Happy Sunday!

The first words we hear in our readings this week strike us with a simple directness, “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.” Gifts can run out, but the humble person increases in virtue and draws out charity from others.

Happy Sunday!

I love weeks like this week which are jam packed full of excellent feast days. Tomorrow, the 22nd, the Church celebrates the Queenship of Mary. On Tuesday, the 23rd, we observe the memorial of St. Rose of Lima. Wednesday, the 24th, we celebrate the feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle. On Thursday, the 25th, we celebrate the memorial of St. Louis. We get a wide mix as we celebrate the Blessed mother, then the first saint of the Americas, followed by one of the 12 Apostles, and finishing with the king, St. Louis.

Happy Sunday!

It’s good to be back after a few weeks away. I arrived back on Monday August 1 from my vacation, in time to attend the installation of our new bishop, Bishop John Dolan. It’s always good to be around so many priests for such a special event and to welcome Bishop Dolan. The Church teaches us that the bishops of the Church are Successors of the Apostles. That is, they play a special role in teaching, ruling, and sanctifying the Christian people in the same manner as the apostles.

Hello,

The other day at daily Mass I mentioned how these days when I look at scripture I am more and more reminded of my own memories. We had the gospel about the sorting of fish (Matt. 13:47-53) and all I could think of was fishing with my cousins years ago when I was a boy. I think it just goes to show how important our memories are to us.

Hello,

When it comes to Christian morality, particularly in regard to the Church’s teachings on sexuality, people sometimes want to separate Jesus and Saint Paul. Paul is more explicit and complete on such questions, and so when people are uncomfortable with this, they want to ignore Paul and focus on Jesus, who says less and is perhaps a little less clear. This move is appealing because it puts the priority on Jesus and holds him up as our ultimate authority. The trouble is that it just doesn’t work. We can’t separate Jesus from Saint Paul.

Hello,

I had my vacation and now it is Fr. Connealy’s turn, so he is away for a bit. As always seems to be the case, my vacation was great but it is nice to be back. We mostly stayed close to home but I did travel back East briefly. This was for my father’s funeral, which went as well as it could. One point that I will always remember was at the committal.

Happy Sunday!

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes! I’m grateful to God for another year of life and to be here at St. Joan of Arc with all of you. The gift of the priesthood is another gift from God for which I am incredibly grateful. The Sacraments are the life of our parish and it is a great joy to be a minister of the Holy Eucharist. All of the Sacraments give us the grace to encounter the Risen Lord and experience the Divine Life here and now. I pray that this week each of us is able to spend time to reflect more intently on the Sacred Mysteries and God’s loving action in our lives.

We can learn a great deal from Mister Rogers. Remember him? He was the gentle soul who found his way into living rooms worldwide starting as far back as 1968. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a beloved program that celebrated and exalted people, especially children. He taught us that we are neighbors and that everyone has a place. Everyone matters. He had a vision, born of his relationship with God that highlighted every human life’s innocence, beauty, and uniqueness. To that end, he called us to be responsible for each other, saying nothing different than what Jesus said. Viewers quickly learned that life is not just about me.

Happy Sunday and Happy 4th of July Weekend!

This week we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We recall those famous words of the Declaration, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These truths acknowledged by the founders of our country remind us that these rights are “unalienable”, that is, they are not able to be alienated from the person.

Happy Sunday!

This Sunday we are celebrating our patronal feast. St. Joan of Arc’s feast day is on May 30. Because she is our patron we are allowed to move it to be celebrated on the closest Sunday. However, since we have been in the Easter season and then had major feasts, this is the first Sunday available. Therefore, this Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of St. Joan of Arc. This means if you follow along with the readings in the Magnificat, Daily Roman Missal, or other book the readings won’t match. If you are looking for something to read about the life of St. Joan of Arc I recommend Mark Twain’s biography “Joan of Arc” or Regine Pernoud’s “Joan of Arc: Her Story”.

Happy Sunday!

This Sunday there is much to celebrate. The Church unites in celebrating the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus, or Corpus Christi Sunday. The weeks following the Easter Season are filled with wonderful celebrations of the mysteries of our faith. Today we reflect on the Holy Eucharist, the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Maybe you have seen the polls that say that over 50% of practicing Catholics do not believe in the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is astounding!

Happy Trinity Sunday!

We give thanks to God for our new priests in the Diocese of Phoenix, Fr. John of the Cross, Fr. Marvin Soto, Fr. Anthony Dang, and our very own Fr. Harold Escarcega. Fr. Harold celebrated his first Mass of Thanksgiving last Sunday. It was a beautiful liturgy with the readings being sung and additional members present to help support our choir. Fr. Harold will begin his first priestly assignment in July at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. Please keep him and all the new priests in your prayers.

Hello,

If Christmas and Easter celebrate the great mysteries of Christ, then Pentecost celebrates the great mystery of the Church. Some people call Pentecost the birthday of the Church. It was that day when the Holy Spirit came upon the gathering of believers and sent the apostles out into the streets to proclaim the Good News. It was that day when the gathering of believers were gifted with the power of God to carry out the mission with which they had been charged. They became the Church, the instrument of God on earth through which he would call all people into unity and new life.