The St. Brendan Blog

The God of the universe is mysterious. Science has not been able to solve the mystery of how the universe came into being or explain exactly what continues to give it creative energy and masterful design. No religion asserts that it has found words to name fully the ineffable mystery of God, for no matter what name we use, God always transcends our limited ability to understand. God is a mystery to be believed, not known. And yet, we Christians believe that our name for God best expresses that inexpressible mystery.
 
God is the Most Holy Trinity of three persons united in a communion of love, pouring forth that creative, saving, sanctifying love into the world. Today's scriptures celebrate the mystery of the Trinity and give us clues for living that mystery in our lives.
(c) Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. Continue reading "Week of May 18, 2008 The Most Holy Trinity"

Saturday, May 17, 2008
5pm Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
Sunday, May 18, 20088am Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
9:45am Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming
11:30am Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming
5pm Mass:  Fr. Ken Deasy

Several years ago, when I was teaching ninth-graders enrolled in a confirmation preparation program, the students told me that they were really struggling with the whole concept of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. As we all know, those gifts are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. I told the students that receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit is like receiving a pair of jeans that have a waist and length that are simply too large. Rather than exchanging the jeans, we hold on to them until we grow into them. I shared this with them because I realized that at different times in my own life, I had turned to these gifts to get me through some particularly challenging situations.

Everyone who has been confirmed has received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Too often these gifts lie dormant. Can we even imagine what the world would look like if we shook off our stupor and awoke to the reality of these gifts? Take a moment to reflect on each of them. Every one of us, at some time or another, needs to put into practice one of these gifts. When faced with a difficult decision, draw strength from the gifts of wisdom, understanding, and counsel. When striving to overcome addictive behavior or when working through a difficult marriage issue, draw strength from the gift of fortitude. When asked about your faith, don’t be afraid to turn to the Spirit’s gift of knowledge. Draw strength from the gifts of piety and fear of the Lord as you nurture your faith life through prayer. Pentecost gives us the opportunity to recognize the fact that God has generously poured forth the Holy Spirit into our hearts. Let’s not forget the tremendous potential of the gifts of God’s Spirit.

Today is one of the Church’s greatest festivals.  Let us carry the refrain of the responsorial psalm with us throughout the coming week:  “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”  (Psalm 104:30)

Continue reading "Week of May 11, 2008 Pentecost Sunday"

Saturday, May 10, 2008
5pm Mass:  Fr. Gerry Chavez
Sunday, May 11, 2008
8am Mass:  Fr. Ken Deasy
9:45am Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
11:30am Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
5pm Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming

Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life, yet too often we allow the days to slip by without ever turning to God in prayer. On the day of his ascension, the Lord Jesus issued his final, and perhaps strongest, mandate to the disciples. They were to go out into the world, baptizing people and telling of the commands of the Lord. Rather than jumping right to the task, the disciples gathered with others in prayer. They had learned from the words and deeds of the Master that in order to do God’s work, they had to nurture their relationship with God through prayer. We have heard Gospel accounts of Jesus retreating into a faraway place in order to spend time in prayer. The night before he died, knowing all to which he was about to be subjected, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with his disciples. Now his disciples, in the days leading up to Pentecost, follow the way of the Master by spending time in prayer.  Let us be inspired by the disciples, Mary the Mother of God, as well as the other women and men who gathered in the upper room, awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Continue reading "Week of May 4, 2008 Seventh Sunday of Easter"

Saturday, May 3, 2008
5pm Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
8am Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming
9:45am Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming
11:30am Mass:  Fr. Ken Deasy
5pm Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.

