Sunday Gospel Message - Third Sunday of Easter

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
Christ has called us to be his followers and disciples.
He has called us not because He needs us, but because we need
Him. He has prepared for us a heavenly banquet—a feast of joy
and happiness that will last forever. The present Eucharistic
meal is the means He instituted to help us reach the new
Jerusalem which is above. Let us use this means frequently and
fervently; in it we shall, like the two disciples, recognize Him
as our loving, risen Savior and each time we receive Him we
will return full of the glad tidings that Jesus has risen and
conquered death, not only for Himself but for all men of
goodwill.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - Divine Mercy Sunday

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
OR DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
We can look at Thomas as the “doubting Thomas” or
we can look at him as one who really wanted to see and
experience the Risen Lord. Thomas wanted the same
experience as the other Apostles and he wanted to touch the
Lord Jesus in order that he could know that Jesus was really
alive. We need to have that same desire to see Jesus and know
that He is risen and is in our lives.
The early Christians joined together in prayer and the
Lord revealed Himself to them in their community prayer life.
As we gather in prayer during the celebration of the Eucharist,
we can expect that the Lord will reveal Himself to us. As we
share our time, talent, and treasure with one another, as the
early Christians did, the Lord will be with us also.
It is the ninth day since Good Friday when Jesus died
for our sins. It is Divine Mercy Sunday. Accept the ocean of
mercy that Jesus has for us.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - EASTER: THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD

EASTER: THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD
A Happy and Blessed Easter to all from the leadership
and staff of Holy Name of Jesus! May the Risen Lord fill each
and every one of you and your loved ones with hope, joy, and
peace! The Lord is risen and is with us, Alleluia!
We would like to take this opportunity to express the
appreciation of all the parishioners of Holy Name of Jesus to
all those who cleaned the church, to those who assisted in
the Holy Week ceremonies, and to those who so beautifully
decorated the church for this Easter season. The beauty of
the liturgies and the decoration of the church help us to build
up our faith. Thank you to all who worship with us and aid
in our Spirit-filled liturgies.
Jesus is risen and is with us! This Easter event gave
hope to the early disciples who had witnessed the death of
Jesus. By His resurrection, Jesus proved that what He had
promised would be fulfilled. We celebrate the most
important feast of the year because Easter gives us the
promise of eternal life with Jesus. As He died and rose, so
we die and rise to share His glory.
Our baptism reminds us that Jesus gave us new life
and asks us to follow in His footsteps. Today we renew our
baptismal promises and profess that Jesus is our Lord and
Savior. During this Easter season we will have the rite of
sprinkling at each weekend Mass to remind us of the new
life given us through baptism and through the resurrection of
Jesus. Have a wonderful Easter season!
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 5th Sunday of Lent

"Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Jesus did not deny the Scribes and Pharisees the right to carry out the prescription of the Law, but He insisted on one condition, namely, that they have no sin on their consciences. When Jesus and the woman were left alone, He looked up and said, "Woman, where are they?" Ironically, the self-righteous observers of the Law, so eager to throw stones, could not measure up to the requirement that Jesus had laid down. Previously called "Passion Sunday", this Sunday marks the beginning of Passiontide, a deeper time of Lent. This is the third Sunday of the scrutinies for the preparation of adult converts, and the final Sunday of Lent before the beginning of Holy Week. The Liturgy of the Word of this day speaks of recreation, resurrection, and new life.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 4th Sunday of Lent

The fourth Sunday of Lent is rather unique; like the 3rd Sunday of Advent ("Gaudete Sunday"), the fourth Sunday of Lent is a break in an otherwise penitential season. The vestments for this day will be rose, and flowers may adorn the altar. This day is called Laetare Sunday (also "Rose Sunday"), and it takes its name from the opening words of the Mass, the Introit's "Laetare, Jerusalem":
"Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her. Rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: we shall go into the house of the Lord. Glory be to the Father."
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 3rd Sunday of Lent

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
The Israelites grumbles against Moses because they
were thirsty. Jesus gave the Samaritan woman water, and
satisfied the thirst of the people. Jesus, as He hung on the cross,
said: “I thirst.” The Church has looked at these Sacred Scripture
passages as a promise and a fulfillment of the living waters of
Baptism. If we still thirst, then we need to realize what Jesus
has given us at Baptism. He has shared His life with us. Jesus
thirsts for all of us to come and drink of the life that He holds
out to us. He thirsts for each one of us to be one with Him.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 2nd Sunday of Lent

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
Christ has asked us to follow him, carrying our daily
cross, and the end of our journey is not Calvary but
resurrection, the entrance to a life of glory with our risen
Savior. The Christian who grasps his cross closely and
willingly, knowing its value for his real life, will find it
becomes lighter and often not a burden. The man who tries to
shuffle off his cross, and who curses and rebels against him
who sent it, will find it doubles its weight and loses all the
value it was intended to have for his true welfare.
Let the thought of the Transfiguration encourage each
one of us today, to do the little God demands of us, so that
when we pass out of this life we may be assured of seeing
Christ in his glory, ready to welcome us into his everlasting,
glorious kingdom.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 1st Sunday of Lent

