“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” These are the words of Jesus in our Gospel this weekend. How should we understand this?

Fools are those who think they still have plenty of time. Fools are those who neglect their duties and live in immorality and licentiousness just because “the master is away.” But wise are those who do not waste any second of time and do the will of God.

We can appreciate the lessons of this Sunday's Gospel. A rich man is given a bountiful harvest, yet he desires nothing but to keep them all to himself. He becomes so consumed with the thought that since he worked hard for the harvest, he deserves to use them for his own benefit and just “rest, eat, drink, be merry!” God calls him “fool!”

Friends, pray and pray intentionally harder. St. John Marie Vianney recommends: “Spend three minutes praising and thanking God for all you have. Spend three minutes asking God’s pardon for your sins and presenting your needs before Him. Spend three minutes reading the Bible and listening to God in silence. And do this every day.” Amen.

We find a “doer” in the Gospel today. Martha welcomes Jesus by active service. It is not hard to imagine that her service includes preparing a meal and setting the table. She knows that Jesus and his disciples are tired, hungry and thirsty from their journey. She only wants to give them the best hospitality. After all, Jesus is more than just a guest; he is family to them.

This weekend, we hear the very famous Parable of the Good Samaritan. A man, who fell victim from robbers, lies on the ground. A priest and a Levite, who happen to be on the road, see him but decide to pass by on the opposite side. Then a Samaritan traveler also sees him, gives him first aid, and brings him to the nearest inn. Jesus asks, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” The answer comes, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus gives the command: “Go and do likewise.”

“Today, the challenge facing America is to find freedom’s fulfilment in the truth: the truth that is intrinsic to human life created in God’s image and likeness, the truth that is written on the human heart, the truth that can be known by reason and can, therefore, form the basis of a profound and universal dialogue among people about the direction they must give to their lives and activities… Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought… We must guard the truth that is the condition of authentic freedom, the truth that allows freedom to be fulfilled in goodness.”

This weekend, our Young Adult minister and core team members will be at all masses inviting young people to the ministry, both as leaders and participants. It is no secret anymore that in recent years, there has been an increasing number of young Catholics who have left the Church and become religiously unaffiliated. We want to search for them and bring them back home. We want to break the trend by accompanying our young people who still come to Church by providing them with opportunities to deepen their understanding of the faith and strengthen their love for God. We want to empower and send forth our young people to become fishers of men, inviting others to know and love Christ, proclaiming the truths of our faith to others, and becoming catalysts of change in the world.

In the Eucharist, we receive the Body and Blood of Christ. How does this happen? During the Eucharistic Prayer, Christ, through the priest, takes the bread and the cup of wine, and changes them into his body and blood, just as he did on the night before he died. Although they still look like bread and wine, Jesus changes them into his real body and blood through his divine power. We call this transubstantiation. The appearance remains but the substance is changed. How can we know this? Through Faith. This mystery, along with the mystery of the Divinity of Jesus, the Trinity and the Resurrection, can never be fully comprehended but we know they are true because we believe in the words of Jesus. Hence, the reception of the Eucharist really is an act of faith.

Easter is no doubt a beautiful and glorious season. It is tempting to bask in its glory and constantly look at the sky. We are reminded, however, of the day when Jesus ascended into heaven. While the disciples “were looking intently at the sky as [Jesus] was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” (See Acts 1, 1-11). It was as if they were being told, “Don’t just stand there, move! Do what you are told to do!” It is the same with us. It is necessary that, now empowered by the Holy Spirit, we journey with the people of God and help them see that even in the ordinariness of lives, God is present and alive.

The great Solemnity of Pentecost, the conclusion of the season of Easter, signals the birth of the Church. Jesus promised his disciples before he ascended to the Father that they will be “clothed with power from on high” before they are sent out to “preach in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Lk. 24, 46- 49) And when the time of the fulfillment of this promise came, “there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind… and there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” (Acts 2, 1-3)

Today, look up to heaven. Remember your departed loved ones. Thank Jesus for giving us the assurance that we will all be reunited in heaven, and see God face to face.

Many times in the past, I mentioned that we are one with the Universal Church in the Synod on Synodality. For the past two months, members of our listening team have been engaging several individuals and groups in dialogue and conversation regarding their spiritual journey and their experience of the Church. We are now entering into the second phase of our listening session – the parish level.

The Second Sunday of Easter is also known as the Divine Mercy Sunday. In the year 2000, Pope John Paul, II canonized Sr. Faustina and, during the ceremony, he declared, “it is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called Divine Mercy Sunday.”

Click HERE to download prayer card to bless with Holy Water.

Easter gives us hope. The resurrection of Christ reminds us that death and darkness do not have the final word – after death comes resurrection, after darkness comes light. This is a very appropriate reminder as we continue to face life’s challenges. Sometimes, it is tempting to simply give up, to get stuck in darkness and wallow in pain, or to just be hopeless.

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week. Jesus makes his final entrance into Jerusalem, celebrates supper with his disciples, dies on the Cross, and rises again from the dead. As we progress from today, the solemnity of the week heightens leading up to the Paschal Triduum (sometimes called Easter Triduum).

It is difficult to admit one's faults, and sometimes even more difficult to ask for forgiveness. Pope Francis, however, reminds us not to be afraid, because the Lord is always ready and eager to bestow his healing love.

This Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally called Laetare Sunday. Similar to Gaudete on the Third Sunday of Advent, the term is the Latin equivalent for joy or rejoice. The Entrance Antiphon says it perfectly, “Rejoice (Laetare) Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.” Cf. Isaiah 66, 10-11.

This weekend, we begin the period of scrutiny for our three (3) Elects this year. For those who come to our 9:00 a.m. mass, you are aware of our friends whom we bless and send forth. Many are unaware though so let me take this chance to share with you the process (adapted from USCCB) these individuals go through in order to be received fully into the Catholic faith.