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St. Mary's Catholic Parish: From the Pastor Fr. Paul E. Desmarais, Pastor - St. Mary's Parish
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For the Week of August 1, 2010
The readings this weekend tell us plainly what is important
in God’s eyes. St. Paul says “Think of what is above,”
he says, “We are being renewed in the image of the creator.”
“Christ is in each of us.”
Our culture says that our pleasure comes in what we own and have. The
newest cell phone, the newest I Pod, the newest car. Things are what make
us happy according to our culture. Jesus says the only important thing
is to have Him within us and to live accordingly. We are to be people
who are good, people of peace, people of mercy and compassion and forgiveness
and people who respect life from the moment of conception. This is what
our Lord values the most.
Today most people treat their faith with indifference. Someone says “If
I go to Mass fine, if I miss Mass on Sunday, that’s ok too, but
it’s not ok. People walk into Mass late and leave right after Communion
not spending any time in prayer or receiving the final blessing. How can
Jesus live within us if we do not pray? Soon there will be changes in
the Mass that will help us better answer these questions.
For the Week of July 25, 2010
Abraham teaches us a wonderful way to pray. He asks God
to spare Sodom and Gomorrah because of the innocent people living in the
city. Abraham asks: “Should not the judge of all the world act with
justice.” Abraham keeps interceding with God to spare the city if
only one innocent man is found. God agrees.
Abraham teaches us to pray with boldness, confidence and trust. There
is a trust and intimacy that exists between God and Abraham that enables
Abraham to pray so boldly. Jesus invites us to call God “Father.”
He also calls us to a close and trusting relationship with God. He calls
us to pray with confidence in God’s love and mercy. Even as we are
called to treat God with respect when we say “Holy is your name,”
we are not to lose sight of the fact that God indeed is a loving father.
Abraham was not shy when he prayed to God. We too are asked not be timid
and shy when we pray. A loving father already knows our needs and desires.
Jesus says, “How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask.”
For the Week of July 18, 2010
In the story of Martha and Mary we may find it easier
to relate to Martha than to Mary. Like Martha we can be anxious and worried
about many things. Many people today are worried and anxious about the
future. Will I have a job? Can I support my family? Can I send my kids
to the school of their choice? Can I care for my parents as they get older?
These and many other questions can leave us worried and anxious.
In the middle of all the noise and confusion that was part of Martha and
Mary’s home when Jesus and his friends arrived, Mary recognized
the importance of Jesus being in the middle of this confusion. Mary realized
that Jesus was in the middle of all this mayhem! She drew her strength
from the presence of Jesus in her life. Jesus was offering the same chance
that Mary had. Jesus was saying I am with you. Jesus would be there to
help her in all the challenges of her life. He would give her what she
needed. Strength, patience, wisdom, fortitude. He offers the same to us
in our daily challenges whether it be getting the kids off to school or
time or caring for sick elderly parents. He is as present to us today
as he was to Martha and Mary.
For the Week of July 11, 2010
St. Paul says in the second reading, “For in Him
were created all things visible and invisible…all things were created
through Him and for Him. Col 1:15. Imagine what our world would be like
if we truly believed what St. Paul wrote.
All life is sacred and we are called to treat it as sacred. We could put
an end to war and poverty etc. We seem to have lost the sense of sacredness
or holiness in our society and so many things in our world are seen as
disposable; even human life. If an unborn child were seen as sacred and
holy we could end abortion. It is our responsibility to witness to the
sacredness and holiness of all life. It begins with the way we treat people
and the earth around us. If I have no respect for others or our planet,
if I am wasteful or thoughtless of others; I have lost the sense of the
sacred and holy. All things and people are created in the image and likeness
of God. You and I are created in God’s image. It should affect the
way we treat others. If someone grows up without love how can they know
they are special in the eyes of anyone. When we treat each other the way
God wants us to, then we have fulfilled the call to be witnesses of God’s
love to all people and to the world.
For the Week of July 4, 2010
The 4th of July reminds us of cook-outs, parades, fireworks
and a long weekend. We should also remember we celebrate our freedom and
the price that is paid for it. We remember that a group of men and women
put everything on the line for their freedom. The cost they paid was high.
They sacrificed much for what they believed in. They knew it would be
worth it. The cost is also high in living out our faith. There is much
we sacrifice to live as Jesus calls us to live and to witness this faith
to others. There is much we give up to be people of faith, hope and generosity.
See the sacrifices one makes for their family, or relatives or friends.
This is our vocation, this is our life. Our baptism is a sign to all of
our commitment to the word of God and the life we are called to live.
Our country each day tries to live up to the ideals of the Declaration
of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. We as Catholics
try each day to live up to the ideals of our faith no matter how hard
it may be.
