Do you want to improve your prayer life?

We would likely answer, “Yes, I do.” We might want to be more focused in our prayer, less distracted and more aware of God's presence. We might desire to more fully lift our hearts and minds to God in prayer. We might want to more willingly devote time to prayer and believe that time is not wasted, that prayer makes a difference. We might simply want to know the best words to use and how we should pray. All of us would like to be better at prayer.

This was also true of the disciples of Jesus. That is why, as we hear in Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 11:1-13), the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” In response, Jesus teaches the disciples what we have come to call the “Lord’s Prayer.” This Sunday, we have St. Luke’s version of that prayer.

In giving us this prayer, Jesus teaches us that when we pray, we are not to look upon God as a distant, impersonal force. He tells us to see God as a father who cares for his children, a father who is worthy of our love and respect, and whose name is to be “hallowed.”

Jesus teaches us to pray that God’s kingdom of love, justice, and peace, whose coming he proclaimed, will truly take root in our world. As that happens, heaven will begin to appear on earth.

Jesus tells us that as we pray, we need to remember that we are dependent upon God for our “daily bread,” and indeed for our very lives.

Jesus then reminds us that we are sinners in need of God’s mercy. As sinners requesting mercy, we are to show mercy to those who have sinned against us.

And finally, Jesus tells us to pray that we will remain faithful to God in every trial and temptation.

After giving us those words of prayer, Jesus then teaches us that prayer is something that requires persistence. Consider how many thousands of times we have said the “Lord’s Prayer” in our personal lives, and how many hundreds of billions of times that prayer has been raised up to the Father since it was first taught by Jesus to his disciples 2,000 years ago. Repeating that prayer gives continuing praise to God, recalls our ongoing dependence upon God, and it reminds us of how we are to live each day as children of the Father.

Then Jesus says, “I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” While these words might seem to assure us that God will give us whatever we ask for in prayer, we know from experience that prayers are not always answered as we wish.

But Jesus goes on to say that God does give us what is most important, namely, the gift of the Holy Spirit. “If you…know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

The abiding presence of the Holy Spirit was the gift that Jesus promised his apostles. That is the most important thing we should pray for, and it is a prayer that God will answer.

Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit who improves our prayer life. As St. Paul tells us, “The Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Romans 8:26).

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Today many programs on streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime tell a story that evolves during a season of six, eight, or more episodes. Often that story continues into several more seasons.

Sometimes an episode begins with a recap that reminds the viewer of what has previously taken place in the developing story.

Every Sunday, as we listen to the Gospel reading at Mass, we might say we are hearing another episode in the ministry of Jesus.

As we “stream” through this story that changed the world, it might be helpful at times to have a recap of what previously happened. Such a recap might be useful in appreciating this Sunday's Gospel passage (Luke 10:38-42).

In last Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus affirmed that if we wish to gain eternal life, we should love God with all our heart, being, strength, and mind and we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Immediately after saying that, Jesus told a parable that illustrated love of neighbor. The parable was about a Samaritan traveler who came to the assistance of a man who had been attacked by robbers and left for dead alongside the road. That Samaritan showed the injured man the kind of love he would want to receive if he were ever in that situation. In that “Good Samaritan,” Jesus gave us a concrete example of a person loving a neighbor and also acting as a neighbor to someone in need.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, which is composed of the verses that immediately follow last Sunday’s reading, Jesus gives us an example of what it means to love God.

In that Gospel, Jesus visits the home of his friends, Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. We are told that Martha immediately began to serve Jesus and the disciples who were with him. She acted as a good hostess concerned about caring for the needs of her guests. Mary, on the other hand, “sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.” She joined the disciples in listening to Jesus.

When Martha complained about Mary’s lack of assistance, Jesus replied, “"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

While Martha and Mary each showed love for their guest, Jesus made it clear that what Mary offered him, namely, her undivided attention and the gift of her presence, was most appreciated.

We might say, Jesus held up Mary as the one who showed what it means to love God with all our heart, being, strength, and mind. It means giving God the gift of our undivided time and attention.

Certainly, the Lord Jesus, who could feed thousands of people with a few loaves and fish, did not necessarily need the food that Martha was anxiously preparing. But he did appreciate “the better part” that Mary was giving him. That is something we can give the Lord by “sitting at his feet” in prayer, adoration, worship, listening to the scriptures, and making time to stop and remember that the Lord is with us.

Last Sunday, we were given an example of what it means to love our neighbor. This Sunday we are given an example of what it means to love God. These two Gospel readings, these two “episodes,” go together!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

“And who is my neighbor?” This is the question the scholar of the law directs to Jesus in this Sunday's Gospel (Luke 10: 25-37).

It is a question that Jesus does not directly answer. Instead, he tells the famous parable about a man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho who was attacked by robbers who “stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half dead.” A priest and a Levite come across the wounded man, notice him and continue on their way.

A Samaritan, a member of a group despised as heretical by faithful Jews, sees the suffering man and goes to his assistance. The Samaritan undoubtedly saves the man’s life.

After telling the parable, Jesus asks the scholar who had questioned him, which of the three men “was neighbor to robbers’ victim?” The scholar reluctantly admits, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Though in making that admission, the Jewish scholar cannot bring himself to identify the one who helped as being a Samaritan.

Jesus then tells the scholar, “Go and do likewise.” Imitate the action of that Samaritan.

As we see, Jesus does not answer the scholar’s initial question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus does not identify what people or what groups the scholar should consider as his neighbors, worthy of his love. Instead, he tells the scholar to act as a caring neighbor.

Certainly, the man who was left lying half-dead along the road to Jericho would have considered the Samaritan a true neighbor.

As followers of Jesus, you and I are not to be in the business of deciding what people we should help, what people we should love as we love ourselves. Rather, we are to be a neighbor to any suffering, hurting person who catches our attention as we journey on the road of life.

The real question that we need to answer is not, “Who is my neighbor?” but rather, “Am I being a good neighbor? Am I acting like the Samaritan in Sunday’s Gospel?” He is the person that Jesus tells us to imitate, “Go and do likewise.”

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Many of us are much better at pointing out flaws in people than in recognizing their good qualities. We even do that to ourselves. We see our flaws and failings more readily than we do our virtues and positive qualities.

That is also true when it comes to institutions. Every July 4, we celebrate our nation’s declaration of independence from Great Britain. This year, we mark the 249^th anniversary of that historic event.

While most Americans celebrate the strengths of our nation and the blessings we enjoy as citizens of the United States, some people focus only on our failings as a nation. They point to income inequality, disparities in health care, lingering racism, political polarization, etc.

The tendency of some individuals to focus only on the negative is also seen in the Catholic Church. There are Catholics who see only the Church’s flaws and failings and signs of its decline and irrelevancy. They point to a lack of priestly and religious vocations, the decrease in Sunday Mass attendance, the drop in the number of baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals, and the growing number of people who view the Church as an outmoded institution from an unenlightened age.

But for practicing Catholics, the Church is not a declining institution disconnected from their lives. For us, the Church is like the city of Jerusalem spoken about in Sunday’s First Reading (Isaiah 66:10-14c).

There the prophet Isaiah describes Jerusalem as a tender, compassionate mother who cares for her children. She nurses them at her breasts, carries them in her arms, fondles them in her lap, and comforts them as a mother comforts her child.

For us, the Church is the new Jerusalem, who like the maternal Jerusalem described by Isaiah, nourishes and cares for her children. That is why Catholics often refer to the Church as Holy Mother Church.

The Church, our Mother, washes us clean in the waters of baptism. She tells us the Gospel stories that introduce us to Jesus and reveal the meaning and purpose of life. She feeds us with the bread and wine of the Eucharist. She brings us into a relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. She comforts us when we sin and assures us of God’s mercy. She stands by us as our lives come to an end and proclaims there is a new and heavenly Jerusalem waiting for those who have been faithful children of God.

Yes, the Church is not perfect; after all, it includes us sinners. But those who focus on the flaws of the Church fail to see the love, tenderness, care, and support that Holy Mother Church, the New Jerusalem, provides for her children.

As the Lord tells us, speaking through Isaiah, “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; exult, exult with her.”

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Who are the three most significant saints in the Catholic Church?

Without a doubt, the first among the saints would be the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Lord. Her significance is readily apparent. Thousands of church buildings throughout the world are named in her honor. We celebrate several feasts throughout the liturgical year that highlight moments in her life, such as the Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the Assumption. Each time we say the Hail Mary or pray the Rosary, we bring Mary to mind and call upon her intercession.

