A message from Father Pete

Genesis 15:1-6, 21:1-3; Hebrews 11:8, 11-12,17-19; Luke 2:22-40 We are family. Blood relatives have a genetic link to each of us, meaning we are related on a DNA level. Simply put, a blood relative is a person related to another by birth rather than by marriage. There is another concept of family that comes from God: Paul states how Jesus teaches that all people are God’s sons and daughters. “For we are the temple of the living God; as God said: I will live with them and move among them, and I will be their God and they shall be My people … and I will be Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.” [2 Corinthians 6:16, 18] So we are brothers and sisters to all God’s people. God’s view of family is much different from ours. It is difficult for us reflecting on the people we see walking or driving down the street, thinking of them as family. They don’t look like me, act like me, talk like me. So many do not have the same dreams or even the same capab...

Bethel Manor Chapel , Joint Base Langley-Eustis Hampton, Virginia What was it like when Jesus was born? His birth is only described in Matthew and Luke’s gospels; Mark and John open with the adult Jesus. We know the story, but what was it really like? Reflection and imagining help create the scene for us. It was 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was an exhausting trip from the northern highlands of Galilee … along the flatlands of the Jordan River, then over the hills surrounding Jerusalem to Bethlehem. In antiquity the most people could travel in a day was 20 miles. Knowing Mary’s impending delivery, 10 miles a day would be an taxing effort. The rough trails and harsh weather weren’t the only hazards. Bandits and robbers were common along the major trade routes. Probably Joseph and Mary would  join trade caravans for safety. They carried their own provisions: water in wineskins; a lot of bread … breakfast of dried bread; lunch, oil with bread; dinner, herbs with oil and brea...

To my dear friends and family — Merry Christmas and my sincere Thankfulness for being so special and close down through the years. I am remembering you in my masses and prayers. This is the year we will never forget: It has changed us all and the Lord continues to be present. I had planned to be writing you about the 61 going on pilgrimage to the capitols of Eastern Europe and Oberammergau’s Passion Play; the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled this. It is rescheduled for 2022. I opted out of this with many others. COVID has changed our lives. I still am the Senior Catholic Priest at Langley AFB, and on the Friday before Palm Sunday, the Air Force cancelled all our masses and religious activities. No Holy Week … no Easter … a shock. What is the Holy Spirit telling us? In February I made my winter retreat at the Passionate Retreat House in Berryville, Virginia. In March I had a short, wonderful trip to Florida for golf with my niece and her husband. I never imagined that this would be the end o...

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 Do I regard Christmas as a time of celebration or a time of seeking peace, God’s peace? Do I look at Christmas as a time of joy or a time of sorrow? Do I look at Christmas pointing to the child in the crib or the humiliated, scourged man on the cross? Will my activities these last days be total busyness or leave time for reflection? Am I concerned with who is coming … what I will receive … whether I will be safe from COVID-19 ... or something else “non-Christmas?” Do I care about Christmas this year since it is going to be totally different? What is my main concern this Christmas? The readings challenge us to be followers of Christ, the Light of the World. The key phrase seems to come from the Angel Gabriel to Mary: “… for nothing will be impossible for God.” [Luke 1: 37] God calls each person to a job … calls me, you and everyone to a mission. The readings point out that He has called from King David, from Mary, and from each one...

Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 The time of Advent formerly was mostly a time of penance and prayer. Today, especially on this Gaudete Sunday, it’s a time of remembering and rejoicing. We have much to be thankful for amid suffering and worry. Am I a thankful person? Do I thank God for my life and the people God has placed in my life: spouse, children, family, relatives, friends? At this time of year we share Christmas greetings and pleasantries: Is this superficial or is it sincere? I heard a story of a little 4-year-old who asked her father, “Daddy, can you hardly?” He was in his favorite chair reading the sports section of the paper and initially gave no response. She asked again, “Daddy, can  you hardly?” When I was reading this I wondered what she was asking … and then she asked a third time: “Daddy, can you hardly?” Finally he asked, “Honey, for heaven's sake, what do you mean 'can I hardly?’ Hardly what?” She summoned all of her courag...

Isaiah  40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8 Get on the internet and read your newspaper's World , Nation and Local sections ... and see our world beset with problems. The coronavirus has brought about isolation from loved ones and curtailed our experiencing happy times with family and friends. This pandemic has radically altered our lifestyles and we go from caution to fear in our relationships. We are vulnerable to an unseen and scary adversary, and we don’t like it. We have felt alienation in our homes, neighborhoods, social gatherings and faith communities. Our recent elections have exposed serious differences among us. So many are without jobs or even hope of finding work. We seem to be prisoners living in our land of freedom and plenty. Every facet of our society is experiencing hardship and exile. Are we hopeful? Where are we searching to find peace? The people in our Scripture selections are experiencing troubled times too. Isaiah announces to the people the need to b...