A Mother’s Love

The Ascension of the Lord
May 13, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Acts 1:1-11 / Ps 47 / Eph 1:17-23 / Mk 16:15-20
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Good morning, and Happy Easter, because it’s still Easter. Easter is just too big to be one day; it’s a whole season in the Church calendar. Today, as we approach the end of that season, we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when He was taken up into heaven.

If you’ve been paying attention during all these weeks of Easter, you know that Jesus, after He was raised from the dead, was somehow different.  (more…)

Complete Joy

Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 6, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 / Ps 98 / 1 Jn 4:7-10 / Jn 15:9-17
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Yesterday morning, ten of our young men and women here in Holy Name of Mary received the sacrament of Confirmation in a beautiful liturgy at St. Thomas More. Before they were confirmed, Bishop Knestout, during his homily, told them that the Lord Jesus will equip them with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit as they continue to navigate a world that has been damaged by sin. (more…)

Connecting With God

Fifth Sunday of Easter
April 29, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Acts 9:26-31 / Ps 22 / 1 Jn 3:18-24 / Jn 15:1-8
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

The Lord Jesus was a master communicator. He could present something that is full of mystery in a way that even a little child in those times could understand.

In the gospel that we have just heard, when the Lord Jesus was telling His disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches,” they must have been walking in the vineyard and seeing the vines all around them, hanging heavy with ripe fruit.

Understanding these words of Our Lord is not rocket science. Plain common sense tells us that a branch can’t remain alive just by itself, let alone bear fruit. (more…)

Our Shepherd Is the King of Love

Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 22, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Acts 4:8-12 / Ps 118 / 1 Jn 3:1-2 / Jn 10:11-18
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Not too long along, when I was celebrating Mass at one of my former parishes in the Tidewater area, a church with about eight thousand members, we all heard a child crying in the church’s nursery. It is a huge church, so there is a nursery during the Mass. Now almost immediately one of the mothers in the congregation got up to see her child. In less than a minute, the crying stopped. (more…)

The Eucharist Comes Alive

Third Sunday of Easter
April 15, 2018 – 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

According to a 2013 Huffington Post/YouGov survey, about 45% of Americans believe in ghosts, and a majority of them are probably Christians. In the gospels, there are two instances where the disciples thought that Jesus was a ghost.

In chapter 14 of the gospel of Matthew, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought He was a ghost. But Jesus spoke to them and said “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” (more…)

Justice and Mercy

Second Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy)
April 8, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Acts 4:32-35 / Ps 118 / 1 Jn 5:1-6 / Jn 20:19-31
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Happy Easter! Amen, Alleluia! If you are thinking, “This isn’t Easter,” you’d be wrong. Easter is too big to be celebrated in one day, so we celebrate and celebrate and celebrate. These eight days from last Sunday are the Octave of Easter, this being the last day, but it doesn’t end there. We actually celebrate the Easter season for fifty days. It is the summit of our faith, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Easter is why we are Christian, so we celebrate it appropriately. (more…)

I Have Seen the Lord!

Easter Sunday
April 1, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Acts 10:34A, 37-43 / Ps 118 / Col 3:1-4 / Jn 20:1-9
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

It has been said that the greatest honor that others can give you is to imitate what you are doing and choose to believe what you believe.  Last night during the Easter Vigil, our family here at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church received the honor of welcoming five new members into our church as they received the Sacrament of Initiation.  It was a glorious night, even attended by Christians from other traditions.  All the angels and saints were certainly rejoicing, but Satan was not. (more…)

Living the Triduum

Holy Thursday
March 29, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Ex 12:1-8, 11-14 / Ps 116 / 1 Cor 11:23-26 / Jn 13:1-15
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Welcome to the start of the Holy Triduum. The Holy Triduum is three nights: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and it ends with the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that it really is one whole long liturgy strung together. Tonight will not end like a Mass normally ends. Tomorrow night won’t start like it normally does and also, tomorrow night the ending will be a little bit different. Then, if you come to all three liturgies, you will notice that the Easter Vigil does not start normally either. This is a solemn time. (more…)

Hope for the Living Dead

Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 18, 2018 – Year A Readings
Readings: Ez 37:12-14 / Ps 130 / Rom 8:8-11 / Jn 11:1-45
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

The Spring 2018 issue of Discover Smith Mountain Lake magazine has an article titled “Taking the Sting Out of Death.” (The article is posted on the parish bulletin board, and the magazine is available for free at the Bedford Welcome Center.) It is good reading during the season of Lent.

The writer, Kate Hofstetter, interviewed two men of God, as she put it, about their experience ministering to the dying. Both of these clergy said that a strong faith in God and the spiritual support of their loved ones takes the sting out of death for those who are about to be born into life eternal. (more…)

Seeing With the Eyes of Faith

Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 11, 2018 – Year A Readings
Readings: 1 Sm 16:1B, 6-7, 1-13A / Ps 23 / Eph 5:8-14 / Jn 9:1-41
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Good morning and welcome to Laetare Sunday. Laetare is Latin for YAY! Laetare means rejoice. It is good to see everyone here so bright-eyed, more or less. It’s almost as though everyone is missing an hour of sleep.

I want to see a show of hands. How many people have missals with them today? How many of you read the readings today before you came to Mass? Good job! Now some of you may be thinking, “Wait a minute – we just heard the wrong readings! Aren’t we in Year B?” (more…)