Copy of Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - March 30, 2025

As we celebrate Laetare Sunday, we rejoice in anticipation of the great feast of Easter which is only 21 days away. Here at St. Edward the Confessor and San Felipe de Jesus we have much to celebrate since Lent began about three weeks ago.

We celebrate our parish school Academic Decathlon Team which won both the State of California and the National Title! To win a state or national title once would be a remarkable feat. To win multiple titles over several years is an extraordinary achievement. I commend the hard work and dedication of the students, coaches and parents. WOW!

We celebrate Jim Snyder, a St. Ed’s parishioner, who last week was awarded the Bishop’s Award for Exemplary Business Integrity at the Diocesan Conference on Business & Ethics. Throughout his career, and in his current role as Chief Executive Officer of Tidemark Real Estate Services, Jim has been guided by his deep Catholic faith in both his business and personal lives. He is a lector and a member of our Knights of Columbus Council. We are blessed to have Jim and his wife Coleen in our parish.

We celebrate two joy filled community building events which highlighted two very different, but very, special ethnic cultures. First, we celebrated all the best Irish heritage as the Knights of Columbus hosted a family-oriented St. Patrick’s Day party. The food, music, and dancing were all terrific. A great time was had by all who attended.

We celebrate the Italians of our parish, who, not to be outdone by our Irish colleagues, hosted a St. Joseph Table. About 400 people feasted on some excellent Italian food including my family meatballs and special St. Joseph pastries. My sincere thanks to the incredible team of volunteers who cooked pasta, decorated the hall, made sure everyone had enough to eat, and then cleaned up at the end of the dinner.

Lent is time when we focus on our sinfulness and our need to repent. However, it does not need to be a somber time that leads us to despair or discouragement. Laetare Sunday reminds us that our Catholic faith is always lived in the joy of Easter. We can take our sinfulness seriously, we can strive to be better, but we can always approach our relationship with Jesus joyfully.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - March 23, 2025

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” That’s great advice, but how do we know when we are hearing God’s voice. It’s probably not coming to us from a burning bush or from a cloud. It might come through our families, friends, neighbors, priests, or teachers. However, sometimes it comes to us unexpectedly from surprising sources. We’re happy to call any voice, “God’s voice” when it agrees with our own plan for our lives. The problem arises when God’s voice is trying to lead us in a completely different direction. That’s when our hearts get hard and the grumbling begins.

The Israelites are master grumblers. They started grumbling against Moses in Egypt and continued in the desert. Remember, this is the man who parted the sea so that they could walk through it on dry land. Yet, they grumbled against him. They were grumbling because they thought that they had a better plan than God. In their minds, there were only two possibilities: dying reasonably comfortably in Egypt or dying somewhat painfully in the desert. They rejected God’s voice and hardened their hearts.

Opening our hearts takes a great deal of faith. Faith is built on trust. We must trust that God has a plan and that the plan is the absolute best thing for us. We truly must surrender to the voice that spells out God’s plan because our plan could never be as perfect as His plan. Each day, we face the pressures of family, finances and faith. We complain and grumble when our lives are different from our expectations. We like our plan. It makes sense to us. It’s comfortable. On the other hand, God’s voice can come to us unexpectedly. It can be disruptive and make us uncomfortable. It can seem crazy and be frustrating because it moves us in a new direction.

Yet, we must always search for, and be open to, God’s voice. It comes to us from both expected and surprising sources. Sometimes it confirms what we are thinking; sometimes it challenges us to think differently. We must listen for it, discern it carefully, be open to it (even if it’s uncomfortable), and then act on it. One thing is certain, whenever and wherever we hear God’s voice we must not harden our hearts.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - March 16, 2025

In the story of the Transfiguration, Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain to see Him with Moses and Elijah as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. His face shone like the sun and his clothes were dazzling white. We read this Gospel during Lent because it reminds us that the fasting and repenting of Lent are meant to lead us to the glory of the Lord at Easter. On this mountain, Jesus was temporarily transformed into His glorious presence. Then, the apostles heard God’s booming voice telling them, “This is my chosen Son, listen to Him.”

Just as God spoke to the apostles on the mountain, He speaks to us here today. His words clearly instruct both the apostles and us to listen to Jesus. If we really listen, we will be transformed by His words and by His presence. After being transformed, we invite Jesus to be with us in our hearts. Just as the disciples were accompanied by Jesus when they returned to their daily lives, so Jesus also accompanies us when we receive Him in the Eucharist. Then, as we leave church and “come down the mountain,” He accompanies us as we face the harsh reality of the world around us.

Although the apostles were walking with Jesus every day, they may have grown too comfortable with His presence, maybe even taken Him for granted. Perhaps, they were too comfortable seeing and hearing Him teach or, more likely, they were not really listening to His message. The Transfiguration strengthened their faith so that they would be better able to endure the confusion and grief they were about to experience at the crucifixion.

The Transfiguration wakes up the apostles and reminds them that it is an amazing privilege to accompany Jesus each day. Like the apostles, we know that Jesus is always in our midst. Yet, many of us also take His presence for granted. Like the apostles, maybe we need to see God’s glory or to hear God’s booming voice to remind us of who Jesus is and what he has done for us so that we wake up and listen to Jesus. If we truly appreciate this great gift, we will leave each Mass amazed, energized, and transformed by our experience.

Fr. Mike