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Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
Father George's Corner Page # 2
March 27, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
“Give me a
drink.” In his thirst, Jesus reveals his humanity, his simplicity.
Water is an ordinary thing we all need to live. What is amazing is
how our Lord quickly moves the conversation from this water we need
to live to the living water that comes from heaven, from the blessed
water with which we are baptized. Jesus stirs up a great thirst in
the heart of this public sinner who has had several husbands as He
helps her to see the beauty of God’s love for her. Our Lord has the ability to constantly bring us to higher ground. We see this in the Psalms. David, when he was working as a shepherd, observed a thirsty deer searching for water. In Psalm 42 David composed this line: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, my God.” This might not work for you assuming you don’t run into many deer searching for a drink of water, but the image is not too strange for us. Like a child longs for its bottle, like a sports fan longs for a beer, David notices the thirsty deer and connects it to the deeper thirst in his heart. Then he responds with a personal prayer: “ My God, I thirst for You.” This is a good question to ask ourselves: “How often throughout the day do I talk to our Lord?” How often do I lift up a thought, a word, a name, a prayer to the only One who can bless my world? Other than our set times for prayer which we all have, do we listen to God who inspires us to speak to Him? We might suddenly realize that we talk too much to ourselves or to others. Or do we carry on long conversations with ourselves about our concerns, our worries or even our sins? Sometimes these ordinary events remain grounded on earth, because we haven’t directed them personally to God. Lent calls us to discover that we can carry on a constant conversation with God. We can begin to hear God speaking to us in the midst of our daily activities. The Lord waits for us to raise our minds and hearts, our activities to Him. How do we know that? Jesus tells us that God always hears us and is always ready to respond with something even better for us, better than what we request. During this time of Lent as we strive to become closer to Christ we realize, as did the woman at the well, that Jesus himself has started the conversation with us. Father George
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March 20, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Today’s Gospel from Saint Matthew portrays Jesus as a new and greater Moses. Moses also took three companions up a mountain and on the seventh day was overshadowed by the shining cloud of God’s presence. Moses spoke with God and his face and clothing were made radiant in his encounter with God( see Exodus 24, 34). In today’s Lenten Liturgy the Church wants us to look past Moses. We are asked to contemplate what today’s Epistle calls God’s “design…..from before time began” (see 2 Timothy 1: 8b-10).
Moses foretold a prophet like him to whom Israel (the chosen people) would listen and Isaiah prophesied that God would send an anointed servant in whom He would be well-pleased (see Isaiah 42:1). Jesus is this prophet and this servant, as the Voice on the mountain tells us today. By faith we have been made children of God from the moment of our Baptism. God, our Father, calls us to a holy life to follow His Son to the heavenly homeland He has promised us. We know that we who hope in the Lord will be delivered from death and will be raised up to eternal life in heaven. God our Father tells us: “Listen to Him!” so we go forward led by Jesus, our Savior. Father George
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March 13, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s The Liturgy of this First Sunday of Lent relates the destiny of the human race. It is the story of two “types” of men – the first man, Adam, and the “new Adam,”- Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 15-21-22; 45-49). In the Epistle Saint Paul offers a series of contrasts between “one person” and “many” or “all.” By one person’s disobedience, sin and condemnation entered the world, and death came to reign over all. By the obedience of another one, grace was abundantly restored and all were justified-life came to reign for all.
This drama of man’s destiny is revealed in today’s
First Reading and in the Gospel. Formed from the
clay of the ground and filled with the breath of
God’s own Spirit, Adam was a son of God, created in
the Lord’s image (see Genesis 5:1-3). Crowned with
glory, Adam was given dominion of the world and the
protection of the Lord’s angels (see Psalms 8:6-8;
91: 11-13). Adam was created to worship God-to live
not by bread alone but in obedience to every word
that comes from the mouth of God-to live not by
bread alone but in obedience to every word that
comes from the mouth of God. However Adam put the Lord to the test. He gave in to the serpent’s temptation, trying to seize for himself all that God had already promised him. But in His hour of temptation, Jesus prevailed where Adam failed – and drove the devil away. When we sin we follow the pattern of Adam’s fall. Let Adam, we let sin in the door (see Genesis 4:7) when we entertain doubts about God’s promises or when we naively think in our pride that “we can handle it alone” and fail to call on the Lord in our hours of temptation. But the grace won for us by Christ’s obedience means that sin is no longer our master. As we begin the season of Lent, this season of repentance, we can be confident of the Lord’s compassion, confident that He will create in us a new heart (see Romans 5:5). As we do in today’s Psalm, we can sing joyfully of our salvation, renewed in the Lord’s presence. Father George
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March 6, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
This Sunday’s Gospel takes us to the end of Jesus’
Sermon on the Mount. Like Moses in the First Reading of
today’s Mass, Jesus climbed a mountain to deliver the
Word of God’s Covenant to His disciples.
The Gospel is much more than a set of good ideas for living; it is the Will of God the Father for history. It is the “Good News” of God’s Kingdom, of the divine family the Lord has come to create on earth in His Church. The Word of God comes to us as a call to the obedience of faith (Rom 16:26). We must take to heart this Word, letting it dwell profoundly in our souls (Col 3:16). We must allow ourselves to be guided by the Word that comes to us in Jesus’ name. The Word is our solid rock. We sing of the Lord Jesus in today’s Psalm-we sing that He is our rock of refuge. The Savior promises that if we live by His Word we will have an eternal foundation to withstand the trials, the temptations, the trials of our life. Jesus will help us carry our cross each step of the Way. Jesus is the new Solomon, bringing us to the Wisdom of God (1 Kings 3:10-12). Jesus is the Wisdom of God made flesh. And like Solomon, the Savior builds the House of God, His Church, which is The Temple built on the cornerstone of Christ (Lk 7:35). We will be judged by His Word. This is not a matter of external works as Jesus makes clear. Saint Paul makes the same point in today’s Epistle. We must do the Father’s Will, which is our sanctification—knowing that we have been justified, made right before God, by Christ’s Sacrifice, His saving death (1 Thes 4:3). We celebrate and participate in this Eucharist. In this Eucharist we praise and thank the Lord God for our redemption, redeemed by the Blood of Christ, our Savior.
Father George
February 27, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, By nature we are often like Martha mentioned in the Gospel. We are prone to be anxious and troubled about many things. In today’s Gospel, Jesus confronts us with our most common fears. We are anxious mostly about how we will meet our material needs—for food and drink, for clothing, for security for tomorrow. This concern about tomorrow, about the future, seems to be uppermost in the minds of many people during this time of recession.
Yet in seeking security and comfort, Jesus warns us that
we may unwittingly be handing ourselves over to
servitude to “mammon.” “Mammon” is an Aramaic word that
refers to money or possessions. Jesus is not condemning
wealth, nor is He saying that we shouldn’t work to earn
our daily bread or to make provisions for our future.
It is a question of priorities and goals. What are we
living for? Where is God in our lives? Jesus insists
that we need only to have faith in God and to trust in
His Providence. The Readings this Sunday pose a challenge for us. Do we really believe that God cares for us, that He alone can provide for all our needs? Do we believe that the Savior loves us more than a mother loves her infant at her breast, as God promises us in the beautiful First Reading? Do we really trust that the Lord is our rock and salvation? (Psalm 62:2-3) Jesus calls us to an intense realism about our lives. For all of our worrying none of us can change how long we will live. None of us has anything that we have not received as gift from God. In the Epistle Saint Paul tells us that the Lord will disclose the purposes of every heart when He returns in glory. We cannot serve both God and mammon. We must choose one or the other. Our faith cannot be partial, we cannot be lukewarm. We must put our confidence in the Lord and not be shaken by anxiety. Let us resolve today to seek His Kingdom and holiness before all else---confident that we are his beloved sons and daughters, and that our Father in heaven will never forsake us. Father George P.S. I thank the Lord every day that He has given me the grace to serve the Church for the past fifty years. I thank God, too, for the wonderful, loving people that I have been able to serve in His Name.
February 20 , 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
The First Reading and the Gospel of this 7th
Sunday in Ordinary Time make an extraordinary claim.
Jesus tells us: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly
Father is perfect.” How is it possible that we can be
perfect as our Father in heaven is Perfect? Jesus
explains that we must be imitators of God as His beloved
children(Eph.5:1-2). We are to love as God loves….with
a love that does not distinguish between friend and
foe. We are to overcome evil by doing good (Rom.
12:21).
In his Passion and death Jesus gave us a perfect example of the love we are called to. Jesus offered no resistance to the evil He suffered. Our Savior could have commanded twelve legions of angels to fight alongside Him. However Jesus allowed his Face to be struck and spit upon; He allowed them to strip his garments from Him. Jesus marched to the Place of the Skull as his enemies compelled Him, the Lamb of God, who had already been tortured and had lost much blood. In all this Jesus showed that He is the perfect Son of God. By His Grace, and through our imitation of Him, Jesus promises us that we too can become perfect children of our heavenly Father. God does not deal with us as we deserve. He loves us with a Father’s Love. He saves us from condemnation. He forgives our sins. God loves us even when we have made ourselves His enemies through our sinfulness. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us(Rom.5:8). We have been bought with the price of the blood of God’s only Son. We belong to Christ now, as Saint Paul tells us in today’s Epistle. By our baptism, we have been made temples of the Holy Spirit. And we have been saved to share in the Lord’s holiness and perfection. Let us glorify God by our lives living in His service, loving as God loves. Father George
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February 13, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Jesus tells us in the Gospel this week that He has come
not to abolish but to “fulfill” the Law of Moses. His
Gospel (“good news”) reveals the deeper meaning and the
purpose of the Ten Commandments and the moral Law of the
Old Testament. Jesus’ Gospel transcends the Law of the
Old Testament. The Savior requires a more demanding
Law, which is at the same time a Law which fulfills our
greatest desires. The Law of the Old Testament which was fulfilled by the most pious of Jews, the scribes and Pharisees, required an outward observance…..(Do not adore false gods; honor your parents; do not murder, commit adultery, divorce, lie, etc The Law of the New Covenant is a law which God writes on our heart. The heart is the seat of our motivations, the place from where our words and actions proceed. This week Jesus calls us to train our hearts, to master our passions and emotions. The Savior requires us to the full obedience of our hearts (see Rom. 6:17). Jesus calls us to love God with our whole mind and heart and soul, and to do His Will from the heart (see Matt. 22:37; Eph. 6:6). The message of today’s First Reading tells us that God never asks more of us than we are capable of doing. The Lord respects our free will so it up to us to choose life over death, to choose the waters of eternal life over the fires of selfish ungodliness and sin. Jesus has shown us by His life, death and resurrection that it is possible to keep His Commandments, the Laws of loving God and of loving our neighbor. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit in Baptism so that His Law might be fulfilled in us (Rom. 8:4). St. Paul tells us in the Epistle that the wisdom of the Gospel surpasses all worldly wisdom. The revelation of this wisdom fulfills God’s plan to save all people who live wisely as the Gospel teaches. Let us trust in this wisdom, and live by the Law of Love, the Law of God’s Kingdom. Let us pray that we grow in being better able to live as the Gospel teaches. May we seek God, our Loving Father, with all our hearts! Father George
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February 6, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “Your light must shine
before others.” One of the favorite songs children
learn in religious education classes is “This Little
Light of Mine.” As the children sing this song they hold
their index fingers high in the air to represent a
candle. Other lines of the song encourage them to “let
it shine, let it shine, let it shine” and to “never hide
it under a bushel.” It is obviously foolish to light a lamp and then cover it with a bushel basket; it would illuminate nothing; if the lamp had been lit so one could walk somewhere in the dark, covering it up would truly be like “the blind leading the blind.” Jesus asked his disciples to follow his example and to be a light for others by the way we live. We are to lead others so our good deeds shine before others as they glorify God; we are to live in such a way that gives God the credit. We can lead by a good example, share our faith, and in this way we are a light to show the way to family and friends and to all we may meet in this life. Just as the disciples followed Jesus’ example and were the light of the world, we can be visible signs of God’s love in doing what we should do as disciples every day. May God bless you for being a light unto others. Father George
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January 30, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches us the Beatitudes. The
Catholic Catechism states that the Beatitudes address
hope and happiness. Where do you find hope and
happiness? For most of us we find it in our families,
friends, hobbies and our jobs. What about the people
who have little hope and live in most difficult
circumstances? How can we share our happiness with the
homeless, the unemployed, the oppressed, the
imprisoned, the lonely, those who are discouraged? Such
people are part of our society with whom we may not
identify but Jesus calls us to serve them. The
Beatitudes are a reminder to the fortunate, to the
blessed, to you and me to seek out ways to serve the
less fortunate, to serve those who have been separated
from a minimal quality of life, many who have not even
been blessed with the gift of faith in our Lord and
Savior, Jesus.
Throughout my life as a priest I have been edified by many Catholics who reach out to their needy neighbors in many ways. Many persons in need do not have a need for material help, but rather need of a spiritual nature….sympathy when they are bereaved, encouragement when they are discouraged, visits when they are ill, welcome to a new neighbor, maybe just a smile. God gives us countless opportunities to reach out to others in their need, in a word, to love our neighbor. And the Lord always gives us the grace, the generosity to respond lovingly to our neighbor. I praise and thank Him for showing us the way with His teaching us the Beatitudes. Father George
January 16, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
The Readings from Holy Scripture teach us how to discern
with faith God’s will for us when we make decisions, be they
more or less important ones. The Reading from Isaiah is a
clear example of this…When Samuel visited Jesse and his sons
the Lord inspired the profit to anoint David to replace Saul
(1 Samuel 16: 6-12). Centuries later when John the Baptist
saw Jesus approaching he exclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb
of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
John testified further, saying: “I saw the Spirit come down
like a dove from heaven and remain upon Him” (John 1:32) God
gives us the Spirit of discernment when we are baptized.
The Lord wants us to cultivate this gift and learn how to
use it. This is the only way we can know the Will of God
for our own life and how we are to make decisions. Jesus
teaches us to be wise and choose correctly in all matters. On one level, we all have the capacity to discern good and evil, to choose between good actions and evil ones. However, at times the distinction between good and evil are not so clear; they are in a “gray zone,” a zone in which one should proceed with caution. The first thing one should do is to pray, take the decision to the Lord. “What would Jesus do in this case?” Ask for the grace to discern correctly. Then ask yourself what are your reasons for choosing one or the other and how do the options you have compare with the Commandments of God and the teachings of the Church; then decide to choose the better of the two options. Saint John the Baptist knew how he was to live his life, preparing the way for the Savior. He remained attentive to the Holy Spirit and always discerned correctly. For him, as well as for us, to discern was to understand the Will and Love of God; spiritual discernment is not limited to our reason; it also implies obeying the Will of God, and its good results bring the greatest benefits. I suggest this prayer to you. “Dear Jesus, my Lord, help me to correctly make the important decisions of my life, as well as the less important ones, in a way that honors and glorifies You, THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN.” Father George
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January 9, 2011
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Jesus presents Himself for John’s baptism in today’s
Gospel-not because He is a sinner, but in obedience to the
Father’s will. Jesus humbles Himself, to take on the
appearance of a sinner so that He can make us righteous.
His baptism reveals that He is the Christ, (the “anointed
one”). Jesus is the Servant anointed by the Holy Spirit who
was promised by the prophet Isaiah in today’s First Reading
John’s baptism of Jesus marks the start of a new creation, a
new world. The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus which
reminds us of the Spirit that hovered like a dove over the
face of the waters as God created the universe (see Gen.
1:2). As in the beginning, at the River Jordan the Lord’s
majestic voice thunders above the waters: “This is my
beloved Son. My favor rests upon Him”(see Mt. 3:17) In today’s Second Reading Saint Peter preaches that this baptism is a royal and priestly anointing. Through this anointing Jesus is given the Holy Spirit and the power to fight the devil Jesus, the Christ, is revealed to be the fulfillment of God’s preparations throughout the salvation history of Israel. Jesus is the “beloved son” given to Abraham (see Gen. 22:2,12,26) and God’s “first-born son,” which is what the Lord called Israel (see Exod 4:22-23). Jesus is the divine Son begotten by God, the everlasting Heir promised to King David (see Sam 7:14). He is “a light to the nations.” By Jesus’ baptism He sanctified the waters of the Jordan and our baptismal waters. He opened up the heavens to us and made it possible for the Spirit to poured out upon us when we are baptized. We are anointed with the same Holy Spirit in Baptism and are made the beloved sons and daughters of God. This is what the word Christians means-the “anointed ones.” In today’s Psalm we are called “sons of God”-called to give glory to God in His Temple. Let us pray that we always remain faithful to our calling as God’s children so that our Father might call us what He calls His Son –“My beloved…..in whom I am well pleased.”
Father George
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January 2, 2011 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. The word “Epiphany” means the manifestation, the revelation of someone or something. The arrival of the Magi from the East to offer homage and gifts to the newborn King of the Jews was foretold by Isaiah (Isaiah 60:1-6)
The three Magi were from three different countries. They
represent the whole gentile world. Many Israelites thought
that
I suggest we pray this prayer: “Dear Jesus, I thank You for loving us and for the total happiness you will give us in heaven. Give us the strength, the grace to live the faith and to be instruments of your saving love for others.” Father George TO READ THIS WEEK'S READINGS CLICK HERE
December 26, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, the family composed of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The wisdom of today’s Liturgy illustrates the mystery of the family in God’s divine plan. In the First Reading from Sirach
In the Gospel today we see how the Holy Family faced the persecution of those who sought to kill the Child Jesus and destroy His Kingdom. Moses, who was also threatened at birth, was called to save the People of Israel. As Moses was saved by his mother and sister, in God’s plan Jesus too is rescued by His Family. God leads the Holy Family to Egypt to prepare the coming of the new People of God-the Church. At the beginning of the world, God established the family in the marriage of Adam and Eve, the two becoming one body. Now in the new creation, Christ is made “one body” with His Bride, the Church. By this union we are made God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved. Our families are to radiate the perfect love that binds us to Christ in the Church. As parents approach the altar on this Feast of the Holy Family, renew your commitment to your God-given duties as spouses. Children are to renew their commitment to honor, obey and love your parents.
God love you! Father George
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December 19, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s
The
mystery promised through the Lord’s prophets is revealed today
in Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. This is “The Descendant of King David according to the flesh, Jesus is the Son of God, born of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will be anointed with the Spirit and by the power of the Spirit our Savior will be raised from the dead and established at God the Father’s right hand to reign in glory. He is the “King of Glory” we sing of in today’s Psalm. The earth has been given to Him. As God promised King David long ago, Christ’s Kingdom will have no end (see Psalm 89:4-5) In Jesus Christ we have a new creation. It is a work of the Spirit, a blessing from the Lord. In Jesus Christ we are saved from our sins, are called now “the beloved of God”, sons and daughters of the Lord. Now all nations are called to belong to Jesus Christ, to enter into the Kingdom of God, the Church. Together, through the obedience of faith we have been made a new race-a royal people that seeks for the Face of God. The Lord has made our hearts clean, made us worthy to enter His holy place, to stand in the Lord’s presence and serve Him. In the Eucharist God renews the everlasting covenant, the Advent promise that the virgin will bear a Child, Emmanuel (God with us). The Eucharist continues until the end of the age when we will be with God for all eternity. A Blessed and Merry Christmas to all. Father George.
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December 12, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, John the Baptist was in prison when he heard of the works that the Christ was performing. John sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” John knew that Jesus was doing the works that were foretold by the prophets, the works that the Messiah would perform. John knew that Jesus is the Messiah but he wanted his disciples-and us- to know that in Jesus our God has come to save us. He sent his disciples to become disciples of Jesus.
Jesus also points to John the Baptist as our model. John lived an ascetic life; he knew that life was more than food, the body more than clothing. John sought the Kingdom of God first, confident that God would provide. John did not complain; he did not lose faith. Even in his prison cell he continued his mission, he was still sending his disciples – and us – to our Savior. We come to our Savior again in the Eucharist. Jesus has already opened our ears to hear the words of Holy Scripture, He has freed our tongues to fill the air with hymns of thanksgiving. Once we were captives to sin and death but now we have been ransomed and made members of His Kingdom, crowned with everlasting joy. Raised up we now stand before His altar to meet the Savior who is to come: “Here is your God, the Messiah.”
Father George
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December 5, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
In
the Gospel today John the Baptist proclaims, “Repent, the
Kingdom of God is at hand!” as he tells people to prepare
the The Messiah King will rule with justice, saving the poor from the ruthless and wicked. His rule will be not only over Israel, but will extend from sea to sea, to the ends of the earth. He will be a light, a signal to all nations, and all nations will seek the Messiah King and pay Him homage. All the nations of the earth will find blessing in the Savior King. The covenant promise to Abraham and renewed in God’s oath to King David will be fulfilled in the Messiah King’s dynasty. Saint Paul tells us in today’s Epistle that God confirms His promises made to Israel. But God’s promises are not reserved to the Israelites but are for all people. The Gentiles, too, will glorify God for His mercy. In Christ all will be included in “the covenants of promise ”(see Ephesians 2:12). John delivers the same message in the Gospel. Salvation is not limited to the Israelites. John’s baptism is but a baptism of repentance, of water. The Messiah has come for all people and He brings a fiery Baptism of the Holy Spirit – making us royal heirs of the kingdom of heaven – the Church. Father George
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November 21, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
The
Readings of the past Sunday Masses have been preparing us for the
revelation to be made on this, the last Sunday of the Church Year.
We have been shown that Jesus is truly the Messiah, the Chosen One, the King of the Jews. Ironically, we hear these names on the lips of those who do not believe in Jesus--Israel's rulers, the soldiers, one of the criminals dying alongside the Savior. Those who mocked Jesus could only see the bloodied figure nailed to a cross like a felon, a criminal who deserved a death sentence. They scorn the Him with words and gestures foretold in Holy Scriptures (see Psalm 22:7-9).They taunt the Savior.. if He is truly King, God will rescue Jesus. But He did not come to save Himself, but to save them and us.
The good thief shows us how we are to accept the salvation the Lord offers us. Unlike the other criminal crucified alongside Jesus, the good thief confesses his sins and acknowledges that he deserves to die. He calls on the name of Jesus and seeks the Lord's mercy and forgiveness. By his faith he is saved. Jesus "remembers" him and promises him he will join the Lord in Paradise.
God always remembers His People, in Old Testament times and He continues to do so on into eternity. The Lord visited the Chosen People with His saving deeds throughout their journey to the promised land and fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah.
By the Blood of His cross, Jesus reveals His Kingship-not in saving His life, but in offering it as a ransom for ours. God transfers us to "the Kingdom of His Beloved Son," as Saint Paul tells us in today's Epistle. His Kingdom is the Church, the new Jerusalem, the House of David that we sing of in the Psalm. The First Reading today tells us that by their covenant Israel's tribes are made one "bone and flesh" with King David. By the new covenant made in His Blood, Christ becomes one flesh with the people of His Kingdom-the Head of His Body, the Church.
We celebrate and renew this covenant in every Eucharist, giving thanks for our redemption, hoping for the day when we too will be with Him in Paradise.
Father George TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE
November 14, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, We are living in the age between our Lord's first coming and of His final coming. We live in the new world begun by the Savior's Life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, by the sending of His Holy Spirit upon the Church. We await the day when Jesus will come again in glory on judgment day, hopefully to raise us up to glory. In the First Reading Malachi warns us with these words, "Lo, the day is coming." The prophets taught Israel to look for the Day of the Lord, when He would gather the nations for judgment (see Isaiah 3:9; 2 Peter 3:7).
These "signs" show us the pattern of the Church's life-both in the New Testament and today. We also live in a world of nations and kingdoms at war, at war with each other, at war with their own people, especially if their people are believers....disciples of Jesus. We should take the Apostles as our "models," as today's Epistle counsels. Like them we must persevere in the face of unbelieving relatives and friends, as well as authorities of our "culture of death" who are hostile to God. We should praise and sing to God as we do in today's Psalm. We are to joyfully proclaim His coming as Lord and King. Sunday, the Day of the Lord, is always a day that has already come and a day still yet to come. It is the "today" of our Liturgy. The Apostles prayed marana tha-"O Lord come!" In the Eucharist He answers, coming again as the Lord of hosts and the Sun of Justice with its healing rays. It is a mighty sign and a pledge of that Day to come. Father George
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November 06, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua, The Readings of Today's Liturgy clearly demonstrate there is life after this life, life in heaven. In the Gospel the Sadducees mock the faith with their riddle about seven brothers and a childless widow. They mock the faith for which seven brothers and their mother die as related in the First Reading from the Book of Maccabees (7:1-2, 9-14). The Maccabean martyrs chose death-tortured limb by limb, burned alive-rather than betray God's law. Their story is given to us in these last weeks of the Church year to strength us for endurance so that we may not falter as we follow Jesus into eternity. The Maccabeans died hoping that the Lord, the "King of the World"would raise them to live again forever(2 Maccabees14:46). The Sadducees do not believe in the Resurrection, in life after death. To ridicule this belief they emphasize a law that requires a woman to marry her husband's brother if he should die without leaving an heir(See the Book of Genesis 38:8). But God's Law was not given to ensure the raising up of descendants to earthly fathers. As Jesus explains, the Law was given to make us worthy to be "children of God"-sons and daughters born of His Ressurrection. As today's Epistle tells us, "God our Father" has given us "everlasting encouragement" in the Resurrection of Christ. Through HIs grace, we can now direct our hearts to the love of God. As the Maccabees suffered to fulfill the Old Law so might be raised up after their death, we will have to suffer for our faith in the New Covenant. Yet the Lord will guard us in the shadow of His wing, as we sing in today's Psalm. The persecutors of the Maccabees marveled at their courage. We too can glorify the Lord and edify our neighbor by accepting our sufferings and by willingly making our daily sacrifices. We have even a greater reason for hope as Jesus, our Risen Savior, has given us His Word that He will raise us up. He has promised that He will raise us up with glorified bodies; when we awake from the sleep of death we will behold His face; we will forever rejoice in His Presence.
Father George
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October 31, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The liturgy shows us today that the Lord is the lover of souls. In today's Psalm we sing that the Lord is slow to anger and is compassionate toward all that He has made. The First Reading tells us that God overlooks our sins and ignorance, giving us time so that we may repent and not perish in our sinfulness (Wisdom 12:10). In Jesus, God has become the Savior of His children. He becomes the Son of Man to save the lost. Today's Gospel presents
Zacchaeus, a portrait of a despised, lost soul. He is a tax
collector, by profession a "sinner" who is excluded from
Israel's religious life. Not only that, he is a "chief tax
collector." He is considered to be among the most fraudulent of
the tax collectors. He is a very rich man who has apparently
gained his living by fraud. Zacchaeus is not like other rich men Jesus meets; he repents, vowing to pay restitution to those he has defrauded and to give half of his money to the poor. By his humility he is exalted and made worthy to welcome the Lord into his house. By his faith he is justified. As Jesus showed us in the Gospel last week, He uses a tax collector to show us the faith and humility we need to obtain salvation. We also need to seek Jesus daily with repentant hearts. We should make our own Saint Paul's prayer in today's Epistle. "We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ." Father George
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October 24, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Jesus gives us a clear picture in today's Gospel. The proud Pharisee addresses God by bragging about himself, telling the Lord how righteous he is, better than other people. Instead of praising God for His mighty works, the Pharisee congratulates himself for his own deeds.The tax collector stands at a distance, too ashamed even to raise his eyes to God. He prays with a humble and contrite heart. He knows that before God no one is righteous, no one has any reason to boast (Luke 18:9-14).