If there is any question about who would be second and third on the list of significant saints, that doubt is removed by this Sunday’s Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

In the apostle Peter, we have someone who went from being Simon the fisherman, the son of Jonah and the brother of Andrew, to being summoned by Jesus to follow him. As we hear in Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 16:13-19), Peter was the first disciple who recognized that his teacher was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter was also the one chosen by Jesus to be the rock on which he would build his Church. Even when Peter denied Jesus just hours after sharing the Last Supper, Jesus did not revoke his choice of Peter. After his Resurrection, the Risen Lord challenged Peter to reaffirm his love, and he commanded him to feed and care for the sheep of his Church.

Peter’s critical role continues to this very day. Just recently, Pope Leo XIV became the latest chosen to fill the shoes of the fisherman from Galilee, to hold the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and to make decisions with heavenly consequences.

In Paul, the other apostle honored this Sunday, we have a man who went from being a fierce persecutor of Christians to being the greatest preacher of the Gospel.

On his way to Damascus to arrest the followers of Christ, Saul encountered the Risen Lord who opened his eyes to the truth of the Gospel and radically transformed his life. Saul, who had been hunting down the followers of Jesus and doing all in his power to put an end to this “Christian heresy” became Paul, the one who would preach the message of Jesus to Jews and Gentiles throughout much of the Roman Empire.

Paul preached the Gospel through his words, by the example of his life, and by his many letters to various Christian communities. As we listen to his letters that continue to be read at Mass, we hear the voice of Paul preaching to us.

As Paul himself tells us in Sunday’s Second Reading (2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-8), “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.”

The honored place that Peter and Paul hold in the Church is beautifully summarized in the Preface of Sunday’s Mass. “The blessed Apostles Peter and Paul bring us joy: Peter, foremost in confessing the faith, Paul, its outstanding preacher, Peter, who established the early Church from the remnant of Israel, Paul, master and teacher of the Gentiles.”

After the Blessed Mother, the greatest saints of the Church are the two we remember this Sunday.

Saint Peter and Saint Paul pray for us that by our words and example we may lead others to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

If we were asked what gospel passage is read during Christmas Mass, we would answer: a reading about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

If we were asked what gospel reading is proclaimed on Easter Sunday, we would immediately reply: one about the resurrection of Jesus.

If someone were to ask us what gospel is read this Sunday, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we would most likely respond: a reading recalling what Jesus did at the Last Supper, how he changed bread and wine into his very Body and Blood.

However, that is not the case. This Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 9:11b-17) is about Jesus miraculously feeding a crowd of thousands with only the five loaves and two fish given to him by his Apostles.

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We hear how Jesus took the bread and fish, said a blessing over them, broke them, and then gave the food to his disciples to distribute to the crowd. At the end of the meal, there was more bread and fish left over than there had been at the start.

Jesus’ actions of taking, blessing, breaking, and giving parallel his actions at the Last Supper. As St. Paul tells us in our Second Reading (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), “the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you’… In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood.’”

These actions also correspond to what happens at every Mass. Bread and wine are presented and placed upon the altar. They are blessed during the Eucharistic Prayer as the priest calls upon the Spirit to transform them into the Body and Blood of Christ. During the “Lamb of God,” the “bread” is broken, and then the ministers distribute this life-giving food as we come forward to receive Holy Communion.

During Mass, we behold a miracle far greater than that witnessed by the thousands who were fed with five loaves and two fish. We witness a miracle that began 2,000 years ago at the Last Supper and has continued to our day. Bread and wine are still taken, blessed, broken, and given. In receiving them, we become a Holy Communion with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose Body and Blood we are privileged to share.

“Therefore, O Lord…grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ” (Eucharistic Prayer III).

This Sunday’s Solemnity reminds us of the wondrous miracle that happens before our eyes at every Mass.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

If we wanted to learn about the Russian people and understand their culture, we might do so in a variety of ways.

We could study the history of the nation. We could read the translated works of acclaimed Russian authors. We could watch English-captioned Russian movies and television programs. We could take a course in the Russian language. We could seek out American news programs focused on the country. We could visit neighborhoods with a high concentration of Russian immigrants.

But the best way to learn about the Russian people would be to visit their country. Living in Russia for several months and experiencing daily life would teach us more than any book, movie, news report, or language class. A personal experience of Russia and its people would be the best teacher!

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. We celebrate our belief that the One God is a Trinity of Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We can try to understand this central doctrine of Christianity in much the same way we might try to understand another people or culture. We could search for passages in the scriptures, such as this Sunday’s Gospel (John 16:12-15), that reference the Persons of the Trinity. We could read a historical study showing how the Church came to understand God as a Trinity of Divine Persons.

We could consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church to see what it says about the Trinity. We could read the writings of renowned theologians or take a course on the topic at a local Catholic college or seminary. And we could pay close attention to the homilies that will be preached at Mass this Trinity Sunday.

All these things would give us an understanding of the Holy Trinity. But perhaps the best way to learn about the Holy Trinity is to consider how we are presently experiencing the action of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our experience of the Holy Trinity will help us to understand what we profess in the Nicene Creed at every Sunday Mass.

We experience the “one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth” in the beauty of a wildflower and in the stars and galaxies that brighten the vastness of the universe. We call upon Almighty God in a warm and loving way as we address him as “Our Father” and recognize that he has given us life and made us his children.

We experience the presence of the “one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God” when we receive the Eucharist, listen to his voice in the Gospels, recognize his saving action in the sacraments, and feel his care and compassion in the kindness of our fellow Christians. We are touched by the depth of his love when we gaze upon the crucifix or kneel before the tabernacle.

We experience the action of the “Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the Son” when we are inspired to do good and build up God’s kingdom, when we come to know the meaning of our lives, and when we are empowered to resist the temptations that can pull us into the darkness of sin and diminish our dignity as children of God.

This Sunday’s Solemnity of the Holy Trinity is an opportunity to recognize how we are experiencing the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in our lives. Experience is the best teacher.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

A booming sound like a driving wind catches the attention of the people of Jerusalem.

Flaming tongues of fire appear and come down upon each of the disciples.

These followers of Jesus then go forth and boldly proclaim the mighty works of God in words that everyone can understand.

There was no mistaking the presence and power of the Holy Spirit on that day, the first Pentecost Sunday.

The Holy Spirit would continue to work in those first disciples. It would help them to more fully understand the Gospel, begin to form them as the Church, and empower them with the gifts needed to carry on the mission of the Risen Lord.

Today, we might wonder if the power of the Spirit has diminished during the past 2,000 years. The amazing signs of the Spirit that astonished the people of Jerusalem that first Pentecost are no longer seen.

But if we look, there still are strong signs that indicate the power and action of the Holy Spirit, signs perhaps even more amazing than those recorded in Sunday’s First Reading (Acts 2:1-11).

We witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit this past month when the Cardinals of the Church gathered to choose the successor to Pope Francis. Cardinal Prevost was not the expected choice, and the announcement that an American had been elected Pope left Catholics, and the world, as astonished as the people of Jerusalem were on that first Pentecost Sunday. Pope Leo XIV was a surprise of the Spirit.

We can also see the Holy Spirit, who worked in the Apostles, working in the lives of other contemporary people to build up the Church and hasten the coming of God’s kingdom.

For example, Pope St. John Paul II traveled the world, courageously preached the Gospel, confronted a culture of death, and hastened the fall of Communism. 

St. Teresa of Calcutta, Mother Teresa, founded a religious order to serve the poor, won the admiration of millions for her selfless service, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her ministry to suffering humanity, and challenged the rich and comfortable to see and serve those ignored by society.

Some sixty years ago, the power of the Holy Spirit was evident when over 2,000 bishops of the Church gathered for the Second Vatican Council. This Spirit-led gathering renewed the life and liturgy of the Catholic Church in ways that continue to impact us to this very day. No one could have predicted the results that would come from this gathering, but the Spirit of God moves as it chooses.

Each time we gather for Mass, we see the wondrous power of the Holy Spirit in action as the priest prays, “Therefore O Lord, we humbly implore you by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought you for consecration, that they may become the Body and the Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eucharistic Prayer III). The Spirit changes ordinary things into something extraordinary—the very presence of God.

We believe that this same transforming, powerful presence of the Holy Spirit has also come down upon us through our Baptism and Confirmation. That Spirit can inspire us to do good, to think of others, and to turn from sin. It can fire us up to share our faith and motivate us to use our talents for the benefit of our neighbor and for the sake of the Church.

The Spirit that dramatically came down upon the disciples that First Pentecost Sunday is still powerfully working in the Church and in our lives. Come Holy Spirit, open our eyes to your presence!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

A mother and father watch as their youngest child leaves home to attend a college located halfway across the country.

