After almost 34 years of service, Janice LaMotte, our Pastoral Associate, will retire effective June 30, 2023. Janice has dedicated her life to making disciples through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIA), and many of her other faith formation initiatives. She has helped organize and led many social and cultural events that facilitated the building of our parish community. She has also encouraged and helped build small Christian communities that allowed parishioners to dive deeper into their faith and their relationship with God. As a Pastoral Associate, Janice has dipped her hands into every possible activity in parish life. The Parish has been blessed by Janice’s presence and leadership. She will be greatly missed.
 
     Effective June 11, 2023, the 3:00 pm Mass on Sundays will be cancelled. Parishioners who go to this Mass are encouraged to attend any of the following weekend masses: 5:00 pm Saturday anticipated Mass; 9:30 am, 11:00 am, and 5:00 pm Sunday masses.
 
     Eucharistic adoration, exposition and benediction will now be every Wednesday from 9:00 am through 12:15 pm effective June 7, 2023. This is to accommodate our School’s religious activities which often occur on Fridays. Confession and Eucharistic exposition every Tuesday evening will be suspended until July 31st. Please watch out for further announcements come July. Meanwhile, we encourage you to come for confession every Saturday from 3:30 pm through 5:00 pm in the reconciliation room. 

     Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday. It is traditionally referred to as the birthday of the Church!  So, today we gather as church to celebrate the Church’s birthday!  Why is it Pentecost Sunday traditionally regarded as the birthday of the Church?  It is because 50 days after Easter the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles while they were hiding in fear behind locked doors following the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Receiving the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit, the apostles immediately went out with boldness among the people and began spreading the message of the Gospel to everyone, thus marking the beginning of the Church. The usual symbols of Pentecost are wind, fire, and a dove.  But did you know that in the island of Iona, off the western coast of Scotland, there is a unique ancient Celtic symbol of the Holy Spirit—a wild goose! Wild geese usually make a lot of noise when you disturb them. They bite those who try to capture them. So for the Irish and Scots, the symbol of a wild goose for the Holy Spirit is a reminder for them that when it comes to the Holy Spirit, expect the unexpected! The Holy Spirit is not just gentle, refreshing, and life-giving. The Holy Spirit can also stir our hearts, provoke and “bite”!  So, don’t be surprised if the Holy Spirit begins to disturb the stillness of the water within you.  Because when it does, expect the unexpected in you!

     Congratulations to Tom Egan and Joyce Damazonio, our fellow parishioners, for receiving the 10-Year and 15-Year St. Pius X Awards respectively from the Diocese.  St Pius X Award gives recognition to catechists who have given their time, talent and treasure to spreading the Gospel and making disciples.  Thank you for the boldness of your heart to spread the Good News to people all these years!

     In the Gospel, Jesus says, “And behold I am with you always, until the end of the age.”  Then we hear in the First Reading that Jesus is lifted up, and a cloud takes Him from their sight. The apostles literally stand there looking up into heaven and wondering, “Where did He go? Is He coming back?” Often times in life when we are in a middle of a crisis or storm, we ask the same questions: Where is God? Has He left me?  Is He coming back? You see, it is much easier to have faith when we are able to see the bodily presence of someone or of things that make us feel secure. But taking away these crutches, we get agitated and feel very insecure. This is the reason why after saying that He will be with us always, Jesus left--That we might have greater faith. He wants us to feel confident in his words that He will be with us always and that we will receive power from the Holy Spirit, so much so that we will be his witness to the ends of the earth. In Jesus’ ascension, therefore, it is not so much an absence as it is a presence in a new and powerful way. Even if Jesus might not be with us in a “specific body,” He is accessible to us always as a life-giving Spirit, precisely through the Holy Spirit whom He sends. The Holy Spirit will give us power. Jesus’ leaving the apostles by going up into heaven may appear a great setback to the disciples; but God is actually setting them up for something greater. In all practical sense, our take from Jesus' ascension is the assurance that when we experience setbacks in life, Jesus is always with us and that He is actually preparing us for something greater.  You can count on that!

