News - February 2022 RSS Feed

As we begin to prepare for Lent, I want to invite us to a different way of approaching this season. Whereas we tend to think of Lent as a season to give up something, like chocolate, I want to invite us to think of it in terms of becoming someone different and better. Who do I want to become? What type of man or woman do I want to become this Lent? What kind of spouse or parent do I want to become? What kind of children do I want to become? How can I deepen my prayer life such that prayer is not a chore or an imposition but a loving relationship with a God who first loved me, and loves me into eternity? How can I become more loving and available to be Jesus to my brothers and sisters? How can I grow in solidarity with them in their experiences whether good or bad? How will I allow God, through my fast, to satisfy the deepest hunger and thirst of my heart for God?

The dominant theme for this weekend’s liturgy is Mercy. Mercy supersedes the Law. Were we to always receive our deserts, I wonder, like the psalmist, how many of us would survive (Psalm 130:3). But thank God, we do not always get what we deserve but what God in his magnanimity chooses to give us. We sing in our responsorial psalm, “The Lord is kind and merciful.” Mercy and kindness are two of the attributes of God. The attributes of God are integral to his identity. That means we cannot imagine God apart from his attributes. This is not so for you and me. We might do good deeds under certain circumstances, and not-so-good deeds under certain other circumstances. The David who resists violence is the same David who arranges for the killing of Uriah to serve his lust for Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. It seems easy to love those who love and treat us well, and maybe in some circumstances, those who dislike or despise us. This is not so with God. God does not just perform kind or merciful acts some times, God is mercy and kindness. These attributes are synonymous to God’s nature. So, to imagine a God who is unkind or not merciful would be to imagine something other than the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. 

This weekend we celebrate National Marriage week as we commemorate St. Valentine, who is an icon for committed and sacrificial married love. I want to thank all married people who are doing their best to live the vows that they made to one another. You are a shining example for our world, and we are grateful for your witnessing. I commend to the powerful intercession of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph all whose marriages have come upon hard times and are struggling to keep the storm from taking control of the ship of their marriage. My prayers are also with families that have experienced painful separation or divorce. May the Lord heal their pain and be their support. I pray also for the many young people who are dating or discerning marriage, that they will be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they make decisions for married life...

Beloved parishioners, ​​​​​​​Some time ago I referenced in a homily a saying on a note I had received from parishioner Kathleen Ferrone. The titanic was built by expert engineers, but the Ark of Noah was constructed by amateurs. While there is something to be said for expertise and technical know-how, this logic does not work in every situation...