This should be a warning to us-not to take pride in the way we practice our faith. We are not to slip into the self-righteous way of thinking we are better than others, that we are "not like the rest of sinful humanity." We all need to be humble before the Lord and recognize that all of us are sinners who need God's mercy, His saving love. All the good we accomplish comes to us from God, Who adopts us with Baptism and enables us to do good works with the Grace He gives us. Without the Lord we can do nothing of merit. If we praise and thank the Lord when He enables us to grow in His Love, we will be exalted. In today's Epistle Paul thanks the Lord for giving him strength during his imprisonment. The Lord always hears the prayer of the humble and redeems the lives of His humble servants. We too must serve the Lord humbly and willingly. He will always hear us, always help us at all times when we call on Him. The Lord will deliver us from evil and bring us safely to HIS HEAVENLY KINGDOM.
Father George
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October 10, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
The miraculous cure of the ten
lepers related in today's Gospel dramatically illustrates God's
merciful love. The lepers had probably lost all hope of being
cured until they heard that Jesus was a compassionate miracle
worker. There was no known cure for leprosy in those days.
Lepers had to leave their homes, their families If anyone was cured of leprosy, they were required to show themselves to the priests before they could freely associate with others. As Jesus said to them,"Go show yourselves to the priests." They were all cleansed but only one, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus. When the Samaritan thanked Jesus, He replied, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then He said to him,"Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." The Samaritan's faith and his thanking the Lord not only allowed him to be cured but also won for him eternal salvation. The lesson of the Gospel is clear. We all depend on God to Whom we should be eternally Grateful. We should praise and thank the Lord. The best way to praise and thank the Lord is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where we unite ourselves to Jesus to gratefully praise God, our loving Father.
Father George
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October 3, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Today is Respect Life Sunday. The entire month of October is dedicated to respect for life. All that we are, all that we have are gifts from God. God, our Creator, has created us in his image. At the moment of our conception God has created our immortal soul and has created us so that we may "know, love and serve HIm in this life" so that we may enjoy eternal bliss with the Lord and all the saints in heaven forever and ever. From the moment of our Baptism God the Father sees looks upon us as He does Jesus, His Son and our Savior. He loves us and wants us to respond by loving Him and everyone else. The way to heaven is the path of love.
For many years now our government has
allowed the holocaust of abortion. As Pope Paul prophesied in
his encyclical letter,"Humanae Vitae" (About Human Life),
separating the marital act of love from conception would lead to
infidelity, divorce, abortion. In our country more than 50 million babies have been "legally" sacrificed. Millions of tax dollars have been given to abortion mills. The way to change the minds and hearts of these killers for profit is the way of prayer, of sacrifice so that all may be converted to respect and appreciate the gift of life. This Sunday is dedicated especially to pray for respect for life, as well as the month of October. We should pray throughout the year, indeed pray always for respect for life. Next Sunday is Rosary Sunday and I suggest we pray the rosary today and every day for respect for life. May God bless you all as we pray and sacrifice for the gift of life.
Father George
September 26, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The Readings for today's Mass are a severe warning to the rich and powerful-not for their wealth but for their refusal to share it; not for their power but for their indifference to the suffering of the poor at their door. In the First Reading the Lord has his prophet Amos warn the complacent leaders in Jerusalem who are living pampered, comfortable lives. The prophet Amos tells them they will suffer the same fate as the Israelites in the North have already suffered because of their social and moral depravity.
Today's Gospel also makes us stop
and consider. Jesus is not saying that a person will be
automatically condemned because he is wealthy nor does our
Savior say that anyone will automatically be saved because he is
poor. We will all be judged by the same law, the great
commandment of love - love for God and love for others.
I know people who are well off and at the same time are very
loving and generous, and I know people who are poor who are
self-centered and egotistical. Having wealth is not
necessarily a vice and being poor is not necessarily a virtue. We live in the most affluent country in history and for most people we have more than enough comfort, wealth. Affluence and comfort are not sinful. The Scripture Readings today force us to consider our personal attitude toward the material blessings we enjoy. What we have is not just for our self indulgence. We are to share with others; we are to be concerned for others and to be willing to share our time, our talent and treasure in a loving way. If we keep remembering where our blessings come from, then we will be more likely to remember that they have not been given to us just to become selfish, self-centered people. The Eucharist, our great prayer of thanksgiving each week, helps us to remember where all our blessings come from, and to respond to the Lord's love by loving Him and our neighbor.
Father George
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September 19, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In the Gospel today Jesus teaches us to
be truly wise...to make good choices and to speak and act wisely
as We have been given the greatest of gifts by the grace of God. From the moment of our Baptism, we are adopted by God, our loving Father. We are truly the little brothers and sisters of Jesus, our Savior...members of Christ's Mystical Body, the Church. The Lord continues to nourish us and to help us grow with the Sacraments, nourishing us with Jesus' Very Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. We are to live wisely, as true disciples, growing in Faith, Hope and Love of God, responding to God's love by loving the Lord with our "whole mind and heart and soul" and by loving our neighbor. Today is Catechical Sunday. Today we thank the Lord for the volunteer catechists of our parish who assist the parents in raising their children as true, faithful disciples of Jesus. In the Masses today we will bless and commission the catechists who teach and help form your children to be faithful, loving followers of Jesus. God bless you all, parents, children and catechists. Father George
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September 12, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The First Reading today recalls the sin of the Chosen People who had recently been freed from slavery in Egypt. Their turning their back on God and worshipping a golden calf has been called "Israel's original sin." When Moses implored God's mercy, the Lord forgave the Israelites and re-established His Covenant with them. This prefigured how our Savior would later intercede for the whole human race, as He still pleads to God, the Father, and seeks forgiveness for sinners through the ministry of His Church. Our sin is the sin of the world; it is your sin and mine. We have been ransomed from death and made God's children in Baptism, yet we too often fall prey to the idols, the temptations of this world. We remain a "stiff-necked people," resisting the yoke of God's will, despite the promise of Jesus-"My yoke is easy and my burden is light." We often forget that Jesus is on the other side of the yoke, leading and pulling us along. When we sin, we push God away, rejecting our divine sonship. God calls all the baptized "His People." When we sin God could, in justice, disown us. Yet in His mercy, God is always faithful to the covenant He swore by His own self in Jesus. In Jesus, God comes to each of us as a shepherd to seek out the lost and carry us back to the heavenly feast. In today's Epistle Saint Paul cries out: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." These are the happiest words that mankind has ever heard. Paul testifies that even blasphemers and persecutors can seek God's mercy and will surely be forgiven. As the sinners do in today's Gospel, we draw near to the Lord to listen to Him. In this Eucharist, we bring to God the acceptable sacrifice-our humbled and contrite hearts, offered to the Father united to the sacrifice of His Son and our Savior, Jesus. Father George
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September 5, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua, The Scriptures of today's Mass teach us how to live as true disciples, carrying our cross as we follow Jesus.
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August 29, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, We will arrive at the wedding banquet of heaven by way of humility and charity. This is the fatherly instruction we hear in today's First Reading, as well as the message of today's Gospel. Jesus is talking about something much more important than good table manners. Jesus is telling us how we are to follow Him; He is revealing the way of the Kingdom.....He saves us by serving us and we, too, must be humble servants-"For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted." This is the way Jesus showed us, humbling Himself to come among us as a man, as one who serves, as the bearer of glad tidings to the poor(See Luke 1:52-53). This is the way, too, our heavenly Father has shown us down through the ages-filling the hungry, sending the rich away empty, lifting up the lowly, pulling down the proud(See Luke 1:52-53). The Psalm reminds us of the Lord's goodness as He led the Israelites from the imprisonment of slavery to the promised land, feeding them with bread from heaven along the way. God made them His inheritance, becoming the "Father of orphans." Now we also have gained a share of His inheritance, beginning with our Baptism. We are to live humbly, knowing that we are not worthy to receive from His table. We are to give alms, remembering we were ransomed from sin by the price of our Savior's blood. The Lord promises that if we are humble we will be exalted and find favor with God; that if we are kind to those who can never repay us, we will atone for our sins, and find blessings in the resurrection of the just. We anticipate the fulfillment of God's promises in every Eucharist, as today's Epistle tells us. In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we enter the festal gathering of the angels and the firstborn children of God, the liturgy of the heavenly Jerusalem in which Jesus is the HIgh Priest, the King who calls us to come up higher.
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August 22, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Although Jesus does not respond to the question in today's Gospel about how many will be saved, He does tell us something much more important for us and for everyone else. Our Savior tells us what we need to know to be saved...He tells us how to enter into salvation and that it is urgent to strive now, before the Master closes the door.
J In Jesus, God has come to save us--as He promises in the First Reading--to gather nations of every language, to reveal to them His glory. In the Gospel Jesus is slowly making His way to Jerusalem. On the way He eats and drinks with them, teaching them in their streets. In Jerusalem Isaiah's vision will be fulfilled: On the holy mountain the Savior will be lifted up and He will draw to Himself brethren from among all the nations--to worship in the heavenly Jerusalem, to glorify God for His kindness, as we sing in Sunday's Psalm. In God's plan, the kingdom was proclaimed first to the Israelites and last to the Gentiles, who in the Church have come from the earth's four corners to make up the new People of God. However, Jesus warns that many will lose their place at the heavenly table. By refusing to accept the Lord's narrow way they will weaken, and render themselves unknown to God the Father. We don't want to be numbered among those of weak knees and drooping hands, so we must strive to enter the narrow gate: This is the way of hardship and suffering--the way of the beloved Son. As the Epistle reminds us, by accepting our trials we know we are truly God's sons and daughters. We are disciplined by our afflictions, strengthened to walk the straight and narrow path so we may enter the gate and take our place at the banquet of the blessed.
Father George
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August 15, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua, On this great feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary we praise God who has taken the sinless Virgin Mary, body and soul, into His Glory.
Of this woman, then, we sing to God as the ancient Israelites sang: "The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold." In the court of King Solomon, we see Israel's traditional arrangement: Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, takes her place at the King's right hand. At Mary's Assumption, as we see in the Book of Revelation, the Queen once again takes her place at the right hand of the Son of David, the Messiah. The Second Reading shows us why this is fitting: "in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order." What is implicit in St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthian's is revealed in Revelation. The consummation of Christ's work has begun, as is proper, with the Assumption of the Queen-Mother. John's Apocalypse also shows the fulfillment of today's Gospel. There, Mary, pregnant with Jesus, retraces the steps of King David as he brought the Ark to Jerusalem. Mary "arose and went" into the hill country, just as David "arose and went" to that region. Upon Mary's arrival, Elizabeth is awestruck, just as David was before the Ark. The encounter causes the baby John to leap with excitement, as David leapt before the Ark. And Mary stayed in the "house of Zechariah" for "three months," as the Ark remained in the "house of Obed-edom" for the same period of time. Mary is the vessel of God's presence, and she is Queen-Mother. She reigns now in splendor with Jesus in the heavenly Jerusalem. Father George
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August 8, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, We are born of the faith of our fathers, descendants of countless witnesses from the time of Abraham. We have been made God's People, living members of His Church, beginning with our Baptism. We have been made God's children, chosen for His own inheritance, as we sing in Sunday's Psalm. This week the Liturgy sings the praises of our ancestors, of our fathers in the faith. The defining moments of Salvation History is our "Family History." The Epistle relates the calling of Abraham, who always responded faithfully to the Lord. The First Reading from the Book of Wisdom recalls how God freed the Israelites from slavery and led them to the promised land.
None of our spiritual ancestors in Old Testament times lived here on earth to see God's promises made good. (But, much later, as Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are they who have not seen, but believed"). For it was not until Christ and His Church that Abraham's descendants were made as countless as the stars and the sands. It was not until Jesus' Last Supper and the Eucharist that "the SACRIFICE...THE DIVINE INSTITUTION" of that first Passover was truly fulfilled. We too now await the final fulfillment of what God has promised us in Christ. As Jesus tells us in this week's Gospel, we should live with our loins girded--as the Israelites tightened their belts, cinched up their long robes and ate their Passover standing, vigilant and ready to go, to do God's will. The Lord will come at any hour we do not expect--will knock on our door, inviting us to the wedding feast in the perfect homeland, heaven. We can begin to taste this heavenly banquet in each Eucharist. As our forefathers in the faith, we can wait with sure knowledge, as God's Word lights our path. Our God is faithful and if we wait in faith, hope in God's mercy, and love as we have been loved, we will receive His promised blessing, be delivered from eternal death and one day enter into eternal life.
Father George
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August 1, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Three priests who were visiting the big island of Hawaii a couple of months ago toured the site of a large volcanic explosion. When they arrived at the "vent' they encountered a group of some thirty people who were seated in a lotus position. They were meditating, with intense looks of concentration and with their eyes closed. Everyone was quiet and still. These people seemed to be praying, but to whom? Was it to Pele, the volcanic goddess of Hawaiian lore?
To Mother Earth? To some other god or
goddess? To some strange force? Whatever the nature of this
spiritual exercise, it reflected the deep spiritual hunger in
the human heart for something beyond the physical world,
for something transcendent. It also showed the hunger for
peace and a sense of wellbeing in the human heart, especially in
this age filled with anxiety, fear and restlessness-- this age
of the "culture of death" which Pope John Paul II named and
described so well. Our Catholic sense of prayer and spirituality is quite different. In our Catholic tradition, prayer emanates from the heart of the Church, not from proximity to a volcanic vent, not from the subjective feelings of an individual. Catholic prayer finds its most sublime expression in the liturgy, most especially in the Holy Eucharist. In this public liturgy the individual believer in the Body of Christ joins himself to the perfect sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, who freely offers Himself to the Heavenly Father. This perfect sacrifice is well expressed in the climax at the great doxology, when the priest, the "alter Christus", proclaims: "THROUGH HIM, WITH HIM, IN HIM, IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, ALL GLORY AND HONOR IS YOURS, ALMIGHTY FATHER, FOREVER AND EVER." Along with the priest, the believer in the pews joins his prayer, his very life, to the prayer of the Lord Jesus, who offers it to the Father. Jesus is our prayer. Separated from Jesus our prayer is of no avail; united with Jesus Christ, who is the perfect Word of prayer, we are perfected. Through the Word proclaimed and the Body and Blood of the Lord received and consumed, we are gradually transformed into people of faith, hope and love, in communion with the Holy Trinity. This tranformation is only possible when the believer enters into a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus, animated and inspired by prayer, directed and guided by the Holy Spirit. So the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Church's spiritual life, giving us boundless graces in our private life of prayer. The graces flow from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass into every private Our Father, Hail Mary, Rosary, Novena or Chaplet of Divine Mercy that is prayed privately by the believer. Personal prayers and devotions are not substitutes for the Divine Liturgy, rather prayed in union with the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, they transform us along with everyone else into greater union with God and with our neighbor. To quote Bishop Sheen: "God love you." Father George
July 25, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Though we are created from "dust and ashes," we can presume to draw near to and speak boldly to our Lord, as Abraham dared to do in this week's First Reading. However even Abraham-God's friend and our father in the faith did not know the intimacy that we know as the children of God, our Father in heaven. Jesus reveals the mystery of prayer to His disciples in this week's Gospel; we have the living relationship of beloved sons and daughters with our heavenly Father. Our prayer is pure gift, made possible by the "good gift" of the Father-the Holy Spirit of His Son. It is the fruit of the New Covenant by which we are made children of God in Christ Jesus (see Galatians 4:6-7). Through the Holy Spirit given to us in Baptism, we can call to God as our Father-knowing that when we call He will answer. Jesus teaches His disciples to persist in their prayer, as Abraham persisted in begging God's mercy for the innocent people who lived in the sinful "culture of death" of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. (The word "sodomite" comes from the name of the city called Sodom. Sadly enough, many of the descendents of Adam and Eve have continued this depraved vice and even justify it as being "normal", including attempting to call homosexual relationships "marriage".)
We pray always the prayer of the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. When we participate in the Eucharist we unite ourselves to Jesus with this perfect prayer of thanksgiving and adoration as we are united to our Savior in praise and thanks to God, our Father. We have realized the promise of this week's Psalm: we worship in His Holy Temple, in the presence of angels, hallowing God's name. We pray with confidence, knowing God always hears us. While we know that our Father does not always give us what we pray for, we soon realize that He gives us something much better than what we requested. We know that God will bring to completion what He has done for us-raising us from the dead, bringing us to everlasting life along with Him.
Father George
July 11, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Today's Gospel begins with these words: On one occasion a lawyer stood up to pose him this problem: "Teacher, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?" Jesus answered him: "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" He replied: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself".
Jesus said, "You have answered correctly.
Do this and you shall live." But because he wished to
justify himself he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replies with the story of the Good Samaritan. A Jewish man traveling from Jerusalem to Jerico was robbed, beaten and left half-dead. A priest passed by, saw the wounded man and continued. A Levite did the same. When a Samaritan passed by he saw the wounded man and had pity on him, dressed his wounds, took him to an inn, cared for him and left money with the innkeeper for the wounded man's care. When Jesus asked the lawyer which of the three men who saw the wounded man was his neighbor, the lawyer responded, "The one who treated him with compassion." Jesus tells the lawyer, "Then go and do the same". Jews despised Samaritans and usually did not treat them as neighbors. With this teaching Jesus teaches us that everyone we encounter is our neighbor and we are to treat them with compassion.
July 4, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The Fourth of July--Independence Day in the United States--is a civil holiday, not a religious one. But we do well to offer prayers for our nation on this day. It needs them badly.
In whatever ways we count our blessings-material abundance, various rights and freedoms, a fair degree of peace and security--we also do well to bring our concerns to God: the right to life for the unborn is still not protected by law, and the prospects of legalizing same-sex marriage as well as euthanasia are looming threats. With reason Pope John Paul II called the culture of the U.S., as well as that of many other countries, "the culture of death." The growing secularization in our country began years ago with the relativism and consequent rejection of truth. Like Pontius Pilate many people say, "What is truth?" and proceed to make up their own truth and selfishly follow their own will. Many Catholics, misled by heretical Catholic (?) theologians, rejected Pope Paul VI's encyclical "Humanae Vitae." Pope Paul accurately predicted that artificial contraception would lead to infidelity, abortion, divorce and other licentious living as well as the break up of the family. With the break up of the family society collapses. These same theologians have led many Catholics to go astray, leading them to believe that with the Second Vatican Council a new, permissive Catholic Church was born. St. Paul tells us that Catholic marriage, the true relationship of husband and wife, represents the union between Christ and His Church. This is signified in the Eucharist. Those who divorce and remarry outside the Church cannot receive the Eucharist. Their union with the Church as well as with their first spouse is broken. For more than 25 years the Diocese of Phoenix has had a good marriage preparation policy. The new, improved policy prepares couples to truly live and grow together in their marriage covenant. Several couples who have received preparation for the Sacrament of Matrimony have told me how much they appreciate the help received from the Church in preparing for their life-time commitment of love for each other. Pray for married couples, pray for families, and pray for our country.
Father George
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June 20, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The main theme of today's Gospel responds to the question: Who is Jesus? Is he the Messiah? Is he another prophet? The Gospel opens with a scene of Jesus at prayer. Jesus goes into seclusion with his disciples to pray. He prays to his Father before every major decision; in this Jesus is a model for us. To live our Catholic faith properly we need to pray often. Some good examples are: before meals, pray the Rosary (The Family Rosary is especially helpful for parents with their children.), the Angelus, morning prayers, night prayers, Divine Mercy prayers at 3 p.m.
When Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" He is not impressed with their answers. So he turns to his disciples and asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responds for all of the twelve and says, "The Messiah of God." But Peter as well as the other eleven still do not understand that Jesus is a suffering Messiah, as the Prophet Isaiah clearly foretold. Peter and the others knew Jesus on an intimate level-they knew the Messiah better than the crowds, but they were still far from knowing the Truth, the Word made flesh, the long-promised Messiah. Jesus forbids them to tell the crowds that he is the Messiah because the people had the wrong idea of that title. Even the would-be apostles initially rejected the idea that the Messiah would be a suffering servant who would be taken prisioner, be tortured and die. Jesus predicts that this is the will of the Father that he suffer and take upon himself punishment for the sins of all men. The Lord predicts his resurrection after three days to give hope to his disciples and to us. Suffering is mysterious and hard for us to understand. It is a consequence of sin, but is also related to God's plan for our salvation. Suffering is a great teacher: it reminds us that we are creatures totally dependent on God; it teaches us humility and obedience. Even Jesus learned from his suffering:"Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered"(Heb.5:8). In order to be a follower of Christ it is necessary to take up our cross daily. This means we must reject all that is selfish, evil and worldly and go against our sensuality and self-love. The cross initially meant crucifixion but it was adapted to have the spiritual meaning of self-denial. So by the "cross" Jesus means all contradictions and sufferings-interior, exterior, mental, moral or physical. Jesus insists this must be done "daily", all the time, day in and day out. But always remember Who carries the cross with us--THE MESSIAH, OUR CRUCIFIED AND RISEN SAVIOR
Father George
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June 13, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, This Sunday's Readings show us the mercy of God who sent us His Only Son to pay for our sins. When King David commits adultery with the wife of one his soldiers and she conceives a child, he attempts to cover his sin by inviting the soldier to come home and be with his wife. When this does not succeed, David arranges for the man to be sent back to the front where he is killed. After Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, had mourned his death, King David took her as his wife. The Gospel shows us another example of God's mercy; the Lord is more than willing to forgive us when we sin-He wants to forgive us. The Lord has rescued us from sin and death, anointed us with His Spirit in Baptism and in Confirmation. We are the adopted children of God, the Father, His heirs. Like King David and the woman in the Gospel, we fall into sin. Our crimes may not be as grave as David's or as "many" as that woman's, but we are sinners.
We often do not appreciate the great gift
of salvation we have been given. We often fail to live up to the
great calling of being sons and daughters of God. The good news of today's readings, the good news of Jesus Christ, is that we can return to God in the Sacrament of Confession. Our faith, our repentance, will save us, as Jesus tells the woman in the Gospel. No matter how serious our sins, nor how many sins we have committed, if we approach the Lord in true sorrow and repentance Jesus will always forgive us. We hear King David's heartfelt confession in the First Reading. We hear our Lord's tender words of mercy and pardon in the Gospel. When we confess our serious sins in the Sacrament of Penance, we hear Jesus' tender words of pardon and peace as the priest grants us absolution. In gratitude for the Lord's mercy we should promise to live by faith and for God alone. Let us devote our lives to serving God with great love.
Father George
June 6, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Today we celebrate the great feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Before Jesus revealed that He would nourish us with His very Body and Blood, our Savior performed a spectacular miracle, multiplying a few loaves of bread and several fish with which He fed thousands. He also clearly stated, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedth out of the mouth of God"(Mt.4:4). Christ spoke these words before He began His public ministry, as if to set the tone for all that would follow. These words have two levels of meaning. First, food is necessary to sustain life: Jesus often mentioned food in the Gospels but He pointed out the difference between ordinary food we need to live and the "Bread of Life", which gives eternal life. To "live" by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God is to find EVERLASTING LIFE in the Word of God. The day after Jesus fed thousands with a few loaves and fish, He began His discourse with these words: "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you"(Jn.6:27).
Jesus clearly stated that He saves us through the Eucharist with these words:"Verily, verily I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him"(Jn.6:53-56). Although many had witnessed the Savior's miracle of feeding thousands with a few loaves and fish as well as having seen Jesus perform many miraculous cures, they did not have sufficient faith to believe the Word made flesh when He announced that He would feed us with HIS VERY BODY AND BLOOD. "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him"(Jn.6:66). When we receive the VERY BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS, Christ becomes part of us and we become part of Him: Jesus "dwells" in us and we in Him, in the most literal, physical sense. May we always appreciate and thank God for this greatest of gifts. Father George
May 30, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The Readings of this Feast of the Most Holy Trinity sweep us through time in a glorious procession-from before the earth and the sky were set in place to the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the New Creation, the Church. We begin in the heart of the Trinity as we hear the testimony of Wisdom in today's First Reading. Eternally begotten, the Word, the first-born of God, is poured forth from of old in the loving delight of the Father. Through the Word, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the heavens were established, the foundations of the earth established. From before the beginning of creation, the Word was with the Father as "His Craftsman", the artisan by which all things were made. And God took special delight, He tells us, in the crowning glory of His handiwork-the human race, the "sons of men." In today's Psalm, the Word comes down from heaven, is made a little lower than the angels, comes among us as "the Son of Man" (see Hebrews 2:6-10). All things are put under the feet of the Word made flesh so that He can restore to humanity the glory for which we were made from the beginning, the glory lost by sin. Our Savior tasted death that we might be raised to life in the Trinity, that Jesus' name might be made glorious over all the earth. Through the Son, we have gained grace and access in the Spirit to the Father, as Saint Paul boasts in today's Epistle. The Holy Spirit, the love of God, has been poured out into our hearts-a Spirit of adoption, making us children of the Father once more. This is the Spirit that Jesus promises in today's Gospel. The Holy Spirit comes as divine gift and anointing, to guide us to all truth, to show us "the things that are coming," the things that were meant to be from before all ages-that we will find peace and union in God, will share the life of the Trinity, dwell in God as He dwells in us. God's love of us is truly AWESOME!
Father George
May 23, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, Today's great feast of Pentecost might be called the "Feast of an Almighty Wind." This giving of the Holy Spirit to the new people of God crowns the mighty acts of God, the Father, in salvation history. The Jewish feast of Pentecost called all devout Jews to Jerusalem to celebrate their birth as God's chosen people, in the Covenant Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
The Holy Spirit seals the new law and new covenant brought by Jesus, written not on stone tablets but on the hearts of believers, as the prophets promised. The Holy Spirit is revealed as the life-giving breath of the Father, the Wisdom by which He made all things. In the beginning, the Spirit came as a "mighty wind" sweeping over the face of the earth. And in the new creation of Pentecost, the Spirit again comes as a "strong, driving wind" to renew the face of the earth. As God created the first man out of dust and filled him with His Spirit, in today's Gospel we see the New Adam become a life-giving Spirit, breathing new life into the Apostles. Like a river of living water, for all ages God will pour out His Spirit on His Body, the Church. We receive that Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism, being made a "new creation". We are filled with the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation and are nourished in the Holy Eucharist with the very Body and Blood of Christ. We are the first fruits of a new humanity-fashioned from out of every nation under heaven, with no distinctions of wealth or language or race, one people born of the Spirit. On Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, we must joyfully sing "Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! in thanks to God.