A family bids farewell to their long-time neighbors who are relocating to Florida.

An employee learns that a co-worker who has been a mentor and dear friend is being transferred to an overseas subsidiary.

These are certainly not happy occasions. None of us want people who have been a significant part of our lives to leave us. Though we can stay in contact with them through various forms of digital communication and social media, nothing can take the place of human contact and interaction. We would never joyfully celebrate their leaving us.

Yet that seems to be what the disciples did when the Lord left them. In the Gospel (Luke 24:46-53) we are told that Jesus parted from them “and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.” The Church echoes their joy as it celebrates the Ascension of the Lord this Sunday since the Ascension is far more than a going away.

In our First Reading (Acts 1:1-11), we are told that after his Resurrection, the Risen Lord appeared to his disciples. He ate with them, taught them, and instructed them to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. After a period of 40 days, he was lifted up to heaven and taken from their sight.

The Risen Lord would no longer be present to his disciples as he had been when he was on earth. From that moment he would be with them and his Church in a new and expansive way, in a way no longer constrained by the limits of time and space.

The Risen Lord would be with them and with us through his Spirit that would come upon us. That Spirit enables us to hear the voice of the Risen Lord in the scriptures, to recognize his presence in the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist, to experience his saving action in the Sacraments, and to feel his loving embrace in the Church, the living Body of Christ.

In the Feast of the Ascension, the Church marks the end of the historical presence of Jesus, but more importantly it celebrates the way the Risen Lord is with us today and will be with us until he returns in glory. As the angels asked the disciples, “Why are you standing there looking up at the sky?” If we look with the eyes of faith we will see the Risen Lord with us through the Holy Spirit. As we are told in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The Spirit manifests the Risen Lord” (#737).

The Ascension also assures us that we have a friend not only on earth but also in heaven. As we profess in the Creed, we believe that the Lord Jesus Christ “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” When we die, we do not go into everlasting darkness, but we go to be with the Lord who has gone before us.

We are sad when people we love leave us. However, the Ascension is not about the Lord leaving us—it is about him remaining with us in a new and wonderful way. As he assured us, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

“The Catholic Church is the oldest continuously functioning institution in the world.”

That statement was made more than once during the world-wide coverage of the funeral of Pope Francis. It is a fact that we can sometimes fail to fully appreciate, but one that was recognized as presidents, prime ministers, kings and queens, ambassadors and diplomats, religious leaders, and hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children gathered to show their respect and love for Pope Francis, the humble man who led the Church for the past 12 years.

The Church, which has existed continually for 2,000 years, was founded by Jesus Christ on the rock of Peter, and it has been led by his successors throughout the centuries. This Church has outlived empires, cultures, and civilizations. It has survived persecutions, scandals, and controversies. It has been populated by saints and sinners, ardent believers and wayward disciples. It has proclaimed the Gospel in thousands of languages by word of mouth and by every means of human communication and form of social media.

The Church continues to exist age after age since it is far more than just a human institution. We see that highlighted in this Sunday’s scripture readings.

In our Second Reading (Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23), the Church is described as the heavenly Jerusalem that gleams with the splendor of God. Its city wall rests on twelve courses of stone inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. It has three gates on each of its four sides allowing people from all four corners of the world to enter. This holy city, filled with the light of God’s indwelling presence, draws all people out of the darkness.

In our Gospel (John 14:23-29), Jesus promises his disciples that if they keep his word, he will continue to dwell with them. They will be given the Holy Spirit to guide and direct them and be blessed with his peace that overcomes all fear. That Spirit has led the Church to make decisions that have allowed it to grow and to meet the challenges of every age.

We see that dramatically illustrated in Sunday’s First Reading (Acts 15:1-2, 22-29). There the Church was faced with deciding whether the Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, had to be circumcised and follow the Torah as did all faithful Jews. Was faith in the Risen Lord a part of Judaism or was it something new?

Because of that question, “there arose no little dissension and debate.” It was a fundamental issue that was decided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As the Church boldly proclaimed, “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.”

Enlightened by the Spirit, the Church moved beyond the practices of its first Jewish disciples. It came to see itself as part of a new covenant in the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is true to say that the Catholic Church is the oldest continuously functioning institution in the world. But it might be better to say that the Catholic Church is the ongoing way that the Risen Lord has chosen to walk with us until the end of time.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Love one another as I have loved you. We hear that command of Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 13:31-33a, 34-35).

We can simply hear these words, which Jesus addressed to his disciples at the Last Supper, as simply another command from the Lord to love others.

But if we consider what Jesus said, we realize that he is commanding us to love others in a particular way: we are to love others just as Jesus loved us. This begins with our appreciating the way in which Jesus loves us.

We are loved in an individual, personal way. In the waters of baptism, Jesus chose each of us to be part of his family of faith. He knows our names and allows us to call him our brother and friend. Jesus recognizes our voices when we turn to him in prayer, and he speaks to us when the scriptures are proclaimed. Jesus trusts us so much that he places himself into our hands when we step forward to receive the Eucharist.

Jesus washes us from our sins and failings as assuredly as he washed the feet of his apostles. He walks with us on our journey of life just as he walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus supports and encourages us through his Church. He reveals the meaning and purpose of our lives. And above all, Jesus suffers and dies so that we might be raised with him to a life of everlasting joy.

That is the way Jesus loves us and the way he tells us that we are to love one another – just as he does!

It is interesting to consider that when Jesus gave that new commandment, he was not speaking to a crowd of people—he was speaking directly to his disciples and telling them how they were to love each other.

And that is how Jesus is telling us to love our fellow Christians today! Such an all embracing, compassionate, trusting, sacrificial love can be a challenge in a Church where Christians are often divided by political preferences, liturgical practices, social views, immigration policies, judicial decisions, unspoken racial prejudices, economic status, educational levels, parish politics, and all the other things that separate people from one another in our polarized society.

What a powerful witness we would give to the world if despite the many things that divide us, all Christians truly loved one another just as Jesus loves us!  

“This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Faith formation classes, religious instructions, sacramental preparation programs, scripture sharing sessions, weekend retreats, days of recollection, prayer group meetings, parish missions, and other spiritual events have one major purpose. They exist to help us grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and to deepen our relationship with him.

As in any relationship, that is an ongoing process. No one can ever say that he or she completely knows another human being. That is also true in our relationship with Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God.

How we relate to Jesus, how we address him in prayer, how we understand his words, and how we allow his Gospel to direct our lives, all change over time. Our understanding of Jesus is not the same as it was when we received our First Communion or made our Confirmation.

The more time we spend with Jesus, the deeper our relationship becomes. We move from knowing him as a person that other people told us about to knowing him as our Risen Lord and Good Shepherd who watches over us and leads us to eternal life.

This is true of the first disciples. The more they were with Jesus, heard his words and saw his wondrous deeds, the more they grew in their understanding of Jesus. Peter came to acknowledge that he was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and Thomas proclaimed him to be “Lord and God.”

At the same time the apostles were learning about their Master, Jesus, in his human nature, was learning something about them. For example, he came to see certain qualities in Peter that led him to choose Peter as the rock on which he would build his Church. He noticed that James and John were overly ambitious and needed to learn that serving was more important than holding positions of power.

Just as Jesus observed his apostles as they spent time together, we need to realize Jesus is observing us. This is particularly true when we participate in the liturgy, receive the Sacraments, attend religious activities, take part in spiritual programs, and do all the other things that consciously draw us into the presence of Jesus.

We need to appreciate that we are not just learning more about Jesus in these religious activities and growing in our relationship with him. Jesus too is listening to our words of prayer, sitting next to us as we share our hopes and dreams, assuring of his help as we express our needs, and rejoicing as we confidently open our hearts before him and let ourselves be known.

That is why Jesus can say in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 10:27-30), “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” Our faith is not just a matter of our knowing more about Jesus, it is realizing that Jesus knows us!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

When a student is awarded a full four-year scholarship to the college of his dreams, he will instantly share that wonderful news with his parents, relatives, and friends.

When a married couple is blessed with their first child, those parents, and the new grandparents, will proclaim that child’s birth as loudly as the angels did at Bethlehem.

When an employee is given her sought-after promotion and a fabulous increase in salary, she will quickly tell others about her advancement in the company.

When something wonderful happens in our lives, we want to broadcast the news! Even if we wanted to keep things quiet, our faces would announce the information.

The apostles were just like us. They could not keep good news to themselves, especially the great news of the Lord’s resurrection!

How could they not tell others that their beloved teacher, who had been arrested, unjustly condemned, crucified before a mocking crowd, and locked away in the tomb, was now risen and alive? He had conquered the power of sin and death.

