at the anticipated Mass. His plan was to arrive at least an hour before the Mass, so he would be able to see the place and possibly meet some of my parishioners. (more…)
KEEP READINGThirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 8, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 2:1-5 / Ps 19 / Acts 11:19-26 / Mk 16:15-20
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon
The prayers and the readings that you’ve heard thus far are not from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. That’s because this weekend the Richmond Diocese celebrated a Eucharistic Congress to wrap up our year of bicentennial celebration.
You may not have heard of a Eucharistic Congress, but most of you are probably familiar with Eucharistic adoration. For years we’ve had it every week, sometimes twice a week, in our church. It’s a time to spend a holy hour (or longer) with the Lord in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It’s a time of prayer; it’s a time of reflection; it’s a time to draw strength from the grace that is available through this Blessed Sacrament. (more…)
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