This weekend as we reflect on the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we are invited to reflect on the holiness of our own family life. What makes a family a holy family? At a FIRE gathering last evening, Aidan Hood, my grand nephew, wondered if holiness meant perfection. Answering insightfully his own question, he suggested families that simply love each other are holy families.
Holy families celebrate the presence of Jesus in their relationship with each other. God is very much in our family life. Holy families are families who recognize their own shortcoming; they simply keep on trying in sharing their love with one another.
Joseph in the Holy Family, even when challenged to leave familiar surroundings and to travel to Egypt to protect Mary and Jesus, is an example for us in leaving behind the comfortable and the familiar in responding to God's call in our life. In what way are you being challenged to let go of something to trust more completely in God's plan for you?
May we express gratitude in our family life. Indeed, we belong to a holy family
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Christmas draws near!
As we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent, our focus turns to Joseph, our parish patron saint. Often, on Christmas cards and greetings, Joseph is the forgotten person in the Holy Family. He doesn't make the cut in many Christmas cards featuring Mary and Jesus. He has no lines in the Scriptures either.
In today's Gospel, Joseph is surprised by God in being told to take the pregnant Mary as his wife. Her son is conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph provides us with the example of trusting and following the plan of God in difficult and unexplainable situations.
When have we been surprised by God? When have been challenged to trust in God in the difficult situations of our life. St. Joseph, help us to stay awake to the plan of God in the challenges of life.
In today's Gospel, Joseph is surprised by God in being told to take the pregnant Mary as his wife. Her son is conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph provides us with the example of trusting and following the plan of God in difficult and unexplainable situations.
When have we been surprised by God? When have been challenged to trust in God in the difficult situations of our life. St. Joseph, help us to stay awake to the plan of God in the challenges of life.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday
On this Gaudete Sunday, the joy of Christmas is invading the Advent season. However, in the Gospel account, the imprisoned John the Baptist seems to be in a dark place when he sends his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?"
Jesus responds: "Go and tell what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf are able to hear, and the poor have the Good News preached to them."
Jesus goes in a different direction than John: instead of preaching about the wrath of God and the punishment to come, he proclaims God's infinite mercy for one and all.
Fast-forward two thousand years, as we move from one location to another, we go Church shopping and ask a similar question to John: "Is this the parish for me or should I look for another?" What do we look for in a parish faith community?
Pope Francis gives us a wonderful guide in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium -- The Joy of the Gospel. Pope Francis says: Holy Communion is not a prize for the perfect, but powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak and for sinners.
Is our parish the real deal or should we look for another? Is the Lord's healing and liberation and Good News witnessed to in our parish life. In the words of Nelson Mandela: "There is no future without forgiveness." May we be a parish community that celebrates God's forgiveness and may we be bearers of forgiveness with one another.
Jesus responds: "Go and tell what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf are able to hear, and the poor have the Good News preached to them."
Jesus goes in a different direction than John: instead of preaching about the wrath of God and the punishment to come, he proclaims God's infinite mercy for one and all.
Fast-forward two thousand years, as we move from one location to another, we go Church shopping and ask a similar question to John: "Is this the parish for me or should I look for another?" What do we look for in a parish faith community?
Pope Francis gives us a wonderful guide in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium -- The Joy of the Gospel. Pope Francis says: Holy Communion is not a prize for the perfect, but powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak and for sinners.
Is our parish the real deal or should we look for another? Is the Lord's healing and liberation and Good News witnessed to in our parish life. In the words of Nelson Mandela: "There is no future without forgiveness." May we be a parish community that celebrates God's forgiveness and may we be bearers of forgiveness with one another.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Second Sunday of Advent
This weekend began on Friday evening with our parish children's Lessons and Carols. As I get older, I am deeply inspired when our children tell us the story of salvation that we have taught them. In Lessons that proclaimed the Word of God, in music that spoke to your heart, and in acting out the Christmas story (complete with smiling angels), our children enkindled in us the advent spirit of joy and hope.