The Lord had appeared to them the evening of his resurrection, wished them “peace,” showed them his wounds, and breathed his Spirit upon them. The following Sunday, he had come again, removed the skepticism of Thomas, who then proclaimed him, “Lord and God.” Then as we hear in Sunday’s Gospel (John 21:1-19), the Risen Lord came to the apostles a third time, fed them breakfast on the beach, challenged Peter to re-affirm his love, and then commanded him to care for his sheep.

How could the apostles keep these events to themselves? Moreover, the Risen Lord had told them to announce the news, to make disciples of all nations, and on Pentecost he sent the Spirit to empower them to do just that.

Yet as we hear in Sunday’s First Reading (Acts 5:2732, 40b-41), this is what the members of the Sanhedrin had ordered the apostles not to do. They were to keep silent. But the apostles refused, saying, “We must obey God rather than men.” They then proclaimed to the Sanhedrin the very message that they had just been ordered not to repeat! As Peter and John had previously told the members of the Sanhedrin, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

Today, we are the people commissioned to announce the good news that was first proclaimed by the apostles. But to be effective and enthusiastic messengers of the Gospel, we first need to experience the presence of the Risen Lord in our own lives.

Such an encounter is possible since the Lord is risen, alive, and with us. We can hear his voice in the scriptures, experience his loving touch in the Sacraments, encounter him in the Eucharist, feel his compassion in the embrace of caring Christians, and know his gentle presence in quiet moments of prayer.

Without that personal encounter, we would simply be speaking about someone we have never met.

When we have experienced the presence of the Risen Lord and come to understand that his Resurrection is our assurance that death leads to eternal life, then we will want to tell others about him. Just like that student, those new parents, that employee, and the apostles we will not be able to be quiet!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

“At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them” (Luke 4:40).

“Everyone in the crowd sought to touch Jesus because power came forth from him and healed them all” (Luke 6:18-19).

In these two passages from his Gospel, Luke summarizes the miraculous healing power of Jesus. After the Ascension, Peter and the other apostles continued that ministry of Jesus. They healed the sick, drove out demons, and even raised the dead. In Sunday’s Second Reading (Acts 5:12-16), we learn that that people “even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.”

Such power was present in these disciples because of the Spirit bestowed on them by the Risen Lord. On that first Easter Sunday night when he appeared to his disciples, John tells us that “Jesus breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” That gift of the Spirit was dramatically seen on Pentecost when the Spirit’s presence was manifested in a strong driving wind and tongue of fire.

Since that time, the Spirit has been active in the Church empowering and motivating Christians to preach the Gospel, to witness to their faith in Jesus, to work for peace and justice, to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless, to welcome the refugee, to care for the sick and hurting, to educate the young, to open the eyes of society to the sanctity of human life at every stage—and to love as Jesus loved!

The more we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, the more we give evidence that the Lord is risen and alive. In a sense, we become the proof that leads people to profess what Thomas said of Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 20:19-31), “My Lord and my God.”

In the weeks ahead, the Catholic Church will publicly recognize a person who truly allowed the Spirit to work in his life in an amazing way. The Church will celebrate the canonization of Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint. He was a British-born Italian teenager who died in 2006 at the age of 15 shortly after being diagnosed with acute leukemia.

Carlo was not only a typical teenager who enjoyed hiking, video games, and being with friends; he was also a devoted follower of Christ. He attended daily Mass, received Holy Communion each day, prayed the rosary, spent time in Eucharist adoration, showed concern for the poor and the homeless, led his parents back to the Church by his example, and used his computer skills to create an online exhibit of eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions. Carlo Acutis truly let the Holy Spirit work in his life and even today the Spirit is using him to touch others. Over the past year, more than a million people have made a pilgrimage to his tomb in Assisi, Italy.

Carlo Acutis has truly become a holy influencer for the young, and the not-so-young, because he allowed the Holy Spirit to work in his life.

That same Holy Spirit first given by the Risen Lord to his disciples is with us through our Baptism and Confirmation. May we allow the Spirit to do what he did for Carlo Acutis; may we allow the Spirit to make us saints!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Today, Easter Sunday, we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. We mark the day when the Lord Jesus came forth from the tomb. The forces of evil that condemned him to death, nailed him to a cross, watched his life drain away, and then secured his body in a tomb did not have the last word. The Lord Jesus conquered the power of sin and rose from the darkness of death.

The Resurrection not only brought Jesus to life, but it raised his disciples from the doubt and despair that came upon them that first Good Friday. How could they doubt the One who was now risen and standing before them? They were certain that Jesus was Lord and God.

As we see in our First Reading (Acts 10:34a, 37-43), moved by the Spirit they went forth to proclaim that Good News. The words and teaching of Jesus were confirmed by his Resurrection.

The Lord’s Resurrection changed those first disciples, and it continues to transform believers down to this very day. We believe that the Risen Lord speaks to us in the scriptures, touches us in the Sacraments, and remains with us through the Church. In a relationship with him we find the meaning, purpose, and value of our lives, and we recognize others as fellow children of God.

That first Easter Sunday transformed our understanding of life. We see that death is not an ending but an invitation to an eternal relationship with God. The Resurrection of Jesus gives us hope and it proclaims that the Risen Lord is with us. We might say it allows the Incarnation to continue, and it gives us a joyous reason to sing, Alleluia!

But rather than joining in that Easter hymn, many people today seem to be doing all they can to push the Risen Lord back into the tomb, to seal it up tight, and to make sure Easter’s message of hope and new life stays locked inside.

They claim that Jesus is only another religious teacher, dismiss the Gospel as a pious myth, and consider the report of his resurrection as wishful thinking or at best a metaphor for change. They pressure Christians to keep their faith in Jesus a private matter. They use social media to promote behavior and values that contradict those preached by Jesus and found in the Gospel. They promote the idea that every individual determines what is true and good for themselves and deny that Jesus is the embodiment of truth and goodness. They judge the words of Jesus about repentance, forgiveness and eternal salvation as meaningless since they consider sin a medieval concept and see death as obliteration.

Such people try to keep Jesus locked in the darkness of the tomb. They do not want him challenging their view of life, confronting their behavior, summoning them to accept him as Savior and Lord, and proclaiming that true fulfillment in life is found in loving him and their neighbor. The more people succeed in pushing the Risen Lord back into the tomb, the more it seems our society falls into the darkness of evil, immorality, hopelessness, addiction, and despair.

This Easter Sunday we are once again reminded that the more we allow the Risen Lord into our lives and into our society, the more life is changed for the better. As Jesus told us, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

May you deeply experience the Peace and Presence of the Risen Lord

during this Easter Season!

Every building where Christians gather in prayer has a cross somewhere inside the structure and usually on the outside as well. The cross is the preeminent Christian symbol.

However, a church where Catholics gather has more than a bare cross on display inside the building. It has a crucifix, a cross with an image of the crucified Lord. But crucifixes are not only in Catholic churches. They are found in most Catholic homes. Crucifixes are also attached to rosary beads and religious medals, made part of devotional displays, worn outwardly as part of a religious habit, and fastened to necklaces.

Certainly, the crucifix is the image most associated with the Gospel reading that will be proclaimed at Mass this Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (Luke 22:14-23:56). That Gospel relates the events that led to Jesus being crucified even though he was innocent.

Pilate had stated that both he and Herod had “not found this man guilty of the charges” brought against him. The innocence of Jesus was also affirmed by one of the criminals being executed with him, who said “this man has done nothing criminal,” and by the Roman centurion who watched him die and proclaimed, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.”

Jesus was crucified not for doing evil, but for doing good. Throughout his ministry, Jesus had remained faithful to the passage from Isaiah that he had applied to himself in the synagogue in Nazareth. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).

In faithfully carrying out that mission and remaining true to his identity as the One sent by God, Jesus had become a threat to the religious authorities—a threat that had to be dealt with.

The crucifix that we Catholics cherish and look upon in our churches reminds us of the injustice suffered by Jesus, and it also proclaims his faith and trust in God and his love for the people he came to save.

The cross with the image of the crucified Lord also reminds us that life is not fair, that bad things happen to good people, that pain and sickness are part of the human condition, that being innocent does not save us from false accusations and condemnation, and that sometimes it feels as if life is nailing us to a cross.

A bare cross can remind us of God’s love. But a crucifix not only proclaims God’s love, it assures us that God knows the pain and suffering that come with being human and assures us that the Lord is with us through it all.

We might say a cross proclaims the Christian faith, while a crucifix proclaims that the Christian faith has something to say about the suffering and challenges that we face in our lives.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

“So what do you say?” That was the confrontational question the Scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 8:1-11).

