Blog & Pastor Letters

Sometimes, it may be hard to remember that we live in Jesus’ victory over sin and death, we are not waiting on it. And we, who have not seen and yet believe, are truly blessed (John 20:29), as Jesus so compassionately proclaims to Thomas in today’s Gospel.

Jesus showed his Apostles great mercy, even after they abandoned him in his greatest hour of need, running and hiding in fear — only St. John the Evangelist (along with some of the women) remained and stood at the foot of the cross. However, Jesus’ greeting as he stands among the Apostles is not a chastisement but instead, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).

You’ve had the vision in your mind for quite a while. You’ve found the perfect place to build a seasonal garden with a fountain. Excited to bring your vision to life, you painstakingly design the plans, secure all the materials, purchase a stunning fountain, and clear your schedule to complete it. As you begin preparing the land, you realize there is one thing you failed to consider: the magnitude and density of boulders, as solid as blocks of concrete, preventing you from doing anything! Unable to even insert the spade into the ground, you are left dumbfounded, angered, and disappointed, wondering whether you will ever realize your vision. Boulders can weigh things down, block things off, prevent movement, and stymy the achievement of dreams. They are also the perfect way to seal a tomb.

I love watching the Undercover Boss. The pain of the boss at the end of each episode makes me cry. He does not rely on hearsay, neither does he reply to office gossips. He undertakes the process of finding out the pain of every staff. He notes down the serious and the unserious staff. Each will be surprised with the revelation of this newbie they snub, disrespect, and call names. This newbie is the boss in the whole establishment. His mission is to go low to find out who is representing best the interests of his company. Not all bosses go undercover. Some sit in the Oval Office and ride on the Air Force One to any part of the world. To be presidential is to stay in touch with the affairs of the nation and work for the interests of America. When traveling to meet other leaders of the world, the president enjoys the joys of an advance team to ensure his safety. This is usual with most presidents of the world and it gives us joy to see our leaders representing our common interests.

In Jesus, we do not find condemnation but restoration and healing.

The fullness of the love and mercy which Jesus came to bring is on display in this Sunday’s gospel reading. A woman who had been caught in adultery is dragged before Jesus. The penalty for her sin is that she be stoned to death. We can only imagine the shame and fear she felt. However, while the crowd stands in judgment over her, Jesus takes another posture. He stoops down. He brings himself down to her level. He refuses to stand in judgment of her. It was not to condemn sinners that Jesus came, but to bring them the Father’s love and mercy. And so, he scatters the crowd with his famous words, “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Imagine your son takes your precious items in the house and sell them without your knowledge. It could be your 2022 Ferrari FF model or your jewelry worth a fortune. You bought your Ferrari as a gift to yourself after retirement after thirty-five years of meritorious service to your nation. This car means so much to you because you enjoy driving around town and you feel cool among your friends.

Most of the sins I confess when I approach God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation are sins I committed on the way to approaching Him in the Eucharist.

Listen, I’m not proud of this, and I’m not making excuses. But it’s really hard getting a family of five out of their beds and into a church pew on a Sunday morning. Everyone has to be wearing clothes (usually clothes they don’t particularly enjoy).

Jesus guided Peter, James, and John up the mountain to pray. There Jesus was transfigured before them — showing his glorified self with his face changing in appearance and his clothes becoming dazzling white — a foreshadowing his heavenly appearance. What a glorious moment for all to behold, and for us two thousand years later to witness as we read the detailed description offered through the Scriptures. The Lord’s “face shone like the sun,” (Matthew 17:2), and “His garments became white as light” (Matthew 17:2); “dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:3).

We forget that to be human means to accept our growing pains. We are incomplete, works in progress. Our lives are never entirely integral, whole, and perfectly constructed creations but a diverse collection of broken pieces. If not welcomed with love, our necessary incompleteness can propel us to consistently, and sometimes compulsively, seek control and satisfaction.

It seems that, in many ways, we would be hard-pressed to have better readings for the Sunday before Lent begins. These teachings of Jesus—on judging others and the fruitfulness of our lives—help round out the sixth chapter of Luke and what we now know as Jesus’ “sermon on the plain.” Here, we find Jesus inviting us to reflect on the movements taking place within our minds and hearts, particularly with regard to how we relate to other people.

According to the introductory lines of the Open Doors Report (2021) titled Freedom of Religion and the Persecution of Christians, ‘the persecution of Christians is getting worse – in every region in which we work – and It is getting worse fast.” The analysis of this statement shows that religious extremism is becoming worse in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia. And North Korea is the worst place to be a Christian. By far, the report indicates that the rise of Islamic extremism in sub-Saharan Africa dwarfs when compared to the violence in the Middle East. The persecution of Christians from across the world is fueled by factors such as Islamic extremism, religious nationalism, tribal antagonism, denominational protectionism, communist oppression, aggressive secularism, organized corruption, and totalitarian paranoia.

Parents can interpret the behaviors of their children. From early childhood, parents can decipher the kind of behavior their children will assume as adults. By watching their kids, they know who will excel in science or the arts. They can guess who is suitable for the Olympics Games, the French Open, or a Nobel Prize award. For some children, parents begin to see a Mother Teresa or a Padre Pio in their actions.

While visiting the St. Paul’s Cathedral London, I felt the power of God speaking to my heart. I tried to explain my feelings to my group but one of them pointed out that the cathedral does not belong to the Catholic Church. I laughed and I immediately thought about how we try to classify God based on denominational connections. Although the cathedral church is not Catholic, it does not stop Jesus from manifesting his power among those who call upon his name. The feeling I had while I was at the St. Paul’s Cathedral was a feeling of the presence of God. The music was inspirational; it sent me into thinking about my purpose in life.