How Can This Be Possible?

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
January 1, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Nm 6:22-27 / Ps 67 / Gal 4:4-7 / Lk 2:16-21
by Deacon Michael Stinson, Guest Homilist

When I was in college, I often went to a particular convenience store that was near our campus. I usually went there in the evening to get coffee, when I was studying in one of the classrooms that was just across the road. The name of that store was “Tinee Giant.” I went there so often that I bought a mug with the store logo on it, and I still have it. For some reason they spelled “Tiny,” T-I-N-E-E.

That name, Tinee Giant, is what we call in English class an oxymoron. It’s a figure of speech that puts two things together that seem to be opposite, like tiny and giant. How can something be tiny and giant at the same time? I’ll bet you can think of more oxymorons: “jumbo shrimp”? That’s a favorite one. “Open secret,” “virtual reality,” “alone in a crowd,” “unpopular celebrity,” and of course, you can quote Shakespeare: a “damned saint,” an “honorable villain.” (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…)

Living In Mystery

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 10, 2019 – Year C
Readings: 2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14 / Ps 17 / 2 Thes 2:16-3:5 / Lk 20:27-38
by Father Louis Benoit, Guest Celebrant

We’ve had two readings today of seven brothers, all of whom have passed away. The first reading from the Book of Maccabees is about the time when the Jewish people were being persecuted and tells of seven brothers who went to their death for what they believed, with the hope of resurrection and new life. And that is what today’s readings are all about: resurrection and new life. (more…)

Perseverance

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 20, 2019 – Year C
Readings: Ex 17:8-13 / Ps 121 / 2 Tm 3:14-4:2 / Lk 18:1-8
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

History tells us that many famous people were slow starters, but they persevered. They didn’t give up. Winston Churchill, for instance, seemed so dull as a youth that his father thought he might not be capable of earning a living in England. G. K. Chesterton, one of my favorite writers, could not read until he was eight, and one of his teachers told him, “If we could open your head, we should not find any brain but a lump of white fat.” Albert Einstein performed so badly in all his high school courses, except mathematics, that a teacher asked him to drop out. Paul McCartney of the Beatles, as a young student applied to join the choir of Liverpool Cathedral, but he was turned down. He was told that he wasn’t a good singer and was not qualified. And Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, was rejected by the glee club in his school. The teacher told him that his voice would ruin the sound of their choir. (more…)

The Power of Patience

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 6, 2019 – Year C
Readings: Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4 / Ps 95 / 2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14 / Lk 17:5-10
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

There have been times in all of our lives when we have been in a very difficult situation, faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem. We offer prayers to the Lord God, but He seems not to be paying attention. All three of the readings today remind us to hold onto our faith if this happens, because God is always listening and He will answer our prayers in good time. (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…)

The Real Presence

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 23, 2019 – Year C
Readings: Gn 14:18-20 / Ps 110 / 1 Cor 11:23-26 / Lk 9:11B-17
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A story is told that, one day, Saint Mother Teresa went to see a man who owned a big bakery in India. She asked him to give bread for her hungry orphans. Annoyed that Saint Mother Teresa’s presence in his store might not be good for business, he spit in her face. Unperturbed by the man’s horrible actions, Saint Mother Teresa said, “That’s for me. How about some bread for my orphans?” Shamed by the saint’s response, he gave her all the bread she needed. (more…)

Faith, Hope, and Blessings

The Ascension of the Lord
June 2, 2019 – Year C
Readings: Acts 1:1-11 / Ps 47 / Eph 1:17-23 / Lk 24:46-53
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Each of us gathered here in front of God’s altar, who is old enough to have responsibilities at home or at work, must be carrying a cross on his or her shoulder, which means each of us has a problem or two. Welcome to the human family. As long as we are still breathing, we will have trials and difficulties. We all have a share of life’s ups and downs, but as God’s children we always move on and continue our faith journey. (more…)

Faith and Love

Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 26, 2019 – Year C
Readings: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 / Ps 67 / Rev 21:10-14, 22-23 / Jn 14:23-29
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Jimmy Carter, in his book, Sources of Strength, tells about interviewing Eloy Cruz, an admirable Cuban pastor who had tremendous rapport with poor immigrants from Puerto Rico. When President Carter asked him the secret of his success, Pastor Cruz replied, “Señor Jimmy, we need to have only two loves for our lives: love for God and love for the person who happens to be in front of us at the time.” (more…)

Let Go To Be Free

First Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2019 – Year C
Readings: Dt 26:4-10 / Ps 91 / Rom 10:8-13 / Lk 4:1-13
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Although the beginning of Spring is still ten days from now, the fact that we have already made the “spring forward” of our clocks tells us that Spring is here. As you all know, Lent is the ancient word for Spring. This is the time when we members of the mystical body of Christ take a closer look at our relationship with our God and our neighbor. The good news is that even if we had a long hard winter in our spiritual life, our good and merciful God is always giving us a new springtime, so we can start all over and leave the past behind. (more…)