     Our Gospel today opens with these words of Jesus: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” To keep Jesus’ commandments is to obey His commandments.  The word “obey” does not ring well to many people because it connotes submission to someone superior. Nobody wants to be an inferior to somebody. The word obedience in Latin, however, means obedire which means “to listen.” It implies that two people are present for each other.  This requires a love relationship. It is natural for two lovers, for example, to listen to each other, to follow each other because they care for each other. Following each other, or obeying each other for that matter, therefore, is not burdensome but a pleasure. Jesus’ obedience to the Father stems for His love for His Father. Jesus’ obedience is not forced; rather, it is freely given out of love. Our obedience to Jesus is our response to His love for us. He loves us so much that He assured us that He will not leave us orphans; He will not leave us abandoned; He will not leave us desolate. He will send the Holy Spirit not only to be with us, but to dwell in us, especially in moments of confusion, difficulties, fear, and hopelessness. This is such a comforting assurance. This is how much Jesus loves us. So, with this love relationship, we obey Jesus’ words not out of submission per se, but because He loves us first and we love Him back.
 

     One of the things that differentiate us human beings from all other creatures is our ability to make a choice. Other creatures respond based on instinct. They simply react to the various stimuli in their environment. When a lion is hungry, for example, it searches for food and devours anything that looks like food regardless of what that food is. It will not process whether its action is right or wrong or is noble or not. It just reacts. We human beings can deliberate. We can choose our response based on our values. A value is defined by seven criteria: (1) it is freely chosen, (2) it is chosen from among alternatives, (3) it is chosen after thoughtful consideration of the consequences of each alternative; (4) one feels good about the value; (5) it is publicly affirmed; (6) it is acted upon; and (7) it is acted upon consistently. If we are unclear about our values, then we are more likely to always react to our environment and be swept easily by forces. We Christians are proactive people because our values are anchored on our belief in Christ, which is more than just believing the facts and information about Him. It entails putting our life on the line to defend everything that Christ represents, His teachings, His life, His values, His convictions. And we feel good about this because we went through the process of examining our values against the seven criteria of a value. We made that choice. And so, for someone whose Christian values are clear, Christ says, “ Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do.” How crystal clear are your values. Have you examined them lately?

     This Sunday is also called the Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd.  We can learn about the qualities of a leader by just examining what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel about the Good Shepherd.  A good leader is one who gathers and protects. He shields his flock from adversaries or wolves.  A good leader listens. He dialogues with his flock. A good leader leads. He does not coerce his flock. He motivates or inspires them; calls them each by his or her names and invites them to follow him. A good leader sacrifices and makes himself in solidarity with his flock because he genuinely cares about them.  And lastly, good leader looks at Christ as the Good Shepherd because Jesus Himself said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Christ is the model.  How do you compare yourself with the Good Shepherd?

  The total pledges that we have so far received for our 2023 Annual Diocesan Appeal is $168,130.35.  Our goal is $124,013.00.  Thank you to all the 219 households who have participated.  Whatever pledges we continue to collect will now directly go to the Parish 100%, This is very helpful for us because not only can this help us meet our financial obligations but continue in our mission to make disciples as well.  If you have not participated, please prayerfully consider.  It’s not too late to share the blessings that you have received from God for His purpose.  God bless!  
 

     Periods of uncertainty, discouragement, and darkness of soul, that is, when one cannot experience the presence of God, can oftentimes lead to depression.  This is what happened to the two disciples of Jesus in Emmaus.  In their state of anxiety, they could not recognize the presence of Jesus in their hearts. But it was only when they invited Jesus to enter their “home,”, that is, into their hearts, that they recognized Jesus. Gradually, their eyes opened. Christianity does not guarantee a secure life here on earth. A Christian at times feel very alone in his or her uncertainty in life. During this time, he or she may feel God is distant in one’s unfulfilled expectations and hopes. But the story about Jesus’ appearing on the road to Emmaus is a reminder for us that Jesus is not distant.  He is there in our midst and if we invite Him into the dwelling place of our hearts, He will bring peace and joy despite the uncertainties we feel in life. Jesus will get us through our struggles. Things will flourish after a period of uncertainty, discouragement and darkness of the soul.

      I thank all those who, in one way or another, helped in the success of our Easter concert. It was meant as a fundraising concert as well as an opportunity for community building.  As of this writing, we have generated a gross profit of close to $27,000.00.  I am grateful to all our sponsors, donors, our caterer, Party Helpers, and all those who came to support our Concert. I am indebted to Mr. Pasquale Esposito and his team for working with us to make this event possible.  Kudos to all of you!  God bless!

