Author: Fr. Peter O'Brien

Peace be with you!

We continue to listen to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount from Mathew’s Gospel.  From Mathew, Jesus’ teaching is described as a higher form of righteousness: a more demanding version of the law.  At first glance this may make us feel more distant from God because it is harder to live that way.  On the other hand, we know that Jesus came to assure us that God intensely loves and cares for us.  We also know that Jesus came to bless and to heal our brokenness.  Having these two important keys for understanding, we can understand Jesus’ teaching as deeper rather than higher.  Jesus goes to the roots of the law, the depths of the heart and leads us to a deeper relationship with God.  When we grow in depth and spirituality, we encounter the darkness affecting the human spirit and the deep flaw of human nature.  As we near God in his marvelous light, more of our own imperfections show up.  But Jesus is the Divine Physician who exposes our wounds and leads us more deeply into the way of prayer and healing!

We experience inner conflict when we are confronted with the reality that our own thoughts and behaviors do not always conform to the way of life that Jesus calls us to.  This weekend our attention is directed toward God’s law that we must love our neighbor as ourselves.

We know that everything flows from the love of God.  This is the first and most important Commandment.  Loving your neighbor as you love yourself—well, what if we don’t love ourselves or we don’t understand how to love ourselves properly?  Then we are not going to be able to love anyone else–properly.  There is a balance here.  It falls in between putting ourselves down and being selfish, arrogant and egotistical.

Jesus invites us to ask him to show us how to love ourselves so that we may love our neighbor correctly.  If we ask, he will show us how beautiful God’s love is, first for ourselves, then for everyone else.  When we experience and understand that God love us unconditionally, even with our sins and faults, we change.  We begin to love ourselves humbly, that is in truth.  Then we begin to love others with God.  When our love is perfected, our love will entirely reflect God’s own love—even for those who make themselves enemies.

God bless you always! +++ Fr. Peter

May the light of holiness shine in your hearts!

The first reading from Sirach tells us that if we choose, we can live God’s commandments!  Following this bold, clear statement, the sage adds that there are two roads: one is toward good, the other is toward evil.  It is obvious that we believe in God, we believe in Jesus and we believe that there is right and wrong.  If we didn’t share these same beliefs, we wouldn’t come here to worship together.  But believing these things and truly taking them to heart and living them out in concrete ways requires a conscious choice and an effort.  The teachings of Jesus remind us that there is more to true Christian living than just having good intentions.  Jesus points out that what is present and active inside a person’s heart is already known to God and if what is there is not good, it needs to change.  We need to know that.  We also need God’s grace to push the wrong things out of our hearts.  We can blame other people or use them as an excuse for our own hardness of heart.  Change from within removes barriers that cause us unhappiness, distress, tension in our relationships and separation from God.  We all want to be good and do the right thing!  We want good things to happen!  Sometimes things just go the wrong way or we don’t take the steps we should to correct them.  Today, Jesus points to our hearts as the starting point of our words and actions and that we are accountable for what is there; no one else.  St. Paul provides a special key—it all revolves around forgiving and being forgiven and that leads us to the Cross of Jesus!  The Cross is where every sin must go: every hurt must be laid down there, every offense committed must seek mercy there.  Every heart finds cleansing and instruction on how to live before the Cross of Jesus.  If there is something in your heart that needs to change, don’t wait!  Ask the Lord for help today!  Ask for forgiveness, and give the gift that you are given! +++ Fr. Peter

May the Light of Christ fill you!

Jesus tells us that a candle is not lit to be put under a bushel basket.  It is lit and put up high in order to give light. A Christian community is evangelized in order to evangelize!  That is what a true community is like: it is a group of men, women and young people who have found the truth and joy of Christ and the Gospel and they sincerely try to follow it and share it with others.  When they assemble for the liturgy, they experience God’s action of grace: a purifying renewal, they are strengthened in purpose and vision and support each other.  They carry on the mission together.  It has never been an individual journey or conversion.  It has always been and will always be a community pilgrimage and conversion.  It is a family of faith that believes in God and accepts God.  In this family setting each one finds friendship, brother or sister as a source of strength and in moments of weakness they help one another.  Although different, they are united in faith. By loving and supporting one another they give light and example.  Christians preach by their own lives.  They avoid harboring grudges and harsh judgements toward others because they know this is a sin against the Body of Christ and the unity that we are called to.  Everyone who loves God and accepts his word hears the call to follow him in a new way each day.  Our nation and our towns need to be guided by the light of the Gospel.  Each person has some positive thing from God to contribute and promote what is good!  This is a reality that God makes happen in his people’s lives.  One day when the mailman delivered the mail, I smiled and waved saying “thank you!  Have a good day!”  He responded: “thanks for saying that.  I was just chewed out by someone a few minutes ago.”  I had no idea what he was going through but the simple word and gesture became a light to dispel the darkness and gloom.  God is always at work to help his people!

