The faithful and prudent steward In the Gospel of Luke (12:32-34), Jesus tells His disciples not to seek security in the things of this world, but in the treasures of heaven. Hence, Jesus exhorts them to be steadfast in faith, and He tells them a parable to illustrate what He means: A servant was entrusted with his master’s household, but he began to eat, drink and get drunk, and he beat the other servants. When the master returns unexpectedly, he…
Vanity of vanities, all is vanity! The bible has wise things to say about money and possessions. While affirming that we live in a world that involves business dealings and money, it teaches us three important things: that we shouldn’t regard material wealth and possessions as gods, that life is fragile and ultimately in God’s hands and that we need to sort out what is really important and lasting before it is too late. In the Gospel of Luke,…
Teach us to pray If we were to look at the world around us, we simply cannot deny that the whole of reality is not only composed of the physical, but also the spiritual. As human beings, we too are made up of the physical and the spiritual – we each have a body and a soul. In order to live in the physical world, we must take in what our bodies need: to breathe the air, eat food, drink…
Our church is very blessed to have families with small children, and we are even more blessed that the number of small children in our church increase each year. As a church, it is important that we provide a safe and fun place for little children to run and play. A good children’s playground will also attract new families with small children to join our church. Unfortunately, our children’s playground is currently unsafe and unusable. Fr. Bill, together with the…
Faith Formation classes for children for schoolyear 2019-2020 begin next month. Classes for Grades 1 to 6 begins on August 18. Classes for Grades 7 to 8 begins on August 25. The class syllabus for each grade level may be downloaded from the church website. Grade 1 (Sundays 12:30 pm) Grade 6 (Sundays 12:30 pm) Grade 7 (Sundays 12:30 pm) Grade 8 (Sundays 12:30 pm)
The Joy of Work Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.” Many of us can relate to Martha’s predicament, because we admit that, like her, we too have been anxious and worried about many things. In today’s world, the Martha of today’s Gospel can be male or female, young or old, rich or poor, employed or retired, of any race or nationality. We have too much to do but too little time to do it.…
Being a Good Neighbor In the Gospel of Luke, the scholar of the law knew what the greatest commandment is: To love God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” What he meant was “Who deserves…
The Holy Martyr Saints of China Today we celebrate the feast day of the Holy Martyr Saints of China. 19 years ago, on October 1st, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized 120 martyrs of China. Of the 120 saints, 87 are Chinese and 33 are foreign missionaries. Among them are 6 bishops, 23 priests, 8 monks (one of whom was a novice), 7 nuns and 76 lay people (two of whom were catechumens). According to historical records, the Catholic faith…
Foxes have dens and birds have nests The story of Elijah and Elisha, and the things that Jesus said to those He called on His way to Jerusalem shows us that God calls us in many different ways. The actions of Elisha clearly demonstrate how some are called to leave everything behind; he slaughtered his oxen, burned his plowing equipment in order to cook the oxen and fed it to his people before leaving with Elijah. In the Gospel, Jesus…
The Body and Blood of Christ Do we really believe that the bread and wine offered during Mass becomes the Body and Blood of Christ? The Eucharist carries on the tradition of Passover, since the Last Supper took place in the context of Israel’s liberation from slavery. However, it inaugurates a new covenant which fulfills the various covenants throughout Israel’s history. The Eucharist is a memorial of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, as well as a remembrance of God’s action…