You Will Know Him

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 16, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Is 50:5-9A / Ps 116 / Jas 2:14-18 / Mk 8:27-35
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

The song, “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” which was first released in the early seventies, has sold millions of records and CDs worldwide and been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times on iTunes and Google Play. Even Carrie Underwood sang this song when she joined America’s Got Talent.

But scripture scholars would attest that the Lord Jesus would never have said or implied the words of the refrain: “If you don’t know me by now, then you will never, never know me.” (more…)

Be the Face of Christ

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 9, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Is 35:4-7A / Ps 146 / Jas 2:1-5 / Mk 7:31-37
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

For those of you who follow us on Facebook, you already know where I was on Friday evening: in Richmond. It was the Mass at which two of the men from our parish were invited into candidacy to the permanent diaconate. This was the first step of what is almost a five-year journey from the start of discernment through four years of education, with ordination as the goal. The two men are Mark DeLaHunt and Tony Rivera.

These gatherings are like a homecoming for me. Because we have a large diocese, I don’t get to see the men I studied with, and this is an opportunity to catch up with them. We get to talk about what we are doing — both good and bad — and it is a reminder of the broader meaning of being a deacon. (more…)

Believe and See

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 2, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Dt 4:1-2, 6-8 / Ps 15 / Jas 1:17-18, 21B-22, 27 / Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

We can consider ourselves blessed if, whenever we have any type of difficulty, there is somebody to help us whose power is greater than any human strength and whose intelligence is greater than any human wisdom. As God’s children, we have reason to rejoice because, as Psalm 33 says, “The Lord is our help and our shield.” He’s closer to us than we are to ourselves. (more…)

Go, You Are Sent

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 22, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Jer 23:1-6 / Ps 23 / Eph 2:13-18 / Mk 6:30-34
by Rev. Dan Kelly, Guest Celebrant

In today’s first reading, Jeremiah the prophet is addressing two groups of people. First, he’s addressing the leaders of Israel, who have abandoned their people and sought their own way, avoiding God’s commandments. The people, as a result, were also forgetting what God’s commandments were. Jeremiah is also addressing the people themselves, who have been led to follow foreign and non-believing peoples from other nations.

We’ve heard that story before in the scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, when God promised and sent someone to renew His people. God promised, through Jeremiah, that He would raise up new leaders for the Jewish people, who would bring them back to their faith. That is the first connection with the gospel: leadership. (more…)

Lessons in Discipleship

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 15, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Am 7:12-15 / Ps 85 / Eph 1:3-14 / Mk 6:7-13
by Rev. Dan Kelly, Guest Celebrant

About seven hundred years before the coming of Our Lord, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two nations: Israel to the north and Judah to the south. Amos was ordered by God to go to Israel, to prophesy there, to tell the people how to change. What was going wrong in Israel was that Israel had won a great battle against its enemies. They were quite content, feeling pretty good. The economy was really going up; they had many extra workers coming in from other places to work. So things were looking pretty good, and they were beginning to relax their own personal moral life. They were even forgetting God, just going through the motions, as it were. (more…)

Planting the Seed

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 17, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Ez 17:22-24 / Ps 92 / 2 Cor 5:6-10 / Mk 4:26-34
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Not too long ago, I visited a former parishioner in a rehabilitation center/nursing home in Virginia Beach. On my way to his room, his youngest son met me in the hallway to thank me personally for the spiritual support I’ve given his dad and for being a personal friend of the family. I’ve met the son a few times in the past and have often congratulated his parents for raising a very fine Catholic gentleman. This young man is not only a very successful architect in Boston, but he and his whole family are all very active in Church ministry. (more…)

Thirst for Living Water

Third Sunday of Lent
March 4, 2018 – Year A Readings
Readings: Ez 17:3-7 / Ps 95 / Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 / Jn 4:5-42
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Today we celebrate the Third Sunday of the season of Lent, which is also the first scrutiny for our four catechumens here at Holy Name, who will be receiving the sacrament of Baptism at the Easter Vigil. We also have catechumens in our sister parish, and this is the first time that both parishes will be welcoming new members to the Church. For those of you using your own missal, we use the readings for Year A when we have scrutinies for the catechumens. (more…)

A Guiding Light

The Epiphany of the Lord
January 7, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Is 60:1-6 / Ps 72 / Eph 3:2-3A, 5-6 / Mt 2:1-12
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Each of us must have experienced, at some time in the past, a total power outage during the night. If there is total darkness, you instantly notice even one candle or a small flashlight or a battery operated bulb. As emergency lights, these make a big difference. But as we know, physical darkness doesn’t last very long. It usually takes only a few minutes before the power comes back on.

There is, however, another form of darkness in our lives that has the tendency to linger: the spiritual darkness caused by living a life which is completely separate from the Author of life. (more…)

Courage to Witness

The Ascension of the Lord
May 28, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Acts 1:1-11 / Ps 47 / Eph 1:17-23 / Mt 28:16-20
by Rev. Paul O’Donnell Duggan, Guest Celebrant

Tomorrow is the hundredth anniversary of the birth of President John F. Kennedy.  To mark the occasion, the Post Office put out a beautiful stamp of Kennedy.  Of course, we all know his most famous statement.  If you ever visit Arlington National Cemetery, you’ll see the Eternal Flame and the words from his inaugural address in stone:  “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”  (more…)

Up and Down the Mountain

Second Sunday of Lent
March 12, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Gn 12:1-4A / Ps 33 / 2 Tm 1:8B-10 / Mt 17:1-9
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon 

Last weekend my wife and I were in Munich, Germany.  We went there because my wife was invited to give a recital at the Gasteig.  It’s a big concert hall with multiple venues, similar to the Kennedy Center or Carnegie Hall.  It’s very active:  They do a thousand events there a year. (more…)