A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, August 10, 2025 Wisdom 18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48 A few personal thoughts to start our reflections today: Where and how did I come to believe and have faith in the important people who have come into my life: parents, siblings, family, teachers, religious figures, bosses, acquaintances? And: Since faith involves trust, acceptance and confidence in someone or something, EVEN WHEN there is uncertainty or lack of complete evidence or proof, how do I process faith in my life? One more: What have I learned from my trials in living my faith when I had to redefine what faith means to me? Today — in the middle of Ordinary Time — we are confronted with a theme normally associated with the end of the Liturgical Year and the season of Advent: the vigilance that we live a life of faith by looking at examples of faith and the heroes who have witnessed to God and His love for us and our love for Him. The book of Wisdom was written about 50 years before the coming of ...

For Sunday, August 3, 2025 Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21 Let me ask you a question: What is your life like? I ask the same question of myself: What is my life like as I approach my 84th year, my 58th year in priesthood and in “retirement” (whatever that is)? I’m sure many would reply that the pace of their lives is hectic. It really is hectic. We are constantly on the move, filling our calendars with appointments — doctors, business and friends. Our society is very mobile, speeding from one place to another. Our daily living is driving kids around … caring for elderly parents and/or relatives … helping where we can in parishes, communities, hospitals, nursing homes, volunteer work, and so on. Life seems to be a set of problems to be solved, worked out — and we are “programmed” — “geared” — to get things done quickly. Our days are never long enough. We are surrounded by cell phones, tablets and computers which crave our constant attention. Our socie...

For Sunday, July 27, 2025 Genesis 18:20-32, Colossians 2:12-14, Luke 11:1-13 I remember that as a youngster I would go to my mom first to ask for a favor or for something I “needed” (or thought I did) … or to go someplace with my friends or take an overnight. If Mom didn’t like it, I got a NO and I thought I was sunk. Most of the time she would say, “Go ask your father.” I would try to find out from my siblings, “Is this a good time to talk to Dad?” Dad never gave approval right off the bat; we had to talk about it. Would I be missing my regular chores? How were my grades? If it was summer, was I keeping up with my scheduled summer reading? Sometimes I had to do some bargaining ... sometimes he did the bargaining. Do I sometimes bring that same bargaining to God? I did way back when but now, sometimes, it just is “one and out.” Well, why? Bold Bargaining is today’s focus in the readings. The Old Testament looks in affirmation on people who take time and “argue” or “bargain” with G...

For Sunday, July 20, 2025 Genesis 18:1-10, Colossians 1:24-28, Luke 10:38-42 In today's readings there are many themes leading us in different areas of reflection, but I believe they focus our attention on what it means to be a follower of Jesus — what it means for ME to be a Christian in today’s world, here and now. Jesus promised heaven for each one of His followers and every person created, so Heaven is my ultimate goal. How do I get there? By having faith … believing … living the commandments, especially Jesus’ love commands. We complicate so many things but the readings call us to the basics: Knowing God loves us all the time helps us live love with His help — forgiving; being kind, compassionate and grateful; and letting the Lord live in our lives. How am I doing with these today? How do the scripture examples help each of us? We look to the readings to reflect on them. A short history on the origins of Israel’s ancestors: Moses describes God’s creation activities and the Ol...

For Sunday, July 13, 2025 Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 10:25-37 When we look at our past life, we see one of the amazing gifts of God: sending us people for a moment — or a bit of time — or a long time — who have touched us in a special way. We call them momentary angels, fellow workers, neighbors, friends, dear friends. But what is important is that they have touched us when it was needed: Somehow they got through our thick skulls … stubbornness … moodiness … whatever ... and said the rock-bottom truth we needed to hear: You are not God’s prized recruit; you, like all, are loved by God; we are all in the same “ballgame.” We have to know that it is all about God’s love. This is what the readings are about today. We just have to take time and reflect on each reading slowly, with God at our side. Moses makes this point plainly and bluntly: “ If only you would heed the voice of the Lord, your God, and keep His commandments and statutes that are written in His book o...

For Sunday, July 6, 2025 Isaiah 66:10-14; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 Am I having a grateful day? Think on this! Do I take time each day, or once a week, or once a month, just to make a list of things, people, places and love God has placed in my life and say, “Thanks — I love You for being with me and loving me?” Why not? It would be good to write His answer down too. One can never thank God enough for His presence in our lives and His overlooking love, kindness and forgiveness. This is a great reflection … resolution … change ... to add to our busy schedules: to be thankful to God, even adding it to our daily lives. Is it there? What has happened that this has been absent? Another great reflection! I’m sitting here remembering a great Broadway play and movie I saw years and years ago, Fiddler on the Roof . At one point the main character, Tevya, asks his wife Golda: “Do you love me?” Her unique response: “For 25 years I washed your clothes, cooked for you, consoled you, ...

For Sunday, June 29, 2025 Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19 Do I realize that God is actively involved in my life? When I am aware of this, am I filled with gratitude ... disbelief ... questionable doubt? Do I care about how I live my life accordingly, or do I continue to do what I want to do because “I want to do it?” Do I want to do my will or God’s will? So I ask, what is God’s will: Will it be hard, difficult and unbending? Will it be living an unhappy and disappointed life? Doing God’s will is more a matter of growing into the kind of person I’m meant to be. So am I living each day as a person of caring, loving, forgiving? How do I do this? The question to ask is: Is this action consistent with who I am and want to become? That's a great reflection for each of us to ask ourselves — moment to moment — in discovering how we can be a caring, loving, forgiving person in the now that we're living. Today we hear from two models of living God’s will who sh...