Father George
May 16, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Today we celebrate the Feast of the
Ascension of Our Lord into heaven. As Jesus promised the
Apostles, He would send the Holy Spirit after He ascended into
heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father. Luke's Gospel relates the final instructions Jesus gave the Apostles before He ascended into heaven..."Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem." Then Jesus told them to "stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." In today's First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles Saint Luke gives us a few more details about the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven. Luke then continues with the early history of the Church. The Apostles returned to Jerusalem and awaited in the upper room where Jesus had celebrated the Last Supper with them. Mary, the mother of the Savior, and other disciples awaited, "in constant prayer," the Descent of the Holy Spirit. With Pentecost, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Church is born. Led by Saint Peter, the Apostles went out preaching the Gospel of salvation, "beginning from Jerusalem." The rest of the story of salvation is still being written. May all people accept God's saving love!
Father George
May 9, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The First Reading today speaks of the Council of Jerusalem, the first Church council. Some Jewish Christians insisted that all the Gentile converts be circumcised and obey all the complex ritual and purity laws of the Jews. Saint Peter and the Apostles called this a heresy. This clearly shows that the Church in God's plan is to be the worldwide Family of God, the Catholic Church; it is not a covenant with just one nation.
As Saint John sees in the Second Reading from the Book of Revelation, the Church is Apostolic-founded on the twelve Apostles of the Lamb of God. These four marks of the Church-One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic are underscored in the story of the Council of Jerusalem, the First Council. Everyone, including Saint Paul, looks to "Jerusalem....and...the Apostles" to decide the Church's true teaching. The Apostles know and state that Christian teachers need a "mandate from us." We see the Holy Spirit guiding the Apostles in all Truth. The Apostles describe their ruling in this way: "It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us." Knowing these truths about the Church, our hearts should never be troubled. The message of the Liturgy today tells us that the Church is the Lord's, watched over and guided by the Holy Spirit sent by the Father in the name of the Son. This should fill us with confidence, free us to worship with exultation, and inspire us to rededicate our lives to follow Jesus-to love Jesus in our keeping of His Word, to rejoice that our Savior and the Father in the Spirit have made their dwelling with us. Father George
P.S. May the Lord give a
special blessing to all mothers. Happy Mother's Day!
April 25, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. The tenth
chapter of the Gospel written by Saint John begins with Jesus'
description of His relationship to the faithful by using the
metaphor of a shepherd's relationship to his flock. John writes
that when the crowd did not understand Jesus at first, the
Savior gave a more detailed explanation. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we are members of His Flock (the Church). Jesus cares for us in every way, in every circumstance. He leads us out of the corral in the morning to good pasture; He protects us from wolves and other predators (the world, the flesh and the devil). Jesus calls us by name; He leads us. We recognize His voice and follow Him. If we stray, Jesus leaves the other sheep safely in the corral while He finds us and saves us. In His more detailed explanation of the metaphor, Jesus says, "I came that they may have life and have it to the full. I am good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ........I know my sheep and my sheep know me in the same way that the Father knows me and I know the Father; for these sheep I will give my life. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must lead them, too, and they shall hear my voice. There shall be one flock then, one shepherd." With the last two lines Jesus clearly says He came to shepherd, to save all people who accept Him as the Savior.Jesus commissioned Saint Peter and the Apostles and their successors as well as all ordained priests to be Good Shepherds, leading the people to the promised land. Pray fervently that the Lord call more young men to become Good Shepherds. Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE
April 18, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
There are two places in Holy Scripture
where a "charcoal fire" is mentioned. One is in today's
Gospel, there the Apostles return from fishing to find bread and
fish warming on the fire. The other is in the scene in the
High Priest's courtyard on Holy Thursday, where Peter and some
guards and slaves warm themselves while Jesus is being
interrogated inside (see John 18:18). At the fire in the High Priest's courtyard, Peter denied Jesus three times, as Jesus had predicted. The charcoal fire in today's Gospel is the scene of Peter's repentance. Jesus asks Peter three times to make a profession of love. Jesus commands Peter each time to "feed My sheep." This three-fold command shows that Peter is being appointed as the shepherd of the Lord's entire flock, the head of His Church. Jesus' question: "Do you love me more than these?" is a pointed reminder of Peter's pledge to lay down his life for Jesus, even is the other apostles might weaken. Jesus then explains just what Peter's love and leadership will require, foretelling Peter's death by crucifixion ("you will stretch out your hands"). Before His own death, Jesus had warned the Apostles that they would be hated as He was hated, that they would suffer as He suffered. We see the beginnings of that persecution in today's First Reading. The Apostles were flogged as Jesus was, but they leave "rejoicing that they have been found worthy to suffer." Their joy is based on their faith that God wil change "their mourning into dancing," as we sing in today's Psalm. They know that by their sufferings they will be counted worthy to stand in heaven before the Lamb of God who died and rose again for love of all people of good will. Father George
April 11, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
I The Gospel shows the risen Jesus as the life-giving Spirit. God, the Father has anointed the Son with the Spirit and power. Jesus pours out that Spirit on the Apostles, sending them into the world "as the Father has sent Me." Jesus "breathes" the Spirit of His divine life into the Apostles--as God blew the "breath of life" into Adam (Genesis 2:7). The Savior's creative breath unites the Apostles--His Church-to His Body, and empowers the Apostles to breath Jesus' life into a dying world. Through the Apostles Jesus makes the world a new creation. In today's Gospel and the First Reading, we see the Apostles fulfilling this mission with powers that only God possesses. God, and only God, has the power to forgive sins and to work miracles. Jesus gave this power to the Apostles and their successors to forgive sins and "to work signs and wonders" in His name. Thomas and the others saw "many other signs" after Jesus was raised from the dead. They saw and they believed. They were given Jesus' Life and power, which continues in the Church's Word and Sacraments. Jesus' Life, His powers were given so that we who have not seen might inherit His blessings and have "Life in His name." Father George
EASTER- April 4, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's. Jesus is nowhere visible. Yet today's Gospel tells us that Peter and John "saw and believed." What did they see? Burial shrouds lying on the floor of an empty tomb. Maybe that convinced them that He had not been carried off by grave robbers, who usually stole the expensive burial linens and left the corpses behind.
But notice the repetition of the word
"tomb"-seven times in nine verses. They saw the empty tomb and
they Chosen to be Jesus' "witnesses", today's First Reading tells us, the Apostles were "commissioned.....to preach...and testify" to all that they had seen--from Jesus' anointing with the Holy Spirit at the River Jordan to the empty tomb. More than their own experience they were instructed in the mysteries of God's saving plan--to know how "all the prophets bear witness" to Him (Luke 20:17). Now they could "understand the Scripture," could teach us what Jesus had told them--that He was "the stone which the builders rejected," that today's Psalm prophesies His Resurrection. (Matthew 21:42:Acts 4:11). We are the children of these apostolic witnesses. That is why we still gather in the morning of the first day of every week to celebrate this feast of the empty tomb and give thanks for "Christ our life," as today's Epistle calls our Risen Savior. Baptized into His death and Resurrection, we live the heavenly life of the risen Christ, our lives "hidden with Christ in God." We are now His witnesses, too. But we testify to things we cannot see but only believe; we seek in earthly things what is above. We live in memory of the Apostles' witness, like them eating and drinking with the Risen Lord at the altar. And we wait in hope for what the Apostles told us would come - the day when we too "will appear with Him in glory." Father George
March 21, 2010
Dear Faithful of Saint Anthony's, In today's Gospel Jesus says," What is written about me is coming to fulfillment." With this week when we celebrate the Messiah's victory of sin and death and His rising to share with us His Life and Love, we have reached the climax of the liturgical year, the highest peak of salvation history.
The new covenant has been written in the blood of Jesus' broken body hanging on the cross. As Isaiah foretold, Jesus is "counted among the wicked." Jesus is revealed as the Suffering Servant, the Lamb of God. He is the long awaited Messiah whose words of obedience and faith ring out in today's First Reading and Psalm. The Gospel relates that Jesus is beaten and mocked; His hands and feet are pierced as His enemies gamble for his clothes. As Jesus hangs on the cross His enemies dare Jesus to prove His divinity by saving Himself. But Jesus remains faithful to God's will to the end, even praying for the enemy," Forgive them Father for they do not know what they are doing." As descendents of Adam' disobedience, we were destined to sin and death. Now we have been set free for life and holiness by Christ's perfect obedience to the Father's will. This is why God greatly exalted Jesus. This is why we have salvation in His Name. If we follow Jesus' example of humble obedience in the trials and crosses of our lives, we know we will never be forsaken and that one day we too will be with Him in Paradise.
Father George
March 21, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, The Readings for the Sundays of Lent show us the God of the Exodus: He is a mighty and gracious God, Who out of faithfulness to His covenant with the chosen people has done great things for them. In today's First Reading Isaiah tell us that the "things of long ago" are nothing compared to the "something new" God will do in the future. Today's First Reading and Psalm not only look back to the miraculous deeds of the Exodus but also look forward when God will gather in the exiled tribes of Israel which had been scattered to the four winds.
The new Exodus that Israel waited and
hoped for has come in the death and resurrection of Jesus; He is In the Church, God has formed a people for Himself to announce His praise. God has given His "chosen people" living waters to drink in the desert of the wastelands of the world. Our God is a God of the the future, not of the past. We are to live with hopeful hearts, "forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead," as Saint Paul tells us. God's salvation is power in the present, "the power of the Resurrection." We are to live awaiting a still greater and final Exodus, seeking the goal of God's calling, the goal of our vocation. We are to strive in faith to attain the last new thing God promises-"the resurrection of the dead."
Father George
March 14, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, In today's First Reading God forgives the generations of the Israelites who had grumbled against the Lord after the Exodus. On the threshold of the promised land Israel could then celebrate the Passover with a clean heart. Reconciliation is also at the heart of the story Jesus tells us in today's Gospel. The story of the prodigal son is the story of Israel as well as the story of every believer in Jesus, our Savior.
In Baptism we are given a divine
birthright, made a "new creation" as Saint Paul tells us in
today's Epistle. We become the children of God, our Father. But
when we sin, we are like the prodigal son, leaving our Father's
House, squandering our inheritance in trying to live without
Him. Lost in the slavery of sin, we cut ourselves off from the grace of Sonship given us in Baptism. But it is still possible for us to come to our senses and make our way back to the Father, as did the prodigal son. Only God can remove the reproach and restore the divine sonship we have spurned. Only He can free us from the slavery to sin-this slavery that cause us to see God not as our loving Father but as our master, One we must serve as slaves. God does not want slaves but children. Like the father in today's Gospel, God wants to call each of us "My son, "to share His life with us. He wants to tell us: "Everything I have is yours. God the Father's words of longing and compassion still come to His prodigal children in the Sacrament of Penance. This is what Saint Paul calls "the ministry of reconciliation" entrusted by Jesus to the Apostles and the Church. Reconciled like Israel, we take our place at the table of the Eucharist, the homecoming banquet the Father offers for His lost sons who have returned, the new Passover we celebrate this side of heaven.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE
March 7, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, With our Baptism into the Church we are made children of God, our Father-the God who makes known His name and His ways to Moses in today's First Reading. As God promised to Abraham, He came down to rescue His people from the slave-drivers of Egypt. The Father sent Jesus to redeem everyone from destruction, as today' Psalm tells us. Saint Paul tells us in today's Epistle that God's saving deeds in Exodus were written down for the Church-intended as a prelude for us, a foreshadowing of our own Baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. The Baptism we receive liberates us from sin and permits us to be nourished with spiritual food and drink.
Jesus calls us today to "repentance"--not a one-time change of heart, but an ongoing, daily transformation of our lives. We are called to grow daily in grateful love of God, continually praising and thanking God for His kindness and mercy. The fig tree in the Gospel is an Old Testament symbol for Israel. Jesus uses it as a symbol for the Church He is founding. In the parable Jesus gives the tree one last chance to produce fruit. Lent should be for us like the season of reprieve given to the fig tree, a time of grace when we let "the gardener", Christ, our Savior, cultivate our hearts by uprooting what chokes the divine life in us, strengthening us to bear fruits that will last into eternity.
Father George
February 28, 2010 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, In today's Gospel, we go up the mountain with Peter, James and John. There we see Jesus "transfigured," speaking with Moses and Elijah about His "exodus." The Greek word "exodus" means "departure." This word is chosen deliberately to remind us of the Israelites' flight from Egypt.
By His death and resurrection, Jesus will
lead a new Exodus - liberating not only Israel but every race
and people from the slavery to sin and death. The Savior will
lead all mankind, not to the land promised to Moses, the giver of God's law, and the great prophet Elijah, were the only Old Testament figures to hear the voice and see the Glory of God atop a mountain. Today' scene resembles God's revelation to Moses, who also brought along three companions and whose face shone brilliantly. But when the divine cloud departs in today's Gospel, Moses and Elijah are gone. Only Jesus remains. The Savior has revealed the glory of the Trinity-the voice of the Father, the glorified Son, and the Spirit in the shining cloud. Jesus fulfills all that Moses and the prophets had come to teach and show us about God. He is the "chosen One" promised by Isaiah, the "prophet" that Moses had promised. Far and above that, He is the Son of God. "Listen to Him," the Voice tells us from the cloud. If, like Abraham, we put our faith in His words, one day we too will be delivered into "the land of the living" that we hear in today's Psalm. We will share in Jesus' resurrection, as Saint Paul promises. Our lowly bodies will be glorified like the body of the Risen Savior.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE
February 21, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In today's Gospel scene, Jesus relives in
His Body the history of Israel. Just as Israel passed through
the Red Sea, Jesus was baptized in the waters of the River
Jordan. As Israel was tested for forty years in the wilderness,
Jesus is led into the desert to be tested for forty days and
nights (Exodus 15:25). While in the desert during those forty days, Jesus faces the temptations put to Israel. When our Lord was hungry He was tempted to grumble against God for food. As Israel complained against God at Massah, Jesus is tempted to doubt God. When the Devil asks His homage, Jesus is tempted to do what Israel did when they created and worshiped the golden calf. Jesus fought the Devil with the Word of God. Our Lord quotes Moses' lecture about the lessons the Chosen People was supposed to learn as they wandered through the desert on their way to the promised land. This story is read on this First Sunday of Lent to tell us that these forty days are a time of trial and purification. This is the special time when God helps us to "turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel"....as the Lord promises us in today's Psalm, "Call upon Me and I will answer. "(Isaiah 28:16). This was Israel's experience, as Moses reminded the Chosen People in today's First Reading: "We cried to the Lord....and He heard." But everyone of us is tempted, as Israel was, to forget the great deeds God works in our lives. We are tempted to neglect our birthright as God's beloved sons and daughters....we do not appreciate God's adopting us from the moment of our Baptism, and He continues to guide, protect and nourish us with the Sacraments. Just as Moses reminds Israel of God's protection, we should see in the Sacrifice of the Mass a memorial of our salvation. We should bow down in the presence of the Lord and offer ourselves in thanksgiving for all He has given us.
Father George
February 14, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In the Gospel today Jesus' teaching
reflects the perfection of all the wisdom of the Old Testament.
That wisdom is summed up in the First Reading from the Prophet
Jeremiah: the righteous who trust in the Lord and delight in His
Law will prosper like a tree planted near living waters. The
wicked, who put their "trust in human beings" are doomed-they
will wither and die.
In the Gospel Jesus warns the rich who
are attached to their wealth, their own will, their pride, their
self-sufficiency-they will be cast down. The poor are the
humble who put all their hope and trust in the Lord. The poor,
the hungry, will be filled and exalted.
While the promises of the Old Testament
were promises of prosperity in the here and now, the promise of
the New Testament, the Covenant, is joy and true freedom even
amid the misery and toil of this life.
This coming Wednesday we will begin the
season of Lent, a special grace-filled time we are given to shed
our attachment to sin and to humbly allow the Lord to fill our
hearts with His love. Our Savior has paid the price for our sins
and shows us the Way to do penance and to be raised up by Him as
we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection. During this Lent may
we open our hearts to the Lord as He helps us to be true
disciples-disciples who put love of God and His Will and love of
our neighbor above all else.
Father George
February 7, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Pope Benedict XVI tells us that "being
Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty
idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives
life to a new horizon and a decisive direction." The Gospel
today speaks of such an encounter of Jesus with Peter and
several other fishermen who would apostles.
A large crowd had followed Jesus to the
shore of the Lake of Gennesaret. Jesus saw two boats moored by
side of the lake while the fishermen washed their nets. The
Lord got into one of the boats and asked Simon Peter to pull
out a short distance from the shore so all of the crowd could
see and hear Him. When Jesus finished speaking he told Simon to
go into deep water and put out the nets, Simon said they had
fished all night and had caught nothing; "but if you say so, I
will lower the nets." They caught so many fish that the nets
almost broke and Simon called for the other boat. Both boats
were filled with so many fish, that they almost sank.
With this miraculous catch, Simon Peter
fell to his knees and said, "Leave me Lord. I am a sinful
man." Simon and his partners, James and John, were amazed at
the catch. Jesus says to them, "Do not be afraid. From now on
you will be catching men." They landed their boats, left
everything and became Jesus' followers.
It is the encounter with Jesus that makes
us followers, His disciples. Our first encounter with Jesus is
usually with "a fisher of men", a priest who serves in Jesus'
name and shares in the power of Jesus, the High Priest.
God's Word comes to us today as it came
to Peter, Paul, Isaiah and the Psalmist. It is a personal call
to leave everything and to follow Him, to surrender our
weaknesses in order to be filled with His strength, His grace,
His love.
Jesus has made us worthy to receive Him
in the company of God's holy temple, His Church. On our knees
like Peter we thank the Lord with all our hearts and join in the
ending hymn heard around God's altar: "Holy, holy, holy......"
Father
George
January 31, 2010
DEAR PARISHIONERS OF SAINT ANTHONY'S
THE DIOCESE OF PHOENIX NOW OFFERS A NEW
PROGRAM TO COUPLES PREPARING TO RECEIVE THE SACRAMENT OF
MATRIMONY. THIS PROGRAM WILL HELP COUPLES TO ESTABLISH A TRUE
COVENANT OF LOVE WHICH WILL ENABLE THEM TO GROW IN THEIR LOVE
FOR THE LORD AND FOR EACH OTHER ALL THE DAYS OF THEIR LIFE.
J
 ESUS
PERFORMED HIS FIRST MIRACLE AT THE WEDDING FEAST AT CANA WHEN HE
TURNED WATER INTO WINE. AT THE SUGGESTION OF HIS MOTHER MARY,
OUR LORD PERFORMED HIS FIRST MIRACLE NOT SIMPLY SO THE NEWLY
MARRIED COUPLE WOULD AVOID EMBARRASSMENT BUT TO RAISE MARRIAGE
TO THE DIGNITY OF A SACRAMENT. AS SAINT PAUL TEACHES US,
CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE MIRRORS THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND HIS
CHURCH. CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE IS TRULY A SCHOOL OF LOVE. JESUS
TEACHES US THE WAY OF LOVE, BY HIS WORDS AND EXAMPLE. "NO
GREATER LOVE HAS ANY MAN THAN TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS
FRIENDS." JESUS' SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS IS THE FULLNESS OF LOVE
AND HE INSPIRES ALL OF US IN EVERY WALK OF LIFE TO DO THE SAME.
WHEN A COUPLE VOW THEIR LOVE TO EACH
OTHER IN HOLY MATRIMONY, THEY PLEDGE TO EACH OTHER TO GENEROUSLY
SACRIFICE THEMSELVES FOR EACH OTHER IN GOOD TIMES AND IN BAD
UNTIL DEATH. THIS IS A GREAT COMMITMENT, A HOLY COMMITMENT OF
LOVING GENEROSITY. WHEN THEY PRONOUNCE THEIR VOWS OF LOVE TO
EACH OTHER THEY RECEIVE THE GRACE OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY.
JESUS WILL ACCOMPANY THEM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY IN THEIR MARRIED
LIFE.
THE VOCATION OF MARRIAGE WHICH IS THE
VOCATION OF MOST HUMAN BEINGS REQUIRES NOT ONLY THAT THE COUPLE
MAKE A WISE CHOICE ABOUT WHICH PERSON THEY WILL SPEND THEIR LIFE
WITH BUT ALSO REQUIRES PREPARATION TO LIVE THEIR VOCATION OF
MARRIED LOVE TOGETHER. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY IN
THIS "CULTURE OF DEATH" WHICH MILITATES AGAINST MARRIAGE. I URGE
YOU TO PRAY FOR COUPLES PREPARING FOR MARRIAGE THAT THE LORD
WILL HELP THEM TO PREPARE WELL FOR THEIR MARRIAGE AND WILL OUT
IN THEIR MARRIED LIFE THE COVENANT OF LOVE.
FATHER
GEORGE
January 24, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's
The Readings for today's Mass have many
layers of meaning. Here is some background for today's First
Reading. Babylon has been defeated so King Cyrus of Persia
decreed that the exiled Jews could return home to Jerusalem.
They rebuilt their ruined temple and rebuilt the city walls.
With the stage set the Covenant is renewed and the Law of Moses
is reestablished as the people's rule of life. That is what is
going on in today's First Reading. The people respond with a
great "Amen!"
The Psalm expresses the Chosen People's
rededication to God and His Law. This relates to Isaiah's
prophecy that Jesus reads in today's Gospel. The glad tidings
promised by Isaiah include the liberation of prisoners, the
rebuilding of Jerusalem, the restoration of Israel as a Kingdom
of priests and the forging of an everlasting kingdom of God.
After Jesus reads from Isaiah's prophecy He states clearly that
this prophecy is fulfilled in Him. The Savior begins the
creation of the New People of God, His Church. He proclaims a
great year of Jubilee, a delivery from slavery to sin.
As members of the New People of God, we too respond "Amen, Alleluia!" Father George
January 17, 2010
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Many years ago the wreckage of a sunken
ship was found off the West coast of Ireland. Many
valuable items were recovered from the wreckage-jewelry, gold
coins, china, etc. One was a wedding ring with a heart, a crown
and a band in the form of hands which was engraved with the
phrase, "I love you forever". The heart signifies love;
the crown, loyalty; and the hands, friendship. These symbols and
the inscription signify the essence of the Sacrament of
Matrimony-hands joined in friendship; hearts united in love; and
a sacred promise to be loyal and faithful until death. Of all
the treasures found in the wreckage, this was perhaps the most
beautiful and profound.
In today's Gospel Jesus performs his
first miracle at a wedding in Cana. Jesus, his mother and
his disciples were invited guests. No doubt this was a wedding
of close friends and was meant to be the happiest day of a young
couple's life. Mary was the first to recognize that the supply
of wine had gone dry very early in the fiesta. She immediately
told Jesus, "They have no wine". Jesus' response to Mary seems
to be a
rebuke, "Woman, how does this concern of yours involve me"?
But Mary knew her Son better than any other person, and so she
told the waiter, "Do whatever He tells you." Through
Mary's intercession, Jesus worked the first miracle changing
water into wine. The newly married couple was spared
embarrassment and the day was saved. Jesus would work many more
miracles, all of which bore testimony that He was the
long-awaited Messiah.
I believe Jesus performed his first
miracle at a wedding to emphasize that marriage is the
vocation of the majority of all human beings. And our Savior
created the Sacrament of Matrimony to bless Catholic couples in
a special way and to accompany them in their married life.
Of all the sacraments of the Church,
marriage is the one that is most challenged by
contemporary culture-"the culture of death." In God's plan,
marriage is a covenant that mirrors God's covenant with His
People-His Church.
It is a vocation to holiness and to
fidelity that can never be taken lightly. Before a couple
approaches the altar, there is much preparation, prayer and soul
searching as they prepare to become one in the Sacrament of
Marriage, "until death do they part". The grace of the
sacrament gives them divine assistance at every moment of their
lives, in good times and in bad.
Because marriage is the vocation of most
people and the Sacrament of Matrimony is so important, the
Diocese of Phoenix has initiated a new and more complete program
to assist couples in their preparation for marriage.
In future corners a complete explanation
of the new marriage preparation program will be given.
Father George
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
On the Feast of the Epiphany of the
Lord last week the mystery of God's plan was revealed.
All peoples have been made
"co-heirs" to the blessings promised to Israel. With the
Baptism of the Lord we are shown how to claim our inheritance.
Jesus has no need of purification
when He submits to John's baptism. Jesus humbles Himself
to pass through the waters of the River Jordan in order to lead
a new "exodus".
With John's baptism Jesus opens
for us the promised land of heaven so that all peoples can hear
the words pronounced over Jesus, words once reserved only for
Israel and its king: that each of us is a beloved son or
daughter of God.
 In
the First Reading Isaiah prophesies that Jesus is the chosen Servant
Who is anointed with the Spirit to make things right and just on
earth. God puts His Spirit upon Jesus to make Him "a
covenant of the people," the liberator of the captives, the light to
the nations. The Second Reading tells us that Jesus is the
long expected Messiah, "anointed....with the Holy Spirit and power."
The word Messiah means "one
anointed" with God's Spirit. King David was "the anointed
of the God of Jacob"(2 Samuel 23:1-17). The prophets
taught Israel to await a royal descendant of King David, upon
Whom the Spirit would rest.
The crowds are very anxious at the
start of today's Gospel. John had told them clearly that
he is not the long promised Messiah. With John's baptism of
Jesus, God confirms with His own voice what the angel told Mary
at the Annunciation-Jesus is the Son of the Most High-the
Messiah has come to claim the throne of David forever.
In the Baptism Jesus brings, the
voice of God will hover over the waters as fiery flame.
Jesus has sanctified the waters, made them a passage-way to
healing and freedom-a fountain of new birth and everlasting
life.
Father George
January 10, 2010
The Epiphany of the Lord
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
An "epiphany" is an appearance. In the
Readings today, with the rising star, the splendorous lights and
the revelation of mysteries, the face of the Child Jesus is
revealed to all the world.
In today's Gospel Herod asks the chief
priests and the scribes where the Messiah is to be born.
Matthew's Gospel gives Herod
more of a response that he requested. The answer states that the
Savior will be a descendant of King David, "the ruler of
Israel", who will "shepherd his flock" and whose "greatness
shall reach the ends of the earth"(Micah5:1-3). Undoubtedly the
words "the ruler of Israel" made the crafty King Herod strive to
kill to newborn King.
The Magi's pilgrimage in today's Gospel
fulfills God's promises. They followed the star that Balaam
predicted would rise along with the ruler's staff over the house
of Jacob (Numbers 24:17). They came bearing gold, frankincense
and spices for the newborn King. The only other time these gifts
of gold, frankincense and myrrh are mentioned when they were
presented to King Solomon. But here we have a King greater than
Solomon. Jesus Christ, our King has come to reveal that all
peoples are "co-heirs" of God's Royal Family.
