Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, May 24, 2026

Pentecost is the day that the apostles receive the great gift of the Holy Spirit. Ever since Easter Sunday, they have been trying to figure things out. They knew that Jesus had given them a vitally important job.  Yet, they were unsure about how to do it and were afraid that they might fail. During the Ascension, they stood staring at the sky as Jesus, and the life they had with Him, disappeared into Heaven. They wanted to cling to that past, but the “two men” reminded them that they had to let go so that they could move forward to perform the work that He asked them to do.Even though He told them that he would be with them “always,” they doubted that they would accomplish anything without Him physically by their side.

He also told them that He would send them an “advocate,” but they did not understand what that meant. Finally, on the day of Pentecost, the enormous power of the Holy Spirit eliminated all of their doubts and fears. Jesus caused the Holy Spirit to enter into them and transform them into men who were filled with courage, who could speak in tongues, and who could preach the Good News of Jesus and inspire people. Simply put, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they were on fire for the Lord!

If we believe in the Holy Spirit, then we believe that God is always with us and is always at work in our lives.  We are not left alone to fight the evil within us and around us.  Instead, through the Holy Spirit, the living God of heaven and earth, is with us. This is particularly true when we receive the Eucharist. In two very special ways, the Holy Spirit makes His presence known and transforms us through the Eucharist. First, the presence of Holy Spirit in each mass allows the priest to consecrate the bread and wine – to transform it into the Body and Blood of our Lord. Second, when we receive the Eucharist, the power of the Holy Spirit inspires us to become what we receive.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit set the disciples on fire so that they could start and grow the Church. Come Holy Spirit! Set our hearts on fire so that we may continue that mission.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, May 17, 2026

In this weekend’s passage from Acts, Jesus ascends into Heaven. The apostles stand there, watching Him disappear. Then, an angel asks the apostles why they are simply standing there, staring at the sky. In other words, he seems to be saying, “It is time for you guys to get moving – go start doing the work that Jesus asked you to do.” In the Gospel, we hear what that work entails: “go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

This is the Gospel passage that I often read at Baptisms. It contains the two most important instructions that Jesus gave to the apostles as they went forth to start the Church. They needed to baptize people and to teach them. Generally, baptizing folks was relatively simple: water + words = Baptism. While Baptism is indeed a highly significant moment, with life-long implications, it is accomplished rather easily.

The second task, teaching, is much more difficult to accomplish. Teaching is rarely accomplished quickly. In fact, the more complex the topic, the longer and more difficult teaching can be. A teacher must not only have a great grasp of the topic that she is teaching, but she must also be able to communicate that knowledge in a way that makes the subject “come alive” for the students so that they are both excited to learn and able to understand the topic.

Parents and grandparents are often the most important teachers of the Catholic faith to our children and grandchildren. We buy them “Jesus” dolls, read them books, sing them songs, and tell them stories about Jesus. We are trying to help them to see Jesus as a real person who loves them and who invites them into relationship with Him.

From the time that children are very young, it is important to help them to recognize that Jesus always loves us and is always with us, even though we cannot see Him, or hear Him, or even feel His presence. It’s a hard concept to explain. But we can point them to the promise that He makes to all of us right after the above passage: “I will be with you always, until the end of the age.”

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, May 10, 2026

Happy Mother’s Day!  

May is the month when we celebrate both our earthly mothers and our Heavenly Mother.  In fact, May is known as “Mary’s Month.”  At our school each May, we have a beautiful May crowning ceremony for our statue of Mary.  We recognize Mary as the Mother of God as well as our own Blessed Mother.  We revere her as the Queen of Heaven! 

There is a scene in the movie The Passion of The Christ where Jesus is carrying the cross and Mary sees Him fall with the cross landing on top of Him.  The scene flashes back to Jesus as a toddler running. Mary sees Him trip and fall.  She drops what she is holding and frantically runs to Him, scoops Him up in her arms, and says, “I’m here.” We then see Mary is pushing her way through the crowd to get to Jesus laying under the cross. She reaches Him and says, “I’m here,” but this time it is Jesus who consoles Mary.  He says to her, “See Mother! I make all things new.” 

Our mothers know us better than we know ourselves.  They would never let us go astray and always hope that we will hear their voice. Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  Often, we show our love for our mothers through our actions – by listening to them and following their instructions.  By respecting our mothers, we show our love for them.  How can we tell our mothers that we love them and then reject or disobey everything that they tell us? 

All of us have reached an age or will reach an age where, like Jesus, we will have to take the wisdom imparted upon us by our mothers and go out into the world to fulfill our purpose, our mission. Jesus knew His mission and persevered.  Hopefully, we all eventually learn our purpose and accept it, even if - especially if - that purpose means carrying a cross.  

Jesus remembered His Mother from the cross when He told John and us that she was now his Mother and ours. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let’s all say one Hail Mary and ask our Blessed Mother to help us to be the best sons and daughters to our mothers. 

Fr. Mike