Shine Like a Star

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
January 8, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Is 60:1-6 / Psalm 72 / Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Mt 2:1-12
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

I have a question for you. How many of you have family stories? I think you probably know what I am talking about. They are those stories that are told by your father, or your grandfather, or maybe your uncle, about some event that happened in your family’s past. Maybe it’s about the time so-and-so hiked up the mountain on a hunting expedition. I will bet that over the years those stories have morphed and evolved. Maybe the mountain got taller and steeper, maybe the weather got colder, maybe the fish got bigger. But this shouldn’t surprise you because this very thing happens in every culture. If you’ve ever studied mythology, you’ll see this happening. For instance the story of King Arthur – that story evolved and changed over time. (more…)

The Greatest Blessing of All

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
January 1, 2017 – Year A
by Rev. Mr. Mike Stinson, Permanent Deacon, St. George, Scottsville
Readings: Nm 6:22-27 / Psalm 67 / Gal 4:4-7 / Lk 2:16-21

Your deacon Eddie and I were both raised as Baptists, and most of the preaching I heard in the first few decades of my life was Baptist preaching — including a few times just down the street at Bedford Baptist Church.

You might know that the preaching tradition in Baptist churches is a little different than here in the Catholic church. One way it’s different is that Baptists often feel encouraged to talk back to their preachers — to say “Amen,” or “that’s right,” or “Praise Jesus,” or other things.

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Are You Ready for a Party?

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
January 1, 2017 – Year A
by Rev. Mr. Mike Stinson, Permanent Deacon, St. George, Scottsville
Readings: Nm 6:22-27 / Psalm 67 / Gal 4:4-7 / Lk 2:16-21

Are you ready for a party? Maybe it’s the wrong morning to ask that question. Maybe this morning I should ask, are you trying to recover from a party? But you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.

Parties are on my mind this time of year, but not just because it’s New Year’s Day. New Year’s Eve is also my Dad’s birthday, and we always celebrate with him, and we did again last night, but that’s not the only other reason.

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The Power in the Words

The Nativity of the Lord
December 25, 2016 – Year A
Readings: Is 9:1-6 / Ps 96 / Ti 2:11-14 / Lk 2:1-14
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

This morning, when I visited Our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful our sanctuary looked.  The flowers and the arrangements are truly a work of art.  During the Advent season, we don’t have flowers, so what a change. 

But what makes our sanctuary really beautiful tonight is that we are all here, in the sanctuary of Holy Name of Mary, as members of God’s family, to celebrate the birthday of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  (more…)

St. Joseph’s Faith

Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 18, 2016 – Year A
Readings: Is 7:10-14 / Ps 24 / Rom 1:1-7 / Mt 1:18-24
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor 

A story is told about a worried mother who phoned a church office on the afternoon before the annual Christmas program to say that her small son, who was to play the role of Joseph in the Christmas pageant, had a cold and had gone to bed on doctor’s orders.  When the director of the play heard this, he said, “It’s too late now to get another Joseph. We’ll just have to write him out of the script.”  And they did. (more…)

Rewards of Waiting Patiently

Third Sunday of Advent
December 11, 2016 – Year A
Readings: Is 35:1-6A, 10 / Ps 146 / Jas 5:7-10 / Mt 11:2-11
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor 

One of the priests in the diocese of Columbus, Ohio, by the name of Father Joshua Wagner, once told a story that as a young boy he really wanted a Transformer action figure for Christmas. His parents had a rule that the children couldn’t get out of bed until 5:00 a.m. to wake them up and open gifts on Christmas morning. But at that time he couldn’t stand it, so at 4:00 a.m., he snuck down to have a look at the Christmas tree surrounded with presents. (more…)

Metanoia – Your “Word of the Day”

2nd Sunday of Advent
December 4, 2016 – Year A
Readings:  Is 11:1-10 / Psalm 72 / Rom 15:4-9 / Mt 3:1-12
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

I have always been interested in the meaning of words and where they come from. I think this probably comes from my childhood, where my parents would always read the Reader’s Digest Word Power. I remember them talking about the words at dinner and I learned a lot of really cool words that way. (more…)

The Armor of Light

First Sunday of Advent
November 27, 2016 – Year A
Readings: Is 2:1-5 / Ps 122 / Rom 13:11-14 / Mt 24:37-44
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

About 20 years ago, while I was having a lively dinner conversation with my cousins in New York during my first week in the United States, they gave me the honor of hearing about all they had done – a sort of summary of their lives.  This included not only their achievements but also the mistakes they made and what they should have done.  (more…)

The Merciful King

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
November 20, 2016 – Year C
Readings: 2 Sm 5:1-3 / Ps 122 / Col 1:12-20 / Lk 23:35-43
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor 

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, which is the last Sunday in the liturgical calendar, and this year is also the last day of the Year of Mercy.  It is the hope of our Holy Mother Church that the emphasis on God’s infinite mercy this past year will remain with us to ponder upon and reflect on for the rest of our lives.  (more…)

Persevere and Secure Your Lives

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 13, 2016 – Year A
Readings: Mal 3:19-20a / Psalm 98 / 2 Thes 3:7-12 / Lk 21:5-19
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Today is the second to the last Sunday in our liturgical calendar. As we come close to the end of the liturgical year, our Holy Mother Church has given us scripture readings that will encourage us to prepare ourselves for the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, which will also mark the end of the world as we know it. How do we go about making this preparation? (more…)