The religious leaders were demanding that Jesus tell them what he would do about the woman they had dragged before him, a woman caught in the very act of adultery. Should she be stoned to death as Moses commanded in the law, or should the stipulated penalty be ignored?

Rather than answer directly, Jesus replied that the person who was without sin in the eyes of God, should be the first to throw a stone at the adulterous woman.

Stones began falling from the hands of those demanding the woman’s death. Beginning with the elders, the crowd melted away. Jesus then told the terrified woman standing before him, “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

Thankfully, we do not live in a society where a person can literally be stoned to death by an accusing mob. However, we exist in a culture where people have their hands full of “stones” they are prepared to fling at others. These stones are weightless, readily available, easy to throw, and more than able to damage their target. These stones are words. These stones come in a variety of forms, they come as lies, gossip, insinuations, slanders, innuendos, half-truths, false accusations, smears, exaggerations, etc.

Today, people can hurl such verbal stones at others in more ways than ever before. They can use Facebook, Tik-Tok, Instagram, X, and other social media. They can use text messages, emails, podcasts, and leave negative comments and adverse ratings on websites. They can file frivolous lawsuits or make anonymous accusations. They can write slanted stories for print and online publications. They can use AI to generate fake recordings and images of individuals.

People who would never think of throwing an actual rock at someone’s face can throw verbal stones at a person with little hesitation and with little regard for the pain and suffering they cause.

We see examples of such verbal stonings in the congressional hearings that take place for those nominated for government positions and in the bullying and gossip that can drive a student from a campus or an employee from a job.

The adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me” is certainly not true. 

This Sunday’s Gospel has a message for all of us who are sometimes tempted to fling verbal stones at another person, perhaps even ones that may be deserved as were the stones meant for the adulterous woman: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32), Jesus tells the famous parable of the Prodigal Son, also known as the Parable of the Forgiving Father.

In the story, the father’s younger son demands his inheritance in advance of his father’s death. Rather than being angered by his son’s callous request, the father agrees. The young man then leaves home and squanders all of his inheritance.

When he is reduced to tending swine, he decides to return home and hopes to be allowed back, at least as a servant. Amazingly, the father warmly welcomes his wayward son, restores him to his place in the family, and celebrates his return with a feast.

The father in the parable could be described as forgiving, understanding, compassionate, kindhearted, and merciful. But someone might very well describe that father as foolish.

When the younger son demanded his inheritance in advance, his father must have known of his son’s immaturity, thoughtless spending, and irresponsible behavior. The traits that led that young man to end up in a pig pen must have been evident before his father foolishly gave into his demand for his inheritance.

When the young man returned to his father broken, apologetic, and destitute, the father welcomed him. Rather than having the young man suffer the consequences of his bad behavior, the father took him back without even a word of reprimand. Rather than teaching his son a lesson, the father threw him a party.

The older son, who refused to join the homecoming celebration for his brother, thought his father a fool for acting as he did. But the father was motivated by love and love sometimes does things that appear foolish.

The father loved his son so much that he allowed him the freedom to make his own decisions, even wrong ones. The father loved him so much that he never stopped waiting and hoping for his son to return. When he did, the father’s love was so great that he forgave his prodigal son and restored him to the family.

In that parable, Jesus teaches us that God is like that father. God acts out of love for his people, and that can make God look foolish in the eyes of the world.

We see that “foolish” love of God throughout the scriptures. When Adam and Eve use their freedom to disobey God, he forgives them. When their descendants fall into sin, God decides to start again with Noah and his family. When the Chosen People continually break their covenants with him, God keeps forgiving and renewing his relationship with them. When God sends them his Beloved Son, whom they reject and nail to a cross, God makes an ever greater and everlasting covenant in the blood of Jesus that promises life beyond the grave.

We experience that same kind of love in our own lives. We sin, we turn away from God, we fail to live as his faithful sons and daughters, yet God forgives us time and time again. God continually welcomes us back home.

God’s actions might seem foolish in the eyes of the world, as foolish as the behavior of the father in Sunday’s Gospel. But love sometimes does foolish things!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

The playing time for basketball, football, and lacrosse is divided into four quarters. The length of each quarter depends on the sport and the level of play. A quarter might last from 8 to 15 minutes. As a result, a team knows it has only so many minutes to score enough points to win a game.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 13:1-9), Jesus tells a parable that might remind us of these four quarters of playing time. He speaks of a man who has a fig tree growing in his orchard. Each season, the man comes to the tree but finds no fruit on it. He tells his gardener, “For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?”

We might say that the tree has been taking up space for three years, for “three quarters,” and has not produced a single fig during all that time.

The gardener requests the owner to give that tree one more year, a “fourth quarter,” to produce a harvest. During that time, the gardener says he will give the tree special care and attention. At the end of that fourth year, if the tree has not “scored” a harvest of figs, it will be cut down.

Jesus relates that parable to emphasize the importance of turning from sin and producing a harvest of goodness. We heard that message in a powerful way at the start of this Lenten season. On Ash Wednesday, we were marked with ashes and told, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

This Sunday’s Gospel challenges us to ask ourselves if we are taking that message to heart. Are we sincerely trying to turn from sin and embrace the message of the Gospel?

If the Lord came to check on us, as the master came to check on his fig tree, would he find us producing a fruitful harvest of love, mercy and compassion or would he be disappointed at our lack of fruit?

The fig tree in the parable was in its fourth quarter and had only one more year to produce or it would be cut down. Unlike that tree, we never know how many years we have to produce the fruit that the Lord expects from us.

We often live as if we have many years of “playing time,” but we never know when we are in the “fourth quarter.” Certainly, the people that Jesus speaks about in Sunday’s Gospel who were murdered by Pilate and those suddenly killed by a falling tower did not know their end was coming.

This Sunday, Jesus calls us to repent and to start producing the fruit God expects of us. We need to live each day as if we are in the fourth quarter!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Amazing, incredible, astounding, awesome, miraculous, wondrous, unbelievable! These might be some of the words that Abram, Peter, James, and John would use to describe their experience with the Divine.

In Sunday’s First Reading (Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18), we learn of Abram’s encounter with the Divine. God appears to Abram and promises that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven and would possess a land of their own. To confirm these promises, God makes a covenant with Abram during which he experiences a deep, terrifying darkness and witnesses God’s presence in “a smoking fire pot and flaming torch” that move between the animals he has sacrificed.

In our Gospel (Luke 9:28b-36), Peter, James, and John have their own wondrous encounter with the Divine. Jesus takes the three up a mountain where he then prays, but they fall asleep. When they awake, they see Jesus bathed in divine glory and conversing with Moses and Elijah.

The awestruck disciples then hear the voice of God proclaim, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” Moses and Elijah are seen no longer, for they have been surpassed by Jesus.

Peter, James, and John are left speechless and unable to put into words what they experienced on the mountain. As Luke tells us, “They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.”

Their encounters with the Divine certainly deepened the faith of Abram, Peter, James, and John and redirected their lives. It led Abram to do what God asked of him. It led Peter, James, and John to see Jesus as more than their master: he was the fulfillment of the law and prophets, and he was the Messiah and the Son of God.

An experience of the Divine is not limited to those mentioned in the Scriptures or to the saints. We all can experience an encounter with the Divine. Such an encounter happens each time we come to Mass. When we gather with our fellow Christians, Jesus, the Son of God, is present. As he assured us, “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

During Mass, we hear God’s voice from the heavens as the inspired Word of God is proclaimed in the readings. In fact, after the Gospel is read, we profess that Jesus himself has spoken to us as we acclaim, “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.”

During the Eucharistic Prayer, God renews his covenant with us. Not the one made with Abram and Moses, but the new covenant: our new relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As the priest prays during the consecration, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant.”

In our receiving Holy Communion, we have an encounter with God even more amazing than that experienced by Peter, James, and John during the Transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus does more than shine with glory: he places himself into our hands so that we might receive him and become one with him. In this way, Divinity enters our humanity.

But since Mass is so readily available, we can take it for granted and fail to fully grasp what is happening before our eyes. If we truly appreciate what happens at Mass, we might describe it as Abram, Peter, James, and John may have described their encounter with the Divine. What happens at Mass is amazing, incredible, astounding, awesome, miraculous, wondrous, unbelievable!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are traditional practices associated with the season of Lent. During this penitential season we are urged to spend more time in prayer, to engage in some form of fasting, and to be more generous in sharing our blessings with those in need. These practices were mentioned in the Gospel for Ash Wednesday.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 4:1-13), we hear that after his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus “was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil.”

