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…)

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…)

Glimpse of God’s Glory

Second Sunday of Lent
February 25, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Gn 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18 / Ps 116 / Rom 8:31B-34 / Mk 9:2-10
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Last week we were once again blessed to have Father Paul with us. He celebrated the 10:45 Mass. He got here about 1:30 am Sunday morning after driving almost 12 hours from St. Augustine, Florida. He was smiling as he told me that he had gotten lost, taking the wrong exit and ending up in North Carolina. Michelle Rex and her son Timothy came to his rescue. (more…)

Learn Compunction

Ash Wednesday
February 14, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Jl 2:12-18 / Ps 51 / 2 Cor 5:20 – 6:2 / Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Happy Ash Wednesday . . . or is it Happy Valentine’s Day . . . or is it Happy St. Cyril and St. Methodius Day? I don’t know. Do you know? Have you ever wondered how we know what feast is on what day? How do we know whether it’s a feast, whether it takes precedence over something else? (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…)

Power, Authority, and Faith

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 28, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Dt 18:15-20 / Ps 95 / 1 Cor 7:32-35 / Mk 1:21-28
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Since the first of January, a group of fifteen men here at Holy Name, including me and Deacon Eddie, embarked on a spiritual journey called Exodus 90. There are also nineteen women in our parish who are doing Nineveh 90. These two groups are doing the same type of spiritual exercises.

Here are a few of the things we do for ninety days that might be of interest to some of you. In addition to weekly prayer meetings, we also do daily meditation, spending at least an hour a day on personal prayer, and fast twice a week. (more…)

God’s Call

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 21, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Jon 3:1-5, 10 / Ps 25 / 1 Cor 7:29-31 / Mk 1:14-20
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A little child who is lost in a big crowd experiences fear and helplessness – more than we could ever imagine. But the voice of his father, mother, grandfather or grandmother will not only bring him relief, but he will respond with joy to that call. Sometime in the past we all must have experienced being called in some way or another. (more…)

Words and Silence

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
January 14, 2018 – Year B
Readings: 1 Sm 3:3B-10, 19 / Ps 40 / 1 Cor 6:13C-15A, 17-20 / Jn 1:35-42
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

I’d like to start today by sharing a quote that I found, which captures the heart of today’s readings:

“Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively, with words of encouragement, or destructively, using words of despair. Words have energy and power, with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate, and to humble.” (more…)