On Saturday morning, we celebrated First Reconciliation with more than ninety of our youth and their families. We had two celebrations with which we bathed in the light of God's healing forgiveness. As we have been shown by Nelson Mandela, forgiveness is the heart of a Gospel way of living.
Our Advent liturgical celebrations continued our theme of staying awake to God in everyday life. Deacon Bill Coffey preached on the Advent spirit of hope in the coming of the Lord Jesus into our lives and into our world. Maranatha.
On Saturday morning, we celebrated First Reconciliation with more than ninety of our youth and their families. We had two celebrations with which we bathed in the light of God's healing forgiveness. As we have been shown by Nelson Mandela, forgiveness is the heart of a Gospel way of living.
Our Advent liturgical celebrations continued our theme of staying awake to God in everyday life. Deacon Bill Coffey preached on the Advent spirit of hope in the coming of the Lord Jesus into our lives and into our world. Maranatha.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
First Sunday of Advent
Advent begins! A new liturgical year begins! A new lectionary cycle begins anchored in the Gospel of Matthew.
Our parish advent theme is: STAY AWAKE -- staying awake to the presence of God in everyday life.
To stay awake is to stay awake to the spiritual center that is within each one of us. To stay awake is to pay attention to that which really matters in life -- paying attention to our relationships with each other and paying attention to our relationship with God. Within us, there is a deeper longing that never goes away. It is a longing for love. It is the longing to experience the mystery of God's love in our life.
The Advent season is our spiritual department of homeland security to help us recognize the Lord in our midst coming at a time we least expect. In fact, Advent is more than a season of four weeks. Advent is a way of life lived in watchfulness to the God who comes -- not just on Christmas but everyday.
Today's first reading from Isaiah contains the compelling yet elusive dream of world peace, words carved on the wall of the United Nations Building in New York. "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another; nor shall they train for war again." May the Prince of Peace transform us into being a people of peace,
We also welcomed Nicole Diehl into our RCIA -- the process of welcoming candidates into full initiation into the Catholic Church.
In this Advent season, we as a parish seek to help each other to STAY AWAKE to the presence of God in our midst.
Our parish advent theme is: STAY AWAKE -- staying awake to the presence of God in everyday life.
To stay awake is to stay awake to the spiritual center that is within each one of us. To stay awake is to pay attention to that which really matters in life -- paying attention to our relationships with each other and paying attention to our relationship with God. Within us, there is a deeper longing that never goes away. It is a longing for love. It is the longing to experience the mystery of God's love in our life.
The Advent season is our spiritual department of homeland security to help us recognize the Lord in our midst coming at a time we least expect. In fact, Advent is more than a season of four weeks. Advent is a way of life lived in watchfulness to the God who comes -- not just on Christmas but everyday.
Today's first reading from Isaiah contains the compelling yet elusive dream of world peace, words carved on the wall of the United Nations Building in New York. "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another; nor shall they train for war again." May the Prince of Peace transform us into being a people of peace,
We also welcomed Nicole Diehl into our RCIA -- the process of welcoming candidates into full initiation into the Catholic Church.
In this Advent season, we as a parish seek to help each other to STAY AWAKE to the presence of God in our midst.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Feast of Christ the King
This weekend was very blessed at St Joseph's. Cathy Kamp invited us to reflect on our image of Christ the King -- a kingship of service, a kingship of love, and a kingship in which all are welcome. As we as a nation seek to welcome immigrants and help them to find a way to citizenship, we can easily imagine Jesus washing the feet of all immigrants, eating with them, and promising a place in paradise for them. May we as a Church always welcome the poor, always welcome immigrants, and discover the presence of God in each and every person.
We are encouraged to mail a postcard to the members of Congress supporting needed immigration reform so that we as a nation are a place of welcome for those who wish to be valued citizens of our great country.
We also had a gathering of the families of candidates for First Reconciliation. We desire that our candidates for First Reconciliation have a positive experience of the healing forgiveness showered upon them by our loving God. Yes, we all stand in need of the Lord's healing forgiveness which is shared with us in this sacrament of God's forgiveness.