Jesus resisted the temptations posed by the devil by quoting three phrases taken from the scriptures.

When the devil tempted Jesus to change stone into bread to satisfy his hunger, Jesus proclaimed, “One does not live on bread alone.”

When Jesus was tempted to give his allegiance to the devil in order to gain worldly power and glory, Jesus declared, “You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”

When the devil tempted Jesus to prove he was the Son of God by throwing himself from the parapet of the Temple, Jesus asserted, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

These powerful phrases uttered by Jesus would be ideal phrases to make our own during Lent.

“One does not live on bread alone” can remind us that our deepest hungers are not satisfied by what we eat or drink, or by material possessions, but rather by love, mercy, meaning, truth, and a connection with God who created us with a hunger in our hearts for him.

“You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve,” can remind us of our dependence upon God and of the gratitude, thanks, and worship we owe him. Recognizing that all we have, even our very lives, are gifts from God, will lead us to proclaim, as we say at every Mass, “It is right to give him thanks and praise.”

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,” can remind us that as creatures of God, we are in no position to question God, make demands upon him, or require that God act in a certain way to pass our tests. We place our faith in God not because God does what we want, when we want, but because God has chosen to reveal himself to us as our loving Father.

Repeating these three phrases each day of Lent can remind us to feed our spirits, to acknowledge our dependence upon God, and to remember that God is in control.

Following the wisdom embodied in these phrases and performing the practices traditionally associated with Lent will help us grow in holiness during these forty days.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Please let us know how we did.

Emails and text messages with that subject line often appear on our digital devices after we have visited a health care provider, made a purchase in a store that has our contact information, or reached out to customer support with an issue we might be having with a product or service.

These messages ask us to complete a survey to rate the person who provided us with a service or helped us with a purchase.

However, we do not need a survey to encourage us to evaluate a person’s performance. We are continually rating and evaluating those with whom we interact.

We evaluate employers, managers, fellow employees, teachers, neighbors, relatives, friends, as well as political leaders, public servants, coaches, police officers, mechanics and trades people, and even our priests. We are always rating and evaluating people. As we know, pollsters such as Gallup and Rasmussen continually provide us with data about how we judge our government and corporate leaders are doing.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 6:39-45), Jesus speaks about evaluating others. He tells us that before we judge what is negative in others, we need to honestly evaluate ourselves and consider how we are doing.

As Jesus tells us, “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

Jesus challenges us to first take a good look at our own lives before we begin looking for the “splinters” in the lives of others.

One way to respond to that challenge of Jesus is to make time at the end of each day to carefully consider how we have lived. During such an evaluation or an “examination of conscience” as it is traditionally called, we might ask ourselves if our words and conversations that day lifted people up or tore them down, if our actions resulted in good or evil. As Jesus reminds us, “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil.”

Such a daily examination of conscience will help us to see more clearly how we are doing in our Christian lives. It would also be a perfect thing to do each evening during the coming days of Lent.

At the end of each day, we might think of the Lord sending us a message, Please let us know how you did.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Les Misérables, an acclaimed epic novel by Victor Hugo, was the basis for a famous, long-running Broadway musical and the inspiration for two movies of the same name.

Les Misérables, also known as Les Miz, is set in early 19^th century France. It tells the story of Jean Valjean, a French peasant, who is released from prison in 1815 after having served a 19-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving child.

On his way to report to his parole officer, the hungry and confused Jean Valjean is shown hospitality by a Catholic bishop who feeds him dinner and offers him a place to stay. During the night, Valjean begins to steal the silver in the bishop’s home. When the bishop confronts him, Valjean knocks the bishop unconscious and escapes with the silver.

The police capture Jean Valjean and bring him and the silver back to the bishop. Amazingly, the bishop does not deny Valjean’s lie that he was given the silver by the bishop. In fact, the bishop says that he is angry with Valjean since he forgot to take the silver candlesticks.

When they are alone, the bishop says, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver I bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God.”

That bishop truly responded to the challenge of Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 6:27-38). “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.”

Because that bishop acted as he did, Jean Valjean was changed and transformed. He never forgot what the bishop did for him. During the rest of his life, Jean Valjean tried to act with the same love and forgiveness that he had received. He even showed mercy to the police inspector who relentlessly sought to return him to prison.

What that bishop did for Jean Valjean, God has done for us. God has forgiven us not for stealing silver, but for our sins and selfishness. God has even forgiven us for throwing his beloved Son upon the cross. God has ransomed us from the power of evil.

Just as Jean Valjean never forgot the mercy and forgiveness the bishop showed him, we are to never forget the mercy and forgiveness that God has shown and continues to show us.

Perhaps if we remember that mercy and forgiveness, we will be able to meet, at least in some way, the challenge of Sunday’s Gospel. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you…Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.”

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

What we believe determines our vision of life and the way we live. We see that illustrated in this Sunday’s readings.

In Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 6:17, 20-26), Jesus tells us that the poor will have a place in God’s kingdom, the hungry will be satisfied, those weeping will laugh, and those hated because of the Son of Man will leap for joy.

But those whose lives were focused only on earthly wealth, success, pleasure, and fame will find themselves in a very different situation.

In short, Jesus tells us that in a time to come, some people will be blessed with happiness, while others will be in despair.

To believe that such an age will come, we must first believe, as Saint Paul tells us in our Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20), that “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” His resurrection is the assurance of our resurrection and of a future beyond the grave.

But if we believe that “Christ has not been raised…we are the most pitiable of all.” For then what Jesus says about the blessings that await the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the persecuted is merely wishful thinking. And the woes predicted for those who live a self-centered, godless existence are only idle warnings for when we die, we fall into nothingness.

Our belief that Jesus was raised from the dead transforms our perception of death and changes our vision of life and way of living. It gives us a reason to trust in God’s promises and shows us that the choices we make have eternal consequences.

Using the image found in our First Reading (Jeremiah 17:5-8), those who believe in the resurrection are “like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green.” 

Belief in the resurrection of Jesus is that stream of water that nourishes our spirit, sustains our life, and dispels the fear that comes when the heat of death draws near.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

If we had to choose a person to help us with a particular task, we could make that choice in one of two possible ways. We could simply pick a person at random, or we could carefully select a person to assist us.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 5:1-11), we see Jesus picking a boat to use as a floating platform to teach a large crowd gathered on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. Jesus chooses a particular boat, one belonging to Simon Peter.

Did Jesus simply make a random choice, or did he have a reason for deciding to use Peter’s boat?

If we only consider Sunday’s Gospel passage, we might assume Jesus’ choice was simply arbitrary. However, if we look at chapter four, the previous chapter of Luke’s Gospel, we might conclude that Jesus deliberately reached out to Peter and chose his boat.

In that chapter, we learn that Jesus had previously met Peter. We are told that after teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum and freeing a man from a demon, Jesus “entered the house of Simon” (Luke 4:38). There Jesus was told that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was suffering from a severe fever. Jesus cured her and the woman then immediately waited on them.

Then “at sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them…At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place” (Luke 4:40, 42).

While Jesus was staying at his home, Peter witnessed the healing power of Jesus. At the same time, Jesus obviously observed Peter’s interactions with his wife, mother-in-law, relatives, and neighbors. During that time, Jesus came to know something about Peter and the two must have engaged in conversation.

So, when Jesus got into Peter’s boat and later told him to “put out into the deep water and lower your nets for catch,” Jesus was not speaking to someone he had picked at random and spoke to for the very first time. Jesus knew who Peter was and that knowledge led Jesus to invite Peter to leave his fishing boat and become a disciple.

That may have been the case with every disciple. While Jesus might have been divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit in selecting his disciples, his choices may also have been guided by watching, listening, and observing possible candidates. If the choices of Jesus were strictly divinely inspired, we would have to conclude that perhaps the Holy Spirit made a mistake in guiding Jesus to choose Judas, the one who would betray him.

Jesus had an eye on Peter, James, John, Thomas, and the others, and what he saw, heard, and observed led him to invite them to come follow him.

We might conclude the same is true for us. We too have been chosen and called to be disciples who draw people into the net of God’s Church.

God’s choice of us was not random. God selected us for a reason. God must see something in us, just as Jesus saw something in Peter!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

On the Church’s liturgical calendar, this Sunday, February 2, is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

But most people do not connect February 2 with the Presentation, but rather with Ground Hog Day. This is probably true for most Catholics as well, for the observance of the Lord’s Presentation most often falls on a weekday, not on a Sunday as it does in 2025.

Strange as it might seem, there may be a connection between these two celebrations that both occur on February 2.