     Every now and then in life we have to make a fresh start. It might be a new financial plan; a new fitness regimen; or a new job. In today’s gospel, Jesus gave the disciples a fresh start when He came and stood in their midst and said to them “Peace be with you.”  Prior to that the disciples felt an absolute ending with Jesus’ death. They were full of fear, and also guilt and shame for abandoning their Master at a time He needed them. They needed to hear and see Jesus alive and hear His words. Jesus’ resurrection has given all of humanity a fresh start. But, with our tendency to sin we need to hear the words of Jesus Christ, “Peace be with you” for a fresh start every now and then, even after our baptism has wiped away all of our sins.  And so, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Sacrament of Fresh Start, so to speak. Jesus breathed on the disciples, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”  Right there and then, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through the words of the absolution, Jesus is telling us, “Peace be with you.” The Sacrament of Reconciliation assures us the magnanimity of His Divine Mercy will always allow us to have a fresh start. Three things are needed, though, for us to have that fresh start. The first is to believe in the mercy of God, and not to be a doubting Thomas. The second is to have hope that with God’s grace I can change and be born again.   The third is power to do what we hope for.  That power is God’s grace. So, you want to have a fresh start?  Believe, Hope, and Work with God’s grace!

           The total pledges that we have so far received for our 2023 Annual Diocesan Appeal is $166,070.35.  Our goal is $124,013.00.  We have surpassed our goal by 34%. Thank you to all the 214 households who have participated.  Whatever pledges we continue to collect will now directly go to the Parish 100%, which is very helpful for us not only to meet our financial obligations but continue in our mission as well to make disciples.  If you have not participated, please prayerfully consider.  It’s not too late to share the blessings that you have received from God for His purpose.  God bless! 

     Happy Easter!

     This is the day when we renew our baptismal vows. We rise from our old self to a newness of life, in the power of the grace of the risen Christ. This is the meaning of our baptism. The source of our power in facing all challenges and difficulties is the risen Christ. In baptism, the priest did not just pour water over our heads; we were marked with the victory of Christ; and we were anointed with the holy oil of the Holy Spirit. This gives us the confidence that Jesus will roll out the stone in our way so that not even the greatest of all our life challenges can overpower the grace we have received in Easter.  Our redeemer lives! We can overcome even those occasions that it has been truly dark.  For this reason, we can exclaim that every day is the “day that the Lord has made; let us always rejoice and be glad!”

     I am very happy to report that the total pledges that we have so far received for our 2023 Annual Diocesan Appeal is $164,840.35.  Our goal is $124,013.00.  We have surpassed our goal by 20%. Thank you to all the 212 households who have participated.  Whatever pledges we continue to collect will now directly go to the Parish 100%, which is very helpful for us not only to meet our financial obligations but continue in our mission as well to make disciples.  If you have not participated, please prayerfully consider.  It’s not too late to share the blessings that you have received from God for His purpose.  God bless!

     Today is the Passion Sunday. It is the day that we commemorate the entrance of Christ our Lord into Jerusalem to accomplish His suffering, dying and rising, and new life.  In our Gospel today, there are two apparent crowds. One crowd welcomes Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem when they shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The other condemns Jesus to death when they shouted, “Crucify Him!”.  Biblical scholars believe, however, that these are the same crowd of people.  Interestingly, the crowd behaved differently and there was a quick change of attitude. One time the crowd was welcoming, thrilled to extend their hospitality to Jesus; and another time they were hostile, thirsty for the blood of Jesus. Why the change? I would venture to say that it’s because this same crowd lacks conviction. They go with the flow; they follow what is popular or the trend, and what might be politically correct. This reality remains today. Many people, for example, vote based on social weather surveys. They go with the flow without truly examining the issues involved. What is popular is not always right.  What is right is not always popular.  As Christians we do not go with the flow.  We go with our conviction on the gospel values and our faith. Whenever we are to make a decision, may we seek for a discerning spirit that we may always uphold the gospel values, and not what most people prefer and want.

      This week is Holy Week. I invite you to come and join the beautiful liturgies during this sacred week.  We have the Taizé prayer in the church on Holy Wednesday, April 5th, at 7pm. Taizé is a style of prayer that employs repetitive singing of simple chants, silence, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and scriptures. The Sacred Paschal Triduum begins in the evening Mass of Holy Thursday, April 6th, at 6:30 pm. There will be a procession after Mass from the church to Fr. Greg Ng Kimm Community Center where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed until 12 midnight in the Garden of Gethsemane inspired Altar of Repose.  A reflection on The Seven Last Words by Fr. Noel Sanvicente is on Good Friday, April 7th, at 11:00 am. This is followed by the Good Friday service at 12:00 noon. Confessions are available after the service. Easter Vigil is on April 8th at 8:00 pm.  Easter Sunday Masses are at 9:30 am and 11:00 am only.