A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, July 2, 2023 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16; Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10:37-42 Jesus came to tell and show that God loves each person every moment of their life. We need to personalize this because we have inflated, delusional and deflated visions of ourselves based upon our life experiences. It comes down to the basic question: Why did God create me? The Old Catechism I learned in parochial grammar school stated: God made me to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him in eternity. Our faith is complex. In the 10th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus calls the apostles together and gives them authority over every sickness and disease. Then He sends them out with the mandate: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” [Matthew 10:7] He also predicts the opposition and persecutions this will bring. Why? Because people do what they want and not what they are told. Jesus introduces His message to His followers in today’s gospel: “Do not think that I have...

For Sunday, June 25, 2023 Jeremiah 20:10-13, Romans 5:12-15, Matthew 10:26-33 What is my role as a Christian? Am I living my role? What is the basis of my role? In Scriptures, Jesus repeats the same advice He tells us today: “Fear no one … do not be afraid.” [Matthew 10:26] This is repeated 365 times. Nothing that comes from God is an accident, so there must be a reason why this is the most repeated phrase. And 365 times? Why? Now comes a deeper question: How do I live this? We live in a world that is totally in the news. What is going on in our neighborhood, country, world ... is updated every 30 seconds on social media, news programs, the internet … everywhere. Also, one person's opinion of the news is followed by someone else's. When Jesus spoke He was doing more than updating the news. And he wasn't dispensing insignificant gossip. He was sharing today's gospel with His disciples, and an important, life-saving truth with you and me. What is that truth? That God love...

For Sunday, June 18, 2023 Exodus 19:2-6, Romans 5:6-11, Matthew 9:36-10:8 In Sunday Homily Helps from Franciscan Media, I read this story that fits in perfectly with the direction the readings are instructing us today: “ ‘This is the last piece of my puzzle, the one where I go home to God.’ Dick was 97 and not far from death. He was explaining to his niece that he saw life as a puzzle. When we are born we have a box of puzzle pierces, each representing a piece of one’s life. As we live life, the puzzle fills in and we see the picture. Eventually there's only one piece left, the one that takes us home to God.” The Book of Exodus takes us back to the people of Israel living in Egypt, who eventually are enslaved and later rescued by God through Moses. These are God’s people. They “kinda” know that they belong to God, but they don’t know what that means or why God has chosen them. Their escape from Egypt is filled with perils, most especially the full army of Pharaoh that is chasing ...

For Sunday, June 11, 2023 Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14-16; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58 Despite all our devices to help us remember, we still forget. I have three calendars: one on my phone and another on my computer, and a desk calendar. I check these calendars many times a day, but things do slip through the cracks: Either I have listed an event in only one calendar or I forget the event entirely. When this happens I worry about offending someone. Or is my forgetfulness happening too frequently? Today’s feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, is a tremendous reminder of how present God is in my life and the lives of all. Have I forgotten God? Have I failed to give praise and glory to God for being with me daily, blessing me? Do I appreciate His deep and total love? I'm saying this because remembering is what defines Christians as people of faith. Scripture reminds us that God is always with us. Jesus constantly jogs our memory of God’s forgiveness, mercy and reco...

For Sunday, June 4, 2023 Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18 Today is the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, which poses a simple question: What does that mean? How can I understand that there are three persons in one God? Few doctrines in the Dogmatic Theology are as confusing and difficult to understand as the Trinity. Attempts have been made to explain this — perhaps the most famous is St. Patrick using the shamrock: three leaves, one plant. Unfortunately so many people we encounter follow the only “trinity” they know: “Me, myself, and I.” Today's readings are a powerful source of what it means to have a God who loves us totally. In creation, His plan was to create people out of love — who nurture and become people of love, and show this love in all their relationships so that others can know that God loves each and every person individually. This plan is for all to be with Him forever in heaven. Not difficult at all to understand, but difficult if I, myself,...