Wisdom and Courage

Pentecost Sunday
May 20, 2018 – Year B
Readings: Acts 2:1-11 / Ps 104 / 1 Cor 12:3B-7, 12-13 / Jn 20:19-23
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

If you are not one of the millions who watched the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, at least you must have heard that there was a royal wedding that took place in Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom yesterday.  The Most Reverend Michael Curry, who gave the sermon at the ceremony, quoted a Roman Catholic priest, the late Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, whom he considered one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. (more…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

Preparing For Life That Will Never End

Second Sunday of Advent
December 10, 2017 – Year B
Readings: Is 40:1-5, 9-11 / Ps 85 / 2 Pt 3:8-14 / Mk 1:1-8
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

The gospel today is taken from the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. This year we are in Year B of the liturgical season, and for the most part, we will be listening to the Gospel of Mark. The Gospels of John and Luke will come in every now and then, but the 16 chapters of the Gospel of Mark will be our focus in this liturgical season. (more…)

Reality, Unfiltered

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 29, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Ex 22:20-26 / Ps 18 / 1 Thes 1:5C-10 / Mt 22:34-40
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

I once heard a story about a student driver. The student was a very good driver; he handled a car very well. One day the student was out riding with the instructor, and they came to a stoplight. As they were approaching, the light turned yellow. The student stepped on the gas, at which point the instructor yelled “Stop!” (more…)

Grateful Living, Joyful Giving

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 22, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Is 45:1, 4-6 / Ps 96 / 1 Thes 1:1-5B / Mt 22:15-21
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

When I was still in the seminary, I was asked by our Rector to give an invocation to a retirement party, because he wasn’t feeling well, and none of the seminary priests was available. So I went to a gathering where no one had invited me or expected me. (more…)

Mary Knows the Way

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 1, 2017 – Year A
Readings: Ez 18:25-28 / Ps 25 / Phil 2:1-11 / Mt 21:28-32
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Today is the first day of October, the month of the Holy Rosary. In just two months and twenty-four days, we will be celebrating Christmas 2017. But this month we will first celebrate the feast of the Holy Rosary, this coming Saturday, then we will be joining more than 1.2 billion Christian Catholics all over the world on October 13 in celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the Blessed Mother’s last apparition at Fatima. (more…)