The appearance of Christ, our Eternal
King, our Savior, will force us to choose: Will we follow the
signs that lead to Him as the wise Magi did? Or will we be
like those priests and scribes who let God's words of promise
become dead letters on an ancient page?
Father George
Christmas 2009
As we celebrate the Birth of our Savior,
we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The people who walked
in darkness have seen a great light". Since about June 21st, we
have been losing a bit of light each day. The sun rises
later in the morning and sets earlier in the evening. Some of us
walk out the door in the morning into darkness and then return
home in darkness. Our days are framed by darkness as there is
always more of it in the winter.
Our lives, the lives of our spirits, are
darkened due to sin. With every lie, every slander, every
false accusation, our lives are darkened a bit more. When
we have rationalized enough, we can no longer distinguish the
light of grace from the darkness of our sins. This tendency,
this temptation to equivocate, began in the Garden of Eden when
the "father of lies"
convinced Adam of Eve that their eating
the forbidden fruit would help them rather than do them any
harm.
Speech is God's way of drawing us into
the folds of His love. Saint Paul tells us in his Letter to the
Hebrews that God spoke to people in partial and fragmentary
ways. Now, in the Incarnation, the Lord speaks to us clearly
through His Son, the Word of God made flesh. The Word became
flesh and we saw His glory, the glory of the Father's only Son,
full of grace and truth.
When Jesus stood before Pilate, accused
of being a king, He said, "You say I am a king. For this I was
born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the
truth." (John 18:37). Jesus is our King who suffered and died
for the truth. One might ask what good is the truth if one must
suffer and die for the truth. Pope John Paul gives the best
answer in his encyclical "Veritatis Splendor" CHRIST'S CRUCIFIED
FLESH FULLY REVEALS THE UNBREAKABLE BOND BETWEEN FREEDOM AND
TRUTH, JUST AS HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD IS THE SUPREME
EXALTATION OF THE FRUITFULNESS AND SAVING POWER OF A FREEDOM
LIVED OUT IN TRUTH.
Jesus was born into the world to teach us
how to speak. He doesn't teach us to talk our way out of
trouble-to spin things. These are habits which usually begin
with "little white lies". Jesus teaches us that when we speak,
we should let our "yes" mean yes and our "no" mean no. This does
not rule out speaking prudently, tactifully. It does mean that
we call things by their right names.
Usually adults teach babies how to talk.
On Christmas we allow the Babe of Bethlehem to teach us how to
talk. Jesus, the Word made flesh is the Truth Who makes you
free. With great joy we celebrate the Birth of Jesus who came to
save us from the slavery of sin and give us true freedom. He is
the Light of the World.
A Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/122509.shtm
December 6, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
On this Second Sunday of Advent the
prophet Baruch tells the Jewish people to prepare the way for
the long-promised Messiah. They are to look forward with
joyful hearts to the coming of the Savior. They should
reflect upon God's saving love for them and their ancestors and
be faithful to the covenant God has made with them.
 In
the Second Reading Saint Paul praises the Philippians for their
good example they give by living their Christian faith. He
encourages them to grow in the love of God and of their
neighbor. "My prayer is that your love may more and more abound"
so that "He who has begun the good work in you will carry it
through to completion"(Phil:5,6).
The Gospel presents John the
Baptist, calling people to repentance and baptizing them in the
River Jordan. John urges them to prepare their hearts to
receive the Messiah: "Make ready the way of the Lord, clear Him
a straight path" (Luke 3:4). As we prepare to celebrate
the birth of Jesus, the Son of God and of Mary, John the Baptist
quotes the Prophet Isaiah as he repeats the same words to us,
"Make ready the way of the Lord, clear Him a straight path" into
our hearts.
Father George
November 29, 2009 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Beginning with this First Sunday of
Advent the Readings for the four Sundays of Advent reorient our
sense of time. There is a deliberate tension in the Readings of
these Sundays of Advent-tension between promise and fulfillment,
between expectation and deliverance, between looking forward and
looking back.
In today's First Reading, the prophet
Jeremiah directs our attention to the promise God made to King
David some 1,000 years before the birth of our Savior. God
promises that He will raise up a "just shoot", a righteous
descendant of David Who will rule Israel in justice. The Psalm
echoes Israel's ancient expectation: "Guide me in Your Truth and
teach me, for You are my God and my Savior and for You I will
wait all day" (Psalm 25:5).
God has already fulfilled His promises by
sending His only Son into the world. Jesus is the "just
shoot", the God and Savior for Whom Israel was waiting. Knowing
that God always keeps His promises we should listen carefully
and take to heart what Jesus tells us in today's Gospel.
Jesus urges us to keep watch for His return in glory. The Savior
tells us to always be prepared. No matter what happens around
us, in our family, in our community, in the entire world, we
should faithfully remain united with Jesus. He says there
will be trials and tribulations-many will cower and be scared to
death.
But Jesus says we should greet the end of
this world with are heads raised high, confident that God keeps
His promises, that our "redemption is at hand", that "the
Kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:31).
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/112909.shtm
November 22, 2009
In this last Gospel of the Church's year,
Jesus clearly states that He is the fulfillment of God's promise
to King David; He is Christ the King, God's Son, "the first
born, highest of the kings of earth"(2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm
89:27-38). The second Reading from the Book of Revelation quotes
these promises and celebrates Jesus as "the faithful witness."
This reading refers to Isaiah's prophecy that the Messiah would
be a "witness to the peoples" (not just to the Chosen People)
that God is renewing His "everlasting covenant" with King David.
A descendant of King David would be the Messiah King- Son of God
and King of all the peoples of the earth.
Jesus tells Pilate that far more
is happening here than the restoration of a temporal monarchy.
In the Book of Revelation Jesus calls Himself "the Alpha and the
Omega" (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet). Here
Jesus describes Himself as God does in the Old
Testament-the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the
One who creates and maintains all generations.
The Psalm today sings "He has made the
world" and continues that the Lord has dominion over all
creation. The First Reading today states that the Messiah
comes on "the clouds of heaven" to be given "glory and
kingship" forever over all nations and peoples.
Christ is King and His Kingdom-while not
of this world-exists in this world in the Church. We are a royal
people. We have been loved by our King, redeemed by His blood
and transformed into "a Kingdom, priests for His God and
Father"(1Peter2:9).
As a priestly people, we share in
Christ's sacrifice and in His witness to God's everlasting
covenant. We belong to His Truth and listen to his voice,
waiting for Christ, our King to come again amid the clouds.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/112209.shtm
November 15, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
In the Gospel for this
second-to-the-last week of the Church year, Jesus has finally
made it to Jerusalem. Near to His passion and death, Jesus
gives us a teaching of hope in
which He tells us how it will be
when He returns in glory.
This Gospel is taken from the end of
a long teaching in which Jesus describes tribulations the likes
of
which haven't been seen "since the beginning of God's
creation"(see Mark 13:9).
Jesus describes a dissolution of
God's creation, a return of the world to its original state of
formlessness. First the human community will break down-nations
and kingdoms will be destroyed. Then the earth will not yield
fruit and will begin to shake apart. Next the family will be
torn apart from within and the last faithful individuals will be
persecuted. Finally, the Temple will be desecrated and the earth
will be emptied of God's presence. God will put out the
lights He created in the sky in the very beginning-the sun, the
moon and the stars. Into this "uncreated" darkness the Son of
Man, our Savior, in Whom all things were made, will come.
Jesus has already revealed that He
must be humiliated and killed. In this Gospel He describes His
ultimate victory when He will return in power and glory
accompanied by angels. Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God's
promises to save the "elect," the faithful remnant.
Our Savior will
resurrect His faithful disciples, raising up with glorified
bodies all who have lived and died in union with Him. We are to
always be prepared for our death so we may live and die with
hope. Jesus always fulfills His promise.
We can wait with confidence knowing
that we will one day be raised up to live in the presence of the
glory of God, praising and thanking Him forever.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/111509.shtm
November 8, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
The readings today give us
two great examples of living by the obedience of faith, a faith
that shows itself in works of charity and self-giving. The widow
in the First Reading isn't even a Jew, yet she trusts in the
word of Elijah, the prophet, and in the promise of his Lord.
Facing sure starvation, she gives her last bit of food to
Elijah-feeding the man of God before herself and her family. And
God fulfills His Promise by providing food to the widow who
believed the Lord's prophet.
The widow in the Gospel also
gives all that she has, offering her last bit of money to
support the work of God's priests in the Temple. In their
self-sacrifice, these widows embody the love that Jesus last
week revealed as the heart of the Law and the Gospel. They
mirror God the Father's love in giving His only Son, and
Christ's love in sacrificing Himself on the Cross.
We are called to imitate
Christ's sacrifice of love in our own lives. We will be judged,
not by how much we give-for the scribes and the wealthy
contribute far more that the widow. Rather, we will be judged by
whether our gifts reflect our livelihood, our whole being, all
our heart and soul. We will be judged not only by sharing our
material goods but by how we generously share ourselves, our
time and talent as well as our treasure. Also, do we sacrifice
out of a sense of forced duty or do we give in a spirit of
generosity and love?
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/110809.shtm
November 1, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
Today's First Reading
from the Book of Revelation is truly Good News. Saint John
reports "a vision of a great multitude, which no one could
count, from every nation, race, people and tongue."
Salvation has come not only for Israel but for the Gentiles as
well. Here is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham,
that by his seed all the nations of the world would be blessed.
The Church celebrates many famous Christians
on their individual memorials, but today she praises God for all
His "holy ones", His saints. Saint Paul used this title of
"saints" when he spoke to his congregations. Divinized by
Baptism, they were already "saints" by the grace of God.
However, they awaited the day when they could "share in the
inheritance of the saints in light" (Colossians 1:12).
We likewise await as the Scriptures give us
reason for both celebration and hope. In the Second Reading,
Saint John tells us to be "saints' means to be "children of
God"- and then he adds: "so we are"! Note that he speaks
in the present tense.
John also tells us that we have unfinished
business to tend. We are already God's children, but "what
we shall be has not yet been revealed." So we work out our
salvation. "Everyone who has this hope" based on Jesus, our
Savior, "makes himself pure as He is pure."
We do this as we share the life of Christ,
when we live the Beatitudes He taught us. We are "blessed"
when we are poor, when we mourn, when we are persecuted for His
sake. Then we should "rejoice and be glad, for (our) reward will
be great in heaven" (Matthew 5:12).
Father
George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/110109.shtm
October 25, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In today's Gospel Jesus cures the
blind man, Bartimaeus, who is the first person besides the
Apostles to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. This healing is the
last miracle Jesus performs before entering the holy city of
Jerusalem to endure His Passion and Death.
Jesus, as Bartimaeus proclaims, is
the long awaited Son promised to King David. When Jesus
enters Jerusalem in triumph all will see that the everlasting
kingdom promised to David has arrived.
The Epistle today clearly states
that the Son of David was expected to be the Son of God.
He was to be a priest-king like Melchizedek who offered bread
and wine to God Most High at the dawn of salvation history.
Bartimaeus is a symbol of his people.
His God has done great things for him. All his life was
sown in tears because of his blind condition. Recall that
many of his contemporaries judged any disability as a sign of
sinfulness. Was it "because of his sin or that of his
parents?" Now Bartimaeus lives a new life. Because of his
faith he sees, he sees with eyes of faith.
Bartimaeus should be a sign for us, too.
How many times does Christ pass us by-in the person of the poor?
in a person who is troubled and trouble to help? or someone who
just needs to be heard?-and yet we don't see HIM.
Christ still calls us through HIs
Church, as Jesus sent HIs Apostles to call Bartimaeus.
Today Jesus asks us as He asks
Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?"
Rejoicing, let us ask the same thing of
Jesus-What can we do for all that You have done for us?
Father George
P.S. Because of the flu
epidemic we will have Holy
Communion only under the one form.
We will not offer the Precious Blood.
Also, I suggest you not hold hands during the Our Father and
offer the Sign of Peace only verbally-"Peace be with you".."And
also with you". In any case do not be offended if your neighbor
does not hold hands nor shake your hand.
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/102509.shtm
October 18, 2009
Dear Faithful of Saint Anthony's,
James and John, Zebedee's sons, do
not know what they are asking of Jesus. They are thinking in
terms of how their Roman conquerors rule over them.....they
think Jesus has come to establish a kingdom of this world and
they wish to share in royal privileges and honors. The road to
Christ's Kingdom is by way of His cross. To share in Christ's
glory we must be willing to drink the cup that He drinks.
 The
cup is an image from the Old Testament which signifies "God's
judgment." The wicked would be made to drink this cup in
punishment for their sins. But Jesus has come to drink
this cup on behalf of all mankind. Jesus has come to be
baptized-to be plunged or immersed-into the sufferings we all
deserve for our sins. This is how Jesus will fulfill Isaiah's
prophecy of the suffering servant. Jesus saves us by giving
His life as an offering for sin. Jesus is the Heavenly High
Priest of all of humanity. During the old covenant Israel's priests
offered sacrifices in the temple for the sins of the chosen people.
Jesus entered the Heavenly Sanctuary with His Own Blood. By
bearing our guilt and offering His life to do the will of God, Jesus
ransomed "the many"-paying the price to redeem humanity from
spiritual slavery to sin and death.
We need to hold fast to our
confession of faith, as today's Epistle exhorts us. We
must accept our trials and sufferings as our portion of the cup
Jesus promised to those who believe in Him. We must
remember that we have been baptized into His passion and death.
Let us approach the altar today, the throne of grace, at which
we drink the cup of Jesus' saving blood.
October 11, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
The rich young man in today's Gospel
wanted to know what we all want to know-how to live in this life
so we might "inherit eternal life." As today's Psalm states, the
young man sought "wisdom of heart".
Jesus informs the young man that
observing the commandments is essential to walking the path of
salvation but it can only get us so far. The wisdom of God
is more than precepts-it is a person, Jesus Christ. Jesus
is the Wisdom whose spirit was granted to Solomon in the First
Reading in today's Mass. Jesus is the Word of God spoken
of in the Epistle. Jesus, as He reveals himself to the
rich man today, is God.
In Jesus we encounter wisdom, the
living Word of God. As He did with the rich young man,
Jesus looks upon us with love. His loving gaze is a
personal invitation to each and everyone to give up everything
to follow Him. We must prefer Jesus to all else, to other
persons, to other things. We are to love others but not
more than we love Jesus. We should never prefer wealth,
fame, power more than Jesus. This preference, this response of
love of Jesus, requires a leap of faith. It requires sacrifice
on our part. But we must trust in His promise-that all good
things will come to us in His company.
Let us pray for the wisdom to enter
into the Kingdom of Christ, our King.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/101109.shtm
October 4, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Today, October 4th, is Respect Life
Sunday. It is set aside for all of us Catholics in the United
States to reflect with gratitude on God's priceless gift of
human life. It is also an occasion to examine how well we, as a
nation and individually, are living up to our obligation to
appreciate and respect the gift of life. Unborn children remain
the persons whose lives are most at risk in America: Over one
million children die each year in abortion facilities.
Abortion-the direct, intentional killing of an unborn girl or
boy-is not health care, obviously for the baby who is
killed as well as for the child's mother. The mother who allows
her child to be killed always suffers spiritually, emotionally
and often physically, as well.
It bears repeating: Abortion-the direct,
intentional killing of an unborn girl or boy-is not health care.
Abortion robs an innocent child of his or her life, and robs
mothers of their peace and happiness. For 25 years, the Project
Rachel post-abortion ministry of the Catholic Church has helped
women move beyond their grief and remorse after abortion,
helping them find peace by accepting God's forgiveness and
forgiving themselves and others involved in the abortion
decision. Abortion funding can only increase the number of
dead and grieving.
The lives of the elderly, the disabled
and those who are seriously ill are already threatened in my
home state of Oregon where euthanasia has been legal and
practiced for several years. Oregon's "health" plan offers
assisted suicide and health care for low-income patients and
poor elderly and disabled.
Because health care for low income
patients is rationed by the state, several patients have been
denied costly prescription drugs needed to prolong their life.
The bill now being considered by congress would allow cutting
Medicare by 10%, increase funding for abortion and embryonic
stem cell research and further threaten the lives of the unborn
as well as the elderly. Promoters of our "culture of
death" wish to expand the holocaust of abortion and of
eliminating the "useless" disabled as well as the elderly who
need Medicare. Despite the opposition of 67% of Americans to
tax-payer funded abortion, all current health care proposals
being considered by Congress would allow or mandate abortion
funding, either through premiums paid into government programs
or out of federal revenues-your taxes.
As Catholics we must do all we can to
support life in all of its stages. We must praise and
thank God for this great gift. With our prayers, our voices, our
votes we must defend the lives of all persons. We must work to
defeat any court rulings, health care legislation, or other laws
that attack life from the moment of conception until natural
death. We thank God for the life He has given us and for His
Grace and promise of eternal life.
Father George
September 27, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
The Gospel for this 26th Sunday in
Ordinary Time recalls the episode related in the First Reading
from the Book of Numbers. Following God's command Moses
commissions seventy elders who received the Holy Spirit to
prophesy in God's Name. When Moses commissioned the elders, two
of them were missing. Later on the two, who were not in the camp
when the sixty-eight were commissioned, were observed
prophesying in the Lord's Name. When Joshua observed that the
two missing elders were prophesying in God's Name, he told Moses
to stop them. Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake?" It
was obvious that Eldad and Medad, the two who had been missing,
had also received the Holy Spirit of prophecy.
The Gospel relates how John, the Apostle,
objects to a man who was using Jesus' name to drive out evil
spirits from people who were possessed. John makes the
mistake of presuming that only a select few are inspired and
entrusted to carry out God's plans. The Spirit blows where it
wills and God desires to bestow His Spirit on all the people of
God, in every nation under heaven. God can and will work mighty
deeds through the most unexpected and unlikely people. All
of us are called to perform even our most humble tasks, such a
giving a cup of water, for the sake of His Name and the cause of
His Kingdom.
John believes he is protecting the purity
of the Lord's name. But he is only guarding his own
privilege and status. Authority to drive out demons and unclean
spirits was one of the specific powers entrusted to the
Twelve Apostles. But as Jesus teaches, "The wind blows where it
will. You hear the sound it makes but you do not know where it
comes from, or where it goes. So it is with everyone begotten of
the Spirit."
In today's Psalm we pray that the Lord
will cleanse me from my unknown faults. Often, like Joshua and
John, perhaps without noticing it, we cloak our failings and
fears under the guise of our desire to defend Christ or the
Church. But as Jesus says today, instead of worrying about who
is a real Christian and who is not, we should make sure that we
ourselves are leading lives worthy of our calling as disciples.
Does the advice we give, or the example
of our actions, give scandal-causing others to doubt or lose
faith? Do we do what we do with mixed motives instead of
seeking only the Father's will? Are we living, as this
Sunday's Epistle warns, for our own
luxury and pleasure, and neglecting our neighbors?
We need to keep meditating on His Law, as
we sing in today's Psalm. We need to pray for the grace to
detect our failings and to overcome them.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/092709.shtm
September 20, 2009
Dear
Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
The First Reading for this 25th Sunday is
like a prophecy of the murderous grumblings of the chief
priests,
elders and scribes who are jealously searching for ways to kill
Jesus. We hear Jesus' enemies complain that He has challenged
their authority because He reproached them for breaking the Law
given to Moses(the Ten Commandments) and for betraying their
training as leaders and teachers. In the Gospel
of Mathew(27:41-43) we hear the chilling words that foretell how
they will mock Jesus as He hangs on the cross-"He saved others
but He cannot save Himself. For if the Just One be the Son of
God, let Him come down from the cross and we will believe in
Him."
In the Gospel and the Psalm we hear of
Jesus' sufferings from His point of view. Though His enemies
surround Him, Jesus offers Himself freely in sacrifice, trusting
that God will sustain Him. But the apostles don't understand
Jesus' second announcement of His Passion, His sacrifice for all
of us. They begin to argue about who will succeed the Christ,
who among them is the greatest. Again they are thinking not as
God, but as human beings.
Again Jesus teaches the twelve-the chosen
leaders of His Church-that they must lead by imitating His
example of love and self-sacrifice. They must be "servants of
all," especially the weak and the helpless-symbolized by the
child Jesus embraces and places in their midst.
This is a lesson for us, too. We must
have the mind of Christ Who humbled Himself to come among us to
save us. We must offer ourselves, making everything we do a
sacrifice in praise of Jesus' name. We, like Jesus, are to be
full of mercy and gentle in all we do.
Today is Catechical Sunday. Pray
for the teachers of your children as well as for the children
beginning the classes of religious education. May all of us,
parents and teachers, be full of gentle love as we teach your
children about Jesus and His sacrificial love for all.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/092009.shtm
September 13, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In today's Gospel Jesus tells us how to
be true followers, His disciples in deed as well as in word.
When Jesus asked his disciples, "But you, who do you say that I
am"? Peter responded," You are the Christ". Many of
the disciples, including those who would become the apostles,
expected that the promised Messiah would be a miracle worker who
would defeat Israel's enemies and restore the kingdom of David.
In today's Gospel Jesus reveals a
different portrait. He calls himself the Son of Man, evoking the
royal figure Daniel saw in his heavenly visions. But
Jesus' kingship is not to be this world. And the Savior
reveals to us that the path to His throne is by way of suffering
and death.
Jesus identifies the Messiah with the
suffering servant that Isaiah foretells in the First Reading.
The words of Isaiah's servant are Jesus' words-as He gives
Himself to be shamed and beaten, trusting that God will be His
help. We hear again the Savior's words in the Psalm as He thanks
that God has freed Him from death.
As Jesus tells us today, to believe that
He is the Savior is to follow His way of self-denial--losing our
lives to save them. We must be willing to carry our cross,
to sacrifice ourselves for love of our God and our neighbor.
That is the only way to rise with our Savior to new life. Our
faith must express itself in works of love.
In the Gospel today Jesus questions the
apostles "along the way." They are on the way to Jerusalem where
the Savior will lay down His life. We, too, are on a journey
with the Lord. We must take up our cross and endure all our
trials for His sake. Our lives must be an offering of
thanksgiving for the new life He has given us, until the day
when we reach our destination, Jesus' heavenly Kingdom.
September 6, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
At the end of today's Gospel the
crowd exclaimed, "He has done everything well!" This line echoes
the story of creation in Genesis, recalling that God saw all the
things He had done and declared them "very Good". In this
Gospel Saint Mark also evokes the prophet Isaiah's promise that
God will make the deaf hear and the mute speak. Mark even
uses a Greek word to describe the man's condition. The word
means "speech impediment". The only other place that word
is used in the Bible is in the passage from Isaiah where the
prophet describes the mute people singing.
The crowd following Jesus that day
knew the inspired words of the prophet Isaiah and recognized
that Jesus is doing what the prophet had foretold. Mark
wants us to see something far greater-that is, to use the words
from the First Reading from Isaiah, "Here is your God".
Jesus' miracles are always personal
and physical, as is the miracle related in today's Gospel.
God knows we learn through our five senses. Jesus also uses
miracles to teach us about greater realities, greater than the
sign performed. Our focus is drawn to a hand, a
finger, ears, a tongue, spitting. In Jesus, Mark shows us,
God has truly come in the flesh.
What Jesus has done is to truly make
all things new. As Isaiah promised, Jesus has made the
living waters of Baptism flow in the world. Jesus has set
captives free from their sins; He has come that rich and poor
might dine together in the Eucharistic feast, as Saint James
tells us in today's Epistle.
Jesus has done for each of us what
He did for the deaf mute. He has opened our ears to hear
the Word of God, and loosened our tongues to praise and thank
Him.
Let us then, in the Eucharist, again
give thanks to our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. Let us say
with Isaiah, "Here is our God." Jesus comes to save us.
Let us be rich in faith, that we might inherit the kingdom
promised to those who love Him.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/090609.shtm
August 30, 2009 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Jesus scolds the Pharisees in the Gospel
today for disobeying the ten commandments while criticising
Jesus' disciples for not obeying the rules invented by the
Pharisees' ancestors. Jesus says to them," You abandon the
commandments of God and hold to human tradition." When we are
baptized in" the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit we become members of the Mystical Body of Christ and
are filled with Sanctifying Grace...the very life of God that
first enters the soul at Baptism and that comes to be renewed
in within us by the gift of the Holy Spirit in each of the
sacraments. This happens especially in the Sacraments of Penance
and of the Holy Eucharist. The Sacrament of Penance purges us of
our sins and by the Eucharist we are fed with the Body and Blood
of Christ.
In the Second Reading Saint James tells
us how to live as true disciples of Jesus, how to live the life
of Grace we first received in Baptism. Saint James realizes that
there are many trials and temptations in this life and that we
can deal with them because God freely gives us the Grace to do
so. He says, "Humbly welcome the Word (Jesus) that has taken
root in you, with its power to save you. Act on this Word. If
all you do is listen to it, you are deceiving yourselves." Saint
James reminds us that Sanctifying Grace is pure gift and comes
from a loving and merciful God with these words, "Every
worthwhile gift, every genuine benefit comes from above,
descending from the Father of the heavenly luminaries, Who
cannot change and Who is never shadowed over." In that mystical
sentence we hear not only about the bountiful mercy of God Who
is always ready to help us whenever we pray to Him in our need,
but also about God's constancy, His steadfast love and mercy
that are never shadowed over, never blocked out, never
unavailable to us. All we need to do is to ask Him whenever we
are in need.
God constantly enlightens us, inspires us
so that we may come to conform our will to God's will. When we
pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven" we are asking God for what is best for ourselves as
well as for our neighbor. May we always respond gratefully
and generously to God's Grace, His saving love.
Father George.
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/083009.shtm
August 23, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
That last four Sundays have featured the
Gospel of Saint John in which Jesus gives us an explanation of
the Holy Eucharist. With each installment we heard a bit more of
Jesus' explanation of the miracle that He performed by feeding
5,000 with a few loaves of bread and some few fish. Jesus
promised to feed all those who would come to believe in Him;
Jesus promises that He will feed all believers with His Body and
Blood as the bread come down from heaven, the food of eternal
life.
In this
final passage of John's Gospel about the Eucharist we hear about
the skeptical reaction of many who had been disciples. Their
comments were: "This sort of talk is hard to endure! How can
anyone take it seriously?" And they stopped following the
Savior.
As He watched so many break away, Jesus
put this question to the twelve apostles: "Do you want to leave
me, too?"
Peter spoke on behalf of the other
apostles: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words
of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced that
you are God's holy one." It is this belief that
sustains and nourishes our faith today-a faith that is important
to nourish always. Our prayers should always include thanking
God for the gift of faith, thanking God for nourish us
with the very Body and Blood of Jesus, our Savior.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/082309.shtm
August 16, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In the Gospel today Jesus makes a claim
that should not trouble us who have grown used to receiving Holy
Communion. But it never fails to astonish those people who are
not Catholic. Jesus states very clearly what He means: "Let me
solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of
Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you....For my flesh
is real food and my blood real drink." Truly we are not a sect
that practices cannibalism! How should we understand these
words? What is it that we do in the final portion of the Mass?
