Stewardship of Serving

03-31-2019Weekly Reflection

What are you really good at? Painting? Listening? Maybe you find opportunities to help people wherever you go.

Whatever your talent or skill is, guess what? It came from God and belongs to Him. He doesn’t bless us with talents so we can be looked up to or earn lots of cash. God wants us to steward those gifts for Him! Maybe you thought stewardship was just for your money. It’s so much bigger than that. Stewardship is about everything in our lives—and that includes our talents.

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Fourth Sunday of Lent

03-24-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing

Bring quickly the best robe… put a ring on his finger…” Lk. 15:22

The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive mood at the return of the other son are symbols of welcome, restoration and new life – pure, worthy and joyful - for those who return to God and their family, which is the Church. In the parable, the Son of God revealed to us the great mercy of the Father. He alone knows the depths of the Father’s mercy and His joy for every sinner that returns. Human fathers also forgive, but the parable presents the inner life of the Father’s mercy, because in addition to forgiving, He calls for the robe, ring, and festivities. The Father is faithful to his Fatherhood, faithful to the love that He has always lavished his sons. The fidelity is shown by the welcome he accorded the son upon his return.

What can I do today to be aware of God’s great love and mercy for me? Do I recognize God’s unconditional love for me?

Be in God,
Fr. Bing

Word of Life: Third Sunday of Lent

03-17-2019Weekly Reflection

The barren fig tree… Lk. 13:6

The barren fig tree symbolizes the need for repentance in order to avoid eternal punishment. In the Gospel of Mt. 21:18-22, and Mk. 11:12-25, the barren fig tree symbolizes the “temple,” which appears to be doing well, but was in fact ineffective. In the Old Testament, Jer. 8:13, the fig tree symbolizes “Israel,” and their failure to produce the fruits.

Jesus is the vinedresser (v.7), through whom the Father is giving His people a second chance. The Father does not want the death of sinners. He gives them the chance to repent and live. He doesn’t want sinners to perish. He wants them to reach repentance.

The Lord is kind and merciful. Ps. 103:8 How can I more readily repent from my sins?

Be in God,
Fr. Bing

Word of Life: Second Sunday of Lent

03-10-2019Weekly Reflection

“This is my Son, my chosen, listen to Him…” Lk. 9:35

The presence of Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets, who have announced the Messiah’s suffering, Christ passion is the will of the Father. The action of the Son reinforced the image that He is the servant of God the Father. The cloud indicates the presence of the Holy Spirit. In the Transfiguration, the three persons of the Trinity were present. The Father was the voice; the Son was the Man, and the Holy Spirit was the cloud. (St.Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae 3, 45, 4, and 2) The Transfiguration moment preceded by the famous confession of Peter and the passion prediction, was a call to “listen”, meant to strengthen the disciples faith, by giving them an insight to His glory, that human nature will possess after the resurrection.

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Lent: Liturgical Notes

03-03-2019Weekly Reflection

In the cycle of weekday readings, Lent falls into two parts. The 1st part including the “pre-Lent” of Ash Wednesday, and the rest of the week, runs through Saturday of the 3rd week. In the 1st part, the Gospel comes from the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke), and the Old Testament readings are chosen accordingly. The prevailing message is the call to conversion. The periscopes all speak about, fasting, prayer and almsgiving; of conversion; of mutualforgiveness; of hardness of heart; of love of enemies and the call to holiness.

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Live the Liturgy

02-24-2019Weekly Reflection

"Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you." We do not like hearing these words, but they are at the heart of Jesus' teaching. When we are hurt, we want to get defensive and fight back. We prefer engaging in battle with something that is negative and evil, rather than returning a heart of love.

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Word of Life

02-17-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

“Love your enemies, and do good, and lend a helping hand, expect nothing in return...” Lk. 6:20-26 Why should we act as he describes in v. 32-34? Because it is the behavior that is befitting those who wish to be a disciple, those who want to imitate the merciful Father. Mercy leads us to a union with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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Word of Life

02-10-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time (Lk. 6:17, 20-26) “The Beatitudes” Lk. 6:20-26 Luke sums up Matthew’s nine Beatitudes, (Mt. 5:3-12) into four. Both, contain promises for a decisive moral decision. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instinct and above all else to seek the love of God.

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Word of Life

02-03-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

“Put out into the deep.” Lk. 5:4 The last Great Jubilee year set the stage for the new millennium, a celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus. A new stage of the Church’s journey begins: our hearts ring out with the words of Jesus when one day, after speaking to the crowds from Simon's boat, he invited the Apostle to "put out into the deep" for a catch: "Duc in altum" (Lk 5:4).

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Word of Life

01-27-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

“Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Lk. 4:21 Jesus reads from the passage of Is. 61:1-2, where the prophet announces the coming of the Lord who will liberate his people from all their afflictions. The passage tells us two things: God will bring salvation to his people, and the anointed one to effect this salvation. He closes the scroll - people expect Him to give a short homily or give some instructions. He says, that these two elements of the divine plan have come to pass.

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Word of Life

01-20-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

“Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Lk. 4:21 After Jesus read from the passage of Is. 61:1-2, where the prophet announces the coming of the Lord who will liberate his people from all their afflictions, He closes the scroll - people expect Him to give a short homily or give some instructions. The passage tells us two things: God will bring salvation to his people, and the anointed one to affect this salvation.

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Word of Life

01-13-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

The Wedding at Cana – “They have no wine” Jn. 2:3. This is the first time Jesus performed a miracle, at the wedding in Cana. We continue the theme ofthe manifestation of Jesus, the Epiphany, The Baptism of the Lord, and now the manifestation of Jesus’ divine power as the Son of God.

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Word of Life

01-06-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

I baptize you with water; but He who is mightier than I is coming... (Lk. 3:15) Scripture scholars all agree that the Baptism of Jesus marks the start of His ministry, that is, the start of His public life. The Baptism of the Lord signifies two things, first, the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel and the Son of God. Second, Is His acceptance of His mission, “suffering servant.”

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