Ordinary Time

How desperately we search for peace in all the wrong places: our achievements, possessions, wealth, travels, and more. But true peace can only come from abiding with God. When we serve faithfully, God abides with us. We don't serve others because of who they are, but because of who we are. And when we serve from a place of faith and love, we find that peace doesn't disappear — it grows.
 
Readings at this Mass: Dt 30:10–14 | Col 1:15–20 | Lk 10:25–37

Generally in the world we think of peace as an absence. They used to say, ‘Visualize world peace’ and they mean nations not fighting each other. But that is not what Christ is talking about — not an absence of conflict or struggle. It’s a presence; it’s something that can be with you. That’s the peace Christ comes to give us. We can’t say, ‘May an absence be with you.’ It’s a presence within us. It’s a way of being. And that way of being is love.
 
Readings at this Mass: Is 66:10–14c | Gal 6:14–18 | Lk 10:1–12, 17–20 

Fr. Anthony offers the homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul, Apostles.
 
Readings at this Mass: Acts 12:1–11 | 2 Tm 4:6–8, 17–18 | Mt 16:13–19

Fr. Anthony offers the homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (also known as Corpus Christi).
 
Readings at this Mass: Gn 14:18–20 | 1 Cor 11:23–26 | Lk 9:11b–17

The way we enter into the divine life – and the way we experience the joy and the sense of purpose that come from God – is by fixing our gaze on Jesus, who reveals to us the Father. Real life consists not in fixating on ourselves, but in forgetting ourselves, in letting go and losing ourselves in service to God and one another.
 
Below is a photo of Rublev's icon of the Holy Trinity, which is displayed in our parish.
 
Readings at this Mass: Prv 8:22–31 | Rom 5:1–5 | Jn 16:12–15

Our speech can act like a sieve that can filter out the bad and negative words a person can deliver to yield the beautiful and good characteristics about this person. In other words, when we listen to our own words/speech, we can filter out the ugly/unneeded husks to reveal the inner soul which should display what is a resemblance of the image and likeness of God.
 
Readings at this Mass: Sir 27:4–7 | 1 Cor 15:54–58 | Lk 6:39–45

What we say about Jesus matters because in the end, who Jesus is determines whether we’re able to really know God or only know about God. For the Arians and the Gnostics, knowing God was impossible; God was too far beyond us, inaccessible to mere mortals. For our Christian ancestors, knowing God was the very essence of faith, and the key was the direct, personal encounter with Jesus. In Jesus, God Himself entered our reality and sought us out — so, to know Jesus was (and is) to know God.
 
Readings at this Mass: 1 Sam 26:2, 7–9, 12–13, 22–23  |  1 Cor 15:45–49  |  Lk 6:27–38

Gnostic thinking can creep into all of us, but the answer is simple — trust Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He sanctified both body and soul, and when we sin, our salvation isn't dependent upon some hidden, secret knowledge. We have something far greater — the Sacraments, where God's grace makes us new.
 
Readings at this Mass: Jer 17:5–8  |  1 Cor 15:12, 16–20  |  Lk 6:17, 20–26