The Communion Rite is the final portion
of the Mass. It begins with the Lord's prayer-the words that
Jesus himself taught us to pray. When we pray, "Give
us this day our daily bread..." we are asking not only for the
food that nourishes us at breakfast, lunch or dinner, but also
for the spiritual food of the Eucharist that nourishes our
souls.
Holy Communion unites us with Jesus by
having Christ present within us. In preparation to receive we
pray: "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have
mercy on us......have mercy on us.....grant us peace." At the
Last Supper Jesus, as He celebrated the Passover meal with the
apostles, instituted the new rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass. He becomes the sacrifice; He is the sacrificial Lamb of
God. The faithful are kneeling, a gesture of reverence, as the
priest begins the prayer just before Communion: "Behold the Lamb
of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Happy
are those who are called to his supper." All respond in common
with the priest: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only
say the word, and I shall be healed." Though we say these words
in common, the focus is private. We admit that we are not about
to receive Communion because we are so good, but because we
desperately need Christ.
When we receive and hear the words, "The
Body of Christ," we respond "Amen." In faith we acknowledge that
this is the Body of Christ. After we receive Communion it is
important to say "Thank you." Spend at least a few minutes
thanking the Lord for this greatest of gifts of Jesus' love.
If for some reason we are not able to
receive Communion on a given day, the Church invites us to make
a spiritual Communion-to ask the Lord to come into our hearts.
By this act of devotion we can assure the Lord of our desire for
Him.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/081609.shtm
August 9, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Sometimes we may feel like Elijah in
today's First Reading. We want to lie down and die, keenly aware
of our failures, that we seem to be getting no better at doing
what God wants of us. We can be tempted to despair, as was
Elijah, the prophet while on his forty-day journey in the
desert. We can be tempted to "murmur" against God, as the
Israelites did during their forty years in the desert as they
were being led to the promised land.
 The
Gospel today uses the same word, "murmur," to describe the crowds,
who, like their ancestors in the desert, did not trust God who had
freed them from slavery. When Jesus tells the crowds that the
prophecies are being fulfilled in Him, that they are being taught by
God, they can't believe it. They can see only His flesh, believing
that Jesus of Nazareth is the "son" of Joseph and Mary.
Yet if we believe, if we seek Him in our
distress, in the times when our daily cross seems too heavy to
bear, Jesus will always help us. The Lord never abandons us; it
is we ourselves who are tempted to give up on Him. If we seek
Him in our distress, Jesus will deliver us from our fears.
At the altar in every Mass, the Lord
touches us. He commands us to take and eat His flesh given for
the life of the world. The Lord encourages us to get up and
continue the journey we began in Baptism, the journey to the
kingdom of heaven.
So let us not "murmur" when we are being
tried. Rather, let us say like Elijah did, "Take my life."-Not
in the sense of wanting to die, but rather giving ourselves as a
sacrificial offering-loving the Lord as He has loved us, on the
cross and in the Eucharist.
Father
George
July 12, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In the first reading today Jeremiah
promises that God will send a shepherd, a King and son of David
who will gather the lost sheep who have been led astray be
Israel's leaders because of the leaders' godlessness and bad
teachings. The Gospel speaks of the people who a been attracted
by Jesus' teaching and his concern for the people. They seem to
sense the Jesus is the promised good shepherd, the Lord, the
Messiah King they have been waiting for.
Jesus is moved to pity, seeing them as
sheep without a shepherd. Moses described Israel's need for a
leader to succeed him so he appointed Joshua. Jesus appointed
the Twelve Apostles to continue shepherding His People on earth.
Our Savior points out that He has come not only to shepherd the
Jewish people but all other peoples as well. All who respond to
the Good Shepherd's voice will become one flock of the one true
Shepherd.
In God's plan, the Church, led by the
Vicar of Christ and the Apostles' successors, is to bring all
nations into the fold. In
today's Epistle, Saint Paul sees the Church as a new creation,
in which those nations who were once far from God are joined as
"one new person" with the children of Israel. Through the
Church, the Lord, our Good Shepherd, still leads us to the
verdant pastures of His Kingdom, to the restful waters of
Baptism: He still anoints us with the oil of Confirmation, and
spreads the Eucharistic table before all of us, filling our cups
to overflowing with His Saving Love.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/071909.shtm
July 12, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In the Gospel today we see
Jesus commissioning the twelve called by Him to be apostles. Our
Lord sends them out two by two to cure people in His name.
Jesus empowered the twelve to drive out
evil spirits from those who were possessed as well as to cure
people who were ill by anointing them with oil. They were to
travel "light" depending on the providence of God and His grace.
The apostles went out and "proclaimed that all should repent."
Then " they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who
were sick and cured them".
 With
this episode Jesus gave the apostles a preview of His Church's
mission after the resurrection. It also tells us about the
Church's mission which is to deliver peoples from their exile
from God and bring them to the promised land, the kingdom of
heaven. The apostles are not professionals who earn their bread
by prophesying. They are simply men summoned from their ordinary
jobs and sent by God to be shepherds of their brothers and
sisters. Although they are not professionals their preparation
is the best, having been taught by the words and example of
Jesus Himself.
Jesus warned the apostles that some
people will not welcome them or listen to them. The Church is
called, not necessarily to be 100% successful, but only to be
faithful to God's command. With the authority and power given to
it by Jesus, the Church proclaims God's peace and salvation to
those who believe in Him and accept His saving love.
Saint Paul tells us in today's Epistle
that this Gospel of salvation is addressed to each of us. In
God's mysterious will we have been chosen before the foundation
of the world to be God's sons and daughters. Let us give thanks
to God for the Church, and for the spiritual blessings He has
bestowed upon us. Let us resolve by living as true disciples to
advance the Church's mission. Let us help others hear the call
to repentance and welcome Christ into their lives.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/071209.shtm
July 5, 2009 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In the Gospels of the past few Sundays we
see Jesus reveal Himself gradually to the disciples. Miracles
such as commanding the wind and the sea as well as curing the
woman who had suffered hemorrages for twelve years led His
followers to believe that Jesus was an extraordinary prophet
comparable to several Old Testament prophets who called upon God
to perform miraculous signs. Note that only the parents of the
child Jesus raised from the dead as well as the three disciples
closest to our Lord were allowed to witness this miracle. Jesus
gave strict orders to the girl's parents as well as to Peter,
James and John that they were not to tell anyone of the child's
rising up at Jesus' order, "Arise!" In every case our Lord
performed these miraculous signs because of the faith of the
persons who requested His help. The signs Jesus performed were a
gradual revelation of His true identity-He is the Son of God as
well as the son of Mary.
Jesus seems to have met His match in
his hometown of Nazareth. The people there admired the
Wisdom of His words and the power of the works He performed
but they refused to recognize Jesus even as a powerful
prophet and much less as the Son of God. All they could see
was how much "this man" was like them-a carpenter, the
son of their neighbor, Mary. They lacked faith. For this
reason "He was not able to perform any mighty deed there."
Jesus' relatives and neighbors were
rebellious, stubborn, with "hardened hearts", similar to the
people to whom God sent the prophet Ezekiel. They, like the High
Priest, the Scribes and Pharisees, were obstinate of heart and
in revolt against God.
The servant is not above the
Master. As Jesus' disciples we may face mockery and
contempt. Sometimes members of our own families
may not respect us when we truly follow Jesus. Saint
Paul tells us in the Epistle that insults and hardships
are God's way of teaching us to rely solely on His
grace. Jesus will work no mighty deeds in our lives
unless we abandon ourselves to our Lord in faith. We
must look upon Him with the eyes of servants, follow
Jesus faithfully-knowing that the Son of Mary is also
the Lord enthroned in heaven.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/032209.shtm
June 28 , 2009Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Because of the devil's envy and Adam and
Eve's sin, death entered the world; as a result we are destined
to die. In today's Gospel, we see Jesus liberate a little girl
from the possession of death. Mark's Gospel today recounts a
miracle performed by Jesus which led the disciples to understand
His authority and power over even the final enemy, death. This
episode was written to strengthen our hope that we too will be
raised from the dead, along with our deceased loved ones who
sleep in Christ.
Jesus commands the girl to "Arise!"-using
the same Greek word used to describe His own resurrection.
The consoling message of the Gospel today is that Jesus is the
resurrection and the life. If we believe in Him, even though we
die, we will live. We are called to have the same faith as
the parents in the Gospel today--praying for our loved ones,
trusting in Jesus' promise that even death cannot keep us apart.
Notice that the girl's parents follow Jesus even though those
people in their own house tell them there is no hope, and
even though others ridicule Jesus' claim that the dead have only
fallen asleep.
Already in Baptism, we have been raised
to new life in Christ. The Eucharist, symbolized by the food
given to the little girl after she was "awakened", is the pledge
that Jesus will raise us on the last day.
We
should rejoice that Jesus has rescued us from the pit of
death. As Saint Paul exhorts us in the Epistle, we should
offer our lives in thanksgiving, imitating Christ in our
love and generosity for others.
Father George
June 21 , 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
A blessed and happy Father's Day to all
of the fathers here at Saint Anthony's. We pray for all of
our fathers, both living and deceased.
The Gospel today reminds us that we
should always have faith in God, our Father who sent His Son,
Jesus, to save us and is always present to us, guiding us with
the Holy Spirit. Mark's Gospel we hear on this Sunday is an
 echo
of the story of the prophet Jonah. He was found asleep on a boat
when a life-threatening storm broke out which caused his fellow
travelers to pray for deliverance, and then to marvel when the
storm abated.
But Jesus is something greater than
Jonah. And Mark wants us to see what the Apostles saw-that God
alone has the power to rebuke the wind and the sea. If even the
wind and sea obey God, shouldn't we trust Him in the storms of
our own lives? As with the apostles, the Lord asks us to
cross over to the other side, to leave behind our old ways to
travel with Him in the little ship of the Church. In their fear
the Apostles call Jesus "Teacher". It is only by Faith in
the Lord's teaching that He will save us. We should always
Christ, and like Him-who was able to sleep through the storm,
confident that God was with Him. We should live in thanksgiving
for our salvation as new creations, living not for ourselves but
for Christ who died for our sake.
Father George
June 14 , 2009
Dear
Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Today we celebrate the great feast of
Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. All of the
Scriptures for this feast are set in the context of the
Passover. The First Reading from Exodus recalls the old
covenant celebrated at Sinai following the first Passover and
the exodus. Moses sprinkled the blood of the covenant on the
Israelites. This symbolizes God's desire in this covenant to
make them His family, His blood relatives.
In the Gospel Jesus quotes Moses' words
and elevates and transforms this convenant to an extraordinary,
supernatural reality. In the new covenant made in the Body and
Blood of Christ, we truly become one with His Body and Blood.
The first covenant made with Moses and Israel was a mere shadow
of this new and greater covenant made by Christ with all
humankind in the upper room at the Last Supper. The Passover
that Jesus celebrates with His 12 apostles makes real what could
only be symbolized by Moses' sacrifice at the altar with 12
pillars. At the last supper Jesus established HIs Church as the
new Israel, and His Eucharist as the new worship of the living
God. As we hear in today's Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus
purified us with His Blood and made us capable of true worship.
God does not want dead works or
animal sacrifices. Our Father in heaven wants our own flesh and
blood, our own lives, united to Jesus, consecrated to Him,
offered as a living sacrifice. This is the sacrifice of praise
and thanksgiving; this is the Eucharist. What we do in memory of
Him is to pledge our lives to God, to renew our promise to live
by the words of His covenant and to be His servants. This is the
only return we can offer to God for the eternal inheritance He
has won for us. So let us approach the altar, calling upon the
Lord's name in thanksgiving, taking up the cup of salvation.
Father George
June 7 , 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
This feast of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
celebrates the greatest mystery of our faith, God Himself. In
this life we will never understand WHO GOD IS. However God, who
is love itself, not only has revealed to us much about Himself
but the Lord has been a part of our lives from the first moment
of our existence. God created our immortal spirit at the moment
of our conception. With our baptism in the Name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit we became children of God,
members of God's Family, His Church. With the Sacrament of
Confirmation we received the Holy Spirit with His gifts. Next
Sunday we will celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, a great
feast of thanksgiving for God's love of us by which we are
nourished by the very Body and Blood of Christ, our Savior.
The three feasts of Pentecost, the Most Holy Trinity and
Corpus Christi remind us of how deeply God loves us.
They remind us of how He chose us, from before the foundation
of the world to be His Children. The readings of today's
Mass show us how all of God's words and deeds were meant to
prepare us for the revelation of theTrinity and God's blessing
in Jesus Christ-the blessing we inherited in Baptism, and is
renewed in each Eucharist. Out of love God chose Abraham and his
descendants to be His chosen people. Through His chosen people,
the Israelites, God revealed to all nations that He alone is
Lord and there is no other.
In Jesus, God's Word became man as a descendant of Abraham.
In the Gospel today Jesus reveals that the one God is
Father, Son and Spirit, and that He desires to make all people
His own. As God's heirs we receive the commissions of Jesus. We
are to fix our hearts on the Lord God and observe all He has
commanded. The Eucharist is His pledge-that He will be
with us until the end, that He will deliver us from death to
live forever in the promised land of His Kingdom.
Father George
May 31, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
Today is the Feast of Pentecost. The First Reading from the
Acts of the Apostles gives us a time frame-the events which took
place during the days between Christ's Ascension and Pentecost.
We are at the same point in the liturgical year. We celebrated
the Ascension a few days ago and now we celebrate the Sending of
the Holy Spirit upon the Church.
Jesus' prayer in the Gospel today captures the mood of His
departure and the anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
He tells us how it will be when He is no longer in the world. By
His Ascension the Lord has established His throne in heaven. His
Kingdom is His Church, which continues His mission on earth.
Jesus fashioned His Church as a New Jerusalem. He entrusted
His Church to His twelve apostles who were to proclaim the good
news of the Gospel, baptize, confirm celebrate the Eucharist and
rule with Our Savior, not only over the twelve tribes of Israel
but over all peoples who hear the Gospel and receive the gift of
faith. Since Jesus was sent first to the twelve tribes of Israel
it was necessary to replace Judas-so that the Church in its
fullness would receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Peter's leadership of the apostles is clearly depicted on
that first Pentecost. He is in control; Peter intrprets the
Scriptures; he decides the course of action; he defines the
nature of apostolic ministry.
Although no one has seen God, as mentioned in today's
Epistle, it is through the Church, founded on the apostles, that
the world will come to know and believe in God's love, that Our
Father in heaven sent His Son to save us. Through the Church
Jesus fulfills His promise-if we love, God will remain with us
in our trials and He will protect us from the evil one.
Our Savior will help us grow in holiness, the perfection of
love.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/053109.shtm
May 24, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
As we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension we have two great
reasons to rejoice. The first is Jesus' words to his disciples
He spoke to the disciples just before Our Savior ascended into
heaven.-"Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to
every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned." They went forth and
preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and
confirmed the word through accompanying signs. We have
been blessed with the gift of faith and have become sons and
daughters of God the Father through Baptism. Jesus promises us
Eternal Life in Him if we follow as true disciples.
The second reason to rejoice is the Feast of Pentecost which
will we celebrate next Sunday. Jesus always fulfills His
promises. As Our Lord told the Apostles, after He ascended the
Holy Spirit would descend upon them and upon all the disciples
to enlighten and strengthen them, confirm them. Just a few days
ago Bishop Olmsted confirmed our young people here at Saint
Anthony's, and they received for the first time, the very Body
and Blood of Christ in their first Holy Communion. Rejoice
for God, our Father has adopted us; Jesus saves and nourishes
us; God the Holy Spirit confirms us.
Rejoice! Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/052409.shtm
May 17, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
God is love, and the Father revealed that love in sending His
Only Son to be a sacrificial offering for our sins. These words
from today's Epistle echo the story of Abraham's offering of his
son, Isaac, at the beginning of
salvation
history. Because Abraham obeyed God and did not withhold
his only beloved son, God promised that Abrahams's descendants,
the children of Israel, would be the source of blessing for all
nations. We see that promise being fulfilled in the First
Reading. God pours out His Spirit upon the Gentiles as they
listen to the words of Saint Peter. They receive the same gifts
as those received by the devout Jews who heard Peter preach at
Pentecost-the Holy Spirit comes to rest upon them and they speak
in tongues, glorifying God.
God reveals that His salvation embraces peoples of all
nations as well as the Jewish people. This is the wondrous work
of God's love that we sing of in today's Psalm. It is the
work of the Church, the good fruit that Jesus chooses and
appoints His apostles for in today's Gospel. In the Church, each
of us has been begotten by the love of God. This divine gift
brings with it a command and a duty; we are to love one another
as we have been loved. We are to lay down our lives in giving
ourselves to others-that they too might find friendship with
Christ, and new life through Him.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/051709.shtm
May 10, 2009 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In today's Gospel Jesus tells us that He
is the true vine-the source of divine life and wisdom for all
nations. In Baptism, each of us was joined to Our Savior by the
Holy Spirit. As a branch grows from a tree, our souls draw
life from Him, nourished by His Word and the Eucharist.
In the First Reading Saint Paul seeks to
be grafted on to Christ, the true vine-His Church. But Paul is
met with suspicion and resistance because of his earlier
persecution of the Church. When Jesus abruptly stopped him in
his tracks ("Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?"), Paul began
a process of conversion to Jesus and became a zealous apostle
for the Lord; from an enemy of the Savior Paul became a powerful
witness to the Lord working in his life. Before his martyrdom
Paul was to suffer many trials and tribulations. Paul rejoiced
in what he had to undergo since he knew the Lord was "pruning"
him so that he would bear much fruit.
Jesus teaches us that we, too, will be
pruned, we must carry our cross if we are to live fruitful
lives. We will become stronger, more faithful disciples if we
carry our cross so that our lives will give glory to God
We need to remain always rooted in the
Lord by keeping His Two Great Commandments of Love. As we sing
in the Psalm, we must fulfill our vows, turning to the Lord in
worship and praise of our Loving Savior.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/051009.shtm
May 3, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In today's Gospel Jesus tells us He is
our Good Shepherd who always looks out for us. He begins by
telling us He is "One who lays down his life for his sheep."
"I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep."
Jesus continues by saying there are other sheep "not of this
fold" (all the gentiles) that Our Savior also will lead. "They
too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock
and one shepherd."
 Jesus,
the Christ, concludes this passage by relating that He freely
lays down His life to "take it up again", thus fulfilling the
will of God, the Father. He does this by suffering and dying to
pay for all of the sins of all men for all time, and by rising
to share His Life and Love with all people who believe and
accept His saving grace.
The Gospel of Saint John further
clarifies the relationship of the Good Shepherd. We are
warned not to follow mercenary, false shepherds. If we are
led astray the Good Shepherd seeks us out and rescues us,
restoring us as members of His flock. Jesus promises us that He
will save us if we follow Him. "The sheep that belong to me
listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them
eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal
them from me."
The Pope, all other bishops and priests
share in the one unique priesthood of Jesus Christ. Pray that
all who share in the ministerial priesthood of Our Good Shepherd
be good, faithful shepherds, willing to sacrifice themselves for
the people whom they serve. Pray, too, that Our Good
Shepherd will call more young men to serve His Church as
priests.
Father George
APRIL 26, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's,
In today's Gospel Jesus tells the
disciples how to interpret Holy Scripture, especially the
Prophecies in the Old Testament. The promises in the Old
Testament have been fulfilled in His passion, death and
resurrection. Isaiah particularly predicts how the Messiah will
suffer, die and rise again. He is the Savior of all peoples.
Jesus tells the disciples that the
Scriptures foretell the mission of the Church-to preach the
forgiveness of sins to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
In the First Reading and the Epistle we hear Saint Peter and the
other apostles on the mission to evangelize and convert all
people of good will to the Lord, to baptize all people "in the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
In all three readings the Scriptures are
interpreted to serve and advance the mission of the Church-to
reveal the truth about Jesus, to bring people to repentance, to
be forgiven and to grow in the love of God. We also should hear
the Scriptures in the same way. We should understand
God's Word not just to know more about Jesus but to truly know
Him personally, and to know His plan for our lives. He is the
Light of the world-our world. As true disciples we are to
follow Him.
Father
George
APRIL 19, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday.
Three times in today's Psalm we sing "His mercy endures
forever." We have all experienced Jesus' mercy even though we
have not seen Him. His mercy and His saving love have come to us
through the Church.
The Apostles bore witness to the
Resurrection and their inspired words in the Scriptures have
been handed down to us through the centuries. We too,
encounter Jesus in the breaking of bread, the
Holy Eucharist on the Lord's Day. In the Gospel it appears that
John is trying to show us how the risen Lord comes to us in the
liturgy and in the sacraments. In both scenes it is Sunday
night; the doors are locked, yet Jesus mysteriously comes. He
greets them with the words," Peace be with you," which has been
used before by angels who were divine messengers. The disciples
respond by joyfully receiving Jesus as their "Lord."
Isn't this what happens in the
Mass-where Lord speaks to us in His Word and gives Himself to us
in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood? Let us approach the
altar with joy, knowing that every Eucharist is the day the Lord
has made-when His victory at Easter is again made wonderful in
our eyes.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/041909.shtm
APRIL 12, 2009
Dear
Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
When Mary Magdalene and the other disciples encountered the empty tomb early on the morning of that first Easter, they were confused. They thought someone had stolen Jesus’ body. But when an angel enlightened them and when Jesus appeared to them they recalled what Jesus Himself said He would do…..rise up after three days. In the first reading today from the Acts of
the Apostles Saint Peter summarizes the Gospels (the Good
News)-- from Jesus’ Baptism in the River Jordan to His hanging
on a cross, dying and to His rising from the dead. We are children of the apostles, born again by Baptism, living members of Christ’s Mystical Body, His Church. By His Resurrection we are raised up to a life of His Grace. We await the day promised us by Jesus Himself-when we, too, “will appear with Him in glory.”
“Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/041209.shtm
APRIL 5, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's
Crowned with thorns, Jesus
is lifted up on the cross, where He dies as "King of the Jews".
Jesus is called "King" several times in today's Gospel, mostly
in scorn and mockery. As we hear the accounts of His
passion, we must remind ourselves-Jesus suffered this cruel
violence for us. He is the Suffering Servant foretold by
Isaiah in today's First Reading. He reenacts the agony
described in the Psalm, and dies with the first words of that
Psalm on His lips.
Listen to the echoes of the
Psalm in today's Gospel-Jesus is beaten, His hands and feet are
pierced; His enemies gamble for His clothes, wagging their
heads, mocking His faith in God's love, His faith that God will
deliver Him.
Are we much different from
our Lord's tormenter's? Don't we often deny that Jesus is
our King by refusing to obey His commands that we love Him and
one another? Don't we offer Him mock tribute with our
half-hearted prayers and devotions?
In the dark sky of Calvary,
the veil in Jerusalem's temple was torn. It was a sign
that by His death Jesus destroyed forever the barrier separating
us from the presence of God. Despite our repeated
failures, our weakness, Jesus still humbles Himself to come to
us, offering us His body and blood in the Eucharist.
His enemies never
understood that His Kingship is not of this world. He wants to
write His law, His rule of life on our hearts and minds.
As we enter Holy Week, let us again resolve to give Our Lord
dominion in our lives. Let us take up the cross He gives
us-and confess with all our hearts, minds and strength that
Jesus truly is the Son of God.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/040509.shtm
MARCH 29, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
Jeramiah's prophesies in
the First Reading contain God's promise to establish a new
convenant. The new convenant is created in the "hour" of
Jesus-in His death, resurrection, and ascension to the right
hand of the Father.
The prophets said this new convenant would return the exiled tribes of Israel from the ends of the world. Jesus also predicted His passion would gather God's dispersed children. Today Jesus promises to draw to Himself, not only the Israelites, but all men and women.
This new convenant is much
more than a political or national restoration; it is a universal
spiritual restoration. In the "hour" of Jesus, sinners in every
nation can return to the Father-to be washed of their guilt and
given new hearts to love and serve Him.
In predicting He will be
"lifted up" Jesus is not describing only His coming crufixion,
but also His future elevation as Christ, our King. When Jesus is
troubled in His agony, He did not pray to be saved.
Instead He offered Himself to the Father on the cross-as a
living prayer and supplication. For this God gave Him dominion
over heaven and earth.
Where Jesus has gone we can
follow-if we let Him lead us. As we heard on Ash
Wednesday, we are to "turn away from sin and follow the Gospel",
follow the law God the Father has written in our hearts.
Jesus' "hour" continues in
the Mass where we join our sacrifices to His, giving God our
lives in reverence and obedience-confident He will raise us up
to bear fruits of holiness.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/032909.shtm
MARCH 22, 2009
Dear Friends of Saint Anthony's, The Sunday readings for the first three Sunday's of Lent have shown us important high points of salvation history-God's convenant with creation in the time of Noah; His promises to Abraham; the law He gave to Israel at Sinai.
Today's First Reading tells us of the destruction of
the kingdom established by God's final Old Testament covenant-His
covenant with King David. God's chosen people abandoned the law He
gave them. For their sins, the temple was destroyed and they were
exiled in Babylon. Their sorrow and repentance we hear in today's
Psalm. But we also hear how God, in His mercy, gathered them back,
even anointing a pagan king to shepherd them and rebuild the temple.
God is rich in mercy. He promised that David's kingdom would
last forever, that David's descendant would be His Son, Christ the
King and would rule all nations forever.
Moses lifted up the serpent as a sign of salvation. Now Jesus is lifted on the cross, to draw all people to Himself. Those who refuse to believe in this sign of the Father's saving love condemn themselves as did the Israelites. But God did not leave Israel in exile, and He does not want to leave any of us dead in our transgressions. We are God's children, adopted through Baptism, saved to live as His people in the light of His truth. Midway through this Lenten season of repentance, let us again behold the Pierced One on the cross and rededicate ourselves to living the "good works" for which God has prepared us. Father George
MARCH 15, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
Jesus does not
come to destroy the temple, but to fulfill it-to reveal its role
in God's plan of salvation. Jesus is the Lord the prophets
foretold Who would come to purify the temple and make it a house
of prayer for all peoples. The God who made the heavens
and earth, who brought the chosen people out of slavery, does
not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands. Nor does He
need offerings of oxen, sheep or doves.
Today's First Reading from Exodus points out that God did not
originally command animal sacrifices-only that Israel heed His
commandments. His law was a gift of divine wisdom.
It was a law of love, perfectly expressed in Jesus Christ's
self-offering on the cross. This is the "sign" Jesus
offers in the Gospel today, a sign which caused the Jewish
leaders to stumble.
Jesus' body, which
was destroyed on the cross and raised up three days later, is
the new and true sanctuary. From the temple of His body,
rivers of living water flow. These living waters, the
Spirit of grace, makes each of us a temple and a member of
Christ's Mystical Body, His Church.
