Dealing with Anxieties

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 31, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Dt 18:15-20 / Ps 95 / 1 Cor 7:32-35 / Mk 1:21-28
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

At the present time, we are all aware that many people are experiencing some sort of anxiety. They ask questions like: “When will this pandemic finally end?” “When can we all get the vaccine?” “Will it really work?” “Can we ever go back to our normal life, or will the so-called ‘new normal’ go on forever?”

Being anxious about the uncertainty of the future is a matter of course for a good number of people nowadays. Yet, St. Paul is telling us, through his First Letter to the Corinthians, that he wants us to be free of anxieties. (more…)

Mary Our Guide

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 17, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Gn 3:9-15, 20 / Ps 87 / Acts 1:12-14 / Jn 19:25-34
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Not too long ago, Christina Simos and her 18-month-old baby were caught between a rock and a hard place at their third-story apartment, when it was on fire. To save her child, she wrapped him in her arms and jumped from the third floor of the building. Although Simos severely injured her back, her baby, Camron, had only a few scratches. This is one of the many stories that tells us what a mother would do to save her child from danger. (more…)

God With Us

The Baptism of the Lord
January 10, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 / Ps 29 / Acts 10:34-38 / Mk 1:7-11
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Week after week, we hear four readings from the scriptures. The first reading generally comes from the Old Testament. The psalm generally (but not always) comes from the Book of Psalms. The second reading generally comes from the Letters of the apostles.

We have a three-year cycle of readings for the gospel. In Year A, most of the gospel readings come from St. Matthew. Now, we’re in cycle B, and for the most part the gospels come from Mark. In Year C, they generally come from Luke. The Gospel of John is distributed throughout those years. (more…)

Mother of Us All

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
January 1, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Nm 6:22-27 / Ps 67 / Gal 4:4-7 / Lk 2:16-21
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A story is told about an eight-year-old boy who lived in Poland about nine decades ago. He used to see his father kneeling down, praying on a hardwood floor in their house when he came home from school. One evening when he came home, he saw his dad kneeling with his shirt soaked with his own tears. When he asked him what was wrong, his father said, “Son, your mother just died.” (more…)

St. Joseph, Model of Catholic Fatherhood

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
December 27, 2020 — Year B
Readings: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 / Ps 128 / Col 3:12-21 / Lk 2:22-40
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

Today is a feast that is particularly close to my heart. It is the Feast of the Holy Family. I have been particularly drawn to this feast because I am married and have children of my own. Of the members of the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary and Joseph – I am particularly fond of St. Joseph, possibly because I have always wanted to be like Joseph – a husband and father. It is particularly appropriate that we reflect on the life of St. Joseph today. (more…)

Listen to the Light

The Nativity of the Lord
December 25, 2020 — Year B
Readings: Is 9:1-6 / Ps 96 / Ti 2:11-14 / Lk 2:1-14
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Jane Wolford Hughes, a Catholic author and a good friend of Bishop Holley, wrote a small book that is being quoted by many preachers. It’s called, “If You Listen Really Hard, God Will Tell You Stories.”

When Jane was a little girl, her grandfather took her fishing. She wasn’t fishing herself, but she just liked to spend time with her grandfather. She was a very chatty little girl, and she talked a lot. One day her grandfather said, “You know, Jane if you could just be quiet for a little while and listen really hard, God will tell you stories.” (more…)

God Is the Reason

Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 20, 2020 — Year B
Readings: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16 / Ps 89 / Rom 16:25-27 / Lk 1:26-38
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Last Friday, while I was celebrating the funeral service for Ed, a friend and parishioner at our sister parish, Resurrection, my attention was caught by his four-year-old granddaughter. She was embracing and hugging her stuffed animal all throughout the service, even until we went to the cemetery for the Committal.

After the graveside service, as I greeted Ed’s family, I asked her mother if that stuffed animal was her daughter’s favorite toy. She said that the stuffed animal was a gift from her Granddad, Ed. (more…)

Our Eternal Mother

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
December 8, 2020 — Year B
Readings: Gn 3:9-15, 20 / Ps 98 / Eph 1:3-6, 11-12 / Lk 1:26-38
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

The Blessed Mother has always been taking good care of her children. Even before she was the mother of the Lord, she had already devoted her life to God’s service.

Many of you know that I grew up in the Philippine Islands in the very small town of Barcelona. Many years ago there was a town jail there, very near to the church. No one was usually in the jail. (more…)

Jesus Has Been Here All the Time

Second Sunday of Advent
December 6, 2020 — 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

A few years ago, my pastor from the Philippines, from the time when I was a newly ordained priest, came to visit me in my church in the Tidewater area. He was planning to be there on a Saturday afternoon, and he told me that he would concelebrate with me at the anticipated Mass. His plan was to arrive at least an hour before the Mass, so he would be able to see the place and possibly meet some of my parishioners. (more…)

Happy in the Lord

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 15, 2020 — Year A
Readings: Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 / Ps 128 / 1 Thes 5:1-6 / Mt 25:14-20
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Last night we celebrated our first youth and children’s Mass here at Holy Name of Mary. I was so happy to see the children that I baptized over the past more than eleven years here at Holy Name, growing not only physically, but also spiritually. It is a joy to see parents and their children with happy faces, worshipping God together here in the best Catholic Church in the town of Bedford, Virginia. They have discovered a “pearl of great price”: their faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (more…)