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Deacon Kevin 3-15-20

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3rd Sunday in Lent, Cycle A – “Watering Your Soul”

Today’s readings are connected in a rather unique way. They are connected in both a physical sense and a spiritual one. In the First Reading, the Israelites are traveling in the desert, and they are thirsty. Recall that they were delivered from slavery in Egypt by the miracle at the Red Sea. God was with them and by His power they were saved. Yet they still doubted, growing ever thirsty. God answered their prayer by making a stream of water flow from a rock to quench their thirst.His answer was both physical and spiritual; however,they missed its spiritual meaning, that they could depend on God in all matters. And so, they fall right back into sin.

In the Second Reading, Saint Paul speaks of the ‘love of God pouring out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit’. This outpouring is a spiritual one. The Spirit fills our very souls, which thirst for God – for He alone satisfies. In the Gospel reading, we have both the physical and spiritual…
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Deacon Greg 3-15-20

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Two Words… Well, actually one word: Coronavirus

Planning & Preparation
Most have followed all of the recommendations along the way, and have prepared themselves for all that is now upon us… Honestly, looking at the pictures of empty shelving in the stores, some of have prepared a little too well!

In our Lenten Journey, we too have established a plan of what we’re going to do, or sacrifice as we prepare for Easter, but deeper than that, we’ve been Baptized! All that we need to plan, prepare and live have been set into motion by the Lord, our parents, and our community, bringing us up in the faith, ready to live each day to the fullest with this life giving water available to all, and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit raining down on us from the above.

Prevention & Practical Common Sense
While the virus is here, we’re continuing to be reminded of the basic and common sense steps that we can all follow to help keep our neighbors safe and healthy.

In our faith life, living each day to th…
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Deacon Dan 3-15-20

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Dread, dire, and danger are being broadcast over the airwaves. Dread, dire, and danger are being printed in the media. Dread, dire and danger are being debated in the halls of politics. We would be remiss and irresponsible if we disregarded the warnings. We would be remiss and irresponsible if we did not practice basic hygiene and social practices suggested by the authorities. The Bishop has issued dispensations from the religious obligation of attending Mass for those who require and desire such dispensation. If you are ill you are not obligated, if you care for someone who is susceptible you are not obligated. “Ad impossibilia nemo tenetur” No one is obligated to do the impossible is an adage of Cicero that is part of the Church’s moral and canonical teaching. So apply common sense, the sign of peace can be exchanged without touching each other,recitation of the Our father does not require hand holding, It is best to receive communion in the hand so that ministers are not in touch w…
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Deacon Kevin 2-16-20

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6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A – “Righteous Choices”

There is just no way to sugarcoat today’s Gospel. It contains a number of hard truths, and one thing is abundantly clear: being a disciple of Christ is not an easy task. Jesus takes the Old Testament Law and elevates it, asking more of His disciples, and challenging all those who call themselves Christians. I hope that is true for each of you. I hope you are striving to be a disciple of Christ. I hope you are obedient, not just to the Ten Commandments, but also to the commandments and teachings of Jesus. I pray you love God above all things, and you love your neighbor as yourself. And I hope you keep the faith passed on to us by the Church of the living God: the pillar and foundation of truth.

There are choices we make every day, and many of these have eternal consequences. We choose what route to take on the Way: to school, to our jobs, and on the road of Life. We choose what we listen to, and what we think about. We choose who…
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Deacon Dan 2-16-20

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If not for the coincidence that the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary time fell on February 2, supplanting it to the Solemnity of the Presentation of the Lord, we would have heard the Gospel account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The gist of that sermon is the Beatitudes. Those eight statements of Jesus that begin with “Blessed are …” are in effect, an expansion of the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Last week, following the Beatitudes, we werewarned NOT to allow ourselves to become insipid salt or Hidden light. Rather we were to give flavor the world to illuminate the world by living those Beatitudes. Truth be told that is a difficult task. For example, how does one act meekly in the Facebook world where we publicly expose our every minor success. How does one remain merciful when justice is demanded as an eye for an eye? How does one remain clean of heart in an overly sexualized world? How does one make peace in an era where violence is rampant? How does one accept persecutio…
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Deacon Greg 2-16-20

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Today, the Gospel continues Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which actually began in our cycle of Gospels two weeks ago. We missed the beginning back on Feb. 2nd as we were celebrating the Presentation of the Lord, which takes precedent over Ordinary Time when Feb 2nd falls on a Sunday. Anyway, this Sermon actually begins with the 5th Chapter of Matthew and continues through the 7th Chapter. Listen to the bullet points of the entire Sermon: First there’s The Beatitudes, “Blessed are they who…,” the most familiar part. This is often treated as the entire Sermon, when it’s actually just the introduction. The teaching continues, calling us to be salt & light for the world, (last week’s Gospel) reassuring us that Christ has come to fulfill the Law! He teaches us ways that we can handle anger, lust, and broken relationships. He models for us the art of taking an oath, challenging us to let our YES mean yes, and our NO mean no. The Sermon also offers us the way to deal with retaliation…
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Deacon Dan 1-19-20

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Today’s Scripture offers two threads that must be woven together to live a fulfilling Christian life. These are recognition and response.

The Gospel account speaks clearly about recognition. Last week from Matthew’s gospel,we heard the account of His baptism. At that moment, we are told that the heavens opened,and the voice of God boomed “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. “

Today John the Baptist testifies to that event. His testimony is given to the priests, Levites, and Pharisees sent out from Jerusalem to question him, John, about his actions. He first gives negative testimony about himself. John declares that he is not Elijah; he is not a prophet;he is not the Messiah.

John then gives positive testimony about Jesus. He points to Jesus, who is approaching him,and declares, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” But he was not finished with his testimony. He confesses that at some point, he did not know the reality of Jesus. Twice he states,”…
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