In the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass, the Eucharist, we participate in His offering of His
Body and Blood. This is the worship in Spirit and in truth that
God the Father desires. We are to offer praise and
thanksgiving as our sacrifice. This means we imitate
Christ as we offer our bodies with all our intentions and
actions for the love of God and the love of others.
Father George
March 8, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
In the Mass for the second
Sunday of Lent we hear another story of testing. Last
Sunday we heard the trial of Jesus in the desert. In the Reading
from Genesis we hear of how Abraham was put to the test.
The Church has
always understood this story as a sign of God's love for
mankind, a prophecy of His love, for God the Father gives His
only begotten Son for our salvation. Saint Paul in his letter to
the Romans uses the same words from Genesis to describe how God,
like Abraham, did not withhold His only Son, but handed Him over
for us on the cross. In the Gospel today we hear an echo of more
words from Genesis. Jesus is called "the beloved Son of God"
just as Isaac is called "the beloved firstborn son of Abraham".
These readings are given to us in Lent to reveal Christ's
identity and to strengthen us in our times of trial.
The Gospel scene of the
Transfiguration shows Jesus as the true Son that Abraham
rejoiced to see. Like Moses Jesus climbed the mountain with
three of His closest friends, Peter, James and John where He
appeared to them in is glory, accompanied by Elijah and Moses.
Jesus is the one prophesied to come after Elijah's return.
And,as He tells the apostles, Jesus is the Son of Man sent to
suffer and die for our sins. Jesus believed in the face of His
afflictions, and God released Him from the bonds of death.
The resurrection should give us the
courage to face our trials, to offer ourselves totally to God
the Father as Jesus did, as Abraham and Isaac did. Freed from
eternal death by His death, we come to Mass on Sunday to offer
the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and to renew our Baptismal vows
to be His faithful servants, His disciples, His friends.
March 1, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
The season of Lent invites us to return to the innocence of Baptism. As Noah and his family were saved through the waters of the flood, we were saved through the waters of Baptism. In today’s Epistle Saint Peter reminds us that the deluge prefigured our Baptism of water and the Holy Spirit. God’s convenant with Noah marked the start of a new world. It also prefigured a new and greater convenant between God and His creation. We see that new covenant and that new creation begin in today’s Gospel. Jesus is portrayed as the new Adam-the beloved son of God. Like Adam Jesus is tempted by the devil but while Adam fell, giving reign to sin and death, Jesus is victorious.
This is the good news, the Gospel that Jesus proclaims. Through our Savior’s death, resurrection and enthronement at the right hand of the Father, the world again is made God’s Kingdom.
Through the waters of Baptism we entered the Kingdom of God; we were made children of God, new creations. But like Jesus we will be tested; the world, the flesh and the devil would make us citizens of “the culture of death” if we do not resist.
Jesus is always at our side to assist us. He feeds us with His Body and Blood in the Eucharist; He cleanses our consciences in the Sacrament of Reconciliation if we have fallen and repent.
As we begin this holy season of Lent let us renew our baptismal vows to repent and be faithful to the Gospel.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/030109.shtm
February 22, 2009 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
The Gospel today states clearly what has been implied in the Gospel and Scriptures in the past weeks. Namely, that the miracles of healing the sick and casting the devils out of possessed people, Jesus shows God’s forgiveness of His People’s sins.
Sin is often equated with sickness in Holy Scripture. The Psalm today reads like a foretelling of the Gospel scene-the man is helped on his sickbed, healed of his sins and made able to stand before the Lord forever.
When Jesus forgives the
man’s sins the scribes protest, knowing that God alone can
forgive sins. The scribes accuse Jesus of blasphemy.
Jesus responds to their false accusation with these words; “That
you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins”-He said to the
This Gospel scene is the first time Jesus commends the faith of the person or persons who come to Him. With the eyes of faith the paralytic and his friends can see what the scribes cannot-Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God and Son of Mary. In Jesus God fulfills all His promises made throughout salvation history.
We are the new people, members of His Church. He formed us to announce His praise: He calls each of us what He called the paralytic, His child. How do we share this man’s faith? To what lengths are we willing to go to encounter Jesus? How much are we willing to go to encounter Jesus?
How much are we willing to sacrifice so that our friends, too, might hear His saving word? Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/022209.shtm
February 15, 2009 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
In the first reading leprosy is depicted a punishment for disobeying God. Lepers were considered “unclean”-unfit to worship God, to live with their families; they were considered “stillborn”, the living dead. The requirements imposed on lepers in today’s first reading are signs of death, penance, and mourning.
The same thing happens when we show ourselves to the priest in the Sacrament of Penance. On our knees like the leper, we confess our sins to the Lord. Through the outstretched arm and divine word spoken by His priest, the Lord forgives our sin. Like the leper, we should rejoice in the Lord and spread the good news of His Mercy. We should testify to our healing by living changed lives.
Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/0021509.shtm
February 8, 2009 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s, In today’s first reading Job describes the futility of life before Christ. He laments the curse of toil and death since Adam and Eve committed the original sin. Men and women are like slaves, unable to rest. Their lives are like the wind that comes and goes. But God revealed through the prophet Isaiah that He would heal the brokenhearted and gather those lost in exile from Him. Simon’s mother-in-law is like Job’s hopeless humanity. She is laid low by illness, too weak to help herself much less attend to Jesus. Just as God promised to take His chosen people by the hand Jesus
grasps her hand and helps her In today’s Gospel scene the whole town gathers; looking for Jesus and His miraculous power to heal. We too have found Him by our Baptism. He healed us and raised us to live in His presence. The only way we can thank Him for the new life He has given us is to rise and serve Him and His Gospel. Our lives must be our thanksgiving. Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/0020809.shtm
February 1, 2009 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s,
Last week Jesus announced the coming of the Kingdom of God. This week Jesus asserts His Royal Authority over the ruler of this world, Satan. Today’s events take place on the Sabbath, the day which was to be an everlasting sign both of God’s love for His creation and His deliverance of His Covenant People from the slavery of sin.
In the first reading Moses quotes God who foretells that the Saving Prophet, Jesus must be heard and obeyed. False prophets, inspired by Satan will die. Jesus comes to rebuke the forces of evil and chaos, not only in the world but also in our lives. Our Savior wants to make us holy in body and spirit, members of His Mystical Body
Father George TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/0020109.shtm
January 25, 2009 After John the Baptist was incarcerated, Jesus went to Galilee to announce the Good News that the time was near when He would establish the Kingdom of God. The Savior said, “This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the good news!”
When Jesus called two fishermen, Simon and Andrew, to follow Him and become “fishers of men” He fulfilled the words of the prophet Jeremiah who said God would send “many fishermen” to establish the Kingdom of God.
By Jesus’ suffering and dying on the cross and by His Resurrection Our Lord began to form the New People of God. The apostles are the first of the new people of God, the Church. All members of the Church are a new family, based not on blood ties, but on belief in Jesus and a desire to do the Father’s will.
From now on all of our worldly concerns-family, occupations, possessions-must be judged in the light of the Gospel, as Saint Paul tells us in today’s Epistle.
Father George
P.S. Please pick up a bulletin and mail the cards to your representatives. We must defend life in all its stages, especially the lives of the unborn.
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/012509.shtm
January 18, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
The call of Samuel and of
the First Apostles in today's readings shed light on our own
calling to be followers of Christ, His faithful disciples. In
the Gospel today John the Baptist's disciples are prepared to
hear God's call. They are already looking for the long-promised
Messiah, the
Savior. They trust John's word and follow when he points out the
Lamb of God as Jesus walks by.
Samuel, too, is waiting on
the Lord. He is sleeping near the Ark of Covenant where
God's glory dwells, taking instruction from the high priest,
Eli. Samuel listens to God's word and the Lord was with him.
Samuel turned all Israel to the Lord. The disciples who would
become the apostles heard and followed the Lord. They
stayed with the Lord and brought others to follow Him.
These scenes should help us to embrace God's will and to follow His call in our lives. God is constantly calling us by name. He wants us to seek Him in love, to long for His Word, to do His Will. From the moment of our Baptism we are God the Father's children, disciples of Jesus, His Son. As we renew our vows of discipleship in this Mass, let us approach the altar singing the new song of today's Psalm: "Behold I come...to do Your Will, O God."
January 11, 2009
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
John resisted Jesus'
request to be baptized in the Jordan. John realized that Jesus
had no need to be baptized as a sinner in need of purification.
Jesus humbles Himself to
pass through Jordan's waters to lead a new "exodus" opening up
the
promised land of heaven so that all peoples can hear the words
pronounced over Jesus today, words once reserved only for Israel
and its king: He is the Beloved Son of God the Father. Jesus is
anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power.
Jesus is anointed with the
Spirit as He is baptized by John. God puts His Spirit upon
Jesus to make Him the liberator of the captive people (enslaved
in sin).
Jesus is the light to all
nations. The crowds gathered a the Jordan are not looking for
John, but for the long promised Messiah, the Savior. He is the
Son of the Most High God the Father. He has come,a descendant of
King David, to establish His Everlasting Kingdom. The Baptism He
brings is a Baptism of the Fire of the Holy Spirit and water.
Jesus has sanctified the waters, made them a passage way to
healing and freedom-a fountain of new birth by which we are made
sons and daughters of God our Father.
Father George
January 4, 2009 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
This great Feast of the Epiphany
celebrates the new order which has arrived. The Infant
King has The Gospel shows King Herod inquiring with the Magi about where Jesus was to be born. He asks them to inform him where the child is so that he “too may go and do him homage”. Herod’s true, murderous motive is revealed when he gave orders to massacre all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and younger. We have a similar massacre happening here and throughout the world with the holocaust of abortion. Millions of unborn babies are killed every year for purely selfish reasons. Many mothers die because of botched abortions, as well as their babies who are sacrificed for no good reasons. Let us pray fervently for the protection of all people from the moment of conception to natural death. The Epiphany makes clear that Christ came to save everyone. We are to open our hearts to Jesus’ saving love. God bless you each and everyone, Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/010409.shtm
December 28, 2009 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s
Why did Jesus choose to become a baby born of a mother and father and to spend all but His last
years living in a human family? In part, to reveal God’s plan to make all people live as one “holy family” in His Church. In the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, God reveals our true home. We’re to live as His children, “chosen ones, holy and beloved” as the First Reading says.
Today’s readings give us good family advice-good for mothers, fathers and for children. Happy homes are the fruit of our faithfulness to the Lord. In the Gospel Jesus shows us that His obedience to His earthly parents flows from His obedience to His Father in heaven. Jesus emphasizes the family relationships by referring to Mary and Joseph as His parents. In what Jesus calls “My Father’s House” every family finds its true meaning. His dwelling is an image of the Family of God, the Church.
In our families we are to build up this household, this family, this living temple of God. May our families always be faithful to the Lord so that we may be happy here and hereafter. Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/122808.shtm
Christmas Message
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s.
Out of love for us God became man, born of the Virgin Mary. Our Savior has appeared! May the Light, the Life and Love of the Christ be yours today and throughout the New Year!
Father George
DECEMBER 21, 2008 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's, During these last days of preparation to celebrate the birth
of our Savior, the readings remind us that Our Lord will be a
descendant of King David. The Messiah will be made known
to all nations. According to the Will of God the Father,
the Savior will bring about the "obedience of faith". By
this obedience of faith the Lord will save His disciples.
Like Mary, let us say "yes" to all that God asks of
us.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, As we approach the celebration of the birth of our Savior there is adefinite note of joy in the liturgy. For this reason this Sunday is called “Rejoice” Sunday.
John the Baptist who was
introduced in last week’s readings is best under-stood by
who he isn’t. He is not Elijah returning from heaven to
preach repentance. During this time of Advent John shows us the One who fulfills the promise of God; he shows us the light; he introduces the Savior. In the Epistle, St. Paul tells us to rejoice, give thanks and pray that God will make us holy so that we will be blameless when our Lord comes. God bless you each and everyone, Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/121408.shtm
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
On this second Sunday of Advent
in today’s first reading the prophet Isaiah promises Israel (the
chosen people) that they will be freed and will return to the John the Baptist quotes Isaiah as well as Elijah to show that all of Israel’s history looks forward to the revelation of Jesus who not only forgives sinful humanity but also would share His Divinity with all people who would accept His Saving Grace. He does this for each one of us. And each one of us must hear in today’s Epistle that the Lord has been patient with you. Like the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Gospel, we must go out to Him, repent of our sins, straighten out our lives, so that everything we do leads us to him. Today, let us hear the beginning of the Gospel and again commit ourselves to lives of holiness and devotion.
God bless you each and everyone, Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/120708.shtm
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2008
Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
The new Church year
begins with a plea from Isaiah that God come down from
heaven to visit Hs People. The Psalm also implores God
to look down from His heavenly throne to save and
shepherd His People. In the readings this week the
people of Israel recognize their sinfulness, their
failure to keep God's convenant, their inability to save
themselves.
 During Advent we should reflect on our own lives in the light of the experience of Israel. When we examine our own consciences don't we see that we sometimes harden our own hearts toward our neighbor? Do we occasionally refuse His will? Do we wander from God's ways, withhold our love from Him? God is always faithful. He is our Father. He sent His Son to save us, to redeem us from our exile from God, to restore us to His love. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He has come to guide us to the heavenly kingdom. No matter how far we have strayed, He will give us new life if we turn to Him. In this season of Advent we should heed the warning our Lord gives us in the Gospel-to be watchful, for we know not the hour when He will return. God bless you each and everyone,
Father George
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2008 Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony's The
Church Year ends this week with the Great Feast of The
Solemnity of Christ the King. The Church presents
us today with the vision of the end of time. The Gospel
which is awesome, starts with echoes of the Old
Testament. Christ our king, the Son of God and Son
of man, is enthroned in all his Glory.
He is enthroned over
all nations and all peoples. The nations have been
gathered to see His Glory and receive His judgment.
 In the first reading of the prophet, Ezekiel the King is the divine shepherd, judging as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Each of us will be judged upon our performance of the works of mercy we hear in the Gospel. Have I loved my neighbor? Our works of love, of mercy are measures of our love for God, of our faithfulness to His commandment that we love God with all our might and our neighbor as ourselves. At the end Jesus Christ our King will come again to hand over his Kingdom to His Father. Let us strive to be following him in right paths, that His Kingdom might be our inheritance, so that we might enter into the eternal rest promised for the People of God. God bless you each and everyone, Father George
.
Sunday, November 16, 2008 Dear Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
Saint Paul warns us in
this Sunday's Epistle that the day of the Lord is coming.
What matters is what the Lord finds us doing with the new
life He has given us and not the time or the season. How
have we cooperated with His Saving Grace?
 This
is the meaning of Jesus parable in the Gospel this week.
Jesus is the Master who has died, risen and ascended into
heaven. He appears to have gone away for a long
time.By our Baptism He has given us a portion of HIS "possessions", a share in His divine life. He has given us talents and responsibilities. Like the worthy wife in the first reading and the faithful man in the psalm we are to walk in the "fear of the Lord". This is not the fear of the useless servant but the tkure "fear of the Lord"-in reverence, awe and thanksgiving for His marvelous gifts. We are to be like the good servants in the parable who doubled their talents. Then when the Lord comes for us we can approach Him with confidence and love. Sunday, November 9, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
The readings for this Sunday for
the Feast of the dedication of The Lateran Basilica speak of the
Church. In the Gospel we see Jesus purifying the Temple of
money-changers and of those who were making His Father’s house a
marketplace. When the Jews questioned him, Jesus
prophesied that He would die and would rise again. He is
the Living Temple. Out of His resurrected Body the Church
was born. Through our Baptism we are made the living
stones of His Mystical Body, the Church. In the Epistle to the Corinthians Saint Paul reminds his hearers as well as us that we are living members of Christ’s Body, His Church. We are to appreciate, respect and defend others as well as ourselves and with the Lord’s help, build up the Body of Christ. By the way we live as Catholics may we be an invitation to others to join the One, True Church founded by Our Lord and Savior, Jesus. God bless you each and everyone, Father George
Dear
Parishioners of Saint
Anthony's,
This year All Soul' s
Day falls on a Sunday.
There are two feasts of
the year when priests
are allowed to celebrate
three Masses on a
weekday. They are
Christmas and All Soul's
Day. In Old
Testament times God
taught the Chosen People
that it was a good and
meritorious practice to
pray for the dead.
Before the liturgical
reform many of the
daily Masses celebrated
during the month of
November were Requiem
Masses celebrated for
the deceased. The month
of November is a special
time when we are
encouraged to pray for
the repose of the souls
in Purgatory.
The readings for the
Masses today remind us
of how great is God's
love for us, sending His
only Son to die for us
and rising to share His
very Life with us.
As St. Paul tells us in
his Letter to the
Romans, "Hope is not
deceptive. because the
love of God has been
poured into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit which
has been given to us. We
were still helpless when
at his appointed moment
Christ died for sinful
men. . . . . . . Having
died for us to make us
righteous is it likely
that He would now fail
to save us from God's
anger?" When we were
baptized we receive the
gifts of Faith and
Charity along with Hope.
Let us pray fervently
for the repose of the
souls of all the
departed throughout this
month and always.
Father George
Sunday, October 26 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Jesus came not to abolish the Old Testament law (the ten Commandments) but to fulfill it. In today’s Gospel He tells us that love of God and of neighbor fulfills the law. In the first five books of the Old Testament there are 613 commandments that specify how the chosen people were to observe the commandments. In today’s Gospel Jesus s says that all of these as well as all the teachings of the prophets are summarized by the two great Love of love of God and Love of our neighbor. The first three commandments of the Decalogue are summarized by the commandment to love God with our whole mind, heart and soul. The next seven are contained in the commandment to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. This love Jesus speaks of is much more than simple affection or warm sentiment. We must give ourselves totally to God loving without whole beings…..always choosing what God wants us to do….putting His will first in our daily life. Our love for our neighbor must express itself in more than kind thoughts. It requires concrete actions like those mentioned in today’s First Reading. We love because God first loved us. We love in thanksgiving for our salvation. God bless you each and everyone, Father George
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In the Gospel today we see the Pharisees continuing in their attempts to trap Jesus into making statements that would endanger Him with Pontius Pilate and their Roman conquerors. The Pharisees were Envious of Jesus and angry with Him because the Lord had publicly corrected and chastised them for leading the chosen people astray, He informed them that they were following their unfaithful ancestors who had rejected and even killed many of the prophets God had sent to correct the erroneous ways of the chosen people. Their tricks question on that day was: Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Jesus is aware of their malice and responds, “You hypocrites! Let me see the money you pay the tax with.” They handed Him a denarius, and He said “ Whose head is this? Whose name?” “Caesar’s” they replied. He said to them, “Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.” We have no Caesar and we do have some voice in how we are governed. Jesus teaches us to give to God what belongs to God, living as true, faithful disciples of Jesus. We are to be responsible citizens, as well, and to vote with an informed conscience in all elections. Thomas Jefferson offered a good prayer for our nation! “Almighty God, you have given us this good land as our heritage…..Bless our land…..Save us from violence…..and from every evil way. Defend our liberties…….Endow us with the Spirit of Wisdom those to whom in your name we entrust the authority of government….In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness and in the days of trouble do not allow our trust in you to fail”. God bless you each and everyone, Father George
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
The Gospel today gives us an outline
of salvation history. The parable
Jesus uses is that of a wedding.
God the Father is
the
King. Jesus is the bridegroom.
God invites the Chosen People
first,
who are invited by God’s servants,
the prophets. The Israelites
refuse
repeated invitations, and even kill
the prophets. Now Jesus states that God is sending new servants……His apostles. They are to invite all people, good and bad alike –to the wedding feast of His kingdom, the Church. We have all been called to this great feast of love in the Church. Our souls have been refreshed and filled with God’s love in Baptism. In the rich food of His Body and Blood we have a foretaste of the eternal banquet. But are we dressed for the feast, clothed in the garment of His grace? Let us be sure we are living in a manner worthy of the invitation God has given us. God bless you each and everyone, Father George TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/101208.shtm
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In the Gospel Jesus uses the Old Testament symbol of the vineyard to refer to the chosen people of Israel and to the Church He is founding.
The
First Reading today from Isaiah as well
as the psalm, relate how God is the
owner and the chosen people are the
vineyard. They are freed from
their enslavement in Egypt and
transplanted in the promised land by
God. But they produced no good
fruit, a symbol of the holy lives God
wanted for His people. So God
allowed His vineyard to be overrun by
foreign invaders, as Isaiah foresees in Jesus continues the story, using Isaiah’s words to describe the vine press, the hedge and the watchtower. He tells how Israel’s religious leaders have learned nothing from the past. Instead of producing good fruits they’ve killed the owners’ servants, -- the prophets sent to gather the harvest of the faithful. Jesus foretells that the owners’ son will be seized and killed. For this reason the vineyard, the Kingdom of God, will be taken away and given to new tenants, the leaders of the Church who will produce good fruit. We are each a vine in the Lord’s vineyard, grafted on to the true vine of Christand called to bear good fruit. We need to take care not to let ourselves be overgrown with thorns and briers of selfish sins. As Saint Paul tells us in the Epistle, our hearts and minds should be filled with good intentions and virtuous deeds, thankful that the Light of Christ leads us. God bless you each and everyone, Father George
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/100508.shtm
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In the first reading today the Lord, through His prophet Ezekiel scolds the Israelites for complaining that God is unjust, when He punishes those upright men who turn to sin and dies in sin, while the sinners who repent and obey the commandments are rewarded.
Jesus takes
up this question in today’s Gospel.
The first son represents the most St. Paul relates that unlike Adam, who in his pride wished to become like God, Jesus humbled himself to become a slave- obedient unto death on the cross. This is how Jesus shows us sinners the way back to God, our Father. We come to God, to serve in His vineyard, by having the same humble, obedient, attitude as Jesus. We are to confess on bended knee that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father. God bless you each and everyone,
Father George,
TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/092808.shtm
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
God bless you each and everyone Father George
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s Since Pentecost the Sunday readings have been preparing us to recognize Jesus as the promised Saviour; the promised Messiah of Israel.
Beginning today we
see the mystery of the Messiah is the mystery of the
Cross. The Epistle today introduces the mystery of the Cross: this mystery is the mystery of Jesus come down from heaven to help us in our weakness, of His obedience even unto “death on a cross” to raise us up with Him to new life, to the heights of the divine. The theme of divine descent and human ascent—of God coming down to lift us up—continues in the Gospel. Jesus has told Nicodemus how believers will be “born from above by water and the Spirit. Jesus then reveals to Nicodemus the life-giving power of His death and resurrection. Jesus will be lifted up on the Cross. When we view with faith our Lord on the Cross and believe that from this humiliation will come His exaltation, His Resurrection, He will draw each one of us with Him. God Bless You Yours in Christ, Fr. George TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/091408.shtm
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s The readings today all speak of an important form of fraternal charity which is fraternal correction. There are times when we must speak out against wrong doing…against evil. There comes a time when we cannot remain silent in the face of evil. Moreover, we must do this even at the risk of personal rejection. That is a part of the price of being a follower of Jesus. In the Gospel today Jesus teaches us how to correct a relative, a friend. “If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen to you, take one or two others along with you! The evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community.” This is what A.A. calls “tough love”. We correct our erring brothers because we love them. Speaking out needs to be handled tactfully and delicately. A good example of this is a mother who always holds her child’s hand when she corrects her. Another mother who finds it hard to correct her rebellious teenage son writes him a letter. This allows her to remain calm and to choose her words carefully and lovingly. Great social evils such as abortion require unified action on the part of the Church and the community at large. We must continue to do all we can to stop this heinous crime against life. May our culture be changed from a “culture of death” to a “culture of Life” by our prayers and our actions. God Bless You Yours in Christ, Fr. George TO READ THE READINGS CLICK HERE : http://usccb.org/nab/090708.shtm
August 31, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In the Gospel today Jesus informs the Apostles that He must go to Jerusalem where He will be condemned by the chief priests, elders and scribes and will suffer and die but will be raised up on the third day. When Peter remonstrates with the Lord, Jesus corrects him and points out to Peter, as well as to us, that all of us must be willing to carry our cross. That is the only way to eternal happiness.
God Bless You, Yours in Christ, Father George
August 24, 2008 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In today’s
Epistle, Saint Paul praises and glorifies the Lord for His
Wisdom, Knowledge and Love. The Lord God has created
everything, everyone. As Paul Paul appreciates what Jesus has done. Jesus, the root and offspring of King David, the Son of God and son of Mary has established His Kingdom, the Church, founded on the “rock” of Peter and built up out of the “living stones” of individual believers. Jesus has assembled the new children of God, baptized in water, led by the Rock and fed with spiritual food. We are members, “the living stones”, of the Church. Gathered at His alter, in the presence of angels, we sing our praise to the Lord with Saint Paul’s words, “To Him be glory forever! Amen.”
God Bless You, Yours in Christ, Father George
August 17, 2008 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The readings and the Gospel today teach us how to grow stronger in our Faith. Isaiah quotes the Lord God who inspires the prophet to say that all people who observe God’s commandments, acting with integrity, will be saved. The Savior will come not only for the Jewish people but also for the Gentiles. Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans emphasizes the same point. He tells the Romans they will be saved because they have been converted from their disobedience of there pagan ways to obeying the laws of the Merciful God. In the Gospel Jesus cures the daughter of the Canaanite woman because of her great faith in Him. He rewarded her faith instantly because she asked not for herself but for her daughter. Jesus helps us grow in our faith, especially when we ask for His help for others.
God Bless You, Yours in Christ, Father George
August 10, 2008 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, How do we remain strong in our faith in times of trials, storms and struggles in our life? How do we continue to do God’s will in bad times as well as in good times?In the first reading from the Book of Kings, God commands Elijah to stand on the mountain and await His passing by. First there was a mighty wind, then an earthquake followed by a fire. After the fire came the sound of a gently breeze in which God was present. Then Elijah covered his face and came out of the cave.
In the
Gospel the disciples see Jesus
approach the boat they are in.
They see
“Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” Pope John Paul II began his ministry as pope with similar words, “Be not afraid.” Pope Benedict repeats Jesus’ admonition, “Be not afraid.” Jesus says the same to all of us. “Be not afraid!” Have faith in Me.
