Author: admin

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Gospel: Matthew 3: 13-17

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he allowed him.
After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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On a sunny afternoon in southern France, Pablo Picasso was found sun tanning on a beach. 

Immediately recognizing the famous artist, a young mother instructed her child to approach Picasso with a pen and paper, asking either for his autograph or a simple sketch. 

It’d be worth millions!

Visibly irritated, Picasso took the paper from the young boy, tore it up, and penned a sketch on the little boy’s chest, instead.

When finished, Picasso said to him, “Now, tell your mother that she can never wash you again!”

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Herein lies the difference between what the little boy received from Picasso and what we receive in baptism. 

While Picasso’s sketch might’ve lasted on that boy’s skin for a few hours, maybe a few days, baptism leaves an indelible mark on our souls.

As the Gospel tells us, the heavens are torn open and the Holy Spirit descends upon us. There is nothing we can do to rid ourselves of God’s divine presence within.

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The invitation is to live our lives accordingly. 

Christians are people who forgive when it’s hard; who love after the feelings disappear; who serve their neighbors in need; and pray for those around them.

In celebration of our baptism, let’s now renew our baptismal promises – and our commitment to living them out.

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(One way to celebrate your baptism is to renew your baptismal promises, which you can do by reading the text below):

Leader: Do you renounce Satan?
All: I do.

Leader: And all his works?
All: I do.

Leader: And all his empty show?
All: I do.

Leader:Do you believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth?
All: I do.

Leader: Do you believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered death and was buried,
rose again from the dead,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father?
All: I do.

Leader: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting?
All: I do.

Leader: And may almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
who has given us new birth
by water and the Holy Spirit,
and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins,
keep us by his grace,
in Christ Jesus our Lord,
for eternal life.

All: Amen.

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Image credits: (1) Ascension Press Media, Why Was Christ Baptized? (2) Vecteezy (3) Remember Your Baptism, United Methodist Church

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Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod, 
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, 
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, 
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly 
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word, 
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, 
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, 
they departed for their country by another way.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Parents often ask me, “Father, how can I help my children have faith?” By extension, we might pose the deeper question, “How does anyone come to faith?”

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Faith is ultimately a journey, which every human being travels. Some of us are in the very initial stages. Others have climbed mountaintops or wandered through valleys. 

As the old saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” This is certainly true with faith. It unfolds step by step.

In today’s Gospel, we encounter the magi, foreigners from the east. Each of them is on a journey, which will ultimately lead them to God. But their path – much like ours – involves time, risk, perseverance, and a desire for the Truth.

We can distill their travels into three stages: The magi seek. They discover. They worship. 

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We first encounter the magi near the end of their travels. They’ve arrived in Jerusalem from a faraway place. The Gospels do not tell us where exactly they came from, only that they came from the “east.” 

Scholars believe this caravan of travelers may have come from as far away as Persia. This was not a weekend getaway; it was literally a journey of a thousand miles. 

Such a trek was dangerous and demanded persistence; it could’ve taken months or even years to complete with a variety of obstacles to overcome. 

There were surely thieves and robbers, wild animals lurking in the night, desolate places without water, and even spontaneous storms forming around them.

Why were the magi motivated to travel such a long distance?

They were searching, seeking, looking for answers.

This is the initial stage in coming to faith. 

Something is stirred inside of us. For the magi, it was the belief that a king – their king – had been born. For us, it may be fundamental questions such as: “Is there a God? Why do I exist? What is the meaning of life?”

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In the second stage of the journey, we begin discovering the answers.

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The magi arrive in Jerusalem safely after being guided by a star. But they cannot complete their journey until the scriptures are consulted. 

Through the religious authorities, they learn that this Christ-child – their king – must be born in Bethlehem, just five miles away from Jerusalem, so they continue their journey. 

At this stage, the magi represent a person who discovers the Word of God and acts on it. As the Psalmist says, “Your Word is a lamp for my path, a light for my feet.” 

This is a critical stage for any believer. It’s where many of us are striving to be: shaping our decisions based upon the Word of God.  

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When finally, the magi see Christ in Bethlehem, they kneel down and worship him, laying their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh at his feet.

Here each one represents a person fully committed to Christ; a soul surrendered to God; one who has left everything behind to follow him.

This is the goal of every believer – to reach a unity of mind and heart with God.

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Where are we in our own journey?

Are we still searching, seeking, learning?

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I hope so. The journey spans a lifetime.

After all, this is our mission as a parish: to ask the bigger questions; to journey through the scriptures together; to continue seeking, to discover God and to worship him.

All are welcome.

As our vision statement reminds us, like the magi, we are, “All generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”

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Image credits: (1) Charisma News, Rocky (2) Adobe Stock (3) Psychology Today

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A reading from the Letter of Saint James 5: 13-15:

“Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.”

The Word of the Lord.

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(The above reading was selectively chosen for today’s Feast, the Feast of Saint André Bessette.)

Often when we think about the Saints, we honor their courage; their willingness to suffer; or the extraordinary lengths they’ve gone to in order to spread the Gospel.

Think of people Saint Paul, Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

Today’s feast, honoring Saint André Bessette, challenges that notion of “greatness” a bit. We might place André in the category of the “little” Saints, those who did nothing extraordinary in the eyes of the world … but are extraordinary in the eyes of the Church.

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André was orphaned at age 12. He grew up in very poor health with almost no formal education. 

But by the age of 25, he discovered his purpose: God was calling him to religious life. After initially being rejected, André was admitted into the Society of Holy Cross Priests. 

He was never ordained a priest; rather, he became a religious brother, who spent his days as a doorman at Notre Dame College in Montreal. Aside from opening doors and greeting visitors, André prayed for those who were ill.

Miraculously, thousands were been healed through his intercession. He credited the healings to Saint Joseph, whom André always held a deep devotion to.

After saving up $200 by giving haircuts for 5 cents each (that’s 4,000 haircuts!), André opened a shrine to Saint Joseph on October 19, 1904. It became so popular that a basilica was later erected in its place, which you can still visit today!

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Brother André died at the age of 91 on January 6, 1937. During the week that his body lay in state, an estimated 1 million people braved the Canadian cold to pay their respects. 

His intercession is still sought by many today. 

If you are in need of any particular healing, take the time to say the prayer of intercession to Saint André below:

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Prayer to Saint André for Healing

Saint André,

I come to you in prayer for healing.

(state your intention)

You were no stranger to illness.

Plagued by stomach problems,

you knew suffering on a daily basis,

but you never lost faith in God.

Thousands of people have sought your healing touch

as I do today.

Pray that I might be restored to health

in body, soul and mind.

With St. Joseph as my loving Protector,

strengthen my faith and give me peace

that I might accept God’s will for me

no matter what the outcome.

Amen.

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Image credits: (1) Sam the Christian, Medium (2) The Catholic Register (3) holycrosscongregation.org