Letter from the Pastor

Jesus once asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  Peter, as was often the case, spoke for the group:  “You are the Messiah.”  You and I can hear those words with little or no emotion; but to those first disciples they were dramatic beyond measure.  From the beginning they had taught, hoped, even dared to believe that Jesus might be the long-awaited redeemer, spoken of by the prophets.  Now they were sure of it. Then, at that very point, Jesus began to teach them that He had to suffer, be rejected by His own people, and die.  […]

To forgive other people is one of the most difficult things any of us will ever have to do.  If perhaps you don’t know that, it can only mean that you have never tried it.  Perhaps you’ve never been faced with that necessity. Maybe your heart has never been broken.  Maybe you’ve never been cheated, or lied to or about, or insulted.  Maybe you’ve never suffered physical or psychological injury at the hands of careless or, worse yet, malicious people.  If nothing like that has ever happened to you, let me assure you that you should be grateful; but you […]

As we all know when a child starts school, he or she doesn’t know for sure what to expect, how well he or she will do, or where it will all lead.  He or she just makes a start and then works his or her way through it, one day, one week, one year at a time.  Getting an education is an adventure.  When a young person chooses a vocation, he or she does not know for sure what the outcome will be.  Can he or she do the work?  Will he or she enjoy it?  Will he or she […]

If you ever visited the Holy Land, you would discover it is a dusty land.  It has two seasons – a rainy season that begins in the late fall and ends in the early spring.  Then, the arid season begins.  The land becomes parched and dry.  At the same time the siroccos blow from the deserts of Transjordan and Arabia.  This dusty character of the land is reflected throughout the bible.  The custom of foot washing was a courteous and practical gesture for guests who arrived with tired and dirty feet. We too get some dust on us just by […]

In this Lent 2017, we Catholics need to reflect on ways of winning people back to Jesus.  One way is a deliberate attempt to bring people to Christ by befriending them.  As soon as some hear this, they might wonder, “Can that be right?  Should we befriend people just to bring them to Christ?”  Absolutely!  The greatest reason to befriend someone is Jesus Christ.  The greatest gift we can give a friend is Jesus Christ.  If we are truly someone’s friend, we want what is best for him or her.  What can be better for anyone than to come to […]