June 29, 2022: Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

God gives us great assurance in this fallen world marred by troubles through rock-solid faith that the Church stewards.

Christ handed on the teachings of faith to the Apostles and the responsibility to safeguard and hand on the teachings of the magisterium, which have come down to us in the present day.

So no matter what troubles we face, our faith is a rock for us, making us aware of God, drawing us closer to Him, so that we can safely reach His Heavenly Kingdom, and take up the work of confessing faith in Him before the world, so others may know Him, too.

June 26, 2022: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Over the past few weeks, we have celebrated the Paschal Mystery with a particular focus as Lent gave way to Easter Season and then some additional feasts after Pentecost.

Throughout these weeks, we recognize the great reason we have to rejoice that God sent Christ as our Savior to free us from sin.

Furthermore, He calls us to a new way of life, led not so much by rules, but by the Holy Spirit at work in us.

In a similar spirit to the gesture when Elijah puts his cloak on Elisha, Christ has clothed us so that we can be His presence in the world.

We are set free to be totally devoted to God, which calls us to unwavering commitment.

We are not so much focused on condemning those who do wrong.  Rather, we seek transformation in our own hearts, so that we live His love with others and thereby bring new Life to all the world.

It was wonderful to see my church friends' son Ezra experience the Paschal Mystery in his dying and rising with Christ in baptism as his parents affirmed their commitment to raising their son in faith, to live as a new creation.

June 25, 2022: Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Mary had a front-row seat to the wondrous events of God's unfolding plan of salvation, starting from the earliest days of Jesus.

She treasured these moments in her heart, pondering what they would mean.

And they have come to mean so much for us as people of faith.

Let us treasure these moments, and be transformed by their deeper meaning, drawing closer to the God Who reveals His great love for us.  And may we walk in newness of Life, together with Mary and all the saints, and so joyfully bless the world.

June 24, 2022: Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Father's Love is truly so great and abundant for us, even that while we were sinners, as St. Paul writes, Christ died for us.

Indeed, He loves us so much that He seeks us out so that we can be free from sin and, through His loving touch of shepherding, we are restored back to Him and the flock of His people.

He rejoices in bringing us back, so that we can live devoted to Him.

June 23, 2022: Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The Gospel message of salvation is great, and how blessed are those called to proclaim it, in the spirit of St. John the Baptist.

His birth was such great news to his parents who had been unable to have children for years.

And their child received the great mission of pointing the way to Christ, being a light so that all the world would come to acknowledge the Savior God sent to the world.

June 19, 2022: Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

Like Melchizedek, Jesus is the Great High Priest who leads us to God and a King Who advances a Kingdom that stands for God's righteousness.

He offers the gift of Himself so that we can be free from sin and live the Abundant Life.  On this Fathers' Day, we see the heart of our Father in the gift of what His Son offers us.

He offered this great gift at the Passover meal with the Apostles, and it is a gift that transcends time and space: Indeed, He offers it to us when we gather as a community at Mass, as we re-present Christ's sacrifice.

Furthermore, just as the bread and wine are changed at Mass, we are called to transformation, so that we become the Body and Blood of Christ in our world.

I participated in a Eucharistic procession today from St. Leonard in Berwyn to St. Pius in Stickney.  As we walked through the streets, I realized that the procession is a sign of how we're called to carry forth the experience of the Eucharist into our lives.  As the police stopped traffic while we crossed streets, especially the major thoroughfares of Ogden Avenue and Pershing Road, I wonder what the motorists thought as they waited for us.  We are called to have eyes that see that Christ is truly present in the Body and Blood of the Eucharist, which is part of what the Eucharistic Revival is about, which launches today.

May we always remember the sacrifice by which He offered this greatest gift, as St. Paul reminds us that Jesus told us to partake of the Eucharist in remembrance of Him.  And may we constantly partake of His gift, because in it, we find true satisfaction for our greatest need, and the sustenance for our mission.  It truly becomes a glorious gift when we live out this holy encounter with God.

And just two weeks after we concluded the Easter Season, we celebrate this feast that focuses on how the Risen Christ continues to be present to us in the Holy Eucharist, so we can be fully alive in Him.

June 12, 2022: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity

The Trinity is no doubt a great mystery, yet it is marvelous to see the Trinity revealed in our world and in our lives.

Through the past weeks from Lent through Easter Season, we see that the Trinity has been at work to bring about God's salvation for us.

The Three Persons of the Godhead share great love, and from that love came the Creation of the world, and we humans have been created to take a special place in it by revealing God, Whose image we bear.

We know the reality of the Trinity through the Paschal Mystery, because God has saved us through Christ, through Whom He bestows His grace and love.  We know the Risen Christ continues abiding with us in the Holy Spirit, His great gift to us.

So we go forth, guided by the Spirit, into greater Truth, to know God more deeply.  Even if the Trinity can't fully be understood, the Spirit is guiding us closer to God through amazing revelations.

In this first part of June, I think about all the family celebrations, with two wedding anniversaries and birthdays for two of my cousins, and the wonderful ways we share love with each other, thereby coming to realize how God is among us.  I also think about my extraordinary middle school experience, during which I grew closer to God through a profound new sense of faith, and the amazing revelations I've experienced in the succeeding years.

Indeed, our Triune God pours forth life into us so that we grow closer in relationship with Him, entering more deeply into the Mystery, and living it out more fully as we are transformed to be a life-giving gift to the world.

June 6, 2022: Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church

God chose Mary to bring forth His Son into the world.

And as we see in Acts 1, she continues to participate in the unfolding of the work of salvation, praying with the other disciples in the interlude between the Ascension and Pentecost.

Mary, through her intercession, helps the Church grow closer to her Son so that we can experience the fullness of salvation, and participate in the mission to proclaim Who God is and what He has done for us.

June 5, 2022: Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday

The Risen Christ breaks through locked doors and appears to the frightened disciples, breathing upon them new Life in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

At the Feast of Pentecost, when Jews from around the world are gathered to celebrate the firstfruits of the harvest, God breathes upon the disciples again, for there is a great sound of wind.  It is followed by tongues of fire that come upon each person individually, enabling them to proclaim the message of God.  Indeed, Jesus's promise before His Ascension to send the Holy Spirit is fulfilled days later so wondrously.  Reversing what happened as a result of the Babel tower attempts, God now sends the Holy Spirit upon the Church so that language, and all other actions, are directed toward glorifying God.

The Holy Spirit is the great gift that brings new Life to all the Earth, for it results from the Resurrection of Christ.

Indeed, we as people of faith have the ability to proclaim Jesus as Lord because of the Holy Spirit in us, the abiding presence of the Risen Christ.  The Spirit is manifest in various ways in different people so we can each do our part and join together as the Church to make Him known and bless the world, as we walk in the newness of Life.

So as we go forth from the Easter Season on this 50th Day, let us rejoice in the Holy Spirit, and His sevenfold gift, sharing and proclaiming that joy to the world around us.

May 29, 2022: Seventh Sunday of Easter

Throughout the Easter Season, we have been given visions of glory through the readings.

St. Stephen sees a vision of glory before his death.

It is a vision of the One Who holds all time in His hands and shines a great Light over all the Earth through His righteousness, like the vision is described in Revelation.

It's a vision we can experience now, for Jesus Christ prayed that all of us who profess faith in Him would experience Oneness, thereby revealing the glory of God.