Under the able leadership of Eva Mascadri, we experienced a delightful Advent family gathering to prepare ourselves for the Advent Season of being awake to the presence of God in everyday life and being awake to the coming of Christ on the Feast of Christmas. Families spent wonderful family time in making their Advent chain.
What proved to be an engaging experience for Nancy Veronesi and myself was the Church tour we conducted with our high school and middle schoolers in the Sunday evening youth ministry. I marvel at the spiritual curiosity and beauty of our teens in their spiritual journey in coming to know the Lord more deeply in their lives.
Hope to see you at our 9:00 Eucharist on Thankgiving Day. Father Jim
We are encouraged to mail a postcard to the members of Congress supporting needed immigration reform so that we as a nation are a place of welcome for those who wish to be valued citizens of our great country.
We also had a gathering of the families of candidates for First Reconciliation. We desire that our candidates for First Reconciliation have a positive experience of the healing forgiveness showered upon them by our loving God. Yes, we all stand in need of the Lord's healing forgiveness which is shared with us in this sacrament of God's forgiveness.
Under the able leadership of Eva Mascadri, we experienced a delightful Advent family gathering to prepare ourselves for the Advent Season of being awake to the presence of God in everyday life and being awake to the coming of Christ on the Feast of Christmas. Families spent wonderful family time in making their Advent chain.
What proved to be an engaging experience for Nancy Veronesi and myself was the Church tour we conducted with our high school and middle schoolers in the Sunday evening youth ministry. I marvel at the spiritual curiosity and beauty of our teens in their spiritual journey in coming to know the Lord more deeply in their lives.
Hope to see you at our 9:00 Eucharist on Thankgiving Day. Father Jim
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Dying doesn't have to be feared.
As the we edge toward the end of the liturgical year, the Scriptures invite us to reflect on the endtimes. We need to value what both Mother Nature and the Church's Scriptures reveal to us in the final weeks of the liturgical year.
As the leaves have fallen from the trees and have died, as the days grow shorter and the hours of darkness increase, we are very much aware of the change of seasons and the cycle of life. I don't know if Bette Midler was thinking about today's Scriptures, but she sings with much truth: "That beneath the winter snow lies the seed that in the spring becomes the rose."
As the people of the Philippines seek to recover the destruction of the typhoon Haiyan, they too need to know the seed that lies beneath their devastation that in the spring will become a rose of new hope.
Stephen Covey in SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE speaks of the wisdom habit: BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND. Getting to the basics, there are two realities we all share in common: we are born, and we are going to die. With every ending, there is the promise of a new beginning.
There is no need for us to begin the Christmas season immediately. Frosty the Snowman and jolly old St. Nick can wait a bit longer. We need to spend time being confronted and learn from the realization of the endtimes. Dying doesn't have to be feared.
The late Archbishop of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, as he was dying with terminal cancer, wrote a little book entitled THE GIFT OF PEACE. He lived beautifully and lovingly each day that was given to him in the presence of a healing God. He possessed the God-given gift of peace.
His dying helped him to live. Dying helped him to be aware of what is important in life. Dying helped him to speak the love that was in his heart. With the gift of peace, he knew he was soon going to share more fully in the mystery of God's life.
The best balance is to concentrate on the reality that we will face our end and to keep in mind that how we live in this life is what matters. The balanced answer is that the end begins now and we respond by living justly and righteously, knowing the end could arrive at any time.
As the leaves have fallen from the trees and have died, as the days grow shorter and the hours of darkness increase, we are very much aware of the change of seasons and the cycle of life. I don't know if Bette Midler was thinking about today's Scriptures, but she sings with much truth: "That beneath the winter snow lies the seed that in the spring becomes the rose."
As the people of the Philippines seek to recover the destruction of the typhoon Haiyan, they too need to know the seed that lies beneath their devastation that in the spring will become a rose of new hope.
