A pregnant woman was walking in the store and met an old friend. Her friend exclaimed, “You are absolutely beaming!” The new life God placed in her womb radiated throughout her body. It was brightly visible on her face and in her eyes. Transformation and change usually happen from the inside out. It is very rare that simply imposing structure from the outside does any good. Yes, it is true that routines and habits can change when things are done differently. But, for this change to last there has to be an interior renewal and metamorphosis as well. Simply regulating behavior and bringing someone into conformity with accepted protocols doesn’t mean their heart and soul come with them.
READ MOREHappy Sunday!
This Sunday’s first reading is taken from Genesis 22 where we hear the marvelous account of Abraham following God’s command to sacrifice Issac on a mountain in the land of Moriah. As Abraham lifts his hand to sacrifice Isaac he is stopped by the angel of God. Because of his obedience God blesses Abraham in abundance with descendants as numerous as the stars. In the Gospel we find another mountain but on this one we hear the account of the Transfiguration. We move from the sacrifice of Abraham’s beloved son to the glorification of God’s beloved Son.
READ MOREHappy Sunday!
We have begun the great season of Lent, the “campaign of Christian service”, as the Church so wonderfully calls it. It is a “campaign of Christian service” because in these 40 days we live even more intentionally the vocation of what it means to be Christian. That is, we live devoted to fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. Fasting so that our bodies may be deprived for a little while of nourishment or delicacy so that we may yearn more for Jesus Christ alone. Prayer, so that we can enter more deeply into our relationship with the living God, which we hope to share forever in Heaven. Almsgiving, because no one is a Christian alone. The plight of our brothers and sisters is our plight as well, and so we offer alms in various ways during Lent to unite ourselves more closely to all Christians.
READ MOREWhat is Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday is a day of penance and fasting that begins the season of Lent. Every year Catholics remember and relive the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the miracles witnessed by the early Christian community. Lent is the period where we focus on Jesus’ call to conversion and giving ourselves to God, culminating in Jesus’ ultimate and forever sacrifice in his Passion.
READ MOREHappy Sunday!
We are closing in on the liturgical season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is February 17th. We will have Mass at 6:30am, 8:30am, and 6pm. There will also be a liturgy of the Word service at 12:00pm with the distribution of ashes. This year, the Vatican has announced a different procedure for the distribution of ashes. Robert Cardinal Sarah, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, issued the decree that says the prayer, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return” is to be said once over the entire congregation. Then as people come up in line, ashes are to be sprinkled on the top of the head without saying anything.
READ MOREIf I only knew then what I know now, how different life would be. This sentiment, expressed in myriad ways, is found on every human being’s lips at one point or another. Life may have brought us to a vulnerable place where we see some of the poor choices we made and the effects they are having. Perhaps we fell into some destructive and dysfunctional relationships or behaviors and are finding how they held us captive. Our zeal and passion for life may have drifted away and we are waking up to the reasons apathy has taken hold.
READ MOREMost of us are quiet people who desire to live a good and holy life, promote the values and mission of the Gospel as best we can and desire to one day inherit the surprise of life eternal God promises to us. We are not trail blazers. We are simple people who want to do the simple things of life well. But there are others who left a more profound impact along the way of the paths they walked. Folks like Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Thomas Merton, Gandhi, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and many others left lasting impacts and legacies. Like Moses, they show us by word and deed who God is and what integrity and a purpose driven life look like. They show us how to be holy. We need Moses people like these to give us inspiration, hope and an example of holy living.
READ MOREHappy Sunday!
Every now and then people ask me about books I’ve mentioned or what I’m reading. There’s so much good literature out there I thought I’d make a list of a few different works that have been in my book pile or rattling around my brain. Without further ado…
From Christendom to Apostolic Mission by University of Mary: This is easily one of the most important books I’ve been reading recently. It’s a 90 page essay assessing our current time and discussing strategies to engage a culture that has become disengaged with Christianity.
READ MOREIt was a normal day by all accounts, but John just wasn’t feeling himself. He was a little lightheaded and out of sorts. Later in the afternoon, he experienced a sharp pain in his chest and arm. Quick thinking and action brought John to the emergency department with a diagnosis of a significant heart attack. Surviving this ordeal, he found himself face to face with his cardiologist, having an honest conversation about things that needed to change. “I came close to death,” John found himself thinking. Then came the remorse. He was a young man with a loving wife and children who were very close to facing life without him. John found himself with intense sorrow for living an unchecked and self-indulgent life that almost brought him to his demise. He wanted to change.
READ MOREHappy Sunday!
I pray everyone’s year is off to a good start. Tomorrow, January 18, the parish office will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We will have the regularly scheduled morning confessions and Mass. There will NOT be evening confessions and Mass. I hope everyone is able to enjoy the national holiday.
This Friday, January 22, is the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade legalizing abortion throughout the country. Please join me in praying for an end to abortion throughout our nation and world. There are many things we can say about the gift of human life and the atrocity of ending a human life in its initial stages. Especially now though, with Christmas fresh in our minds, we remember that God came, not as an adult, but in the womb.
READ MOREOur faith is not just about ideas. It’s really about having an encounter with God and, in particular, the Risen Christ! Once we give ourselves over to the notion of God’s presence, we have to train ourselves to listen for God’s voice and be attentive to God’s call. Having companions on our faith journeys is so incredibly important as they can help us fine-tune our listening skills and discern God’s voice from others we may be hearing. Faith is all about having these profound encounters not only with God but with our brothers and sisters, and creation itself. Anyone or anything that is alive with God’s presence becomes an occasion for God to speak and call us to deeper graces and experiences. “Come, and you will see.”
READ MOREHello everyone at St. Joan of Arc!
It is a pleasure to be here with you in this parish. Thank you for welcoming me and my family. Some background may be helpful.
I was an Episcopal minister and moved here to Phoenix in 2005 in order to serve an Episcopal Church. At that time I was married and had four children and no one in my or my wife's family had ever been Catholic. In early 2007 I resigned from the Episcopal Church and with my family began the process toward becoming Catholic.
READ MOREFr. Dan Connealy, Fr. Oliver Vietor, Deacon Andy Lambros, Deacon Mark Salvato and the Staff at SJA wish all parishioners a very happy, holy & peaceful New Year 2021.
Fr. Dan Connealy, Fr. Oliver Vietor, Diácono Andy Lambros, Diácona Mark Salvato y el personal de SJA deseo todo feligreses muy feliz, santo y pacífico Año Nuevo 2021.