On Ground Hog Day, thousands of people gather at sunrise in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to watch as a famed ground hog emerges from its burrow. According to tradition, if this ground hog sees its shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If it sees no shadow, spring will come early. Most people hope that no shadow is seen; they want the cold of winter to be quickly overcome by the warming light of spring.

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which comes 40 days after Christmas Day, is also about light and hope.

This feast commemorates the day when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. There Mary offered the sacrifice required to be made 40 days after giving birth to ensure her ritual purification. Then, as required by the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph dedicated their firstborn son to God.

In the Temple, the infant boy being dedicated to the Lord was noticed by Simeon, who “was righteous and devout…and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

Inspired by the Spirit, Simeon realized this baby boy was the long-awaited Messiah, who would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” and a source of glory for the people of Israel.  

The Prophetess Anna, a widow who had devoted most of her life to prayer, also saw and recognized the identity of the infant Jesus. “She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Both Simeon and Anna were blessed with the realization that Israel’s long, cold winter of waiting for the promised Messiah was coming to an end. In the infant being held by Mary, they saw the arrival of the light that would overcome the dark shadow of sin and death. Israel’s many years of waiting for the “spring” of salvation had come to an end.

February 2, the day when the media focuses society’s attention on a weather prediction, the Church directs our attention to a day of lasting significance. We remember the wondrous day when the Lord Jesus was recognized by Simeon and Anna as the hoped for Messiah, the source of light and salvation for us, and for all people.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Imagine how you would react if a noted author came to your home and presented you with a book he or she had just completed. And amazingly, the author told you that it had been written especially for you. Obviously, you would be surprised and eager to read the book you received.

Then imagine that as you were finishing that book, that same author unexpectedly appeared once more and gave you a second book that continued the story you had been reading.

We hear about such an unexpected event in this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21). Saint Luke begins his Gospel by revealing that he had written it for a particular person. “I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus.” Luke wanted to present Theophilus with a book that would help him to “realize the certainty of the teachings” about Jesus.

Luke then went on to write a second book for Theophilus, the Acts of the Apostles. This book began with the words, “In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” Then Luke began to relate how the apostle began to spread the message of Jesus, and the Church began to grow.

Theophilus, to whom Luke addressed his two books, was most likely a Gentile of high rank and influence. But while Luke may have been writing to a specific individual, his work is meant for everyone who wants to be part of the Christian community, who wants to be “a friend of God,” or a “Theophilus” as would be said in Greek.

For Luke’s writings to nourish the faith of Theophilus, his books had to be read. And that remains true today. The Word of God needs to be read and proclaimed if it is to affect our lives and draw us into a deeper relationship with the Lord.

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Sunday of the Word of God. This Sunday was instituted by Pope Francis in 2019 to remind us of the life-changing power of God’s Word found in the scriptures.

Unfortunately, the Word of God often remains unread on the pages of the Bible. Bibles are frequently purchased, in fact, sales increased more than 22% in 2024. However, Bibles are less frequently read.

This Sunday, we might resolve to deepen our love and appreciation of God’s Word by reading the two books written by Luke for Theophilus.

Each day, we might read one chapter of Luke’s Gospel. Then at the end of 24 days, we might continue with the Acts of the Apostles.

The Word of God made a difference in the life of Theophilus, and it can make a difference in our lives. It can make us a better “Theophilus,” a better “friend of God.”

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

If you see something, say something. That advice is frequently heard since terrorism remains a horrible possibility. We are urged to be aware of our surroundings, to take note of suspicious individuals, odd behavior, and unattended packages, and to say something to the police if any situation doesn’t seem quite right.

If you see something, say something also applies to other circumstances. For example, if we see a little child alone in a car, notice that an elderly neighbor has not left home for several days, or see an electric wire dangling above the ground, we should immediately say something to the proper authorities.

Responsible people speak up when they notice a problem. They do not ignore the situation, hoping that someone else might act.

This Sunday's Gospel reading (John 2:1-11) may lead us to conclude that Mary was a person who spoke up when she saw something.

We are told that Mary, along with Jesus and his disciples, had been invited to a wedding feast in Cana. During the celebration, Mary must have noticed that something was not quite right. Perhaps she saw the head waiter speaking excitedly to the bride and groom or noticed that the amount of wine being served kept getting smaller and then stopped all together.

Mary saw something, so she said something. She told her son, “They have no wine.” Jesus’ initial response was that the situation was not his concern.

Jesus may have hesitated to act since he did not want to reveal his power at that time. As he told Mary, “My hour has not yet come.”

Or perhaps Jesus did not want one of his first miracles (in fact, it is the first miracle in the Gospel of John) to involve providing wine for a party. After all, religious people like his cousin, John the Baptist, often abstained from wine and strong drink (Luke 1:15).

But Mary persisted, and Jesus acted. He changed some 120 to 180 gallons of water into wine. Jesus may have responded in a most generous way not only to save the bride and groom from embarrassment, but also to allow the guests to take some wine home. At the time of Jesus, wine was not only for celebration, but it was also a common source of hydration and nourishment.

Just as Mary said something because she saw something, we are encouraged to do likewise in our daily lives. It is also what we do when we gather for Sunday Mass. After we profess our faith, we come to the General Intercessions also known as the Universal Prayer.

In the intercessions, we bring the hurting people and the problem situations we see, and we say something about them to the Lord. In voicing those petitions, we ask the Lord to do something so that wars end, evil is overcome by good, the needs of the poor are satisfied, the sick recover, and the Church more effectively proclaims the Gospel.

In seeing those needs and saying something about them to the Lord, we are also reminded that as Christians, we are the people that the Lord often uses to bring about an answer to our intercessions.

Because Mary saw something and said something, a miracle took place at Cana. May the example of Mary inspire us to see the needs in our world and to say something about them to the Lord. If you see something, say something!

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Monday, January 20, is Inauguration Day. On that day, Donald Trump will stand in front of the United States Capitol Building and swear to faithfully execute the office of president and preserve, protect, and defend the constitution to the best of his ability.

Upon taking this oath, which will be administered by the Chief Justice, Donald Trump will become the 47^th President of our nation. Upon his inauguration, he will immediately assume all the duties of the presidency and members of his administration will take positions of leadership.

Today, January 12, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, might be seen as inauguration day in the Church’s calendar. Our Gospel tells us that Jesus was baptized by John. This baptism was not one that washed away sin, for Jesus was sinless. Rather this baptism marked a transition in the life of Jesus and the inauguration of his ministry.

Jesus, who went into the Jordan River as the carpenter from Nazareth and the son of Mary and Joseph, emerged as something far more. For Luke tells us that after the baptism of Jesus, “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”

After this “inauguration,” Jesus, who was then “about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23), began his public ministry. We might say that the “administration” of Jesus began as he went forth with his disciples to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel, to announce the coming of God’s Kingdom, and to bring healing and hope to the suffering.

This Feast of the Baptism of the Lord also inaugurates the weeks of the liturgical year called Ordinary Time. During the coming Sundays of this liturgical season, we will listen to Gospel readings that tell us of the work and ministry of God’s beloved Son.

This work and ministry continue to this very day through the Church that proclaims the Gospel, celebrates the sacraments, embodies the compassion and mercy of Jesus, and transforms people into children of God through the waters of baptism.

The inauguration of our new president and the start of his administration will affect our country for the next four years.

But the inauguration of the ministry of Jesus, which took place at his baptism, impacts each of us and it impacts all the world until the end of time.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Destination events have become increasingly popular. That is particularly the case when it comes to weddings. Rather than getting married in their local area, some couples decide to celebrate their marriage in a distant location known for its beauty, idyllic charm, cultural significance, or perhaps its connection to the ancestry of the bride or groom.

Attending a destination wedding requires a significant commitment of money, time, and effort on the part of the guests. They must arrange transportation to and from the location, book accommodations for several days, secure time off from work, procure necessary travel documents, budget money for meals and miscellaneous expenses, and provide an appropriate gift to the couple.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 2:1-12), we hear about the magi who received an invitation to a destination event that did not involve a wedding but rather the birth of a child.

They received this invitation not in written or verbal form but rather through a shining star in the sky that announced the birth of a new Jewish king. As they told Herod, “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

These magi “from the east” travelled a great distance to reach the destination indicated by the star. Though their exact starting point is not known, it had to be hundreds of miles away since their journey took considerable time. Matthew tells us that the star led the magi to a house in Bethlehem where “on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.” Jesus had grown and was no longer an infant lying in a manger.