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
Lent is a time for us to reflect upon what God has done for
us, to pray more often and fervently, and to ask the Lord that
we may have His grace and power to overcome temptation
as He did. Sin always looks inviting or else there would not
be any temptations. The temptations that Jesus faced in the
desert were all enticing, but His response was God’s word.
When we are faced with the allure of sin, we too should
reflect on God’s word for guidance.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This week begins the very special season of Lent. As we come to receive ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, we are coming to say to the Lord that we are going to do penance this season. We are promising that we will try to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel and to all that the Gospel entails. Whatever we decide to do for Lent, it should bring us closer to God. Use the next few days to decide what acts of sacrifice or mortification you will choose. Lent is a season of grace.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
True love of God and true Christian love of
neighbor, though they may sound easy, will make great
and sometimes severe demands on the true Christian. The
love of neighbor may be the harder of the two. We have
so many reasons for loving God, for thanking and adoring
him. But the neighbor, who often seems so unworthy of
our charitable help, who is so often ungrateful, how
difficult it is to continue being kind and helpful to him!
Yet it is by our true love of neighbor that we prove our
love for God.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Charity begins at home, because it is here that it can and should be learned and practiced. It is first and foremost necessary for Christian peace in the home. Husband and wife must learn to understand and tolerate each other's imperfections and faults. If there is peace and harmony between husband and wife, the children will learn too to be understanding and forgiving. Such a home will be a truly happy home even if it has little of the world's riches. Our charity must spread from the home to our neighbors; to all those with whom we have contact. Try the sunny smile of true love, the kindly word of Christian encouragement, the helping hand of true charity, and not only will you brighten the darkness and lighten the load of your brother but you will be imitating in your own small way the perfect Father of love who is in Heaven.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
No less an authority than Christ himself calls his
true followers the "salt of the earth." and the "light of the
world." These are titles of honor, and of the greatest
distinction. Christ is putting his true follower on almost a
level with himself. He was the light of the world; he was the
salt of the earth. It was he who gave men the knowledge of
the true nature of God. It was he who gave this life its flavor,
who gave this life its meaning, its preservation. By his death
and resurrection he took away the sting of death, and
removed its eternal corruption, by the guarantee and promise
of a resurrection to an eternal life.
Life on earth is short. The demands of our Christian
life may not always be easy, but we know that if we live up
to them, we are like Christ. We are continuing his great work
by our own good example to our neighbor, and we are giving
glory to God, and are earning for ourselves the eternal light
of heaven.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Blessed are those who do what is right for they will receive special rewards. The Beatitudes promise blessings that are for eternal life. You may have to suffer pain and/or inconveniences, but the Lord will give the great reward in His time. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven."
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Jesus’ message, as He began His public life, was
simple: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” That
is always appropriate for all of us. We can look at our
relationship with God and see that He is in our midst. We
can see how we are trying to make Jesus and His way of
life more present in our families and communities.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him
and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the
sin of the world.” (John 1: 29)
At last the promise, made to Abraham when God
commanded him to leave his home, his country, and his
kin, was fulfilled. The Messiah who would bring blessings
to all mankind had arrived. Eighteen hundred years of
expectation had at last come to an end. During these long
years of waiting, God had, through his prophets and
through his prophetic actions, renewed hope in the hearts
of his Chosen People. These prophecies and prophetic
actions had given indication that the expected one would
be someone very close to God, someone who was more
than a mere man. Yet, who among the Chosen People
could ever have thought that the "Promised One" would
be the very Son of God in human nature?
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - Feast of The Holy Family

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
In the Gospel we do not find speeches on the family
but an event that is worth more than any word: God willed to
be born and to grow up in a human family. In this way, He
has consecrated the family as the first and ordinary way of
His encounter with humanity. This Gospel episode reveals
the most authentic and profound vocation of the family: that
of supporting each one of its members on the path of
discovery of God and of the plan he has ordained for them.
Mary and Joseph educated Jesus above all by their example:
From his parents, he learned all the beauty of the faith, of the
love of God and of his law, as well as the exigencies of
justice, which finds its fulfillment in love.
From them He learned first of all that one must do
God's will, and that the spiritual bond is worth more than
that of blood. The Holy Family is truly the "prototype" of
every Christian family that, united in the sacrament of
marriage and nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, is
called to carry out the marvelous vocation and mission of
being a living cell not only of society but of the Church, sign
and instrument of unity for the whole human race.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - Fourth Sunday of Advent

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
O Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign of the
people, before whom kings shall keep silence and unto
whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: Come to deliver
us, and tarry not.
The flower which springs up from the root of Jesse
is another figure of Christ. Isaiah prophesied that the Savior
would be born from the root of Jesse, that He would sit upon
the throne of David, and in Christ this prophecy is fulfilled.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - Second Sunday of Advent

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
The prophets, especially Isaiah, spoke of the coming of
the Messiah. This Messiah would be anointed with the Spirit;
the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit would be upon Him. He would
bring about justice. He would touch hearts so that the fiercest
of enemies would become friends, as the image of the animals
being together.
The last and the greatest prophet, John the Baptist,
reminded his followers that the Messiah was coming soon and
that they should repent for their sins.
We no longer have to wait for the Messiah for He has
already come. Now it seems that the Messiah is waiting for us
to come to Him that He may anoint us with His Spirit and that
He may give us His daily forgiveness and that He would give
all the power of the Spirit to be friends of one another.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
When is the end of the world coming? Sacred Scripture
tells us that no one knows when this is going to happen. St. Paul
wrote to the Thessalonians and told them to keep working and not
just wait for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. The important
thing is not when Jesus will come, but that we are ready when He
does come. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Continue in your faith journey and then there is no fear.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence

Sunday Gospel Message - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

The greatest gift that we can give anyone is the gift of Jesus. When Zacchaeus experienced Jesus, his life changed and he made great restitution. When we really know the Lord, our lives are different because they reflect Jesus. Pray that each of us will really know the Lord and that we can share Jesus with others. When we are converted to the person of Jesus, we will want to learn more about Him and we will want to worship Him constantly. Time will not be an issue.
used with permission - Msgr. Bob Lawrence