A message from Father Pete

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-46 “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” [1 Kings 3:5] In reflecting God’s words to Solomon, my mind traveled to childhood Christmas lists for Santa. I’m assuming my lists were lengthy … and I’m sure my wants were not all filled. I was disappointed, yet Christmas continued to be a time of gifts, happiness and celebration. What have I asked God in these subsequent years? A lot, would be my truthful answer. I asked for help for myself and others … I’ve asked for selfish things and quality help and healings for others. I’ve made bargains with God: I will do this … say these … give up that … Lord, if You help me. God definitely has blessed me though the years. I have fluctuated in my love. But the bottom line is that God just loves me and everyone; bargains are never needed. Right now, at this point in my life with the coronavirus pandemic having center stage, what am I asking from God for me? For those I love? For the country? F...

Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 12:24-43 We come each week to listen to Jesus teach, guide and love us … telling us about our everlasting home in heaven. Am I listening? Am I hearing what Jesus is saying, or what I would like Him to say? Does my view of heaven agree with His teaching? Do I feel that I am guaranteed heaven because I go to church and kinda follow the commandments? Is my religion focused on Church attendance? Has the COVID-19 pandemic made me reconsider what my “churchgoing” is all about? Jesus addresses the final judgment of all peoples in Matthew 25:31-46, saying quite bluntly that the righteous (the good, virtuous) will be astonished that in caring for the needs of sufferers, they were ministering to the Lord Himself and will be rewarded with heaven. The accursed (the condemned, damned) will likewise be astonished that their neglect of the sufferers was neglect of the Lord, and will receive damnation from Him. Do I daily review my care of the hurting, espe...

Zechariah; Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 I was reading a story from a third grade teacher who told her class she would hold up an object and they would tell her where the object comes from. First she held up a sheet of paper and asked the class where paper comes from. The class responded, “Paper comes from fibers that are extracted from a tree and converted to pulp, which is then combined with water, flattened, dried, and cut into sheets.” Well, the curriculum certainly has changed since I was in third grade! Then she held up an eraser and asked where erasers come from. ... “Erasers are made from either natural or synthetic rubber.” I'm now thinking I need to start kindergarten all over again. Finally, the teacher held up and apple and asked were apples come from. Almost in unison the class answered: “The grocery store.” Today’s readings are very interesting if we just go a little bit deeper into the passages. They're asking how much we know about God and i...

Zechariah  9:9-10; Romans 8:11-13; Matthew 11:25-30 How is your life going right now? If that question is asked us, we might begin our response with the list of worries, burdens, sorrows, distresses, pains and/or afflictions that seem to be paramount in our lives … what a huge list.These feelings can be an added weight to carry. If we are then asked: What are you doing about it? I don’t know what I would say … maybe, “Haven’t you heard what I’ve been saying?” The readings today focus on help for all our burdens by asking a very serious introspective question: What do we do when life is difficult and getting worse? Do I turn in on myself? Do I “stop the world and try to get off?” Do I pamper myself a little or big time? Do I look to those special wisdom people who have gently led me in the right direction in the past? Do I turn negatively to the Lord, blaming my life on Him? Do I do things that in the past have hurt me? Do I look for love in the right places or in the wrong places? ...