Happy in the Lord

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 15, 2020 — Year A
Readings: Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 / Ps 128 / 1 Thes 5:1-6 / Mt 25:14-20
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Last night we celebrated our first youth and children’s Mass here at Holy Name of Mary. I was so happy to see the children that I baptized over the past more than eleven years here at Holy Name, growing not only physically, but also spiritually. It is a joy to see parents and their children with happy faces, worshipping God together here in the best Catholic Church in the town of Bedford, Virginia. They have discovered a “pearl of great price”: their faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

Indescribable Joy

Sunday of Divine Mercy
April 19, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 2:42-47 / Ps 118 / 1 Pt 1:3-9 / Jn 20:19-31
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Karen Mannering of Kent was six months pregnant with her fourth child when she tested positive for Covid-19. Describing her experience while she was isolated in her hospital room for a week, she said, “It was a lonely, dark time. No one was allowed to come and see me. I was scared that I was going to die, and I was fighting for every single breath. I was fighting for my and my baby’s life.” (more…)