A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, May 1, 2022 Acts 5:27-32, 40-41; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 Today I'd like to share a few special one-liners to reflect on as we continue to feel gratitude to Jesus for redeeming, affirming and guaranteeing that heaven is our home:   (1) “We gave you strict orders … to stop teaching in His name. … Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men. … We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirt whom God has given to those who obey Him.” [Acts 5:29, 31] Earlier in this chapter the High Priest and his companions have put the apostles in the public jail because of their preaching and miracles. An angel lets them out during the night and tells them to go to the temple and tell all. Neither Jesus nor his disciples are opposed in principle to the lawful authorities, but their ultimate obedience is to God. They know this will be the case each day as they preach Jesus. Can I say the same? I say I do, but do I? What about you? We live in a society that is pushing us t

For Sunday, April 24, 2022 Acts 5:12-16; Revelation1:9-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31 Last week someone asked me if I was a daredevil when I was young. My first reaction was,: Where did this come from? Did I say something in a sermon or in conversation that led to this question? “Well,” I answered, “maybe … sometimes … but not on a regular basis.” A short while afterward I remembered once standing on a cliff as a kid, looking at the water below with my friends. It wasn’t a very long drop, maybe eight or 10 feet … actually it may have been as few as six feet ... but it looked a long way down. Were there rocks under the water? Was the water shallow? What about snakes or water monsters? The first kid jumped and said the water was great … come on down! Well, I didn’t … I was frightened. I took the safest route, walking down the hill to the bottom. I was called a few names, too! The disciples today are justifiably scared. They have watched the brutal murder of their leader, friend, the actual f

For Sunday, April 17, 2022 Acts 10:34, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9 Easter is an amazing feast. It is the greatest and most special feast day in the Church’s calendar. Why is this so? Some might like Christmas better, or prefer the feast day of their country or a special day commemorating an event in a person’s, community’s, or nation’s life. The Resurrection of the Lord is the day that we gather to remember, celebrate and give thanks to our incredible God. Actually, this statement is faulty since the usage of “incredible” means “unbelievable” or “not persuading” as applied to a situation, statement, policy or threat to a person. The Resurrection of Our Lord is the ultimate proof of all that Jesus said and did, including all His miracles. These actions prove God’s ultimate love and the concluding reason each person was created: to be with God forever in heaven. This is a God who didn't simply create the universe; He immersed Himself in it. This God didn’t simply tell us h

For Sunday, April 10, 2022 Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56 On Palm Sunday we hear the gospel accounts leading us from the Last Supper through the Garden of Gethsemane to the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. Matthew’s account is the one most often recognized; today we hear St. Luke’s account. Now Luke was a Syrian from Antioch, a physician by profession, a ready listener to the apostles and, later on, a disciple of St. Paul. Tradition tells us that he remained unmarried and passed on to the Lord in northern Greece at age 84. The gospels of Matthew and Mark already had been written. Luke explains that it was necessary to write his account to the faithful who had been converted from paganism. The Acts of the Apostles follow his gospel, explaining the earliest successes and sufferings this “new church” was experiencing. He wrote these so that future readers can identify with Jesus and thus begin a lifelong relationship with God. The central and most powerful p

For Sunday, April 3, 2022 Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11 The more I read and reflect on Jesus in the Gospels, I believe every word He speaks is important. I have found that it is easy to jump over His words and think I know what He is saying. When I reflect and do research I find that there is a deeper meaning and, so often, a message for me personally. I find myself asking, “What is Jesus saying to me? How is He leading me closer to Him and the promise of Heaven? How can I place His message into my daily living?” Any research has to consider the context of the writing … what went before this passage … was this passage the response, or does it contain an even deeper response from Jesus than what was said? Today’s passage is one of these. In Chapter 7, Jesus has been teaching in the temple area and the Jews are amazed at how well He knows the scriptures, seemingly without studying them. Jesus says, “My teaching is not My own but is from the One who sent Me …” [John