May his blessings always be with you! +++ Fr. Peter

May the light of Christ lift you and guide you!

We are celebrating the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  It used to be called the purification, which refers to Mary and Jesus because of the blood associated with the birth of the child rendering them impure for temple worship.  The offering of two doves (because of their economic and social standing) and dedicating the first born to the Lord fulfills the requirement of the Mosaic Law.  Fulfillment is a strong theme in the readings: Malachi’s prophecy and the dedicated waiting of Simeon and Ana, who were daily watching and waiting for the one who would redeem Israel.

I try to think of what it must have been like for them to have a sense that one day they would see the Messiah.  The daily routine, one day after the next and then suddenly—it happens!

The daily routine, the watching, the waiting, it can get old.  We can lose interest, drift into boredom and then not be aware when the moment arrives.

It reminds me of what it is to have a vocation.  It doesn’t matter which vocation you have, married, single, religious or ordained.  There must be a daily routine and a daily alertness to the importance of your personal role and call to holiness in your vocation.  The light and presence of Christ will not be noticed unless we watch for it with expectation like Simeon and Ana.  In the Gospel, the Lord appeared to them as the helpless infant of a poor family.  The Lord appeared to St. Francis as a poor, sick leper on the side of the road, frightened and alone.  Mother Teresa found him abandoned, lying in the squalor and filth of the gutter along a street in Calcutta.  The Lord appears to us in various ways everyday through the people we live with and encounter on the way.  May the Holy Spirit keep us alert and inspire us to respond readily when it happens! +++ Fr. Peter

May the grace of Christ lift you up!

The readings offer a complexity of themes that generally flow toward the coming of God’s manifold grace and power to enlighten and lead people into a relationship of peace with God.  Jesus is depicted as stepping into the prophetic vocation where John left off, however with a nuance.  With Jesus, the kingdom is AT HAND; it not coming in the near future as John would say.   At almost the very start of his public ministry, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow him in a special way.  They are called to be his disciples and for some mysterious reason, they leave everything they have to follow him.  In reflecting on my own vocation and the mystery of the call that I received, I have to say that it is indeed a mystery.  I had a great job and was doing well, making plans to build a house and suddenly, everything changed.  I left it all behind, family, friends, pets, personal income, plus some hopes and dreams.  Having said all of that, I can say with St. Paul that it has been at a cost but nothing compared to the great gain of the gift of God’s call to follow the Lord!  It has been worth much more than anything I’ve left behind!

This weekend we are making a financial commitment to support our parish and the ministries that happen through life in the parish.  In this effort, we express our discipleship and the willingness we have to make a real sacrifice for the future of the Church.  For many of us, myself included, the idea that we should undertake this effort at this point in time was not a welcome one.  But one thing that I have learned about discipleship is that however difficult it may seem at first, in a short time I adjust to the demands and grow in joy knowing that I serve the Lord and my sacrifice is known to him who promises to reward me 30 to 100 fold.  I encourage everyone to consider what they are able to give.  Many are ready to give and you demonstrate your committed discipleship repeatedly but there are others who give little or not at all.  It shouldn’t be that way and it doesn’t have to be.  We ALL have something to give!  Our way to success and our future joy does not consist of the same people giving more; rather, it consists in more people giving!  God’s continued blessings to you all! +++ Fr Peter

Peace and Grace to you!

