Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It has been said that Mark Twain saw overly pious Christians as being a bit phony. One of the famous stories that validates his concerns happened at a dinner party where a man cornered Twain and said, “Before I die, I am going to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. When I arrive, I will climb Mount Sinai, and from the very top I will boldly proclaim the Ten Commandments.” Twain replied, “I have a better idea. Why don’t you stay right here at home and obey them.” While the story reveals Twain’s sarcastic side, it also points to today’s readings which invite us to look at the difference between talking and doing. The letter to James reminds us that we are to “be doers of the word, not only hearers.” And Jesus turns to the prophet Isaiah in today’s gospel to make the point that “these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We hear in today’s Gospel: “Many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.” The reason: They heard His teaching and what it demands of them. Tragically, they could not accept it. The Sacred Scriptures tell us that many of Jesus’ followers walked away because they found His teaching “too difficult”. Jesus then focuses on His closest followers. Looking at Peter, Jesus asks him, “Do you also want to leave?” Peter responds “no”, but then he asks Our Lord this important question: “To whom can we go?” Peter seems to be saying, “When I look at the other possibilities, you are still the best option. Among all the choices out there, you are my first choice.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. The Catholic Church teaches that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” This doctrine was dogmatically defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, while exercising papal infallibility. But this feast has long been a belief in the Church.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Mother Teresa knew that it is in giving that we receive, dying that we are born to eternal life. She was called to live the words of St. Paul: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I just wanted to thank you, the extraordinarily generous stewards of our community who remained stalwart supporters of our beloved parish, even when your jobs and livelihoods could have been in pandemic jeopardy. I was so inspired by you. May God bless you for your generosity!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This past week was designated Natural Family Planning Awareness Week because it was fifty-three years ago on this day that Pope Saint Paul VI issued his encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life). In this papal letter, Paul VI provided instruction on the responsible transmission of human life, describing the nature of married love as designed by God and echoing the Church’s unchanging teaching on the immorality of contraceptive behavior.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In his recent Apostolic Exhortation Veneremur Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling, Bishop Olmsted offers practical and concrete suggestions for how to pray before Our Eucharistic King in adoration.

Bishop Olmsted writes: “Make a ten-minute visit to the tabernacle in a church or chapel on the way back from work, on the way to a family gathering, or even on the way to a simple daily errand. It’s not about the length of time spent; it is about the faith, hope, and love with which you spend those moments in the Lord’s presence.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In his recent Apostolic Exhortation Veneremur Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling, Bishop Olmsted explained the importance of “wasting time” with Our Lord in Eucharist Adoration.

Bishop Olmsted writes: “The expression “waste time in front of the Lord” should be understood only through the lens of love, of which the saints are constant reminders. Blessed Charles de Foucauld wrote in the presence of the Eucharist: “What a tremendous delight, my God! To spend over fifteen hours without having anything else to do but look at you and tell you, ‘Lord, I love you.’ Oh, what sweet delight.” True, this impressive duration of time may have been an extraordinary gift to this holy man and hermit. But the faith and love he bore in his heart for the Eucharist is a supernatural gift available to every one of us, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit to those who ask.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In his recent Apostolic Exhortation Veneremur Cernui - Down in Adoration Falling, Bishop Olmsted wrote beautifully about the powerful impact Adoration of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament has in a person's life. Our Saints desire for us to fall in love with Our Eucharistic King.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In his recent Apostolic Exhortation Veneremur Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling, Bishop Olmsted wrote so beautifully about the powerful impact Adoration of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament can have in a person’s life. I want to share some of his thoughts with you because I want you to fall deeper in love with Our Eucharistic King and to make Him the Lord of your life.

You’re invited to pray for our Church and Country. On Tuesday, June 29th, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. During this Mass it is appropriate for us to ask for the intercession of these two holy Saints, praying for our country as we approach Independence Day and also our beloved Church, that we may serve as a remedy and balm for the many wounds and divisions that we are currently experiencing in our country. As our Pledge of Allegiance bids us, may we remain “one nation under God.”

Happy Father’s Day

As we celebrate Father’s Day this year, the Church gives us the Gospel account of the Storm on the Sea of Galilee. While Jesus and His Apostles were crossing the Sea, He was so exhausted from teaching, that He fell into a deep sleep in the stern of their boat. A bad storm suddenly arose and the Apostles, some of whom were seasoned fisherman, feared that they were all going to drown. They awakened Jesus, and He immediately calmed the winds and the waves, and then He reprimanded the Apostles for their fear and lack of trust in Him. Even though He was asleep in their boat, He was still with them, and they should have had no cause to be afraid.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

During June, we celebrate not only the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11th, 2021 but we honor His Most Glorious Heart all month long. Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary during the octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi during the year 1675, during this apparition, he told her the following message:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

According to Bishop Olmsted’s Apostolic Exhortation Veneremur Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling, “We cannot speak of the Eucharist without being confronted by its awesome mystery… Whether your faith in the Eucharist is strong or weak, whether you consider the Church your Home or you have recently decided to disassociate, or even if you have no faith at all, my sincere hope is that a true “Eucharistic amazement” will be ignited within you.”