Stephen Covey in SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE speaks of the wisdom habit: BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND. Getting to the basics, there are two realities we all share in common: we are born, and we are going to die. With every ending, there is the promise of a new beginning.
There is no need for us to begin the Christmas season immediately. Frosty the Snowman and jolly old St. Nick can wait a bit longer. We need to spend time being confronted and learn from the realization of the endtimes. Dying doesn't have to be feared.
The late Archbishop of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, as he was dying with terminal cancer, wrote a little book entitled THE GIFT OF PEACE. He lived beautifully and lovingly each day that was given to him in the presence of a healing God. He possessed the God-given gift of peace.
His dying helped him to live. Dying helped him to be aware of what is important in life. Dying helped him to speak the love that was in his heart. With the gift of peace, he knew he was soon going to share more fully in the mystery of God's life.
The best balance is to concentrate on the reality that we will face our end and to keep in mind that how we live in this life is what matters. The balanced answer is that the end begins now and we respond by living justly and righteously, knowing the end could arrive at any time.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
this sunday's liturgy
In talking to our children as they were about to be blessed in the Children's Liturgy of the Word, I asked if they would like to live forever. All enthusiastically raised their hands. This is precisely today's scripture message. We share forever in the risen life of Christ Jesus.
While it is a very natural question to ask: "what is it like when we die," we don't the specifics to this question. We do know that life is not ended in death. We share in the fullness of the Lord's Risen Life. Thanks be to God.
In this month, let us entrust the deceased of our families and the deceased of our nation to the fullness of God's eternal life.
The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of Christian faith, the source of our hope and the cause of our joy,
While it is a very natural question to ask: "what is it like when we die," we don't the specifics to this question. We do know that life is not ended in death. We share in the fullness of the Lord's Risen Life. Thanks be to God.
In this month, let us entrust the deceased of our families and the deceased of our nation to the fullness of God's eternal life.
The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of Christian faith, the source of our hope and the cause of our joy,
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
new baby and a new Bishop
This day is a most blessed day in my life. I have new grand nephew -- Evan Lawrence Hill -- the loving son of Justin and Kate Hill. Evan is my 28th grand niece/nephew. I was holding him just minutes ago. I could tell he was already in deep prayer. He is just a precious gift of God.
We also have a new bishop, Bishop Salvatore Matano, the 9th bishop of Rochester. While I was holding Evan in my arms, I'm holding Bishop Matano in my prayer that his days as our Bishop will be blessed and joy-filled for him and for the Church of Rochester.
We also have a new bishop, Bishop Salvatore Matano, the 9th bishop of Rochester. While I was holding Evan in my arms, I'm holding Bishop Matano in my prayer that his days as our Bishop will be blessed and joy-filled for him and for the Church of Rochester.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Going out on a limb!
May the story of Zacchaeus in last Sunday's Gospel be our story as well. At times, we need to go out on the limb to see and to be seen by Jesus. As we seek to know Jesus in our lives, be assured Jesus has a desire to know us and to place into our hearts His everlasting love.
If Jesus says to us as He said to Zacchaeus, I mean to come to your home and have dinner with you this evening. How would you prepare your home to receive Jesus? Wow! Zacchaeus did not have time to make meal preparation or house preparations, what he did was to prepare his heart.
Our challenge is to do likewise. May we experience the conversion of heart that comes from knowing that we are loved by the Lord.
If Jesus says to us as He said to Zacchaeus, I mean to come to your home and have dinner with you this evening. How would you prepare your home to receive Jesus? Wow! Zacchaeus did not have time to make meal preparation or house preparations, what he did was to prepare his heart.
Our challenge is to do likewise. May we experience the conversion of heart that comes from knowing that we are loved by the Lord.
My First Blog!
Welcome to my very 1st blog post! This is an exciting time as I enter the world of social and digital media! I have now officially posted on Facebook and Twitter and it is my hope that this blog will provide our faith community with additional reflection from our weekend masses as well as all the ministries that are available here at St. Josephs.
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