Furthermore, when Herod decided to eliminate this “newborn king” who might threaten his power, he ordered his soldiers to kill the boys in Bethlehem up to the age of two. Herod chose that age “in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi” (Matthew 2:16). This implies the magi may have been travelling for many months, even up to two years, for this “destination event” that we celebrate on the Feast of the Epiphany.

When the magi encountered Jesus, they offered him the gifts they had carried with them. These gifts hinted at the identity of the child who was the goal of their journey. There was gold for one of kingly status, frankincense for one who was worthy of worship, and myrrh for one who would face death.

Like those magi, we too have been invited to a destination event, one that will take place at the end of our lives when we come before the Lord. As we journey to that final moment, we also need to keep moving forward in our faith, hope, and love so that we will be ready to offer the Lord the gift of holy lives.

Each Sunday when we come to Mass, we prepare for that final destination encounter. Each week, we journey to our parish church where we meet the Lord and respond to his invitation to hear his Word and share his life in the Eucharist.

Destination events are increasingly popular but the one that is most important is the destination event where, like the magi of old, we come face to face with the Lord.

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Happy New Year!

May You Truly Experience the Peace and Presence of the Lord in 2025!

“In asking for Baptism for your children, you are undertaking the responsibility of raising them in the faith, …do you understand this responsibility?” This question is addressed to parents at every Baptism.

It is a question that Mary and Joseph could have answered positively when it came to raising their son in the Jewish Faith that was an essential part of their lives.

We see evidence of that in this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 2:41-52), for the Feast of the Holy Family. There we learn that “each year, Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.”

It would be logical to think that Joseph and Mary regularly took Jesus with them on this annual pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. After all, they knew their son had a special place in God’s plan of salvation. Mary had been told by the angel Gabriel that her son would “be called holy, the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). In a dream, Joseph learned that the child to be born would “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

When Jesus was 12 years old, he did not return home with Mary and Joseph after the Passover observance in Jerusalem. Jesus stayed behind at the Temple. Obviously, he must have felt comfortable remaining there since he had visited the Temple many times with his parents. Jesus may have begun to appreciate the Temple not just as a holy place, but as something more. As he asked Mary and Joseph when they later found him in the Temple, “Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house?”

When Mary and Joseph located Jesus, he was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. While his surprising knowledge can be attributed to divine inspiration, it could have also been the result of Mary and Joseph passing on their faith, their love of God, and their knowledge of the scriptures to their son.

In the years that followed, Jesus continued to grow in faith as “he advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” We are told he was obedient to Mary and Joseph. He certainly learned from their example what it meant to be obedient to the will of God. He must have continued to go with Mary and Joseph on their annual pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem and he “went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day” Luke 4:16).

Mary and Joseph did all they could to pass on their faith to Jesus. They introduced him to the synagogue, brought him to the Temple, showed him the importance of fulfilling religious obligations, taught him about God’s law, introduced him to scriptures, and showed him what it meant to be obedient to the will of God.

What they did is what Catholic parents should do: They should make every effort to pass on their faith to their children by instructing them about God, taking them to Mass, showing them how to fulfill their religious obligations, teaching them how to pray, introducing them to the Scriptures, and encouraging them to develop as children of God.

By doing these things parents will fulfill their promise to raise their children in the Catholic Faith, and like Mary and Joseph, they will make their family a holy family.

© 2024 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Best Wishes for a Joyous Christmas Season!

May You Truly Experience the Peace and Presence of the Lord in 2025.

This Christmas Season is not only a season for giving. It is also a season for visiting!

Children away at school come home to visit their families and to see childhood friends.

Adult children visit their parents and siblings.

Boys and girls are taken by Moms and Dads to visit grandparents and great grandparents.

Married couples make it a point to visit their in-laws.

Neighbors often pay each other a holiday visit.

People visit their parishes for Mass. Even those who have drifted away from their faith often visit the Lord at Christmas.

These visits take place for a variety of reasons. We may visit out of love, concern, obligation, tradition, loneliness, or because we were invited.

This Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 1:39-45) focuses our attention on a visit, perhaps one of the most remembered visits of all time, namely, Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth.

This visit has been depicted by artists throughout the centuries. It is recalled whenever we pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. This visit has given us phrases found in the Hail Mary and even has its own special day: the Feast of the Visitation that is celebrated on May 31.

This visit, just like our own visits during this Christmas Season, took place for a reason.

Mary could have had several motives for making the 90-mile walk to see her cousin Elizabeth.

Mary may have gone to assist the elderly Elizabeth in her final three months of pregnancy and to rejoice with her that she and Zechariah would finally become parents.

Mary may have visited Elizabeth to tell her the amazing news she had received from the angel Gabriel about her being favored to give birth to the “Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32).

Perhaps Mary visited Elizabeth to learn from her experience what to expect as the child developed in her womb.

Mary may have sought Elizabeth’s advice on how she might handle the possible confusion in the mind of Joseph and their neighbors.

Whatever the reason, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth was a source of wondrous delight for both of them.

It led Elizabeth to cry, “Blessed are you among women” as she felt the unborn infant in her womb leap for joy. And it caused Mary to give praise to God and exclaim, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Luke 1:46).

This time of year, as we make our visits to family and friends, we might remember Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Like Mary, may we bring joy to those we visit, and by our love and kindness may we remind them of the Holy One whom Mary brought with her on her visit to Elizabeth.

© 2024 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

Best Wishes for Happy and Holy Christmas Season,

Filled with the Peace and Presence of Christ the Lord.

“Shout for joy…Sing joyfully…Be glad and exult with all your heart!” This is what the Prophet Zephaniah tells the people of Judah to do in Sunday's first reading (Zephaniah 3:14-18a).

This same directive is found in Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm. The people are told, “Cry out with joy and gladness” and “Shout with exaltation.”

This message appears again in the Second Reading (Philippians 4:4-7). Saint Paul orders the Christians at Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”

In all three cases, the same reason is given for being joyful.

Zephaniah declares, “The Lord, your God, is in our midst, a mighty Savior.” The Responsorial Psalm proclaims, “For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” St. Paul announces, “The Lord is near.”

That same merciful, loving, and caring God whose presence is proclaimed in these readings is also in our midst.

God comes and speaks to us as the scriptures are proclaimed and invites us to become one with him in the eucharist.

God stands near us when we gather with our fellow Christians to lift up our hearts to him in prayer and seek to serve others as Jesus did.

God is with us at every moment of our lives. He began to dwell in us at our baptism and has no wish to leave us. As the Lord told us, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Our readings this Sunday, remind us to be conscious that God is with us. This certainly is a reason for joy.

As we know, one of the greatest sources of joy in life is being with people who love us. That is certainly evident during the Christmas Season. We make every effort to be with family members and friends and others who love us.

It is not the Christmas presents we receive that truly matter but being in the presence of people who have made a place for us in their hearts.

Certainly, the people we hear about in Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 3:10-18) wanted to be in the Lord’s presence. That is why they sought out John’s baptism of repentance and asked him what they needed to do to be ready to stand in the presence of the coming Messiah.

The Lord whom they awaited is with us in a real and personal way. As Pope Francis reminds us, “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you” (The Joy of the Gospel, #164).

The Lord is in our midst. That is why the scriptures call us to “be glad and exult” and to “cry out with joy and gladness”

© 2024 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

“May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.” These words are spoken by a bishop as he ordains a man to the diaconate or the priesthood.

At one point in the ceremony, each man being ordained kneels before the bishop. He places his folded hands into the hands of the bishop and promises him and his successors respect and obedience.

The bishop then says, “May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.” The bishop prays that the one being ordained will be true to his vocation and continue to grow in his relationship with Christ and in his service to the Church.

The words spoken by the bishop are based on this Sunday’s Second Reading (Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11). In his letter to the Philippians, Saint Paul says, “Brothers and sisters…I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Paul then prays that God who blessed the Philippians with the gift of faith will continue to work in their lives so they will grow in love, discern what is of value, and be filled with righteousness.

The words of Paul addressed to the Philippians and used in the rite of ordination also apply to us, for God has begun a good work in us.

This work began at our baptism when God brought us into a relationship with him and made us part of his Church. That work of God continued as we received the sacraments, listened to his saving word, and joined with our fellow Christians in giving him praise and worship and in living the Gospel.

God has worked in our lives and wishes to continue his work. For that to happen, we need to let God work in us. As Pope Francis recently said, “We must allow ourselves to be transformed by the power of God’s love, which is greater than us and makes us capable of loving even beyond what we thought we were capable of.” (November 14, 2024 audience organized by the Dicastery for the Cause of Saints)

We are Christians because of what God has done in our lives. As Paul reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

May we truly allow God’s grace to influence our lives so that God who has begun the good work in us will bring it to fulfillment.

© 2024 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski