A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, March 15, 2026 1 Samuel 16:6-7, 10-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 Something wonderful is happening today in Scriptures: More of God’s plan for the world is coming to the surface, being discovered, unearthed, uncovered and revealed. God, who is love, has created out of love the whole universe and all it contains. God has formed humanity as the pinnacle of His creative powers and placed all people into a specific place at a particular time to be workers — protagonists — administrators of God’s love for all who live and follow God’s command of love. Do I realize how special each of us is to be chosen to touch another, to show that God is love, and that God needs each and all to love — so we can realize how special His creation is? And how vital it is that we utilize our gift of love so that all can see God’s love and the part each person plays in God’s universal plan to bring all to heaven? I am that needed … you are that needed … and we are not alone. God gives us help (...

For Sunday, March 8, 2026 Exodus 17:3-7; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8; John 4:5-42   Here we are at the third Sunday of Lent — a time we look at ourselves and see how we are doing in this Lent as we live in the midst of our world with God, who is moving us toward our true home: heaven. There's a great reflective question to consider here: How I am progressing in my lasting relationship with God? We started with: What is Lent for me? What should I give up? How do I pray more meaningfully? How can I sacrifice to make myself pleasing to God? Now we begin to reflect and put into daily action “things” that improve our relationship with God and His love for each of us. The bottom line is that God created each of us out of love, and He loves us exactly the way we are right now . We don’t feel this way — we feel that we have to be better and do better. The readings describe it this way: We are on a journey. It’s a long trip. Remember riding with your parents to visit distant relatives? Our concern ...

For Sunday, March 1, 2026 Genesis 12:1-4, 2 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 17:1-9 When you were a child, what did you dream of becoming? We didn’t get television until I was about 7 or 8, so I was deprived of cartoons and concentrated on heroes in the comics like Straight Arrow, the Phantom and the Lone Ranger. I envisioned myself a cowboy hero: riding horses, being a hero in all my rescues of good people and catching outlaws and criminals. How that developed into the priesthood is a head scratcher. I really enjoyed going to Church and being an altar boy and a choir boy. Other dreams came and went with a mild wind. As far as my studies were concerned, I liked History and Math: more dreams. Days, relationships, learning, and various experiences color our dreams and develop into reality. God graces us — chooses us with His gifts to realize He is in our lives, every day, all the time. Today’s first reading tells us something about Abram (Abraham), but it tells us even more about the Plan of God ...

For Sunday, February 22, 2026 Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11 Before moving into administration, I spent the first 23 years of my priesthood teaching in Catholic high schools. Many of my classmates have asked me: Why teaching? Who would ever want to be with teenagers for that long? My response always has been the same: They’re just like each of us — they need to be loved. That’s my need and yours. Now, where did this need for love come within each of us? When we look at our Christian background, Scripture consistently reveals the answer: God is love. That’s what God does — He creates each of us out of love and places us on earth for the time that He needs us to be love for others. And so comes the next foundational question: How do I love? Is that my natural inclination, or do I need to be taught? Coming down to the basics, we need to be taught from birth. I received it from my mom and dad, three sisters and brother. They loved me, cuddled me, changed me, fed me ...

For Sunday, February 15, 2026 Sirach 15:15-20, 1 Corinthians 2:6-10, Matthew 5:17-37 We grew up, hopefully, in a loving family. Our loved ones taught us, formed us, cared for us, watched over us and directed our words and actions to care for family, loved ones and those who were hurting. We learned the familial laws: Be kind to your siblings, don’t use bad words, respect your elders, family values are super important. These laws complemented the universal standards: Keep your elbows off the table, no phone calls during dinner (my sisters reacted to this one) , chew your food, eat everything mom prepared. Everyone had household duties to perform: Clean up after dinner, mow the lawn, keep your room neat, respect the neighbors, complete your school assignments  — and so on. If we grumbled or objected, well … we learned not to grumble or object. At one point I thought it would be easier to live with my friend who had eight siblings — until I stayed at his house one night and it was l...

For Sunday, February 8, 2026 Isaiah 58:7-10, 1 Corinthians 1:1-5, Matthew 5:13-16 I look back and remember, and I reflect on when : When did I learn how to do things? Little things? When do we develop confidence in ourselves? Is it when we learn how to put together toys, games? When we learn how to throw and bat a ball? When we play with and dress dolls? Confidence comes when we KNOW we can do something for ourselves ... and we feel a sense of pride for having mastered the ability. Our lives are a series of discovering that we can do things … be successful. And compliments come, building us up. But can we also remember times when this confidence was hindered or smashed — when when we were told it was bad or we were no good? Unfortunately there are individuals who cannot or will not help us develop into the person God intends us to be — a person of love, caring and forgiveness, helping those in need. In today’s readings Jesus instructs us on the meaning of discipleship: How God loves us...

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...