#7 Christmas Reflections Proclaiming the Good News Memorial of St. Sylvester I 12-31-2025

As Pope St. Sylvester I lived in challenging times and exciting times, we too are called in our own challenging times and exciting times, to remain faithful. The old year has concluded, the New Year will begin and we are called once more to renew our resolution to make Jesus Christ the center of our lives each and every day. Let us proclaim Jesus in praise and Thanksgiving.

#6 Christmas Reflection: Choosing and Praising 12-30-2025

How do we recognize God in our daily lives? Do we give praise to God for the blessings surrounding us? Do I seek a conversation with God in a constant and prophetic way? A lot of questions to be asked as we come to the end of a year. As we make our new year’s resolutions don’t forget that prayer and spiritual growth should be at the center of all our resolutions in life.

#5 Christmas Reflection: Denial of Hate 12-29-2025 Memorial of St. Thomas Beckett

How do we move from hatred to peace? We can only do so in the love of Jesus Christ. St. John reminds us that hatred leads us into darkness where we cannot see the good in others and in God’s creation that surrounds us. Jesus tells us, He is the light that will lead us from darkness (hatred) into the light (peace and love) where we become the saint he has made us to be.

#4 Christmas Reflection: to Move 12-28-2025

In the messiness and the joys and sadness of life we are called to move in perserverance of faith in bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the poor and abandoned. This es especially true in the family as we pass on our faith in loving and honoring our spouse and children….and everyone. God delights in being present and walking with us as we share our story with him. Happy 4th day of Christmas.

#3 Christmas Reflections: Fellowship with God

God come into the world not to be distant but to be with us. We are called in prayer and in the works of life; charity, mercy and daily interactions to be with God. We are invited to share the good news of Jesus’ presence in our lives and lead others closer to the Gospel message of life.

24 Advent Reflection 12 23 25 Doing the Work

#25 Advent Reflection 12-24-25 Remembering and Looking Forward

Zechariah sang out with great joy at the birth of his son in remembering the promise God made to Israel and to him. It is a song of joy that is found in the reality of the difficulties of daily life and in the promise of future peace in and through the Messiah. Today let us remember with gratitude and look forward in the peace and love of Jesus Christ.

As Zachariah was made mute, he continued the work of serving the Lord. As he returned home and his wife Elizabeth becomes pregnant, Zachariah, who is mute, continues to do the work of seeking understanding and wisdom in God’s plan. When his son, John, is born he continues to do the work of proclaiming God’s plan of life and freedom. May we continue to do the good work God has invited us to share.

#23 Advent Reflections 12-22-2025 Radical and Remembering

Both our Blessed Mother and Hannah share a trust in the Lord where giving to God, Hannah in her son Samuel and Mary her very self, are examples of our Advent journey into joy. The radical remembering of the living Word of God and how this calls forth a conversion of heart and a sense of great gratitude toward God. Let us continue to pray for gratitude to be our first and foremost call to action in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

#22 Advent Reflection 12-21-2025 Interruptions and welcoming

Joseph is called to adjust his plans and welcome God’s plan more fully into his life. As we near the Christmas season are we ready to welcome a change of plans in our life and celebration. God’s call to holiness and peace is the struggle of forgiveness and reconciliation to our brothers and sisters. May God’s peace be with you all as we end our Advent time this week.

#21 Advent Reflection 12-20-2025 Inspire

We encounter Mary as she encounters God through the Angel Gabriel. Her yes, is a real yes that changes her life (for the better) with all the challenges and struggles of a life lived in the generosity of love. It is a time to remember, as we get closer to Christmas, within the trials of life we discover the greatest blessings; the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts.

#20 Advent Reflection 12-19-2025 How to respond

The mystery of new life is beyond understanding. God’s plan of life is a call to be open to this great mystery. We don’t know where God will lead us but we do know our response is to be one of hope and joy with a determination to be before God in the intentional gift of sharing our lives with Him and the holy people are invited to be part of this day.

#18 Advent Reflection 12-17-2025 Connected to the great story.

We are connected to the great story of salvation. Our story is an important part of the story of salvation as our life and the lives of all people are important and filled with the reality of holiness (sainthood). Let us pray for all those who have fallen away from the Church. My we all be reunited in Christ.

#17 Advent Reflection 12-16-2025 Today is the Day 17 Advent Reflection Today is the day!

Jesus reminds us that to do the will of God is a process of continual conversion. It is not what we say but what we do.and hopefully they match to the glory of God. What did I say “no” to when God called me to action…today make that “no” a “yes” and live your life fully in God.

#16 Advent Reflection Yes and No

Today we are confronted with the truth and the Yes and No about living the truth and denying the lies of the world. We discover the truth in the Commandments and Beatitudes and within the teaching of the Church. The culture wishes us to make it about our ego and about me…and God invites into the bigger picture of love of neighbor. How do I live this today? 10 days until Christmas. amen

Today on the 3rd Sunday in Advent we hear the word of God call us to wait and work patiently. Like a Farmer we are invited into a relationship of growing in faith. Planting and then waiting for the harvest only to begin again. This is how our faith expands…to prepare, harvest then begin again. To know God with deeper love.

