We celebrate this weekend the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. We confess our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. This faith has its foundation in the words of Christ, who said, “Take and eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26). We believe that Christ, who is God, can truly transform bread into his body because nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). [Click to read more]

We celebrate this weekend the mystery of God, that God is one in three. Our faith teaches us that there is only one God, and there are three persons in God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We confess that these three persons are separate and distinct individuals, but united and undivided in their substance. They are all God, co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial. What we speak of the one we must do the same of the other two. However, we must not confuse their identities or suppose that the one God appears in different modes. This would be the heresy of modalism - that is, that the one God who created the universe came in the form of Jesus and then after the ascension, came in the form of the Holy Spirit. No, the Catholic Church teaches that there are three distinct divine persons, but one God. The mystery of God is one that no one, no matter how intelligent, can completely grasp unless God reveals himself. [Click to read more]

Christians commemorate the solemnity of Pentecost on the fiftieth day after Easter. Originally, Pentecost, Greek "Pentekoste," was one of the three major Jewish agricultural festivals marked by a pilgrimage of adult Jews to Jerusalem. It was celebrated fifty days after Passover. It was on this auspicious occasion, when Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims, that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, who were locked in the Upper Room, for fear of the Jews. They spoke of the marvels of God in different languages, and the people could understand them. This event was the turning point in the lives of a once timid and cowardly band of disciples, making them fearless and courageous preachers, ready to risk even death in defense of their faith in the risen Christ. These were the same disciples who fled on the night Jesus was captured, who denied knowing him, and watched from afar as he was tortured and led to his death. The coming of the Holy Spirit upon them confirmed their faith that Jesus was truly the Christ. [Click to read more]

We celebrate this weekend the Ascension of the Lord into heaven. This solemnity, commemorated on the fortieth day after Easter, marks the completion of Christ’s earthly existence. Our Lord Jesus, having accomplished his mission on earth returns to the Father. He does not do so in order that he might be distant from us. By ascending Christ is even more present to us...

I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for responding to my call to participate in the just concluded parish survey (Disciple Maker Index or DMI) which was open from February 22nd (Ash Wednesday) until March 31st. We received a total of 235 online responses (36% of our average Sunday Mass going parishioners) plus about 35 paper surveys completed. This is a huge progress compared to the outcome of the 2019 survey (total of 111 of both online and paper responses). [Click to read more]

The Lord is risen, Alleluia! This is the invitatory antiphon we pray daily in the Liturgy of the Hours during the Easter season. But what does the resurrection of the Lord mean for me as an individual or for us as parishioners of St. Thérèse, Little Flower parish? What does it mean for us as Christians today? At Mass during the Easter season, we read from the Acts of the Apostles... [Click to read more]

This Sunday the Church marks the beginning of the holiest of weeks, the week we call Holy. It is the week when we commemorate those events in the life of Our Lord that culminated in his death and resurrection for the salvation of the world. Jesus goes into Jerusalem, aware of the fate that awaits him. He does so in obedience to the will of the Father and for love of humanity. He goes to be handed over to the creatures of his own hands. He could have chosen a different way to save the world. But because he is God, and his choice is perfect, there is no better way than to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13)... [Click to read more]

Fr. Julius reflects on elements of the Gospel reading for this Sunday. [Click to read more]

Fr. Julius shares hope-filled words of Pope Francis from Gaudium et Spes. [Click to read more]

Thank you so much for your generosity of spirit and openness to all that the Lord is doing in our parish. In addition to the ‘preparation dimension’ of Lent for the celebration of the Paschal Mysteries at Easter, I have always seen the season of Lent as a season of renewal, when new life springs forth. And I am praying that this is the case for you in all areas. [Click to read more]

One of the practices of holy Lent is mortification. It comes from the Latin root “mortificare,”which means to put to death. Some corollary words from this root would be mortuary and mortician. Through our Lenten penance we are encouraged to put to death whatever is not holy, does not help us to become holy, and pulls us away from our relationship with God and with others..[Click here to read more]

A parishioner asked me last weekend for an explanation of the picture of a human skull on the front cover of our bulletin, and I told her it was to remind us of our mortality. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday when we receive ashes on our foreheads and we are reminded that we are dust and unto dust we shall return. This symbol of the human skull is to call our attention to this very truth - Memento Mori, Remember you must die. We must never let this be lost on us that we are only on earth for a brief moment. No matter how long one lives on earth, one must surely return home. Lent is that season the Church gives us to refocus our attention on the most essential thing, which is our relationship with the Lord. [Click to read more]

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:2). This is an imperative, not a suggestion. God does not play games. He spells out what he demands from the people of Israel of old, and from us, the new Israel. Holiness is that quality that makes us like unto God. God is holy because he is utterly Other, and removed from everything else. He is the One God, not one among many. And God’s holiness speaks of his transcendence. To be holy is to be ‘set apart.’ We are called to be holy and be separated as well. But from what must we be separated? The separateness that scripture calls for is that we be set apart for the Lord. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that man is the only creature willed by God for its own sakes (CCC. 356)...

The season of Lent is quickly approaching. As with everything in life, proper planning is essential for success. The spiritual life is no exception. We have been praying and reflecting on how to make this year's Lent more prayerful and fruitful. We are introducing the praying of the Liturgy of the Hours fifteen minutes before our weekday Masses on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday beginning on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday. [Click to read more]

The way Catholics ought to live should be informed by the liturgy and the creed that are developed and expressed in the liturgy. So, what we believe and act upon in the world ought to flow from the liturgy and should lead us back to the liturgy. This connects Lex vivendi with the other two - lex orandi and lex credendi. In the liturgy the church enacts her faith through ritual actions, prayers and proclamations. But the liturgy is not an end in itself, such that we do the liturgy and go home and do no more. The church has the mandate to sanctify the earth. This is why worship must lead to mission and back... [Click to read more]

The greatest gift our Lord Jesus Christ left us is the gift of himself in the Holy Eucharist. This gift is unlike any other, and cannot be compared to anything we know or imagine. It is evidence of the depth of his love for humanity... [Click here to read more]

Fr. Julius reflects on the great gift of the Eucharist and shares an excerpt from Pope John PAul II's Ecclesia de Eucharistia

This week at our staff meeting we each had the opportunity to reflect and share what our highs and lows were for the year 2022. The prompt was to share how and when Jesus showed up in our year, whether we considered them high or low. It was interesting and soul searching for me as I listened to each member of staff share how Jesus walked with them in moments that would have otherwise been considered as indicative of the absence of God. It seems easy to see Jesus in good times, when things go the way we want them and when life is easy and sweet. But when pain and moments of sadness come we quickly assume that God had abandoned us... [Click to read more]

Fr. William reflects on the mystery of the incarnation and the meaning of Christmas