Last Sunday was the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and the readings told the story of when Jesus was baptized by John at the Jordan.  We remember the biblical image parallels from the Exodus event and Jesus’ baptism: the column of cloud, the fire and the voice that led the people out of cruel slavery through the abode of the dead to the shores of a new life and relationship with God.  At Jesus’ baptism, the column of his pure body embraces our corrupt human nature as he descends beneath the waters of our death brought about by sin, when he rises from the water, he raises his mystical body the Church to life!  His body the column, his teaching the fire and light of our hearts and minds, his Spirit making our footsteps firm and guiding us in the path of faith to eternal life!  Now, we return to a related scene as John publicly testifies that Jesus is the Son of God and he baptizes with the Holy Spirit!

The gifts of the Spirit that we are given through Baptism and Confirmation equip us for doing good works and building up the Body of Christ.  The reading from Isaiah reminds us that we evangelize and demonstrate our discipleship through servant leadership.

Since the Second Vatican Council in 1965, the Church has stated that everyone, by their baptism, shares in the mission of Christ—to proclaim the good news to all people!  Every Catholic is an evangelist and disciple of Jesus.  There are new Catholics who wish to know more, there are those who want to be able to respond to questions from non-Catholics and there are adult Catholics who wish to have a deeper understanding of the faith.  All have been invited to “come and see.”  The study and understanding of the faith is not the special prerogative of priests and theologians.  It is the grace of revelation and conversion given by God.  Jesus did not give the mission solely to the religious and ordained so that they could fulfill the obligation for everyone else; all must work at it.  All of us should be engaged in some kind of ministry and activity because life in the Spirit requires it.  The greatest gift of ministry is not what we give to others but what happens in the exchange when they give to us.  We experience concretely the divine blessing of the Church and the communion we have in the life of Jesus.  All of us experience transformation, conversion, liberation and a deep sense of peace knowing that God is present and active.  Of course this changes the way we act and the way we are perceived by others.  We become one on whom the Spirit has come upon and remained.  God bless you always! +++  Fr. Peter

Peace and grace to you!

This weekend we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord in which God reveals Jesus as the beloved Son.  This event always calls us to reflect first upon John’s baptism of repentance (turning-to-God) and why Jesus was baptized by John.  Even John questioned it.  Jesus expressed his desire to fulfill righteousness, which means to fulfill God’s plan— to do God’s will.  Jesus entered creation and was born a man so that human beings could share divine life with God.

Today upon his baptism, we see something new: Jesus is anointed with the Holy Spirit!  In this event, Jesus makes the waters of baptism holy so that those who experience Christian baptism are reborn, cleansed from sin and re-created as children of God, united to God as members of Christ’s own body and sharing in the life of the Holy Spirit.  As Christians we are enabled to live and love as God’s beloved sons and daughters and we are empowered to carry on the saving mission of Jesus in the world.  We are called and sent to work for justice and peace and share the Gospel message so that other people may be free from error, darkness and sin.  For many of us who were baptized as infants, we have never fully understood or embraced the radical character of our baptism.  That is why Feasts like today’s and the renewal of our baptismal promises are so important.  They help us to understand more fully what baptism really means.  Such occasions also help us recommit ourselves to living more deeply the covenant of love as Jesus Christ taught us.  The baptism of Jesus was the starting point of his public ministry when he taught the people about God and the moral life.  He worked many miracles of healing to show that God’s power comes as love and mercy for the person who desires salvation.  This was Jesus’ mission and ours too.  Jesus still works miracles through those who do good works in his name.  I hope that many of us have a sense of renewal and a spring in our step knowing that we share in such a beautiful and important work.  May God bless all your efforts! +++ Fr. Peter

May the Light of All Nations give you radiant hope!

