A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, November 17, 2024 Daniel 12:1-3; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18; Mark 13:24-32 As we approach the end of the Church year next week on the feast of Christ the King, our readings remind us about the end of time and what our lives are all about. We have been born because God willed it, blessed in abundance with God’s help — which is called grace — to live our lives closer to Him so that we can enjoy everlasting life, heaven, with God and all the angels and saints forever. This has been promised and it has been God’s plan forever. He loves us every moment of our lives, and graced us so that we can love those He placed with us and lead them to heaven to be with all of our loved ones who have lived their lives accordingly and are waiting and praying for us to be with them. The readings today are described in apocalyptic terms so that whatever takes place, with whatever scope and intensity of the devastation that will occur during the last days, good will ultimately triumph . For this reaso

For Sunday, November 10, 2024 1 Kings 17:10-16, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44 We are called to be people of love so that others can see Christ’s love in each of us. We find so many wonderful examples in our lives, and today’s first reading and Gospel give us models of unselfish giving through faith and trust in God. These are valuable lessons for all of us. What is unselfish giving? People usually give out of their abundance, but there are still several reasons for their generosity. One could be their awareness of those who are needy and want and need help. Others could give out of guilt feelings: They have some sort of debt they owe. Some give for tax purposes, knowing they will be better off financially if they give from their abundance. Others give freely to those they love without paying attention to whether they have adequate resources or not. Today’s wonderful examples are from a different kind of giving: one that comes from those who have the least material possessions to give.

For Sunday, November 3, 2024 Deuteronomy 6:2-6, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 12:28-34 Today’s readings are exclusively about God. They prompt a question to each of us: Who is God to me? Do I give God all the attention, all the praise, all the glory that I am capable of? Do I feel that God owes me — or, do I owe God? What personally am I most afraid of about God in my relationship with Him? Is God the same to me as He is to each of His creations? Is God close to me? How can I get close to God? I feel that most people don’t spend much time reflecting on God. Why? Are we afraid that we might have to change parts of our lives that we’re not comfortable with? Maybe it’s because we don’t know whether God cares that much about us. Maybe we’re just “rolling the dice,” hoping He will be more of a loving God than a just God at judgment time. Do we try to hide things from God? Today’s readings call us into a deeper relationship with God. Moses admonishes the people, saying the way to closeness and under

For Sunday, October 27, 2024 Jeremiah 31:7-9, Hebrews 5:1-6, Mark 10:46-52 I’m looking at my good points and my bad points. When I list them, I would say I have many more bad points than good. Why do I say this? Because I do not always have a good opinion of myself; I feel that I have missed opportunities to see people’s needs and help them along. I feel that I am a fairly good listener, but do I hear? Am I focused on what people are saying or am I lost in my little world and only half-listening? Does my own agenda monopolize my conversations with others? Probably far too often. I feel that I can commiserate with the apostles Jesus had chosen — and like them, I miss the point of Jesus’ message. Seven weeks ago we read Mark's description of a scene where people brought a deaf man who had a speech impediment to Jesus and begged Jesus to heal him. Jesus took him aside, put His finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue. He groaned Ephatha and the man was healed. Tod

For Sunday, October 20, 2024 Isaiah 53:10-11, Hebrews 4:14-16, Mark 10:35-45 When I pray, how do I come to God? Do I come with smugness , knowing He's going to answer me since I’m one of His priests? Do I come with prideful arrogance for being a priest of Jesus Christ? Do I come with overconfidence because of my own self-importance? Or do I come remembering my past , wondering if I could ever be forgiven for what I’ve done? Do I come with confidence , knowing that He created me and loves me just the way I am each time I come to Him? Do I come to Him in need , knowing He told me to always come to Him with whatever is upsetting, hurting, or worrying me? Or do I come in thankfulness and gratitude for He is my God and I am His creature in need of love? So: How do I come to God in prayer? Jesus continues to ask us — me — to look at the question of discipleship. As we heard last week when the rich young man asked what he would receive for his loyal service, Jesus is saying to look de

For Sunday, October 13, 2024 Wisdom 7:7-11, Hebrews 4:12-13, Mark 10:27-30 Here's a great reflective question to ask yourself: How do I make choices? Do I make quick decisions? Am I slow and deliberate? Am I too hasty? Do I seek out people who have helped me in the past or do I go to people whom I feel give sound advice and have a good outlook on life? Do I tend to go to people who always agree with me? Why do I ask? Today’s readings confront us with the need to make choices in our lives: particularly choices for God. What are these choices about? We all want to be happy in life. We all want to make the kinds of choices that will help us in our future endeavors and guarantee positive results. Generally, as soon as I write this, I realize this is not true or possible in many areas of the world today. Everyone wants security and wellbeing and peace. This should not be just a “pipe dream.” We need wisdom. “I prayed and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to

For Sunday, October 6, 2024 Genesis 2:18-24, Hebrews 2:9-11, Mark 10:2-16 There are all sorts of problems in the world. We know this — we grieve and pray for those who are hurting. And consciously or unconsciously we make our decisions based on cultures, nationalities, religion, politics or just animosity for what we’ve heard or situations we’ve encountered. Could we say we are prejudiced? I would say I am. I imagine some would say I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body — but that would be a difficult statement even for a saint. What is God’s position on creation, today’s world and its horrid condition, coupled with its admirable giving, caring and compassion? We are witnesses to it: God tells us today! So many weddings I’ve witnessed down through the years have used today’s readings. Some observations: In the first creation story (Genesis 1:31; 2:1-4), God creates male and female human beings together (Genesis 1:26-27). In the second story of creation (today’s first reading), God