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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 19:26:00 GMT

My Dear People,

When Peter asked Jesus how often one should forgive, Peter thought it would be generous enough to forgive someone seven times seven. After all, 7 times 7 years is the year of jubilee, when all debts are forgiven. When Jesus said 70 times 7 times, it amounts to about 10 Jubilees (490 years). This, of course, has more to do with sin than monetary debts. Jesus was telling Peter something different. He told him that we must always forgive not seven times but 70 times seven.

Jesus explained this in the following parable. He compared the kingdom of Heaven to a servant who appeared before the king to whom he owed 10,000 talents. A talent is the equivalent to 6,000 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a worker's daily wage. What he owed was so huge there was no way for him to possibly pay it back. So, he was told, he and his whole family would be sold in order to satisfy the debt. Of course, the individual pleaded for mercy. The king took pity on him and forgave his debt. When the servant was leaving, he met a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii (that is 100-day wages) and demanded payment. When the fellow servant likewise pleaded for mercy, he became very angry and ruthless. He refused to show mercy for his fellow servant and had him put in prison. So the king who had forgiven this individual’s amount was very angry that he was not willing to forgive a small amount when he was forgiven a huge amount. For acting this way, the king had him put in prison.

This is a beautiful symbol of sin against God. If our Lord is so merciful that He is willing to forgive us if we beg for mercy, likewise, we also should be merciful toward our debtors—those guilty of offending society, the Church, and us. We are the ones whose huge amount has been forgiven, therefore we should forgive the small amount that our neighbor owes us.

We, however, should be horrified of sin; we should reprimand the sinner; we should condemn him, but we should also have mercy for him. Ruthless zeal is not liked by God. It benefits no one since it hardens, sours, and gangrenizes the wound. Instead of being ruthless, pray for the poor who have been led astray. How many fruits of penitence could be brought to the Church? (Meaning, if we show mercy instead of ruthlessness, many will return to the Church).

Jesus condemns ruthlessness toward poor sinners even though this ruthlessness appears to be justified sometimes to keep order. Ruthlessness does not produce any good. It chokes, oppresses, and robs one's liberty. It is important to have pity and forgive. This is the example God gives us, and this is the heritage that Jesus Christ has left for His Church. Christ forgave from the cross the ones who crucified him. Forgiveness is very important. To forgive helps the individual who forgives more than the one who is forgiven. When one forgives, one is free and open to the grace of God.

[Parts taken from commentary by Don Dolindo Ruotolo]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 19:25:00 GMT

My Dear People,

In order to achieve reconciliation and not condemnation, the Disciples are informed by Jesus of the guidelines of their juridical and sacramental role in enforcing the authority to interpret the Law and who will dispense the forgiveness of sins for the New Covenant community.

Jesus speaks to the Apostles to eliminate scandals in the church and for the saving of souls which is relegated to the fraternal correction. If one has offended you, which to you would be scandalous because you do not like it, you must make him understand and exhort him on the necessity of amending his life.

If the scandalous person does not listen to correction, it is necessary to speak to others until one arrives with the authority to convince him of the necessity to amend his behavior. This is the legal way it is done in the court of law. If he does not amend his life, then it is important to notify the authority of the Church which should provide exhortation and sanctions.

If he does not listen even to the Church, he severs himself from the community. One must avoid him as people avoid pagans without faith and as a sinner who is dangerous to others. That person must be re-evangelized as pagans are evangelized, because evidently he does not understand the gospels.

Jesus warns us that what the Church loosens on earth is loosened in Heaven, and what the Church binds on earth is bound in Heaven. This means that the church speaks authoritatively either through Peter (i. e. his successors) or the Twelve (that is, the Bishops, united) for example, an Ecumenical Council. One must not treat this lightly. This is an extreme measure as a remedy against those who bring on scandals.

Jesus does not want this extreme point to ever arrive. One must pray inspired by mercy. Christ said prayer inspired by charity is listened to in heaven. He himself, Redeemer of souls, is in the middle of those that are united with Him in His name. Christ was speaking of the efficacy of any prayer which is done in commune, but directly speaking to prayer when enacted for those who are scandalous, and portrays the necessity to use mercy.

For this reason, St. Peter who was elected the leader of the Church, and to whom the cases of the faithful were to be relegated, questions Jesus on how many times one must forgive another who asks for forgiveness. Peter wanted to limit forgiveness to seven times. However, Jesus tells him that he should do it until it is seventy times seven. The mercy of God directed toward sinners must be without borders, i.e. limits.

[Most of the passages were taken from the priest Don Dolindo Ruotolo on the Gospels]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:35:00 GMT

My Dear People,

The contrast between the glorious things spoken to Peter in last Sunday’s Gospel and the sharp rebuke to Peter in this Gospel could hardly be more pronounced. It is quite intentional on the part of the evangelist, who wants us to observe, almost simultaneously, the divine promises given to Peter alongside Peter’s human weaknesses.

