We begin a new liturgical calendar with the season of Advent. From the Latin “ad-venire” or “to come” is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. It is an opportune time to direct our hearts and minds to the coming of Christ.

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Going through the readings this weekend, it is tempting to get stuck in the prediction of calamities, divisions and persecutions. But really, what Jesus wants us to focus on is what he says in the end: “By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.” Jesus’ purpose is to invite us to persevere in faith.

The hope of our resurrection and eternal life with God gives us lasting peace and joy amidst the tensions and pains of our daily lives. But it should also inspire us to honor our bodies (and the bodies of those whom we come in contact), keeping them holy and pure, for they will also be resurrected on the last day

How do we express our gratitude to the Lord? Jesus is explicitly clear: “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” In times of desperate need, we call on to God, and rightly so. But it is also “truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give [you] thanks” the God who makes all things possible for us. It is truly right and just that we return to Him with our grateful hearts, praising and glorifying Him in the Eucharist. The Greek word from which we derive the word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving”.

This weekend is Respect Life Sunday. It is an opportunity for us to listen to the cry of people whose lives are under grave threat. It is an opportunity for us to intervene and to stop the culture of death. Every life is precious. Every person is an irreplaceable gift from God.

Bishop Alberto Rojas calls on the faithful of the Diocese of San Bernardino to vote ‘No’ on Proposition 1, an extreme and unnecessary proposal that would increase abortion in California.

Our Gospel this weekend, the Parable of the Dishonest Steward, is so strange and puzzling that St. Augustine himself said, “I can’t believe that this story came from the lips of our Lord.” It appears that Jesus is praising a dishonest steward for deception, or that he is praising him for stealing money for his own advantage. But he is not. He is rather encouraging the inventory of goods, the prudent use of resources, and the clear anticipation of the future.

I was having coffee with my aunt and cousin outside of Albany the morning of 9/11. My father was a Baltimore firefighter who died in the line of duty back in May 1977, and my stomach tightened when news of the World Trade Center first came on the television. My aunt and cousin were panicked as another one of my cousins works only blocks from Ground Zero. We prayed and cried together before I rushed back to Buffalo. Along the highway, I could see emergency vehicles heading toward New York City. At the rest stops, people were huddled around the TV monitors and crying.

We cannot separate the cross from Jesus. Following him requires detachment from comfort and convenience. We cannot love comfort more than God. Following him requires readiness to face even the difficulties and challenges of life.

Ten (10) years ago, on August 27th, I received the gift of ordination through the laying on of hands of Bishop Joseph Nacua, OFM Cap, DD. It has been such a beautiful journey, filled with joy, contentment and peace. I have nothing in my heart but gratitude to the Lord and to you. You have made seven of those ten years such a wonderful and enriching ride. I hope that you can say the same. With what I have done and accomplished, I thank God and give him back the glory. With what I have failed to do, I ask God to forgive me and give me the grace to be better. I pray for humility. Help me be.

The road to eternal life is narrow. It is necessary to contend, to struggle, to strive. Without it, we will never become the beautiful creation God intended us to be. Our second reading phrases it this way: “Endure your trials as “discipline.” At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.”

“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.