God Bless You, Yours in Christ, Father George August 3, 2008 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Jesus and the Church fulfill the promises made in the First Reading by Isaiah. All who are thirsty come to the living waters of Baptism. The hungry are nourished with the bread from heaven and the consecrated wine in the Eucharist. Matthew’s relating of the feeding of 5,000 is also prophetic of the Eucharist. In this Gospel we see Jesus performing the same actions in the same sequence as at the last supper---He takes bread, says a blessing, breaks it and gives it. Since the Last Supper Jesus continues to nourish millions of His disciples countless times with His very Body and Blood in the Eucharist.
of us.God Bless You, Yours in Christ, Father George July 27, 2008 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, This week marks
the 40th
Anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical
“Humanae Vitae”. This letter
clarifies the Church’s teaching on the The marital act, the expression of married love is not only a physical act but an emotional and willed act on the part of the husband and wife to express their love for each other and to cooperate with the love of God, the author of human life. Pope Paul’s encyclical was prophetic when he stated that widespread contraception would lead to abortion, the holocaust of killing millions of pre-born, infidelity and divorce. On the other hand, National Family Planning leads to growth of the couple in their married love, and growth in the love of God. God always rewards more than generously those who love generously. God Bless You, Yours in Christ, Father George
July 20, 2008 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, God is always teaching
His people, as we hear in today’s reading
from the
Book of Wisdom. He wants us to know that He
cares for all of us. Although He is a
God of justice, even those who defy Him, do
not believe in Him, can hope for His mercy
if
With the parables Jesus tells us in the Gospel, He teaches that the growth of His Kingdom is hidden. God permits evil to grow alongside the good. He is slow to anger and always ready, indeed anxious to forgive. He is infinitely merciful. He will punish evil-doers at the end if they never repent, but God allows everyone to repent. Remember the good thief crucified beside Jesus. “This day you will be with Me in Paradise”. We are called to be merciful, and not only to appreciate God’s mercy toward ourselves but also to pray for the repentance and salvation of evil-doers.God Bless You, Yours in Christ,
Father George July 13, 2008 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The readings today ask us to meditate on the response to God’s Word (the Gospel) by the Chosen People, and to reflect on our own response to the Word. Why do some people hear the Word, yet fail to accept It is a call to conversion and faith in Jesus: Jesus answers this question in the Gospel. “The seed along
the path is the man who hears the message God Bless You.
Yours in Christ, Father George July 6, 2008 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The readings of today’s
Mass show us our gentle, and humble…….
our
meek What peace? His peace is not the absence of external conflict…..the kind of peace one finds in the cemetery. His peace is the peace in our hearts, a tranquil conscience of a soul in God’s grace. Jesus uses the figure of a yoke. His yoke, our yoke, is His new law of love. Jesus is on one side of the yoke along with each one of us on the other side. When we live His love, Jesus accompanies us each step of the way. He gives us true peace of heart as He leads us to eternity. God Bless you all, Yours in Christ, Father George
June 29, 2008 Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, This Sunday’s celebration of the
great apostles Peter and Paul is a celebration of the
Church. Peter’s deliverance from jail is compared
to the deliverance of Israel As Peter says, the Church is “all that the Jewish people had been expecting.” Jesus is “the Christ”, the Messiah that the prophets told the Chosen People to hope for. Christ is more than what the Jewish people had hoped for……..He is the Son of the Living God and of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ came to save the peoples who accept Him as Savior. We are to confess our faith in Christ not only with our tongues, but with our lives. He will stand by us, giving us strength to face all temptations…..all difficulties……every evil, and He will bring us to the heavenly kingdom. God Bless You All, Sincerely, Fr. George Highberger, Pastor
June 22, 2008 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Today in his letter to the
Romans St. Paul reminds us that by our baptism
we
participate in the sacrificial death of Jesus by which we In the Gospel Jesus reminds us that we are to love God above all things, conforming our will to His Will. That requires us to carry our cross. Jesus always walks side by side with us to help us along the way, and He promises to reward us for every act of kindness toward our neighbors. God rewards all good deeds done for others. God Bless You All, Sincerely, Fr. George Highberger, Pastor June 15, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The calling of the twelve disciples who would become the twelve apostles demonstrated the heavenly Wisdom of God. From a human perspective they were poorly educated fishermen, tradesmen, and even included a despised tax collector. But as Jesus knew, they not only had been formed by the Lord, but also had received the pearl of great price, FAITH.
Today’s Gospel shows the twelve whom Jesus sent out for the first time to proclaim the Good News about the establishment of the kingdom of heaven and to perform miraculous signs in His Name. What the Apostles began in Jesus’ Name has grown throughout the world. Jesus said, “The harvest is good but the laborers are scarce……without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” The Apostles shared the gift of Faith and millions have received this great gift since that day and continue to do so today. Jesus tells us to do the same. He also encourages us to pray for vocations to the priesthood for “the harvest is still great and the laborers are few.” God Bless You All, Sincerely, Fr. George Highberger, Pastor June 8, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Charles Colson was sentenced to prison in 1994 for his role in the Watergate scandal. In 1995 he was released from prison. After his release, Charles Colson wrote a book called Life Sentence. In it he wrote, “I did my time….I paid my debt. Now I’m free to build my new life, a more simple life, maybe a good job in business.” Then he remembered one of his last nights in Maxwell Prison, Alabama. While talking with some other prisoners a tattooed inmate named Archie confronted him and said, “You’ll be out of here soon. What are you going to do for us”?
Colson responded, “I’ll
help in some way. I’d never forget this Archie looked at him and sneered, “They all say that….Then they go out and forget.” “I’ll remember”, Colson promised him. “Bull’! snorted Archie. Colson had turned to Christ in prison and each day he began to reflect on the Gospel. Then he started a Christian ministry to prisoners and their families. By now he has enlisted more than 125,000 volunteers in the Prison Fellowship program. The Bible seminars have reached over 50,000 prisoners in more than 500 prisons. Spiritual and material support is given to families whose breadwinners are imprisoned. Spiritual support to prisoners continues after their release. As Jesus said in today’s Gospel…He came to call sinners, not the “righteous”. Charles Colson responded to Jesus’ call and now effectively loves the Lord and his neighbors. God Bless You All, Sincerely, Fr. George Highberger, Pastor
June 1, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
In today’s Gospel Jesus
tells us as He tells the disciples that
the
Way to live as a disciple, the true Way to heaven, is to
hear
His Word and to live as He taught us,
God Bless You All, Sincerely, Fr. George Highberger, Pastor May 25, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Today is the Feast of the Body
and Blood of Christ. In the Gospel Jesus presents this
great gift as a challenge and a promise. Many who heard
Jesus that day were repulsed and went away sad because In the Eucharist we are nourished with the very Body and Blood of Jesus; we are made one flesh with Christ. We have His life in us and we have our life because of Him. St. Paul calls the Eucharist a “participation” in Christ’s Body and Blood. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist we become partakers of the divine nature. This is the mystery of the faith that Jesus asks us to believe. And He gives us His promise: by sharing in His Flesh and Blood, we too will be raised up on the last day. Sincerely, Father George May 18, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, We begin the celebration of Mass with the sign of the cross "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Then we often say the salutation from today’s Epistle: "The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." We praise God who has revealed himself as the Trinity, three Divine Persons, communion of persons in one Infinite Being.
God begins to reveal Himself to Moses, as mentioned in the reading from Exodus. The chosen people from whom the Savior would be born often abandoned God, but the Lord consistently used "tough love" and forgave them, leading them to the promised land. God the Father did not spare His Own Son, but handed Him Over for us all. The Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. He ascended and from Pentecost on, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit reign in the hearts of all of us who are baptized, confirmed and are nourished in the Eucharist. Today and all days we glorify God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit….one God Who is Love Itself. Sincerely, Father George
May 11, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, On the first Pentecost the gift of the Holy Spirit to the new People of God crowned the wonderful gifts of God the Father in salvation history. The Jewish feast of Pentecost called all devout Jews to Jerusalem to celebrate their birth as God’s chosen people. This prefigured the Feast of Pentecost for the New People of God and fulfilled this prophecy in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Mary and on the Apostles. The Holy Spirit completes Baptism, seals the new law (the two great commandments to love God and our neighbor) and the new covenant brought by Jesus. This new covenant, new law is not written on tablets of stone but on the hearts of believers. Last Sunday Rev. Father Kieran Kleczewski, V.F., conferred the Sincerely, Father George
May 4, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, On this great feast of the Ascension, more than fifty of our young people will be receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist. During the forty days after His Resurrection Jesus appeared to
His As He ascends into heaven Jesus gives them a final blessing. He, the Word made Flesh, fulfilled His promise a few days later on that First Pentecost, after which the Apostles went out to spread the Good News and to Baptize, Confirm and confect the Holy Eucharist…..to build up the Body of Christ and prepare a place for us in heaven. Sincerely, Father George April 27, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In the Gospel today Jesus promises us He will never abandon us.
He asks Our Heavenly Father to send His Spirit to dwell with us and
to keep us united in the life He shares with the Father. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we see Philip, one of the first deacons, announcing the Good News (Gospel), which is accepted by the Samaritans and they are baptized. Later Peter and John lay hands on the newly baptized and they are confirmed, sealed with the Holy Spirit promised by the Lord. Next Sunday, Father Kieran Klecewski, V.F., will be administering the Sacrament of Confirmation on 54 of our young parishioners. By receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation the grace of their Baptism is completed. They are called, as we all are, to bear witness to our salvation, to acknowledge the tremendous deeds God does for us in the name of His Son. Let us praise and thank the Lord! Sincerely, Father George
April 20, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us in His
Father’s house. By our baptism we are members of His Father’s
family; He is our Father, too. By our faith in Christ we are members
of the Church He founded, called to glorify our Father. In today’s
first reading we The Lord’s Word and Works are always trustworthy. Jesus tells us never to be troubled. He is with us every step of the way. Let us continue to walk confidently with Him toward our eternal destiny. Sincerely, Father George PS: Thank the Lord for the visit and teaching of His Vicar. Pope Benedict the Sixteenth. April 13, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, sent not only to the children of
Israel, but to all people to follow Him. The call of the Good
Shepherd leads us to the waters of Baptism, to the anointing oil of
Confirmation and to the nourishment of the Holy Eucharist. Again on
this Sunday in
Although we have received the Sacraments of Initiation we sometimes go astray like sheep. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, calls us to repentance. He seeks us out, forgives us and restores us fully to life in Him. By His suffering He bore our sins in His body to free us from sin. Jesus is a good example for us, teaching us to be patient in our afflictions, to offer our pain to God for others. Jesus is our Way, our Truth and our Life….enabling us to hand ourselves over to the will of God. Sincerely. Father George April 6, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In the Gospel for this third Sunday of Easter Jesus interprets
the The Scriptures, especially the Gospel, are opened for us at Mass today, as always. Let us receive Jesus today with open and grateful hearts. God Bless you All, Sincerely. Father George
MARCH 30,2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday,
established by Pope John Paul II a few years ago. Inspired by the
revelation made to St. Maria Faustina this first Sunday after In the narthex of the church you will find brochures with the Divine Mercy Novena and Chaplet. I suggest each family take one home and learn to pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Jesus often said He came to pardon us from our sins and to raise us up to new life in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God Bless you All, Sincerely, Father George
MARCH 23,2008
Dear Parishioners of Saint Anthony’s
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
May this Easter, this celebration of the Lord’s victory over sin and death by His Resurrection, be the most blessed and happy for you.
Special congratulations to our new Catholic brothers and sisters who became Catholics in the Easter Vigil as well as those who received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
May the Risen Lord continue to bless you all,
Father George
March 16, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” Lent began with the devil’s voice; “If you are the Son of God……..”. Now it echoes in the voice of the people who a few days earlier welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem as a king. But they weren’t looking for the kind of king that He is. He wasn’t the kind of Messiah the Pharisees wanted. The man, the friend, the Messiah, the King on the cross was beyond what anyone could have imagined. He is the only one Who corresponds to our hope….. our hope is greater than our imagination. Thank God. Christ on the cross is there to redeem all who accept His saving sacrificial love! God Bless you All, Sincerely. Father George March 9, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The Gospel today relates the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus’ friend, Lazarus. As Jesus Himself replied to Mary and Martha when they requested He come quickly to their home to cure their gravely ill brother, it was not His Father’s will to respond immediately.Rather it was the will of the Father to wait until Lazarus had died. Then Jesus would return and raise Lazarus "for God’s glory, that through it the Son of God may be glorified". Our Lord did this to show us that He is Lord. His is promise of resurrection and eternal life for all His faithful disciples. He came to save all of us who accept His saving love. God Bless you All, Sincerely. Father George March 2, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s Thank you…..thank you…..thank you! The party
celebration for the 47th I am indeed blest to be your pastor! Thank you for your many congratulations and gifts. May God Bless You All, Fr. George February 24, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, St. Paul in his letter to the Romans turns again to the mystery of the Cross of Christ. Today he explains what Jesus’ dying on the cross did for us. "At the appointed time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for us godless men. It is
rare that anyone should lay down his life for a
just man, though it is barely possible that Paul points to the unsurpassable mercy of God. By the end of Lent, we will look upon the crucified Jesus, the sinless One who dies for us sinners. May we be forever grateful to the Lord. Personally, I am always grateful that Our Lord called me, a sinner, to serve His people as His priest. God Bless you All, Sincerely. Father George February 17, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The Gospel today portrays Jesus as a new and greater Moses. Moses took three companions up a mountain and was overshadowed by a shinning cloud of God’s presence. Moses spoke with God and his face and clothing were made radiant by the Lord. Moses led the chosen people out of slavery to the Promised Land. God formed them to be His People to prepare for the coming of the promised Messiah, Jesus. In Jesus’ transfiguration He is revealed as God the Father’s beloved Son sent to form His New People, His Church, open to all nations. Jesus is the Saviour of all. "Listen to Him". God Bless you All, Sincerely.
Father George
February 3, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
The readings at Mass since
Christmas reveal Jesus to us as the new royal
descendant of King David, the Son of God. He is
sent to lead a new exodus of the chosen people
out of
The Beatitudes reveal the divine path Jesus provides for us; a path that requires us to carry our cross with Jesus’ help. He promises us comfort and aid while we endure our trials and a great reward. Following Him we will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
God Bless you Yours in Christ, Father George Highberger January 27, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The Bible, the Word of God, invites us to ongoing conversion; to change for the better. The Gospel today tells us, "Reform your life! The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." The Kingdom of Heaven is a perfectly happy state
in which everyone and everything is
We are, by word and deed, to be a light to others, praying for others as well as living the commandment to love our neighbor. May we become like the first Christians. A pagan historian wrote of them - "See how the Christians prayed for their tormentors as Jesus did on the cross – "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do". God Bless you Yours in Christ, Father George Highberger January 20, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Jesus was sent to us by the Father to save us by serving the Father. The Father sent His Only Son to be born of the Virgin Mary and to save us by being sacrificed as the Lamb of God. He offered Himself to pay for our sins and rising
again Jesus made us children of God God Bless you Yours in Christ, Father George Highberger
January 13, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Jesus presents himself for John’s baptism in today’s Gospel. He
does so not because He is a sinner, but to fulfill
the word of God announced by His prophets.
Jesus must be baptized to reveal that He is the
Christ, “the anointed One”. He is
the Spirit-endowed Servant
Saviour promised by Isaiah in today’s first reading. His baptism marks the start of a new creation, His Church. As Isaiah prophesied, the Spirit descends upon Jesus like a dove. God the Father opens the heavens and declares Jesus to be “His Beloved Son”.
Jesus is to establish a new covenant and is to be “a Light to all peoples.” Christ has become the source from which God pours out His Spirit on Israelites and Gentiles -- on all people who humbly accept His saving Love.
In baptism we are all united with the same Spirit, made beloved sons and daughters of God. Let us pray that we remain faithful to our calling as God’s children.
God Bless All of You…..Yours in Christ, Father George Highberger
January 6, 2008 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Since early in the history of the Catholic Church
today’s Feast of the Epiphany has been celebrated. It is
also called “Little Christmas” as well as “Three Kings”.
The Magi, guided by the star, who came bearing gifts to
present to the New Born King of the Jews, represents the
Gentiles. The Gentiles would become co-heirs and
“co-partners in the
For this we praise and thank God the Father who sent His only Son to save us. Father George Highberger
December 30, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St.
Anthony’s, The church presents the Holy Family as the model for all families. Mary is the model for all mothers, Joseph the model for all fathers and Jesus the model for all children. Mothers are to strive to do their best; fathers to do their best and children to do their best. Although not perfect yet, with the help of Jesus, the intercession of Mary and Joseph, families can grow in their love of the Lord and of each other. May the Year of Our lord, 2008, be the most blessed and happiest New Year for all the families of St. Anthony’s.
Father George Highberger
December 23, 2007
Dear
Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Out of love for us God became man, born of the Virgin Mary. Our Savior has appeared! May the Light, the Life and the Love of the Christ be yours today and throughout the New Year!
Merry Christmas and God Bless Everyone! Fr. George Highberger
December 16, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
The readings
for this third Sunday of Advent anticipate with great joy the coming of
the Saviour and His establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven. Isaiah
refers to the rebirth of nature in the spring as a prophecy of the
restoration of God’s
God Bless You All
Fr. George Highberger
DECEMBER 9,2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ. We are to prepare the way in our hearts to receive Jesus.
The obstacle to His full coming is sin and all attachment to sin. John the Baptist was preparing the way and says to us today, “Repent your sins, for the Kingdom of God is at hand”---have a change of heart.
God Bless You All Fr. George Highberger
December 2, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Jesus exaggerates in today’s Gospel when He claims not to know the day or the hour when He will come again. He occasionally makes overstatements to drive home a point we might otherwise miss. His point here is that the exact “hour” is not important. What is crucial is that we not post- pone our repentance; that we be ready for Him---spiritually and morally--when He comes. For He will surely come. He tells us – like the flood in the time of Noah.
By our Baptism we have been made children of the light. It is time to throw off all darkness and to walk by the light of His grace. As we sing in today’s Psalm, let us go rejoicing to the House of the Lord.
God Bless You All Fr. George Highberger
November 25, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
On
this last Sunday of the Church year we are shown
that Jesus is the Messiah of God, the King of the
Jews. In today’s The good thief shows us how we are to accept the salvation He offers us. He calls on the name of Jesus, and seeks His mercy and forgiveness. By his faith he is saved. Jesus “remembers him as God has always remembered His people, visiting them and numbering them among His chosen heirs”.
God Bless You All Fr. George Highberger
November 18, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
In the first reading, the prophet Malachi warns the people that the day of the Lord is surely coming; a day of both judgment and healing. While we await the unknown day of God’s coming, we are called to work tirelessly for the Kingdom of God. We pray that the world will awaken to Jesus’ joyful message of healing and justice. We are confident of success because Jesus assures us he is with us, offering healing, wisdom and endurance.
God Bless You All Fr. George Highberger
November 11, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The readings this Sunday encourages us to live rightly, to resist temptation and to seek God’s presence in our everyday lives. We are to be humble and reverent servants, and pray always. We know by faith that at the end Jesus will judge us and save us. God Bless You All Fr. George Highberger
November 4, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, November is the month where we are invited to pray especially for the souls of the faithful departed. Even in Old Testament times God encouraged the Israelites, His Chosen People, to pray for the souls of the faithful departed. May their souls rest in Peace in the Presence of the Glorified Lord! God Bless You All Fr. George Highberger
October 21, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The Lord is our guardian who stands beside us and intercedes for us in all our spiritual battles. In the First Reading from Exodus, Moses is told to go to the top of the mountain and hold up the staff of God so that the Israelites, led by Joshua, can defeat their mortal foes, the Amalekites. Moses prefigures the cross of Jesus, the new staff of God, on which Jesus stretched out His Hands to free us from sin. We must lift our eyes to the crucified Jesus to guard us from evil. In the Gospel He tells us to pray always and not be wearied by our trials. God Bless You All Fr. George Highberger
October 14, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Because of their faith in Jesus, the lepers in today’s Gospel were healed. But the Samaritan was the only one who gave thanks for the miraculous cure. The Greek word to give thanks is the word for “Eucharist”. We too, have been healed of our sinfulness by our faith in Jesus. As the lepers flesh is made again like that of a little Child, our souls have been cleaned of sin in the waters of Baptism. We experience this cleansing again in the Sacrament of Penance. We return to glorify God in each Mass, to offer ourselves in Sacrifice, and in giving thanks for our salvation.
God Bless You All'
Fr. George Highberger
October 7, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
The readings today tell us we are to live by faith; faith in Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself on the cross for us. But the world today can seem to us as it appeared to Habakkuk – that God’s enemies are in control. There is so much violence, vice, selfishness. We cannot allow our hearts to be hardened by the trials we undergo. The Psalm reminds us that Israel, the chosen people, forgot God’s mighty works and lost faith in His promise. God did not abandon Israel in the desert, but led them on to the promised land. If we call on the Lord, as the apostles do in today’s Gospel, He will increase our faith and give us the love we need to bear our share of hardship for the Gospel. Jesus will lead us to love and build up His kingdom. He will lead us to the promised land.
God Bless You All Fr. George
September 30, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
The rich and the powerful are
visited with woe in today's reading. They are not punished for
their wealth, but for their refusal to share it; not for their
power, but for their indifference to the suffering at their
door. In the readings today the Lord knows Lazarus by name, while the selfish rich man has no name. As St. Paul teaches in today's Epistle, let us pursue righteousness and keep the commandment of love that we and our neighbor may receive eternal life.
God Bless You All Fr. George
September 23, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Jesus teaches us how to live wisely as true disciples. We are to appreciate and use wisely the greatest of gifts which are the things of lasting value; the gifts of faith, hope and charity we received in Baptism. We are to be as wise as the dishonest steward mentioned in the Gospel, who further cheated his boss by buying the friendship of his bosses’ debtors by reducing their debts. He assured his future with material wealth in this world Jesus counsels us to be trustworthy and use wisely His gifts of everlasting value.
God Bless You All Fr. George
September 16, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Today is Catechetical Sunday when we will honor and bless a number of your fellow parishioners who have generously offered to assist you in passing on the faith to your children. We must all appreciate and support them in their sharing their time and talent to teach your children by their words and example. May the Lord bless and reward them today and always.
God Bless You All Fr. George
September 9, 2007 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Jesus tells us in the Gospel that following Him requires sacrifice. His words aren’t addressed to His chosen few, the twelve Apostles, but rather to the “great crowds”- to “anyone” – to “ whomever” – wishes to be His disciple. His call is a challenge. We are to choose Him above every person and possession. He tells us that the things we have – even our family ties and obligations – can become an excuse that keeps us from loving Him above all things. He gives us the wisdom, the grace, to make straight our path to Him. God Bless You All Fr. George SEPTEMBER 2, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St.
Anthony’s,
Today the readings speak to us of true humility. In the first reading from Sirach we are told to “conduct our affairs with humility.” St. Paul informs us that we, by faith, have entered the Kingdom of God, justified by the blood of the Lamb.
All that we are, all that we have, all is a gift from God.
In the Gospel Jesus reminds us with these words---“For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” And He promises us that we “will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”.
God Bless You All Fr. George
August 26, 2007 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Recently television has popularized "makeover shows". These shows help people renovate their homes, their businesses, their health, their relationships with others. What if we submitted ourselves to a makeover into the core of who we are----into our very soul? The Lord speaks to us in the readings today. In the reading from Isaiah He tells us He will bring people from all nations as an offering to the Lord. St. Paul tells us we should accept the discipline from God as his adopted sons and daughters. In the Gospel, Jesus confirms that we will be welcomed to the "wedding feast" of heaven only if our hearts and souls are properly dressed," --filled with His Grace and Love---. God Bless You All Fr. George August 19, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The readings call us to struggle against evil. Jesus leads us to fight against evil. St. Paul explains that we are to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, to share His missions. We are to rid ourselves of "the sin that clings to us" by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. Led by Him, we are called to fight against terrible sins against life, especially against abortion.
God Bless You All Fr. George
August 12, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Waiting, Hoping, Longing. Today’s readings are full of these human experiences. Like the biblical people, we know these words well: throughout our lives, we wait for things to unfold, we hope for the best. Sometimes we become discouraged – not sure our hopes will be fulfilled. In today’s gospel, Jesus encourages us to live with faith, to keep awake and to be ready. Actively living with faith, hope and love, we reach out to God and one another with open hearts and, as Jesus promised, are received into the kingdom.
God Bless You All Fr. George August 5, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
We are to trust in God, the Rock of our salvation. Jesus is the Good Shepherd leading us to salvation. In the Gospel Jesus warns us to avoid greed. We can put our trust in possessions, squabbling over earthly inheritances, kidding
ourselves that what
we have we deserve, storing up treasures
and think they’ll
afford us security and rest. St. Paul calls greed
“idolatry”. In the
Gospel Jesus calls the rich man a “fool” which
means someone who
rebels against God or who has forgotten
Him.
Jesus also says that
it is easier to pass a camel through the
eye of a needle than
for a rich man to get into heaven. But He
reassures us that following Him anything is possible.
God Bless You All Fr. George
July 29, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
In the first reading Abraham bargains with God and demonstrates a real persistence in prayer. Jesus invites us to persist in prayer as well. As He taught the Apostles how to pray He taught them that God always hears our prayers, and answers them in a way that is better for us than what we may be requesting. May our prayer open us to God’s will, and so build up His grace and love within us.
God Bless You, Father George
July 22, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Jesus often visited the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary in Bethany.
We just heard what happened on one such occasion.By
this time Jesus was a well known rabbi, as well as a
prophet and
miracle-worker, but Mary, Lazarus and Martha
believed he
was more -- the Messiah and their friend.
We should not
envy Mary, Martha and Lazarus though we
Easily could.
Jesus often visits us in Church, in our homes,
schools, &
work places. He said, “Where two or three are
gathered in my
name, there am I in their midst. We become
His special
friends when we pray. We believe Him, and trust
Him.
God Bless You, Father George July 15, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Jesus said to His disciples, “Love one another even as I have loved you.” In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus tells us who our neighbor is and how we are to love our neighbor. He teaches us “the art of Christian love.” This virtue requires self-forgetfulness and dedication to others. The art of Christian loving also includes appreciating and thanking, when we are loved by our neighbor. Let us continue to grow in Jesus’ love, recognizing that His Sacraments are the greatest acts of love. God Bless You, Father George July 8, 2007
Dear Parishioners
of St. Anthony’s,
Jesus has a vision in today’s Gospel—Satan falling like lightening from the sky; the enemy will be vanquished by the missionary preaching of His Church. The Church proclaims the coming of God’s kingdom, offering His blessings of mercy and peace to every household on earth.
 Our
Lord’s tone is solemn today. In the preaching of the Church, “the
kingdom of God is at hand”; the time of decision has come
for every person.Those who do not accept His message
will be doomed. Those who believe will find mercy
and peace, protection and nourishment in the Church.
Father George
July 1, 2007 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Summer has arrived. I think it is opportune to copy a message Father McGuive, the pastor of St. Daniel’s Parish has given to his parishioners. “At all times we ask respect and reverence be shown in the
church. “Please turn off cell phones and pagers before you enter church. Do not make or take phone calls while in church.” “There is no food, gum or drinks allowed in church (Exception—bottles for babies). “Appropriate dress should be worn at all times. No bare feet, flip-flops, halters, strapless tops, short-shorts, short skirts, low cut tops, or T-shirts with inappropriate logos.” Let us strive to have a respectful, prayerful atmosphere in our church---The House of God. Thank you and God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger
June 24, 2007 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Today we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. He showed people the way to our Savior Jesus Christ. John was martyred because of his call for repentance to prepare the way for the Lord. He was a faithful witness until death. May St. John the Baptist intercede with the Lord for us so that we may be faithful disciples, witnessing to the Lord by our lives. God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger June 17, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The readings of today’s Mass demonstrate God’s desire to forgive all sinners. King David acknowledges his sin and experiences the Lord’s forgiveness. In the Gospel the sinful woman is forgiven by Jesus because of her great love. St. Paul relates how much Jesus loves us and gave himself up for us, to pay for our sins. May we always be grateful for God’s saving love. God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger
June 10, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Melchizedek, priest of God Most High in Old Testament times, offered bread and wine as a blessing on Abram. Jesus more than abundantly fulfills this offering, giving us his own body and blood under the form of bread and wine. He satisfies our hunger in abundance as we make our pilgrim way to the heavenly banquet.
