Gospel Meditation

02-26-2017Weekly Reflection

"Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?" No, indeed we can't. But evidence does suggest that worrying can subtract time from our life span! Clearly, we are not meant to worry. It's not healthy and it's not useful. But for many of us, it's quite difficult not to be anxious and concerned about matters that are important to us. So what is the secret to letting go of this unnecessary anxiety?

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Gospel Meditation

02-19-2017Weekly Reflection

"Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow." Today Jesus continues the powerful teaching of his Sermon on the Mount. Typical of this famous sermon, here he urges us to see things in a new way, specifically regarding situations and people who bother us. First, he tells us not to seek revenge. Instead, we are to demonstrate incredible generosity. Then, he instructs us to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." These instructions don't come naturally to most of us. We are much more inclined to want to get even with those who cause us to suffer, and to wish ill for those who have hurt us. But Jesus proposes another way.

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Gospel Meditation

02-12-2017Weekly Reflection

"Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus presents two paths for us today: we can break his commandments or obey them. And the result corresponds to our choice. If we decide not to follow God's guidelines, we will not enjoy the fullness of the kingdom of heaven. But if we choose otherwise, eternity will look much brighter for us! Of course, it's easy to know in our minds what the right choice is. But putting this into practice is another matter. The commandments Jesus gives in today's Gospel are not easy to follow. He takes the ancient Ten Commandments to a deeper level of commitment. He says more than do not kill. Rather, do not even harbor anger in our hearts. He says more than do not commit adultery. Rather, do not even indulge in lustful thoughts. He says more than do not lie. Rather, do not even swear.

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Gospel Meditation

02-05-2017Weekly Reflection

"You are the light of the world." Speaking to his followers, Jesus tells them of the influence they are meant to have. Like the seasoning that gives food its flavor, they are to be "the salt of the earth" and like a lamp on a lamp stand that "gives light to all in the house." Clearly, their influence on the people around them is meant to be positive and substantial. But what is the source of this irreplaceable influence?

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Gospel Meditation

01-29-2017Weekly Reflection

"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." Here, in a nutshell, is the Christian belief about the afterlife. We trust that heaven is open to believers who accept the gift of salvation and follow the way of the Lord, even (or especially) when that way is difficult!

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Gospel Meditation

01-22-2017Weekly Reflection

"He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him." Peter, Andrew, James, and John's lives would never be the same. They were going about their usual business--fishing on the Sea of Galilee--when Jesus approached them and said, "Come after me." And that's just what they did. "At once they left their nets and followed him." Such a quick response to such a radical request!

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Gospel Meditation

01-15-2017Weekly Reflection

"Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God." John the Baptist had an important message to impart. He was called by God to prepare the people of Israel to recognize Jesus' true identity. In a sense, he helped establish credibility for Christ by confirming that he was in fact the Messiah. Jesus didn't just have to claim it on his own; John also "testified" to the fact. We, of course, also benefit from the witness of John the Baptist recorded for us in the Gospels. And we have additional witnesses from the rest of the people throughout the Gospels who knew and recognized Jesus as the Son of God. But we also have the benefit of two thousand years of Church history! We have countless testimonies of saints and believers throughout the centuries who have known Jesus in their own lives and acted accordingly.

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Gospel Meditation

01-08-2017Weekly Reflection

"And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was." In our day and age, the star of Christmas has become a kind of decorative symbol that adorns manger scenes and Christmas trees. It suggests something good and bright and holy, a visual indicator that the "Light of the world" has appeared. But today, on the feast of the Epiphany, we recall that originally, this star was not just a pretty symbolic ornament. This star was a sign from God that intervened in the operations of the physical universe. The Magi understood that this star was sent from God to indicate where his Son would be born.

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Gospel Meditation

01-01-2017Weekly Reflection

"And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." Supernatural communication was nothing new for Mary. The angel Gabriel had already appeared and spoken to her when she agreed to bear God's Son. Her husband Joseph also had a kind of divine intervention in the dream where the angel told him to go ahead and marry her. When she was first pregnant, her cousin Elizabeth had been led by the Holy Spirit to know the secret that Mary was "the mother of my Lord" (Lk 1:43). Now, Jesus has just been born and a crew of earthy shepherds appears at her door with a message from heaven: that the Savior has been born. And Mary believed them. She did not doubt their sincerity or the authenticity of their message. She took the words to heart, and meditated upon the meaning of it all.

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Joy to the World

12-25-2016Weekly ReflectionFr. Francisco 'Bing' Colasito

My Brothers and Sisters,

Once again we are celebrating the most joyous me of the year, the season of Christmas. A blessed Christmas to all and let us sing "Joy to the World" at the top of our voices for indeed Christmas is the most important moment when the Savior is born in Bethlehem. He is the fulfillment of prophecy in Isaiah "God Himself will save us". Let us all celebrate this joy in our hearts. This Christmas, beyond food, gifts, parties and time, share the JOY and FAITH of Jesus in our hearts. Share the Christmas story within our family and with others, and bring others in contact with Jesus dwelling in our hearts.

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Gospel Meditation

11-27-2016Weekly Reflection

"Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come." Jesus doesn't tell us when he will come again; but he does tell us all we need to know. First, he leaves no doubt in our minds that he will in fact return--this isn't a question we have to debate. And secondly, he tells us what we need to do to be ready: stay awake! As long as we don't doze off while we're waiting, everything will be all right.

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Gospel Meditation

11-20-2016Weekly Reflection

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." The two thieves that were crucified next to Jesus show two very different ways of understanding who Jesus was. The first thief insulted Jesus, prodded him, mocked him. He didn't believe that Jesus had any power whatsoever. Like the sneering crowds, he thought that it was a joke to label Jesus as the "King of the Jews."

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Gospel Meditation

11-13-2016Weekly Reflection

"You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name." This is not a pleasant prophecy. On the contrary, Jesus' somber words may strike us with a bit of fear and make us wonder if we will ever actually face such a tragic scenario. We are fortunate to live in a country where religious freedom is tolerated, and of course we hope that this continues to be the case. But the sad fact is that right now, there are Christians in other parts of the world who are living out the reality of these prophetic words. For these men, women, and children of faith, the name of Jesus truly is a cause of persecution and martyrdom.

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Gospel Meditation

11-06-2016Weekly Reflection

"Those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage." Jesus' response to the Sadducees regarding their question about the resurrection of the dead actually raises another question for us: what about marriage in heaven? We understand marriage to be "until death do us part," but what exactly becomes of this special relationship in the afterlife?

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