For the Week of June 27, 2010
“Brothers and Sisters: For freedom Christ set us
free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”
(Gal. 5:1). Our Lord by His death and resurrection has freed us from the
power of the evil one and his evil. Jesus proved to us the power He has
over sin and death. Despite all the despair we hear about in the world
today, our Lord is the light in the darkness. When someone despairs over
addiction He is the light, when someone despairs over sickness, He is
our light and hope, when someone despairs about being out of work, He
is our light and hope. We don’t have to be people of despair and
hopelessness. Our Lord calls us to faith, hope and trust. The mercy of
God is greater than the sin and darkness of the world around us.
St. Peter then tells us to love by the Spirit and be guided by the Holy
Spirit in our life. St. Paul who underwent all kinds of affliction understood
the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of Jesus for him. He understood
the love of our Lord would be there with him at all times. He reminds
us this weekend, our Lord’s presence is with us at all times.
For the Week of June 20, 2010
“Who do the crowds say that I am?” We know
that Peter will say; “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.”
We can ask this ourselves; “Who do we say Jesus is in our life?”
Is Jesus a nice guy who was a teacher among many others? Is He just another
prophet? When we believe He is the Messiah and the Son of God, that changes
everything. He and His teachings become the most important thing in our
life. The Eucharist becomes the most important possession we can have.
Why would we want to miss Mass and miss receiving our Lord? Why would
we miss out on the opportunity to be with Him in prayer? Our Lord is so
powerful; why do we deny ourselves the opportunity to have Him within
us? His love, grace, mercy, compassion are always available to us.
It says in the book of Revelation that Jesus is knocking on the door of
our hearts waiting for us to let Him in. Each and every Mass begins with
the prayer, “The Lord be with you. What better way to begin our
week than by letting the Lord come into our hearts each and every Sunday
and each and every time we pray to him.
For the Week of June 13, 2010
Jesus says in the gospel today, “The one to whom
little is forgiven, loves little.”
One of the hardest things Jesus asks us to do have to do with forgiveness.
How hard it is to forgive! How hard to let go of the pain and suffering
done to us when someone hurts us by what they have done. How hard it is
to forgive when someone will not say they are sorry. Each time we pray
the Our Father we pray; “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those
who sin against us.” We admit in this prayer that we are in need
of God’s grace to forgive and be forgiven. Many times people cannot
forgive someone who has harmed them so seriously because of the hurt and
pain they feel. Along with forgiveness comes the healing of our heart
to heal from the pain. Asking for healing from our Lord allows us to be
rid of anger, resentment, bitterness hatred which is so destructive of
the human heart. Anger, resentment, bitterness, hatred can destroy us.
We need the grace and love from our Lord to heal the hurt.
In healing and forgiving we are not saying we would once again be friends
with someone who hurts us so badly but, we do not want to become bitter,
resentful people by holding on to anger and hatred. Our Lord promised
His love and help for us to be able to forgive. We also need His grace
and help to say to someone we hurt; I’m sorry! Pride, ego can get
in the way of admitting we did something wrong. We need the virtue of
humility to understand we have done something wrong and we need to say
to God and others, I’m sorry. Jesus came to heal and forgive a broken
world by His love, mercy and the power of the cross.
For the Week of June 6, 2010
A quarter of American Catholics do not believe in the
real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Many of these Catholics believe
the Bread and Wine are a symbol. When we fail to believe in one of the
most important beliefs of our faith, we miss out on so much our Lord can
give us.
The spiritual food we need to allow our faith to grow and blossom we miss
out on, when we do not come to Mass or believe in the real presence. It
is why the church calls it a mortal sin to miss Mass on Sunday. It is
why God made it one of the commandments. The Body and Blood of our Lord
have been linked to many miracles of healings. The Body and Blood of our
Lord has touched the lives and hearts of people in so many different ways.
There is a way we can ask the Lord for His healing love to help us each
time we come to Mass. 1) Before Mass begins, pray for your intention,
ask the Lord’s healing power to touch the life and heart of the
person you pray for. 2) At the offertory lift up the person you pray for
as an offertory gift, place your intention on the altar of God. 3) Believe
at communion time when you receive our Lord that your intention is being
answered. 4) When you come back to your seat, continue to pray for the
person you want the Lord to help or heal. We miss out on so much when
we fail to receive Him at Mass. Each and every Saturday night or Sunday
at Mass, there is so much love our Lord wants to give each and every one
of us.
From the Pastor: January to May 2010
From the Pastor: June to December 2009
From the Pastor: January to May, 2009
From the Pastor: June to December 2008
From
the Pastor: January to May, 2008
From
the Pastor: September, October, November, December 2007
From the Pastor: June, July, August 2007
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