The Feast of the Epiphany is special to all of us who were never born Jewish because the promised Messiah came as the fulfillment of God’s love and mercy toward all people.  St. Paul assures the Ephesians that they too, non-Jewish people, are coheirs equal in dignity as members of the one body sharing in the one promise of Christ through the Gospel.  As I write this I have to admit that because I was born and raised Catholic, I really can’t imagine what it would be like to never have the Light of Christ; i.e., to never have known about Jesus or heard his teaching.  However, I do recognize the increasing importance of our faith in my own life’s journey.  Perhaps, like the story shows, the light of Christ increases with age and wisdom!  For many, the light of faith does not appear until later in life and once recognized, they follow it to discover God’s tender mercy, love and salvation.  I just read one such story.  Brother Joseph Dutton was born in 1843 and became a Union soldier in the Civil War while yet a teenager.  Most of his military career involved caring for the sick and burying the dead.  Joseph did fall in love and married but was divorced less than a year later.  For Joseph, the trauma of war and divorce took their toll and the darkness swallowed him as he turned to alcohol for the next ten years.  Eventually someone gave him a Bible and as he studied it, he recognized that he was wasting his life.  He decided to change.  In 1883, on his 40^th birthday he was baptized Catholic and a short time later entered a Trappist monastery.  Joseph left the monastery and after reading an article about Fr. Damien’s work with the lepers of Kalaupapa he boarded a ship and sailed to Molokai.  Br. Joseph cared for Fr. Damien and the lepers until he himself died in 1931 (not from leprosy).  The point is Br. Joseph found Christ the true light and followed him.  In doing this, he became a light to those who knew him.  If people today are to find their way through the spiritual darkness of our world to the infant lying in the manger, it will be through the faith and example of God’s people, who busy themselves with living out the Gospel and bear Christ’s light!  The Wise Men followed a star, Jesus has made each of us more than a star; we are vessels of his very own light and as we follow Christ the true light, we show and share it with others!

May Christ’s light be manifest through you! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace and Blessings to you!

God gives us the Holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph that is entirely human as a gift to encourage us an provide an example of how our families can be holy.

The instructions we receive from Ben Sirach are words of wisdom.  Employing the principles of mutual respect and honor between children and parents preserves family unity for life-long love.  Listening, obeying, the Word of the Lord guides us in the way of peace.  The Letter to the Colossians elaborates principles for Christian living for all families and the Church community.  Imagine a family that gathers to pray, sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to the Lord!  Hmm, the Holy Spirit is going to dwell in them!  The Gospel shows how God is always watching over the family.  God is the ultimate protector, provider and guide for all families.  Jesus taught us to call God “Our Father.”

The Holy Family we honor today was not a family of wealth or privilege.  From the beginning, they were beset by problems.  Mary’s pregnancy was outside the law and she was not officially married, Joseph was uncertain about what to do while she faced a death penalty.  The birth of Jesus was traumatic by today’s standards, but they did find emergency shelter in a stable.  They had some surprise visitors and then they had to flee for their lives.  They lived in a foreign land as refugees not knowing the language or the customs of the people where they settled.  They had nothing.  We assume that Joseph found work, as a carpenter, and it was enough for them to live on.  The one thing they did well that kept them together was love.  They loved God and each other.

The story of the Holy Family is an inspiration and guide for our families.  The readings and instructions we are given today, plus the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph show us how our homes and families stay together.  We will always have problems in life but when we put God first and follow his instructions, when we commit ourselves to love, respect and honoring each other, we create a holy sphere where children learn to trust God and our families grow hardy and strong firmly rooted together in Christ.  God Bless you always! +++  Fr. Peter

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Christmas season has officially begun!  For a lot of people, Christmas season seems to have begun much sooner.  I noticed this year that decorations, advertisements and Christmas theme items began to appear the day after Halloween instead of the day after Thanksgiving.  I guess there are a couple of different ways to view that but it seems to me that our world longs for the Christmas season because we long for more of Jesus in our lives.  Although we may complain about commercialism and a loss of the sense of the sacred in our society, to believers it is truly Christmas that we prepare to celebrate!  I have a special attraction to Advent and to Christmas so I don’t mind the extra hype.  To me, it all serves to extend the reminder of Christ’s special presence among us and God’s incomparable gift of redemption, forgiveness bringing peace, reconciliation, joy and salvation to the whole world: That is truly worth some hype and celebration!  In one of the traditional popular songs, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” it mentions that a special gift was received on each day of the Christmas season, which continues to the Baptism of the Lord.  The song reminds me that one way of making Christmas Season special may be to space out our opening of gifts and gift giving through the season.  As you know, the song mentions that the gifts received came from “my true love.”  We offer tokens of love and esteem to each other in the form of presents and this is important because the love we have for each other flows from and points to God who is the source of love within us.  We also know that our most true and lasting gifts are God’s love and mercy!  The Christmas season is interspersed with special feasts: Saint Steven, The Holy Innocents and The Holy Family.  Each of these feast days offers a particular window from which to view the mystery of Christ and his mission to save us.  Let us ponder with Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and kings the gift of Christ our true love! Christmas Blessings of peace and joy to you all! +++ Fr Peter