Praying Together

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 24, 2019 – Year C
Readings: 1 Sm 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 / Ps 103 / 1 Cor 15:45-49 / Lk 6:27-38
by Father Paul O’Donnell Duggan, Guest Celebrant

Can you guess who my favorite brother is and why? My favorite brother is Father Frank, because he always practices these three words, “Cherish no grudge.” People often ask me in response to that, “Who is my least favorite brother?” Can you dislike someone in your own family? I think dislike is too strong a word; perhaps distant would better describe my relationship to this brother. His name is Alton, and he lives in Minnesota. He was training for the priesthood, but he got expelled because he was smoking in the bathroom. This was in the 1950’s in Ireland, so it wasn’t an accepted thing. As a result of his expulsion, we never got to become close. (more…)

God Never Gives Up

The Nativity of the Lord – Christmas
December 25, 2018 – Year C
Readings: Is 9:1-6 / Lk 2:11, Ps 96 / Ti 2:11-14 / Lk 2:1-14
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

On December 6, a young mother from Orlando was taking her eleven-month old daughter to one of the children’s hospitals in Philadelphia. As was standard practice, the airlines allow families with babies to board first, that is unless you are in first class. First class always boards before business or economy class.

The mother was at the back of the plane trying to arrange her carry-on bags, along with the oxygen her daughter had to have at all times. She wasn’t even finished arranging her things, when the stewardess told her that there was a man in first class who wanted to give her his seat. He would then take her seat. The stewardess told her that there was more room for her things in first class. The mother was more than happy; she was in tears. (more…)

Thanksgiving For All Eternity

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 18, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Dn 12:1-3 / Ps 16 / Heb 10:11-14, 18 / Mk 13:24-32
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

According to the Desert Sun, a part of the USA Today network, a record 30.6 million people are flying for Thanksgiving this year. That’s almost four times the total population of Virginia. It tells us that, no matter how busy we are or how far we are from each other geographically, we still find time to have a family reunion on Thanksgiving Day or other times of the year. Now I, for one, always look forward to getting together with my relatives and talking about the good old days. Family reunions for most of us are happy occasions. (more…)

Marriage and the Church

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 7, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Gn 2:18-24 / Ps 128 / Heb 2:9-11 / Mk 10:2-16
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Today’s talk will be less a homily and more a catechetical teaching. I will be pulling most of the information from “The Catechism of the Catholic Church.” If you don’t have one of these, you need to get one. This is a brilliant piece of work. Any question you have about the Faith is covered in this book. It’s very well written and easy to understand.

As I was trying to think how to condense the Sacrament of Marriage down into the length of a homily, I decided to narrow it down to three different points. These are the three things that you need to understand in order to understand the Church’s teaching on marriage. This is not exhaustive; this is just the tip of the iceberg. (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…)

Let Us Be One

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 11, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Lv 13:1-2, 44-46 / Ps 32 / 1 Cor 10:31 – 11:1 / Mk 1:40-45
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

The gospel today picks up where we left off last week. We have Jesus performing another miracle of healing. Now, at first glance, you could say, “Oh, this is Jesus, the healer. He’s doing another miracle.” There’ve been many attempts in the past hundred or so years to explain the miracles away. You see that happening all the way back to the time of the founding of our country. (more…)

Watching, Reflection, and Hope

First Sunday of Advent
December 3, 2017 – Year B
Readings: Is 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7 / Ps 80 / 1 Cor 1:3-9 / Mk 13:33-37
by Rev. Dan Kelly, Guest Celebrant

It’s the First Sunday of Advent, and this year we begin a new set of readings. As you know, this is the so-called “B” cycle. All last year we were reading from the other set of readings, the “A” cycle.

Here we have advice from the Lord in the very brief gospel reading. “Be watchful, because you do not know the day.” It sounds rather ominous and like bad things are going to happen. On the other hand, it is more than a warning; it is an open, generous, and warm counsel that our Lord gives us. (more…)

The Power of Family Prayer

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 10, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Ez 33:7-9 / Ps 95 / Rom 13:8-10 / Mt 18:15-20
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

The other day I was called to give the Last Rites at Smith Mountain Lake. The location was one of the few places at the Lake that I have never been, but with the assistance of the GPS I didn’t have any difficulty finding it. However, what this device didn’t know was that I was going to a group of apartment buildings, and this made my search more challenging. (more…)

The Shepherd’s Life

Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 7, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Acts 2:14A, 36-41 / Ps 23 / 1 Pt 2:20B-25 / Jn 10:1-10
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor 

In the priests’ retreat I attended last week, the resident spiritual director and confessor was a priest in his late 80s, whom everybody called Monsignor John.   Although he has been a priest for more than fifty-seven years, his zeal and enthusiasm for everything he is doing in his ministry is similar to that of a 25-year old, newly ordained priest.    (more…)

Cherish No Grudge

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 19, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Lv 19:1-2, 17-18 / Ps 103 / 1 Cor 3:16-23 / Mt 5:38-48
by Rev. Paul O’Donnell Duggan, Guest Celebrant 

One of my little peculiarities is that I enjoy walking through a graveyard and looking at epitaphs.  Every so often I say to people in New Jersey, “Oh, in today’s reading, there is a lovely epitaph.”    (more…)