#14 Advent Reflection St Lucy 12 13 2025 Toughness and gentleness in life. Knowing who we are as we live our life with the toughness of truth and the gentleness of love. https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=75 Being prepared for what will happen and entrusting her life to God she shows us finding of our mission. As the patroness of the blind we pray for her intercession for those with trouble with their eyes.

Saint Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Parish and School St. Lawrence Dual Language Catholic School Saint Lucy Parish

#13 Advent Reflection Our Lady of Guadalupe 12 12 2025 Our Lady of the Americas How we are called to respond to God’s invitation.

“Enduring” How do we experience God’s enduring love, and beauty. In Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe we experience the enduring beauty of the Tilma, the enduring beauty of being joined in the Body of Christ with Mary our Mother, and the enduring beauty of the sacrificial love.

#12 Advent Reflection 11 December 2025 A generous heart. How do we deal with our anger and especially our anger with God. The prophet Isaiah reminds us in 41:13 “I am the Lord your God, who grasp your right hand; It is I who says to you, “Fear not, I will help you.” Do we allow God to hold our hand? It is hard to argue when you choose to hold the hand of the other. The sacraments bring us into an intimate touching of God in our lives. A life of trust and compassion

#11 Advent Reflection 10 December 2025 Lightness Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto Living https://ascensionpress.com/blogs/articles/the-extraordinary-story-of-loreto?srsltid=AfmBOoqOOdlImKle4-sUNQc0flWDhDEzLbQ1QGKYkuh7q5CJZ_M53tBUout our true vocation and embracing the peace of Jesus Christ transforms the hurt and heaviness of the world into the peace and joy of Our Lord Jesus. We still must suffer and experiences the trials life, but with Christ the burden is not ours alone…Live your vocation in sacrificial love.

#10 Advent Reflection 9 December 2025 Lost and Found On the memorial of San Juan Diego we are reminded of how an encounter with God can completely change our direction. Our Lady of Guadalupe show San Juan Diego a new path, he then is found in God with the miracle of the Tilma and helps to bring the faith to millions opening the hearts of the lost that they now may be found.

#9 Advent Reflection 8 December 2025 Mary: Full of Grace Today we remember the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary…how do we say “yes” to God’s will in our life? Remembering: we are chosen by God

#8 Advent Reflections #8 2nd Sunday of Advent 12/7/2025Repent and Believe
The joyful gift of forgiveness and mercy in knowing we are chosen by God to be his sons and daughters.
How do we discover the joy and blessing in the sacramental grace of the Church.
Do I run and jump for joy into the arms of the Father?

He too should be a many-sided man — I say many-sided, not unreal, nor yet fawning and hypocritical, but full of much freedom and assurance, and knowing how to adapt himself profitably, where the circumstances of the case require it, and to be both kind and severe, for it is not possible to treat all those under one’s charge on one plan, since neither is it well for physicians to apply one course of treatment to all their sick“ (St. John Chrysostom)

In the quote above St. John Chrysostom in sharing the wisdom written by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9:19-23), we are to be aware of serving all people in all circumstances at all times in an authentic love of Christ.
The priesthood is a daring proposition and when embraced is full of many blessings. Daring, for me, is not the jumping off of buildings, it is not doing and saying silly things because you wish to seem courageous and witty, it is not risking stupidly, nor is it putting others at risk. This is foolishness. What is daring? It is choosing to look outward toward hope and peace. It is choosing to see possibilities with others. It is listening with an open heart. It is embracing the Cross of Jesus Christ.
When you dare to trust in the Cross of Jesus you then begin to see the Church not as a lot of things to do but as a people/family to walk with. Venerable Fulton Sheen reminded priests, “You must remember to love people and use things, rather than to love things and use people.” To many times in all walks of life we can begin to see people as static, as objects meant to be used. The truth is we are for a purpose, but the purposes is to know and be in relationship. “The shepherd must smell like his flock.” (Pope Francis)

The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (St. John Vianney) In daring to dream and act, the great patron of parish priest, reminds us by both his example of priesthood and by his prayerful words to dream in hope and love a life in care of God’s sons and daughters within community. His prayerful discernment, his acts of reaching out and his steadfastness in opposition of evil gave us the blessing of who we, as priests, are called to be in true vocation. As ordained minister and in the kingdom priesthood of the baptized we are called to live in daring service that shows forth constantly in ministry and as Church. When we begin to loose the looking outward, looking towards the cross of Jesus Christ we stagnate and fall away from the zeal of life. We see this in work, play and relationships every day. In priests as with religious, married couples and in singles…the loss of hope is choosing to risk less and less and see only the limited possibilities and not the reality of the greater love that comes only from a daring relationship of life with Christ Jesus.

Daring to act and to dream is always an act of humble service where, as the quote below from the United States Bishops reminds us, we submit ourselves to the will of the Father in proclaiming the Good News.
The priest cannot consider himself “lord” of the word, but rather its servant. He is not the word, but rather, as John the Baptist proclaimed, (precisely today we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist), he is the “voice” of the Word: “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths'” (Mark 1:3).

Gracious and loving God, we thank your for the gift of our priests. 
Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.
Help our priests to be strong in their vocation. 
Set their souls on fire with love for your people.
Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. 
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.
Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel. 
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.
Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.
Amen.
God Bless Fr. Mark