A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, June 26, 2022 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62 Sometime or other down through the years, each of us, myself included, have been on a discovery journey: discovering who we are. We have taken made roads … had setbacks … and have come back to this same question … even “run away” from responding to it. Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man , a book set within the context of the African-American experience in the 20th century, responds: “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free." We spend much time to discover who we are so that we can be free and, we could add, “feel free” as well. The questions that resonate inside me are: Who am I? What am I being called to? What is my purpose? Where do I belong? For me it has been in the context of my Catholic priesthood. But today’s scripture readings highlight that everyone is called by God to be His people of love, care, forgiveness. Do I realize that this is an individual call to each person? Do I realize that every...

For Sunday, June 19, 2022 Genesis 14:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-13 We celebrate the feast of the Eucharist, Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. How many times have we come to receive the Eucharist? Are we aware of what this mystery is all about? How many times have we been so preoccupied with ourselves and the happenings around us that we wonder whether we really received? How many times have we let the Lord just be with us after we have received ... loving, caring and thanking us for loving Him and those we've touched who've come into our lives, expectedly and unexpectedly? How many times have we just loved our Lord? Why do I say this? Do we realize that the Body of Christ in the transformed bread and wine we receive is transforming us as well as the believers who have received with us? Do we allow this to happen? We receive the Body and blood of Christ for spiritual nourishment. We know about eating; we need food and drink for our own nourishment. We h...

For Sunday, June 12, 2022 Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15 What do I know about God? John tells us: “God is love, and whosoever remains in love remains in God and God in them.” [1 John 4:16] So if God is love, every time I witness love or share love, I am finding out more about God’s love. Do I reflect on this? Do I realize that these moments are when I am actively involved in God’s mission to share Jesus? To be God right now and right where I am in my living module? Even more importantly, do I reflect on these moments of love because they are telling me about God and His love for me and those I am with? Do I trust the Holy Spirit in leading me and enabling me to Be God in these moments? We might want to say, “Lord, I’m not worthy” ... but it’s not about our worthiness. It’s about God choosing you and me to bring about God’s union of love to His creation. How blessed we are. Consider this encounter in The Little Burgundy Book : One day, a visitor to the monastery asked ...

For Sunday, June 5, 2022 Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 14:15-16, 23-26 Today we are celebrating Pentecost, the day of the Holy Spirit’s coming upon the Apostles. Some Sacred Scripture passages state it this way: “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of all I told you.” [John 14:26] “ No one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.” [1 Corinthians 12:3] “Therefore, I say to you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”[Matthew 12: 31-32] “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong, driving wind , and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appears to them tongues as of fire , which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy ...