Foretaste of Heaven

Second Sunday of Lent
February 21, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Gn 15:5-12, 17-18 / Ps 27 / Phil 3:17-4:1 / Lk 9:28B-36
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

From time to time, you see sales representatives in a store who ask to spray perfume on you.  They hope that you will like the scent and purchase some of the perfume.  It is also not uncommon in movie theaters, on TV and on the internet, that you are shown trailers of coming movies.  The theater owners and movie producers hope that giving you a foretaste of coming feature films will convince you to come back and see the entire movie. (more…)

God’s Way

First Sunday of Lent
February 14, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Dt 26:4-10 / Ps 91 / Rom 10:8-13 / Lk 4:1-13
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

During the season of Lent we remind ourselves that our prayers are most effective when they are accompanied by sacrifice.  At fourteen degrees outside, it’s surely a sacrifice to be here this morning.  If somebody tells you that he or she is tempted to walk to church this morning instead of driving, you will find difficulty in believing it.  But if you say that you are tempted to sleep in instead of coming to Mass, everybody will easily believe you.

This is what temptation is all about: taking life the easy way. (more…)

Winter to Spring Journey

Ash Wednesday
February 10, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Jl 2:12-18 / Ps 51 / 2 Cor 5:20-6:2 / Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

In the middle of winter, we may find it a little challenging to picture in our minds the season of Spring, with its colorful flowers and green leaves.  But we all know that in a few weeks, these seemingly dead trees around us will come to life again.  It will help us and make us feel better, if we remind ourselves and each other, time and again, that this particular season will pass and give way eventually to much warmer weather. (more…)

Embrace Change

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 7, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Is 6:1-2A, 3-8 / Ps 138 / 1 Cor 15:1-11 / Lk 5:1-11
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

This Sunday is not the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  But with these readings, it very well could be.  These readings have a common theme going through them: the theme of God calling and people answering, plain and simple. (more…)

Seeing God’s Presence

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 31, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Jer 1:4-5, 17-19 / Ps 71 / 1 Cor 12:31-13:13 / Lk 4:21-30
by Rev. Louis Benoit, Guest Celebrant

Jesus goes to his hometown and proclaims the Good News of healing and liberation, and the people are impressed.  But then they begin to say, “Wait a minute!  Isn’t this Joseph’s son?  Isn’t he the carpenter’s boy? Where did he get all this?  We know where he comes from.”  They begin to question.  Jesus points out to them that sometimes people outside Judaism have greater faith than these people inside Judaism.  And this really gets the people riled up!  They want to throw him over the edge of the hill where the town is built, but he goes through their midst and is gone…

Of course, the tragedy is that Jesus, God incarnate in a human person, is among them and they don’t see it.  Their vision is too narrow, and they miss it. (more…)

Showing Small Mercies

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 17, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Is 62:1-5 / Ps 96 / 1 Cor 12:4-11 / Jn 2:1-11
by Rev. David Hyman, Guest Celebrant

Today’s gospel is the story of Jesus’ first miracle of changing water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana.  This story was depicted on Facebook recently with a picture of a store window.  At the top of the window was the word “WATER” and below it was displayed a row of wine bottles.  Below the wine were the words, “JESUS WAS HERE”.

I like to begin my homily with a commentary like this as a springboard to the real story.  I want to share some of the points of this story I find interesting and important.

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A Baptism Story

The Baptism of the Lord
January 10, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 / Ps 29 / Acts 10:34-38 / Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
by Rev. Richard Mooney, Guest Celebrant

In early December of 1952, I was baptized.  It was something my parents did for me.  I was about six weeks old.  For a while, I thought it was something my parent had done to me.  Later on I realized it was something my parents had done for me.  And I think they did the best they could, especially while trying to raise six boys (I was the third of them).  They had us all baptized as infants.  (more…)

You Are a Star

The Epiphany of the Lord
January 3, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Is 60:1-6 / Ps 72 / Eph 3:2-3A, 5-6 / Mt 2:1-12
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Yesterday morning, I had the wonderful privilege to preside at the communal celebration of Penance here in Holy Name of Mary church for the children who received the sacrament of Confession for the first time. I was amazed to see their joyful faces before they went to the confessional, because a good number of Catholics feel that going to confession is pretty much like going to the dentist: It is not a pleasant experience. (more…)

“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
January 1, 2016 – Year C
Readings: Nm 6:22-27 / Psalm 67 / Gal 4:4-7 / Lk 2:16-21
by Rev. Mr. Mike Stinson, Permanent Deacon

“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

I’m a teacher, and one morning a few weeks ago, I was driving to school, and my son Jeremy was in the car with me. As we got to a long curve in the highway, I noticed a car that was coming the other way was drifting across the yellow line, moving into my lane.

I moved over slightly and assumed he would move back into his lane — but he didn’t. He kept drifting over towards me, and I moved over some more, and he kept coming, until finally at the last second I jerked my wheel to the right — then there was a loud bang! and then what was left of my rear view mirror was dangling from a wire, thumping the side of my car door as I drove on down the road.

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A Holy Family

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
December 27, 2015 – Year C
Readings: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 / Psalm 84 / Col 3:12-21 / Lk 2:41-52
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Today is the feast of the Holy Family. You may be wondering why the church has all these feasts. It’s an opportunity for us to take a look at figures from our past or an aspect of our faith, to reflect on their lives and what their lives mean to us today.

Now if I asked you to name Holy Family, I’m sure most of you would say it’s Jesus, Mary and Joseph. But if we consider scripture and we take a look at it closely, really we should respond that the Holy Family was Joseph, Mary and Jesus. We can learn a lot if we take a look at their lives as reflected in scripture. (more…)