Dear Family!

At the beginning of the Lent, in the 1st Sunday we are given powerful readings that reveal to us the foundational aspects of sin and God’s continual grace in inviting us to holiness in freedom. In the first reading we read about the original sin. The woman took the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Taking this fruit of this tree is “equivalent to making a grab for moral autonomy. It is way of saying; I will decide what is right and what is wrong and I am not going to be told by anyone else. It is a form of idolatry.” (Geoffrey Plant).

Dear Family!

The Catechism teaches us that “Jesus, Israel's Messiah and therefore the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, was to fulfill the Law by keeping it in its all- embracing detail - according to his own words, down to "the least of these commandments". He is in fact the only one who could keep it perfectly. On their own admission the Jews were never able to observe the Law in its entirety without violating the least of its precepts.

Dear Family!

The observance of National Marriage Week (February 7-14th ) and World Marriage Day (Sunday, February 8th) are so foundational to our faith and life as not only as Christians rather the foundation for any human society. This year’s theme is ‘Man and Woman He Created Them: Together with Purpose’. Our prayers are with all the married couples in our community:

Dear Family!

What a weekend! Last weekend was a tough one as I witnessed 8 people for the 9am Mass and just 1 person for the 11am Mass. We continued to celebrate all the masses and prayed for all of you! As we slowly getting back to our routines, a joyous feast is given to us. On Monday, the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. (2nd of February). As we see, this event is recorded only in the Gospel of Luke. Luke presents the Holy Family as an observant family, always did things in accordance with the Law.

Dear Family!

This Sunday, our Universal Church celebrates the ‘Word of God’ Sunday. Cardinal Sarah wrote of it as Prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship in 2020, “The Sunday of the Word of God, instituted by Pope Francis and to be held every year on the third Sunday of Ordinary Time, (Motu Proprio Aperuit Illis of Pope Francis, 2019) reminds us, pastors and faithful alike, of the importance and value of Sacred Scripture for the Christian life, as well as the relationship between the word of God and the liturgy:

Dear Family!

Welcome to the Ordinary Season! The readings still resonate the festive mood of the Baptism of the Lord. As the Evangelist John introduces various titles of Jesus throughout the Gospel, one title stands out: Jesus as the Lamb. Why the Lamb? The central feature of the Jewish Passover feast was the lamb which was eaten during the Passover meal. When the angel of God came to destroy all the firstborn, it “passed over” the houses of the Israelites, which had been smeared with the lamb’s blood. This became then a symbol of liberation.

Dear Family!

With today’s liturgy (The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord), we conclude the Season of Christmas. On Monday we begin the Ordinary Time. Jesus’ baptism by John was the acceptance and the beginning of his mission as God’s suffering servant (1st Reading Today). Jesus identifies himself with the sinful humanity and begins his mission to bring salvation to our fallen nature.

Dear Family!

I wish you all a God-filled New Year! As many of you know that Christmas is not just a day but a season, we are filled abundantly by God with graces and blessings in all these days of the season. Our happiness is multiplied by many important feasts days that we celebrate in this season starting with Saint Stephen, the First Martyr (December 26th), Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist (December 27th) and continued our festive mood with the feast of Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (December 28th) last Sunday.

Dear Family!

Happy Holy Family Sunday! I am not sure if you noticed that I always addressed my bulletin notes to ‘Family’. You are my family; in you I rejoice; through you I witness a God’s love and hope; with you my faith is strengthened. I pray with St. Paul (Philippians 1:3-11) on this Feast of the Holy Family that we may reflect the holiness and commitment of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Dear Family!

We had a busy week in celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe festival, thanks to all the organizers and volunteers. Our Mother has done everything for us, and we are blessed to get every opportunity to venerate her especially under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Mother of the Americas. (I’m writing this note on Dec. 11th). In 4 days, we will be celebrating Our Lord’s Nativity! Though it is so soon to wish you all Merry Christmas, the festive joy is already being felt!

Dear Family!

As the third and Rose candle being lit and witness the Rose vestments at the Eucharist this Sunday, we are reminded that our Savior is near. We pray in the opening antiphon, ‘Gaudete in Domino Semper” (Rejoice in the Lord always). The Rose color as some of the liturgists explain that it reminds us of the color of the sky at the very brink of morning when the sun is just beginning to come up. Jesus is the Sun that dispels darkness around us!

Dear Family!

In the season of Advent, larger than life personalities like Isaiah and John the Baptist certainly draw our attention to living a holy season but most importantly it is Our Mother who always plays the most important role in leading us to the heart of Jesus. The Church begins with the year with the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God and end the year with Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Mother of Americas.