A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, December 1, 2024 Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36 Jeremiah starts out today's reading with, “The days are coming …” [Jeremiah 33:14]. We could continue the thought: Yes, Thanksgiving is gone, it was nice with family and all. We’ve decorated the house; shopping now begins … then the Christmas tree and the manger scene ... and the exhaustion will end in 23 days or so. So much time is left, and it will get more hectic ... with parties … more shopping … gifts … Christmas cards ... and on and on. And we haven’t even included the watching and waiting for the coming of Christ. But the reality is that we secretly long for the presence of Christ each day. Where do we get sidetracked? So many decorations … manger scenes … caring and giving to others the expressions that say, I love you … thanks for all … that somehow, so easily, manage to bypass me. Why? What can I do to keep me focused? We think — even plan — but the bottom line is that CHRIST ...

For Sunday, November 24, 2024 Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 1:5-8, John 18:33-37 This week's Gospel is from the 18th chapter of John. The Last Supper has ended and Jesus has led His apostles outside the gates of Jerusalem, down and across the Kidron valley to the garden of Gethsemane to await Judas with a band of soldiers. In three more chapters we read of Jesus’ resurrection appearances. The soldiers seize Him forcefully and lead Him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest, and then to Caiaphas himself where his trial begins before Pilate. Standing before Pilate, Jesus would not appear to be a king to many. Today we are invited — called, really — to envision our King and our God. Have you ever thought about Jesus as our King and our God? He appears defeated yet He is in complete control of His fate, His destiny. They will try to humiliate Him and reduce Him to a quivering prisoner pleading for mercy, acknowledging His dependency on the chief priests, the Sanhedrin, th...

For Sunday, November 17, 2024 Daniel 12:1-3; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18; Mark 13:24-32 As we approach the end of the Church year next week on the feast of Christ the King, our readings remind us about the end of time and what our lives are all about. We have been born because God willed it, blessed in abundance with God’s help — which is called grace — to live our lives closer to Him so that we can enjoy everlasting life, heaven, with God and all the angels and saints forever. This has been promised and it has been God’s plan forever. He loves us every moment of our lives, and graced us so that we can love those He placed with us and lead them to heaven to be with all of our loved ones who have lived their lives accordingly and are waiting and praying for us to be with them. The readings today are described in apocalyptic terms so that whatever takes place, with whatever scope and intensity of the devastation that will occur during the last days, good will ultimately triumph . For this reaso...

For Sunday, November 10, 2024 1 Kings 17:10-16, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44 We are called to be people of love so that others can see Christ’s love in each of us. We find so many wonderful examples in our lives, and today’s first reading and Gospel give us models of unselfish giving through faith and trust in God. These are valuable lessons for all of us. What is unselfish giving? People usually give out of their abundance, but there are still several reasons for their generosity. One could be their awareness of those who are needy and want and need help. Others could give out of guilt feelings: They have some sort of debt they owe. Some give for tax purposes, knowing they will be better off financially if they give from their abundance. Others give freely to those they love without paying attention to whether they have adequate resources or not. Today’s wonderful examples are from a different kind of giving: one that comes from those who have the least material possessions to give....

For Sunday, November 3, 2024 Deuteronomy 6:2-6, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 12:28-34 Today’s readings are exclusively about God. They prompt a question to each of us: Who is God to me? Do I give God all the attention, all the praise, all the glory that I am capable of? Do I feel that God owes me — or, do I owe God? What personally am I most afraid of about God in my relationship with Him? Is God the same to me as He is to each of His creations? Is God close to me? How can I get close to God? I feel that most people don’t spend much time reflecting on God. Why? Are we afraid that we might have to change parts of our lives that we’re not comfortable with? Maybe it’s because we don’t know whether God cares that much about us. Maybe we’re just “rolling the dice,” hoping He will be more of a loving God than a just God at judgment time. Do we try to hide things from God? Today’s readings call us into a deeper relationship with God. Moses admonishes the people, saying the way to closeness and u...