A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, February 1, 2026 Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12 What an amazingly attractive — but confusing — speaker Jesus was. He spoke against the popular beliefs of the time. The people were comfortable feeling that they were blessed if they were successful in life. They were fortunate if tragedy had not touched their families and loved ones. They were happy and lucky if they were able to live in peace amid the pressure of being ruled by a cruel and demanding Roman dictatorship while simultaneously living amid the rigorous demands of Jewish laws and religious traditions. Jesus told them they were promised eternal life if they lived the rule of love, the greatest law in the Bible: “‘You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandm...

For Sunday, January 25, 2026   Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23 Jesus is always with us, always cares about us and is always leading us to the place He has promised is our only and true home: Heaven. We get so distracted because of the lives and activities we live in our world. We get so involved, so busy and so distracted that we lose our focus. We turn inward upon ourselves, our families, loved ones, jobs, school, immediate- and long-range plans and vacations. We come once each week to spend time with the Lord in the Church we call home. The readings for this Sunday continue the theme of discipleship that we covered last week. Today we look at aspects of the question of that call. We understand that discipleship is a call from God — and this helps us realize that discipleship calls us from certain situations and calls us to others. When we reflect on it, discipleship is not an obligation owed on us — we are called to it . Some people are very consciou...

For Sunday, January 18, 2026 Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 So how do I know that Jesus is God? How do I know that each person, for all time, is blessed and needed by God to be special — a person of love? How do I know, since each person is special, that all are called to be holy, spiritual people — people of love, all the time? And if we are called to discipleship, what does it look like? Ours is a historical religion. Not only does it unfold with the joys, sufferings and developments that took place in specific places and times, it also — most importantly — reflects the actual events that took place in the lives of real people. Jesus the Christ was not a mythic, made-up entity, an invention from a religious imagination. He was born into history at a specific time in a specific place. Today we see that he was known by real people like John the Baptist; He participated in real events including the ritual of Baptism. His followers were real people with real jobs who...

For Sunday, January 11, 2026 Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17 There are some interesting and intriguing lines in today’s readings that can lead to deep reflections on God’s plan: specifically, why Jesus came, what His plan means for you and me, and its purpose for everyone of all times, ages and cultures — heaven . Does this mean it’s just for Christians who are baptized, or is it for all people — even those who don’t believe, don’t want to believe, or have no idea what and how to believe? Yes, this is for everyone God placed in the world — whether for a few moments or for many, many years. Yes for everyone. God loved us from our birth, planned our birth, and placed people in our lives so that each would be touched by God’s agent of love, peace, compassion, caring and forgiveness. We struggle with the goal of realizing that all are loved by God and needed by God to be His agents of love. Maybe that only happens at a fleeting moment, maybe even once? Could that be why ...

For Sunday, January 4, 2026 Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The word epiphany means revelation — the purpose of God’s appearance in the world. It is the manifestation — the showing forth — of Emmanuel , a Greek word meaning God is with us . It is a drawing of all nations together, represented by the Magi. There are only two fully developed infancy narratives in the Gospel: Matthew and Luke. Mark and John have no infancy narratives at all. Luke was Greek and Matthew was Jewish, filled with the history of the promise of the Messiah and God’s interaction through the Ages — starting with Abraham and leading through Moses’ sojourn in Egypt, leading God’s enslaved people to the Promised Land. So what was Matthew trying to tell us here? What were the meanings of his symbols? There are many traditions among the world’s cultures about Epiphany, which also is known as “Little Christmas.” Some churches offer a servic...

For Sunday, December 28, 2025 Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3:12-21; Matthew 3:13-15, 19-23 The days of Thanksgiving have been absorbed in our preparations for Christmas, and the festivities are now being committed to memory, under different headings: so much done in so little time … great fellowship … difficult times … hard times … frustrated times … loved ones getting older ... young ones older … teens getting as old as us . And so we arrive at a new year, 2026 — and the feast of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We look at them and to them for help, guidance and love, and they too are looking at us because God loves each one, all the time, and is leading us to love as He is preparing His reception in heaven for us and the loved people who have touched us. We could say our loving has been great, poor, mediocre in these days, while God’s loving has been deep, penetrating, constant. We come today to match our responsibilities with His love; to match our love with God’s all-e...

While working as a reporter for WCBS 880 in New York City, Peter Haskell composed and read a Christmas poem to his audience, inspired by the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Its words continue to ring true.   Haskel wrote: It might feel like spring, but this tree sets us straight. It’s ablaze in bright lights from morning til late, It’s a symbol of hope, of joy and of peace, A time for a breath, exhale and release. The world can feel scary with its hate and its fear, Makes the message of Christmas seem all the more clear. We need love, understanding, compassion and care. These are the gifts we really should share. We gaze to the future, we hope and we pray, That our lives will get better with each passing day. Share your heart and your spirit, hug your lad or your lady. At Rock Center, Peter Haskell WCBS News Radio 880 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. [Galatians 5:22-23] May I reflect Yo...