God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger June 3, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Today is the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, the greatest Mystery;
the We are at peace with God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. This Spirit, who is Wisdom itself, will lead us into all truth. How wonderful the name of our God all in the earth! God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger
MAY 27, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Today is Pentecost Sunday. We celebrate and give thanks to God for fulfilling Jesus’ promise----the Holy Spirit has arrived to remind us of all that Jesus said and did and that the Spirit strengthens us to go forth in the name of the Lord “to renew the face of the earth”. We give thanks to God that the Holy Spirit will enlighten and strengthen the twenty-five young people who will be confirmed today. God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger May 20, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
On the great feast of the Ascension, Jesus commissioned the apostles to spread the Good News (the Gospel), to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He reminded them that he is always present through His Spirit, blessed them and ascended into heaven. We are to be His witnesses, mindful of the great hope to which we are called.
God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger May 13, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In this wonderful Easter tide the Scriptures remind us that Jesus We thank the Lord and ask Him to bless our mothers.
God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger May 6, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, During this month of May let us remember, as we pray the rosary, the following intentions: Respect for life, peace with justice, those serving in the military and their families, vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Mary always listens to us and puts in a good word to the Lord for us as we pray to her Divine Son. God Bless You, Father George E. Highberger April 29, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. The readings of the Mass are centered in the merciful love that Jesus, the Good Shepherd has for all the people of the world. He invites us to form part of his flock, the Church, and to be attentive to his Word. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, teaches us to respect others and to be of service to our neighbor, as He serves us. We are all part of the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Father George E. Highberger April 22, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, On this third Sunday of Easter we celebrate Jesus’ forgiving Peter of his denial as Peter professes his love for Our Lord. Then Jesus commissions Peter to feed the sheep. Through the Apostles and their successors, Jesus continues to forgive us our sins and nourishes us in Holy Communion. Father George E. Highberger
APRIL 15, 2007
April 8, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Alleluia! On this day of days we offer a joyful sacrifice of praise to the Father who raised His Son from the dead-- His Son who has redeemed us and shares His Life with us. May the Peace and Joy of the Risen Savior be with you! Alleluia! Father George
APRIL 1, 2007 Dear Parishioners of St.
Anthony’s,
March 25, 2007
March 11, 2007
Father George
Saint Anthony Youth Group March 4, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, What Peter, James and John experienced in today’s Gospel is what theologians call “a moment of grace”. It is a moment when the border between heaven and earth seems to fade for a split second and we get a glimpse of eternity and feel God’s presence in our lives. These moments of grace are gifts from God. They cannot be merited, won or programmed. All we can do is dispose ourselves to receive them. This we do by prayer and by loving service to others. Father George
February 25, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, On this first Sunday of Lent in the first reading Moses recounts the great events of salvation history…….how God chose and protected a people from whom the Savior would be born. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and of Mary fulfills the promise. He is ever faithful, resisting temptation to forsake His Father’s mission. Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Father George
February 18, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Father George
February 11, 2007 Dear
Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, With the Beatitudes Jesus teaches us how to fulfill the two great commandments of love……..loving Jesus and our neighbor. If we do so our reward will be great: eternal life.
Father George
February 4, 2007 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Isaiah, Peter and Paul are overwhelmed by their sense of their sinfulness when confronted with the holiness of the Lord. Yet each experiences the Lord’s forgiveness and is sent to preach the good news of His Mercy. Before reading the Gospel, the priest silently asks God to cleanse his lips that he might worthily proclaim His Word. God’s word comes to us as it came to Isaiah, Peter and Paul as a personal call to leave everything and follow Him, to surrender our weaknesses in order to be filled with His strength. Father George
January 28, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In the Gospel today Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.” Jesus encounters so much opposition and lack of faith, that His hometown neighbors attempt to kill Him. Jesus escapes and continues to teach by His Word and His Deeds, the two great commandments of Love. Father George
January 21, 2007
Dear Parishioners of
St. Anthony’s, In today’s liturgy, Ezra, the prophet, proclaims the word of the Lord which gives spirit and life. Jesus proclaims Himself the Fulfillment of the law and the prophets. In Him we have become one body with many members.
Father George
January 14, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Father George
January 7, 2007
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, On this Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord we are all invited to sing the Lord’s praises, for we, along with all people of good will, have been called to hear the good news. We are called to worship our Savior and King with the gift of our lives. Father George December 31, 2006
Jesus chose to become a baby born of a mother and father and to spend all but the last years of His life on earth living in an ordinary human family. This He did to reveal God’s plan to make all people live as one “holy family” in His Church. In the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, God reveals our true home. We’re to live as His children Father George
December 24, 2006
Out of love for us God became man, born of the Virgin Mary. Our Savior has appeared! May the Light, the Life and Love of the Christ Child be yours today and throughout the New Year! Father George December 17, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Father George
December 10, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Father George
December 3, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Advent has a
two-fold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when Jesus is the reason for the season!
Father George
November 26, 2006
Dear
Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In this last Gospel of the Church’s year Jesus tells us He is Christ the King and His Kingdom, while not of this world, exists in this world in the church. We are a royal people. We know we have been loved by Him and freed by His blood and transformed into a Kingdom. For this we praise and thank Christ our King.. Father George
November 19, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Father George
November 12, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, The Lord provides
for Elijah’s need as the widow of Zarephath shares with
Father George
November 5, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
In Old Testament
times God revealed through His prophet that it is good to
Father George October 22, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Jesus saves us by serving us. He generously suffered to pay for our sins and rising again He gives Himself to us through the Sacraments. We achieve holiness (true greatness) by serving one another and by giving ourselves as Jesus did.
Father George
October 15, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, is the Word, He is wisdom. Let us always listen to Him, put Him first in our lives. He invites each and everyone of us to follow Him according to each person’s vocation. As God the Father said to Peter, James and John on the occasion of the Transfiguration, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.”
Father George
October 8, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals that marriage is a sacrament, a divine life-giving sign. Through the union of husband and wife, God intended to bestow His blessings on the human family; making is fruitful until it filled the earth. The Gospel moves from marriage to Jesus blessing of children. Children are blessings the Father bestows on couples who walk in His ways. Father George
October 1, 2006 Dear
Parishioners of St. Anthony’s, Today is a special Sunday dedicated to RESPECT FOR LIFE, especially for the most defenseless of God’s children, the unborn. Jesus warns us in the Gospel to never scandalize or lead astray any child. Imagine how much God wishes all children to whom He has given life to be received with love, and to be cherished and enabled to grow up as a true child of God. Let us pray fervently for and generously support all of God’s children. On the day they are born may they enter a “Culture of Life”.
Father George
September 24, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Father George
September 17, 2006
Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
Today is Catechetical Sunday. We as a parish community are all responsible to grow in our faith – to deepen our understanding of and relationship with Jesus, and to pass on the faith to the young people in our parish. We are in need of more teachers and teachers’ aides for our Religious Education classes. Please consider volunteering to help. Give Diana a call in the office (684-2096) of you are willing to help.
Father George September 10, 2006
The age of salvation, the age of grace is upon us. As St. Paul tells us in today’s epistle, Christ does not differentiate between one person and another. He wants all to hear His Word and to see, to live with eyes of faith. The humble, the poor in spirit, are the first to hear, to see, to live with faith in Jesus.
Father George
September 3, 2006
Dear Parishioners,
Father George
August 27, 2006 Dear Parishioners, After Jesus multiplied a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands, He taught the disciples that He would nourish them with His Body and Blood, that He is “the Bread of Life” come down from heaven. Many refused to believe and went away sad. When Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave Me too?” Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe, we are convinced that You are God’s Holy One.” May our belief in “God’s Holy One” always grow stronger.
Father George
August 20, 2006
Dear Parishioners, This Sunday we will have a video presentation of a new program of Safe Environment for your children. Bishop Olmsted has a presentation in The Catholic Sun. There is also a complete description of the program in the Sun. Please check it out. God bless you and your family.
Father George
August 13, 2006
God provided Elijah with cake and water to strengthen him for his journey. God nourishes us with Jesus, the Bread of Life, to strengthen us for our journey, following His Way of Love.
August 6, 2006
Today we
celebrate the great feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. Jesus took
Peter, James and John off by themselves with him and led them up a
Then, out of a cloud that covered Jesus, Elijah and Moses, a voice spoke: “This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to Him.”
July 30, 2006 Dear Parishioners of St. Anthony’s: The
miracle God performed at Elisha’s request is perfectly fulfilled in Jesus’
July 23, 2006
July 16, 2006
The Gospel this Sunday is a lesson in humility – recognition of the Truth who is Jesus. He saves us by serving us and invites us to have the attitude of serving others, of imitating Him.
July 2, 2006
God Bless America !
June 25, 2006
June 11, 2006
On this feast of the Most Holy Trinity, Holy Scripture reminds us that the Lord God is one, there is no other. We have been chosen as His own, and through the Holy Spirit we are able to call God “Father”. Through baptism all nations are called to share in the life of the Son and acknowledge the triune God.
June 4, 2006 The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who “renews the face of the earth”, was given to the disciples to strengthen them to go forth in the Name of the Lord, to proclaim the Good News (the Gospel) and to obtain the forgiveness of sins. All of us have been baptized into one and the same Spirit; let us live, then, by the Spirit! May 28, 2006
As Jesus ascended into heaven He
commissioned His disciples to spread the
May 21, 2006
St. Peter
teaches us that Christ’s love is to be revealed to all the world. Let
May 14,2006 MOTHERS DAY
A blessed and Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers. Let us thank the Lord for our Mothers and thank Him, too, for sharing His Mother with us as our Spiritual Mother.
May 7, 2006
April 30, 2006
We should hear the Scriptures this Sunday not to know more “about” Jesus, but to truly know Him personally, and to know His plan for our lives. The Psalm tells us that the light of His face shines upon us, so we have the confidence to call Him and to know that He hears and answers.
April 23, 2006
DEAR PARISHIONERS Fr. John Vogt died on Good Friday evening. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated in St Anthony of Padua on Friday, April 28, 2006 at 6:00 pm. May the Risen Lord welcome him home to heaven!
April 16, 2006 Easter DEAR PARISHIONERS of ST. ANTHONY’S, Alleluia! On this day of days we offer a joyful sacrifice of praise to the Father who raised His Son from the dead – His Son who has redeemed us and shares His Life with us. May the Peace and Joy of the Risen Savior be with you! Alleluia!
April 9, 2006
Jesus humbled Himself for love of us. He did not shield His face from buffets and spitting, but offered His life on the cross. He relied on His Father’s love. Let us always rely on Our Father’s love who sacrificed His Only Son for love of us.
April 2, 2006
Where Jesus has gone we can follow---if we let Him lead us. To follow Jesus means turning away from sin and selfishness. It means trusting in the Father’s will, the law He has written in our hearts. Jesus “hour” continues in the Eucharist, where we join our sacrifices to His.
March 26, 2006
God
pardons and raises up all who accept His pardon for their sins. He forgives
us for our
MARCH 19,2006
Lent is a special time of grace, of growing in the spirit of forgiveness . . . of forgiving and of being forgiven. We will have a Communal Penance on Monday, March 27th at 7:00 PM.
March 12, 2006 Following God’s command, Abraham was
willing to sacrifice his only son to
March 5, 2006 On this the First Sunday of Lent,
God’s message to Noah after the flood prefigures our baptism
February 26, 2006 THANK YOU
February 19, 2006
February 12, 2006
Mark’s Gospel for this sixth Sunday shows us God’s infinite mercy. Jesus cured the leper instantly when the poor, faith filled leper requested it. Jesus is even more pleased to cure us of our sinfulness when we ask Him with faith.
February 5, 2006
The Gospel today shows us Jesus with His powerful healing love, as he cures the leper who has been ostracized because of his incurable disease. May we always imitate the healing and compassionate Jesus by our concern for, and care for the most needy among us.
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With
God’s promises in today’s First Reading, the Lord formed the
people through whom He would reveal Himself and bestow His
blessings on all humanity. The Lord later elevated these
promises to eternal covenants and changed Abram’s name to
Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would be the father
of a host of nations (see Genesis 17:5). In remembrance of
His covenant with Abraham the Lord raised up Moses (see
Exodus 2:24: 3:8). Later God swore an everlasting kingdom
to David’s sons (see Jeremiah 33:26). In Jesus’
transfiguration today, He is revealed as the One through
whom God fulfills his divine plan. Jesus is not only “the
new Moses,” He is much greater; He is also the “Beloved Son”
promised to Abraham and again to David (see Genesis
22:15-18;Mathew1:1).
Moses
climbed a mountain to receive the Ten Commandments which
the Lord ordered him to give the Chosen People. God
ordered Moses to spell out to the people the
significance of the Lord’s Word. After Jesus proclaimed
the Beatitudes and elaborated their meaning, He spelled
out the requirements of this New Covenant. This
Covenant Word requires a great deal from us…it requires
far more than our simple hearing and acceptance of
Jesus’ “message.”
the
Messiah would come only for them to free them from Roman
oppression. Jesus did not come to free them from the Roman
yoke. The Savior came to free everyone from the slavery of
sin. The Magi were the first gentiles to pay homage to the
newborn King. The God-man, Jesus was revealed to them.
They came to pay homage to the newborn “King of the Jews”
and encountered the “King of the Universe”! Who were the
three Magi Kings? They were probably astronomers, dedicated
to study the heavens and man’s place in the universe. They
searched for the truth with such dedication that they were
willing to travel a great distance to find the King they
were inspired to search for. When they finally found Jesus,
The Word made Flesh, they bowed before the Child and adored
Him. Their wisdom in recognizing the God King was truly
inspired. Today there are many people still searching
for the Savior. And Jesus inspires them to look for Him as
He reveals Himself to them. Our role in this is to be a
light unto others by the way we live the life of grace, the
life of love of God and of our neighbor.
Gospel of God”, the Good News that “God is with us” in the
person of Jesus Christ. The sign promised to the house of King
David in today’s First Reading is given is in today’s Gospel.
God himself has brought to Israel a Savior from King David’s
royal line.
In
the Gospel today, Jesus anticipates judgment day, the Day of the
Lord. He cautions us not to be deceived by those who claim "the
time has come." Jesus said not even the angels know the day or
the hour when He will return. Such deception by false prophets
is the background for today's Epistle. The signs of the Savior's
Second Coming which Jesus gave the Apostles seem to have
already come to pass in the New Testament. The Acts of the
Apostles, the Epistles and the Book of Revelation speak of
famines, earthquakes and the destruction of the Temple. These
inspired books of the New Testament tell us of persecutions-of
believers who will be imprisoned, tortured and put to death
because they testify to their faith in the Lord
But the gift of faith Zacchaeus has received brings salvation to
his house. Zacchaeus expresses his faith in his desire to "see"
Jesus. The short little man humbles himself by climbing a tree
just to see Jesus pass by. The proud, stiff-necked Pharisee
react to Jesus with their envious grumbling. Zacchaeus receives
Jesus with joy.
The
First Reading today shows us one of Scripture's abiding
themes-that God "knows no favorites "(Sirach 35:12-14). God
cannot be bribed. We cannot curry favor with Him-even with our
good deeds and our faithful observance of our religious duties
such as tithing and fasting. If we try to exalt ourselves before
the Lord, as the Pharisee does, we will be humbled.
and could only associate with other lepers. They were required
to stay away from all other people. They had to ring a bell if
a healthy person were to approach them to advise the healthy
person to stay away. Also, many of their Jewish contemporaries
believed that anyone with a serious illness like leprosy was so
ill because of being guilty of serious sin.
The
rich man in today's Gospel was not condemned because he was
cruel and violent; he was condemned for a lack of love for his
neighbor, Lazarus. For him Lazurus just didn't exist.
When the rich man wanted a favor from Lazurus in the next life,
Abraham told him that there was a great chasm between the two of
them. The rich man had created the chasm in the first
place, holding Lazurus at arm's length as if he wasn't there.
Even in the next life the rich man treated Lazurus as his
servant, not even speaking to him but asking Abraham to send him
to bring water or to go and warn his brothers lest they, too, be
condemned for their selfish lack of love for their neighbor.
true disciples. Jesus applauds the steward for preparing for his
future in this world. He makes a prudent calculation-to
use his last hours in charge of his employer's property so that
the debtors he has befriended by reducing their debts will help
him after he is fired from his employment.
esus
is the "narrow gate," the only way of salvation, the only path
by which we must all travel in order to enter the Kingdom of the
Father.
In
the First Reading from the Book of Revelation, we see God's
temple opened and the Ark of the Covenant is revealed. The Ark,
the most sacred item in Israel's history, has been missing since
the destruction of the Temple in 586 B.C. So John is reporting
some startling news. Even more surprising is his revelation that
the sacred vessel is now a woman, who is the mother of the Royal
Son of King David, the Messiah.
Our
fathers, our faithful ancestors, trusted in the Word of God, put
their faith in His oaths, convinced that what He promised, He
would do.
For
the sake of the one just Man, Jesus, God spared the city of man from
destruction (see Jeremiah 5:1), "obliterating the bond against us,"
as Paul says in today's Epistle. Jesus bore the guilt of all of us,
canceled the debt we owed to God, the death we deserved to die for
our transgressions. We pray as ones who have been spared, visited in
our affliction, saved from our enemies.
In
today's First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles(see Acts 2:1-11)
the mysteries prefigured in the Covenant Law given to Moses
are fulfilled in New Covenant in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit
on Mary and the Apostles.
The
readings offer us a meditation on the nature and meaning of the
Church. The Church is One according to the First Reading: "the
Apostles (bishops) and presbyters (priests), in agreement with the
whole Church (Laity)." The Church is Holy, taught and guided by the
Spirit that Jesus promises the Apostles in the Gospel. The Church is
Catholic, or universal, making known God's ways of salvation to all
peoples, ruling all in equity, as we sing in today's Psalm.
n
today's Second Reading from the Book of Revelation Saint John
sees Jesus, the "Son of Man" as He is in heaven. In his
vision Saint John sees the Savior clad in the robe of a High
Priest, wearing the gold sash of a King. He has been
exalted by the right hand of the Lord.
believed what He had promised: that God would raise
Him on the third day.
By
the close of today's long Gospel, the work of our redemption has
been accomplished.
the long promised Messiah. Like the adulterous woman in today's
Gospel, all sinners have been spared by the Lord's compassion.
All have heard His words of forgiveness, His urging to
repentance, to be sinners no more. As Saint Paul tells us in the
Epistle, Christ as taken possession of every one, claimed each
as a child of our Father in heaven.
The
events related in Exodus were also given us as a warning-being
children of God is no guarantee that we will reach the promised land
of our salvation. In today's Gospel Jesus warns us that we could
perish-not as God's punishment for being great sinners but because,
like the Israelites in the wilderness we could stumble into evil
desires, fall into grumbling and forget all of God's benefits.
Abraham in today's First Reading from Genesis, but to the
heavenly commonwealth that Saint Paul describes in today's
Epistle.
In
Jesus, God keeps that promise.
paralytic- “I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go
off home.”
There
is more to the story in today’s Gospel than a miraculous
healing. The miraculous healing in the Gospel reveals
Jesus as more than a great prophet who heals in God’s name-He is
God visiting His People. Only God can cure leprosy and
forgive sins, only God has the power to bring about whatever He
wills.
up. The word translated as “help her up” is the Greek word for
raising up. It is the same word used when Jesus commands a dead girl
to arise. It is used again to describe His own resurrection. What
Jesus has done for Simon’s mother-in-law is what He has done for all
of humanity-raised all of us who lay dead through our sins. 
When
Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two
fishermen, Simon and Andrew, throwing their net into the water.
Jesus called the two brothers saying, “Come after me; I will
make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets,
their families and followed the Lord.
promised land. The Gospel today shows that their
deliverance heralded an even greater saving act by God-the
coming of Jesus would free Israel and all nations from the
slavery of sin.
the
First Reading.
despised sinners in Jesus’ day---tax
collectors and prostitutes—who by their sin
refuse to enter the vineyard, the Kingdom.
When they heard the preaching of John, the
Baptist, they repented and followed Jesus.
The second son represents Israel’s leaders
who said they would serve God but refused to
believe John when he told them to do good
works as a sign of their repentance.
Today
is Catechetical Sunday. I ask for your
prayers as we
states, “All that exists comes from Him; all is by and for Him.
To Him
him
walking on the water and think
He is a ghost. When Jesus
says “It is I”, Peter wishes to
welcome Him. Peter begins
to walk on the water toward
Jesus, but as he is frightened
by the storm he begins to sink
and calls out to the Lord.
Jesus saves him. Jesus
speaks to all of us in times of
trouble.
they
repent.
about God’s 
from their enslavement in Egypt.
die to our sins. By our baptism we are buried with our
stinking place or you guys.”
to
act on His Word. In other words we are to obey the
commandments, to conform 
Communion
with the Trinity is the goal of our worship. The history of God’s
saving love begins with creation and continues from the fall of Adam
and Eve to our day in the Eucharist and in the sacraments of the
Church.
Sacrament
of Confirmation on fifty-four of our young people. Their initiation
into the Catholic Faith is now complete. Let us celebrate and pray
for them that they faithfully and joyously live the faith with which
they have been blessed.
disciples many times, conversing with them and filling their hearts
with joy; He strengthens their faith in His Triumph, in His Person,
in His Mission. Jesus gives them His final instructions for
establishing and organizing the Church and promises to send the Holy
Spirit. 
see the church being built up,as the Apostles ordain seven deacons
to serve the members of the newly founded Church so that they can
devote themselves more fully to the ministry of the Word and the
Sacraments.
Easter,
we hear His voice calling us His own.
Easter is dedicated to Divine Mercy.
anniversary of my ordination to the
priesthood was a sign of your generosity and
gratitude. Jack Zoulek and his many co-workers
fed us so well. My sister and my brother
and his wife commented on how welcoming and
friendly everyone was. 
for
a good man someone may have the courage to die.
It is precisely in this that God proves his love
for us: that while we were still sinners, Christ
dies for us."
captivity and to bring all nations to God.
After Jesus passed through the waters of baptism
He went to the top of the mountain to proclaim a
new law ---the law of His Kingdom. This
new law, the Beatitudes, fulfill God’s promise
to Abraham – that through Abraham’s descendants
all the nations of the world would receive God’s
blessings.
perfect,
a state in which all of us would like to be now and
forever. Everlasting happiness is a natural desire
for everyone. How do we attain it? The Bible tells
us we achieve it by proper conversion, returning to
God and making straight what is crooked in our life
and by performing good work.
through baptism. We are to join our sacrifice to
His, to offer our lives a living sacrifices in the
spiritual worship of the Mass.
Gospel we hear these names shouted
ironically at Jesus by Israel’s rulers, the soldiers
and by one of the criminals dying alongside Him.
They taunt Him-- if He is truly King, God will
rescue Him. But He did not come to save Himself, but
to save them---and us.
appeared to this pious Polish nun several times in 1931 and asked that His
mercy be celebrated on this Sunday. Jesus was abundantly clear that God is
merciful. He said the reason for His coming to the earth was “to save His
people from their sins”. His teaching, His parables, emphasize His MERCY.
Dying on the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them, they know not what
they do”.
Dear
Parishioners of St. Anthony’s,
The
Lord has done great things, leading His people out of the slavery of sin to
the glorious splendor of Jerusalem. Let us prepare the way of the Lord by
abounding in the works of justice and love.
Christ’s first coming to us is remembered: as a season when that
remembrance directs our mind and heart to await Christ’s second coming at
the end of time. Advent is a period of devout and joyful expectation.
As
the liturgical year draws to a close, the Gospel reminds us of the Second
Coming of our Savior. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, will send his angels to
the four corners of the earth to reunite the elect and take all the faithful
disciples to the glory of heaven.
him
from her want. The widow in the temple gives from her poverty. In Jesus, God
becomes poor for us offering Himself to take away our sins.
pray for the deceased. The month of November is especially dedicated to
remembering the souls of the departed. Let us remember our dear departed
loved ones in the Mass and in our prayers. The souls in Purgatory and those
in heaven pray for us in return. Thank the good Lord for His creating His
Mystical Body composed of the Church Triumphant, the Church Suffering and
the Church Militant where we all pray for and love one another.
In
the Gospel today Jesus tells the apostles they are not to be concerned about
who among them is the greatest. Rather they must lead by imitating His
example of love and self-sacrifice. They must be “servants of all”. This is
a lesson for us, too. We must have the mind of Christ, who humbled Himself
to come among us. We must freely offer ourselves; making everything we do a
sacrifice in praise of our Savior, Jesus.
By
observing God’s commands we shall experience the fullness of life. God calls
us to live in conformity to His will. If we welcome God’s will and let it
take root in our hearts, He will lead us to everlasting life.
high
mountain. Then He was transfigured before them, appearing with Elijah and
Moses. They conversed about the death He was to undergo in Jerusalem.
feeding of the five thousand. Both miracles prophesy the greatest miracle of
the Holy Eucharist by which Jesus nourishes our spirit with His very Body
and Blood. In Jesus’ Mystical Body we are made one with Him.
Happy
Birthday America! Let us praise and thank the Lord for the countless
blessings He has given our ancestors and us since the founding of our
country. May we always be a grateful and generous people. 
us love one another as Christ has loved us by offering Himself for our sins.
Congratulations
to the children receiving their First Holy Communion today, and to their
parents and catechists.
the
Lord. Since Abraham, our “father in the faith”, was ready to do so, God
promised him “countless descendants” who would be blessed with faith. God
the Father “did not spare His own Son”, a descendant of Abraham through
Mary, “but handed Him over for us all….” May we grow ever stronger in our
faith.
A
special thank you to Rosalie Goetzinger for your generous service to St.
Anthony’s in “resurrecting” the gift shop. With your leadership and
countless hours, you have again opened up and ran the gift shop, stocking it
with fine religious articles. May God reward you for your good work. The
parishioners and I thank you. Father George
The
Corpus for the new cross in the sanctuary has arrived and it will be
installed within the next few weeks. Bishop Olmsted will be coming to St.
Anthony’s on Friday, April 7th to celebrate a special Mass at
5:00 PM and bless the new cross with the crucified Christ. After Mass a
Lenten supper will be served in O’Sullivan Hall.