Dearest Parishioners,

As we approach the dedication of our new church, on the evening of May 13th, 2026, the Parish development council will be making available to all parishioners a souvenir program for the dedication event.

In a homily at the Cathedral of Hippo, St. Augustine said: You are an Easter people, and Alleluia is your song.

Over a year into our New Church construction and now nearing completion, I joyfully greet you: A Blessed Easter, Alleluia! As we mark this milestone, let us be Easter people - celebrating this achievement and witnessing to Christ. May joy and hope continue to grow in our community, bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Today begins the most solemn week in all of Christendom: Holy Week. This year’s Holy Week will likely be one of the most memorable of all the Holy Week celebrations in my twenty-six years as a priest. We have journeyed for forty days through this season of Lent, and as we have moved through it, we have intensified our prayer, fasting, and acts of charity.

During my 30-day Ignatian retreat, my spiritual director asked if I had ever brought my anger into prayer. For nearly twenty years, I struggled with anger. Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal to throw at someone; you get burned first. The teacher who belittled me never knew the depth of my trauma. For years, I withheld forgiveness. I became an angry child and, later, an angry adult, entombed in hatred and vowing never to be put down again. Anger became my defense against threats.

The first reading narrates Israel's experience during their exodus from Egypt. While they were on their journey, they complained of a lack of water and food and blamed Moses, reminiscing about their better days in Egypt. This scene parallels the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John. She comes to draw water at the well, but her physical thirst symbolizes a deeper spiritual thirst. Like Israel, she has searched for satisfaction in places that ultimately leave her empty. Jesus reveals that He alone can give "living water" that becomes a spring within, welling up to eternal life.

The Transfiguration of Jesus is both a revelation and a reassurance. On the high mountain - traditionally identified as Mount Tabor - Jesus Christ revealed His divine glory to Peter, James, and John. This moment came immediately after Jesus foretold His Passion. The disciples were confused and afraid. The Transfiguration was heaven's reassurance: the suffering to come was not defeat but fulfillment.

As it were, God allows us to be tempted in our resolve to do good and avoid evil. But our failures and sins should not lead us to despair and hopelessness. St. Augustine acknowledges human weakness but says that grace is stronger than sin. We can overcome temptations if we know how to pray and flee. We can overcome our hopelessness if we trust Divine Mercy. The message of St. Faustina Kowalska, who spread devotion to Divine Mercy, reminds us of this: to trust in God despite repeated failures. Thus, when temptation starts to grow, just let it go! The best way to stop a fire is to stop it while it is still small and low.

In the Gospel, Jesus teaches His disciples that righteousness must not be confined to mere observance of the law. True righteousness goes beyond fulfilling what is required by going the "extra mile." I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Here, He reminds us that we cannot use adherence to the law as an escape from true righteousness. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Though the religious leaders breathed a sigh of relief hearing this statement from Jesus, it did not keep them from sending spies to monitor Jesus' movements, activities, and teachings.

Jesus tells us the simplest and most basic description of what a Christian should be - i.e., the salt of the earth and a light of the world. We are called to make a difference in this world. To be like salt is to be of substance, and to be like light is to be of radiance, to give glory to God.

In the days of the prophet Zephaniah, around 700 BC, the Lord promised to care for the "remnants of Israel," the humble and lowly who seek refuge in Him.

Building on this promise, Jesus teaches the disciples who are truly blessed by revealing the Beatitudes, which provide the scriptural foundation of true and lasting peace. His message-"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven"-reflects a central scriptural theme: God consistently favors the anawim, the poor, lowly, and humble. Contemporary discourse calls this God's preferential option for the poor.