Throughout this Easter season the readings have drawn us into the experience of the early church. We have tasted the excitement and zeal of the first Christians. Now, with them, we listen to the words of Saint Peter, who reminds us that when people notice that we are people of hope, we should be ready to explain why. This challenges us. Do others even notice that we are people of hope? In a world often marked by cynicism and hopelessness, do we stand out as people who offer hope and reassurance to others? In today's Gospel Jesus promises that when he leaves the earth he will not leave us orphaned. Today he promises to send his Advocate, the Spirit of truth who will be with us always. Let us acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit and ask the Spirit to make us people of hope.  (c) Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. Continue reading "Week of April 27, 2008 Sixth Sunday of Easter"

Saturday, April 26, 2008
5pm Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming
Sunday, April 27, 2008
8am Mass:  Fr. Gerry Chavez
9:45am Mass:  Fr. Gerry Chavez
11:30am Mass:  Fr. Gerry Chavez
5pm Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming

During our spiritual journey we can become frustrated by what we perceive as a lack of progress toward an intimate union with our God. Because we have tasted the goodness of God in the past, we know what that taste is like, yet it so often remains elusive.

Today we are reminded once again that there really is only one way to achieve intimate union with God. Jesus reminds us that he is the way, the truth, and the life. If we are frustrated with our lack of progress on our faith journey, then coming to Mass this week has been the best remedy, for here we listen to the Lord’s very words and become intimately connected with him in the Eucharist.

Our journey to God requires effort on our part as well. This is why we make the commitment to gather each week with fellow pilgrims, traveling the journey of discipleship that we hope will one day lead to one of the many dwelling places prepared for us in God’s house.

Continue reading "Week of April 20, 2008 Fifth Sunday of Easter"

Saturday, April 19, 2008
5pm Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming
Sunday, April 20, 2008
8am Mass:  Fr. Ken Deasy
9:45am Mass:  Fr. Ken Deasy
11:30am Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
5pm Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.

The Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is constantly by our side.  He calls us each by name, beckoning us into a deeper relationship with him.  That call, issued to each of us at the moment of our baptism, carries with it the promise of the Good Shepherd: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” Continue reading "Week of April 13, 2008 Fourth Sunday of Easter"

Saturday, April 12, 2008
5pm Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming
Sunday, April 13, 20088am Mass: Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
9:45am Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
11:30am Mass:  Fr. Gerry Chavez
5pm Mass:  Fr. Ken Deasy

Finding God in Broken Things
The two disciples were having trouble, as many of us still do today, finding the presence of God in broken things. The body of their Lord had been broken on a cross. They were confused at the broken seal on the tomb—not yet understanding what this meant—thinking perhaps that the grave had been desecrated. Their dreams of the reign of God that Jesus had preached were broken, too. Luke tells us they were “downcast.” They were surely not expecting to find God’s presence in this stranger on the road whom they did not recognize. But as they continued on their journey with him, his sharing of the scriptures inspired them to keep him as companion, and at their table he became the host. Then grace was
present, known, seen, and believed in the broken bread. Their joy overcame their fear of traveling after nightfall (a dangerous undertaking in that time and place), and they sped to Jerusalem to share their good news. We, too, must journey with Jesus, allow him to open our eyes and set our hearts on fire. Then, overcoming all our fears in joyful faith, we must continue on as messengers of the gospel. 

“How else but through a broken heart may the Lord Christ enter in?”~Oscar Wilde~

Continue reading "Week of April 6, 2008 Third Sunday of Easter"

Saturday, April 5, 2008
5pm Mass:  Fr. Joe LaBrie, S.J.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
8am Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming
9:45am Mass:  Fr. Ken Deasy
11:30am Mass:  Fr. Ken Deasy
5pm Mass:  Msgr. Terry Fleming

“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

This first line of today’s first reading sets the tone as this fifty-day celebration of Easter opens before us. Today we listen to the teachings of three apostles—Luke, Peter, and John—who remind us that even though we have not seen Christ, we nonetheless are filled with joy as we place our belief in his saving death and Resurrection. Each week during the Easter season we will gather as a community of faith to find strength and support from our God and from one another. Each week we will gather to break bread and offer the great prayer of thanksgiving, actions that will manifest the very presence of the risen Christ in our midst. Let us be open to the wonders of this season of joy.  © Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.

Continue reading "Week of March 30, 2007 Second Sunday of Easter: Divine Mercy Sunday"