Faith From Unexpected Places

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 12, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 55:10-11 / Ps 65 / Rom 8:18-23 / Mt 13:1-23
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Many of us here are old enough to know that love indeed comes from the most unexpected places. God’s visits to us could also come from different sources. The movies, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, may be just other sources of entertainment for most people, but for a young man named Anthony Ferguson, these movies got him thinking about the deeper meaning of life, and eventually his vocation. (more…)

Do Not Be Afraid

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 21, 2020 — Year A
Readings: Jer 20:10-13 / Ps 69 / Rom 5:12-15 / Mt 10:26-33
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

There is a very ancient story about a mouse who was terribly afraid of cats. A magician took pity on him and changed him into a cat. But then, he became so afraid of dogs, that the magician turned him into a dog. Then he became very afraid of mountain lions, so the magician turned him into a mountain lion. But then he became terribly afraid of hunters. At that point, the magician gave up and turned him back into a mouse and said, “There is really nothing I can do that will help you, because you have the heart of a mouse.” (more…)

Christ Our Hope

Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 / Ps 66 / 1 Pt 3:15-18 / Jn 14:15-21
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Yesterday, we welcomed the youngest member of our Christian family here at Holy Name of Mary: Theodora Miriam, who is only a few months old, received the Sacrament of Baptism. During the ceremony, Theodora’s big sister and big brother, who are two- and four-year-olds, were so happy, with big smiles on their faces. It occurred to me that these children, with the help of God’s grace, will still be here in Holy Name of Mary long after I’m gone from this world. This gives me hope. (more…)

Living the Faith

Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 2:14A, 36-41 / Ps 23 / 1 Pt 2:20B-25 / Jn 10:1-10
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

We are now in the month of May, and in this time of the year we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Lord Jesus’ mother and our mother. One of her titles is Our Lady of Victory. We believe that with her on our side, we, and all God’s children all over the world, will win in our battle against this invisible enemy, the Coronavirus, because we have an invincible God who is all powerful and almighty, and He is our shepherd. (more…)

Walking and Talking With Jesus

Third Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33 / Ps 16 / 1 Pt 1:17-21 / Lk 24:13-35
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Today, the beginning of the third week of the season of Easter, is also Sunday of the Word of God. Our Holy Mother Church wants to remind us how important Sacred Scripture is in our lives as Christians. We all know that words have power. They can create, encourage, strengthen, enlighten, and can even help us to recover from a serious illness. (more…)

Indescribable Joy

Sunday of Divine Mercy
April 19, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 2:42-47 / Ps 118 / 1 Pt 1:3-9 / Jn 20:19-31
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Karen Mannering of Kent was six months pregnant with her fourth child when she tested positive for Covid-19. Describing her experience while she was isolated in her hospital room for a week, she said, “It was a lonely, dark time. No one was allowed to come and see me. I was scared that I was going to die, and I was fighting for every single breath. I was fighting for my and my baby’s life.” (more…)

Think: Everlasting Life

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
April 12, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Acts 10:34A, 37-43 / Ps 118 / Col 3:1-4 / Jn 20:1-9
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we always proclaim the mystery of our faith. As we know, our life in this world is in itself already a mystery. Nobody in this world can understand himself or herself completely. For example, even the best medical scientists don’t fully understand the full nature of coronavirus, and that is why they are still not able to find a way to cure those who are afflicted by it.

But the good news is that, even without the aid of a vaccine, which is still nonexistent as we speak, there are now more than four hundred thousand people all over the world who have recovered from COVID-19. (more…)

Faith, Our Antidote for Fear

Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 22, 2020 – Year A
Readings: 1 Sm 16:1B, 6-7, 1-13A / Ps 23 / Eph 5:8-14 / Jn 9:1-41
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

This morning I had the chance to talk with my relatives in New York and California. Because of this coronavirus, we now have more time, not only to reconnect with our relatives and friends in other parts of the country and the world, but also many of us have rediscovered our relationship with our God. And this is indeed a silver lining in the dark cloud of this COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)

Faith: God Is With Us

Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2019 – Year A
Readings: Is 7:10-14 / Ps 24 / Rom 1:1-7 / Mt 1:18-24
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A couple of weeks ago when I was in the Philippines preparing to fly back here to the US, the Philippine weather bureau had announced that a super typhoon was about to hit our island. This caused the airlines to cancel all of the flights. This super typhoon was probably the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane.

The most popular shelter there during the storms has always been the Catholic churches, because they are the biggest and the strongest buildings in the islands. Most of all, people feel safe there because, as we all believe, the Lord Jesus is present there in the church: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. (more…)

Trying to See God

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 3, 2019—Year C
Readings: Wis 11:22-12:2 / Ps 145 / 2 Thes 1:11-2:2 / Lk 19:1-10
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

There are some questions there’s only one answer to….

… Like, when your wife asks, “How does my hair look?” There’s only one answer to that.

… When your kid comes up and says, “I drew this picture for you, Daddy. Will you put it up in your office?” There’s only one answer to that question. (more…)