The contrast between divine guidance and human weakness is the theme of the history of the papacy. Catholics hold that the Pope is infallible in teaching, not impeccable in his behavior. The distinction is often lost on non-Catholics, who understand us to be believers that the Pope is sinless. Obviously, the popes have not been sinless, and a few well-chosen historical examples quickly demonstrate the fact.

We do not hold that the pope is sinless. Nor do we profess that he always teaches the best way or says exactly the right thing at the right time. Papal infallibility is much weaker than some understand it. It is simply the belief that the pope is protected from errors in his solemn official teachings.

In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus did not say to Peter: “You will never again sin.” He said: “What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Mathew 16:19) In the Greek of this passage, Jesus uses future perfect formation. Literally, “What you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; what you loose on earth will have been bound in heaven.” In other words, it’s not so much that Peter’s decisions change heavenly policy; it is that the policy of heaven will be reflected in Peter’s teachings.

In today’s passage, Peter is not making a decision about judgment hallakah for God’s people. In fact, the Spirit has not even been poured out yet, and Jesus has not yet ascended to the right hand of the Father (see John 20:17; Acts 2:33). Peter gives an emotional reaction to the hard teachings of Jesus, and Jesus rebukes him sharply. Peter is wrong. Suffering and death will happen to Jesus. In fact, almost identical suffering and death is going to happen to Peter himself (John 21:18). All followers of Christ must be ready to follow

Christ to death, including and especially the successor of Peter. In fact, many of Peter’s early successors did share in martyrdom.

This Gospel reading includes one of the most succinct and challenging formulations of the “Good News” uttered by Jesus during his earthly ministry:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

This is the same Good News that Jesus has been preaching since the beginning of Matthew, where he blessed the poor, the hungry and thirsty, the meek, and the persecuted at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. The poor of the Beatitudes are those who have given up their own lives and taken up the Cross of Christ. This call of Christ is so in conflict with the “American Dream” lifestyle most of us in the pews are trying to live. Sometimes it takes a world event or an economic collapse to help us rediscover what is important in life and what the Gospel is actually about.

[Source; Reflection on Sunday readings for year A by Dr. John Bergdsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:33:00 GMT

My Dear People,

In the gospel today in Matthew 16, Jesus is investing Peter with the role of royal steward in the kingdom that Jesus is establishing. Isaiah 22 is clearly the background of the promise of the “keys to the kingdom.” Isaiah 22 is the only passage of the Old Testament where the word “key” even occurs. The thematic parallels are strong: the promise to Eliakim concerning “binding and loosing.” Binding and loosing were technical terms in first century Judaism referring to the authority to decide matters of halakhah (literally “the walk,” i.e., the “behavior”, that is, the practical application of divine law.

We can say that Jesus invested Peter with the authority to make decisions, especially in controversies, even he did not specifically express it.

The Church has always held that Peter’s authority—like the authority of the Apostles in general—was passed down to his successors. Otherwise, passages like Matthew 16:13-20 and others that speak to us of the authority of the Apostles would simply be matters of historical curiosity for us. One would have to suppose that Jesus invested Peter and the Apostles with authority over the Church, but that Jesus left no provision for the governance of the Church for after they died, so now it is every believer for him- or herself.

The church was not mistaken in understanding Peter’s authority to be passed to his successors. So, we see already in the first century St. Clement of Rome exercising a spiritual authority over churches far away from his immediate geographical location. The roles of the royal steward, Peter, and his successors, are reflected in the title given to the Bishop of Rome, “pontifex maximus” (“greatest priest”) and “Papa” or “Pope,” meaning “Father.” This reflects the prophetic typology of Isaiah 22: “He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” The Church is the New Jerusalem (see Hebrews 12:22-24).

The successor of Peter continues to authoritatively “bind” and “loose,” making decisions of halakhah for the people of God. A pertinent example: How does divine law apply to physical

and chemical contraceptives, which were not as widely available in previous centuries? Paul VI gave an authoritative halakhah decision: they are impermissible. The decision remains universally controversial, but Christians who will not accept it, I am afraid, will find themselves voluntarily extinguishing their own communities as the generations pass. It’s already happening. It’s often remarked, for example, that some long-established Christian communities in various parts of the world are being dwarfed by populations of other religions—for example, Islam. What is not often said, however, is that some of those Christian communities are less open to life than followers of other religions. They prefer to limit their family size by artificial contraception or sterilization in an attempt to attain and enjoy a high standard of living. OK, fine, but then let us not be surprised or complain when Christians make up an ever-smaller percentage of the population in that area. How sad that the baptized children of God would not be generously open to children God would like to send them.

On a more positive note, the force of the reading for this Sunday is resoundingly encouraging. Despite our sins and failings, God is continuously faithful to his Church. The gates of hell will not withstand the power of the Church. She will never be extinguished from the earth until Christ comes to fulfill all things. Moreover, Jesus has provided her with continuing leadership, especially the successor of Peter, so that we need not debate endlessly about the application of the Gospel to the present day, but rather have authoritative guidance. May God be praised for providing his people.

[Source: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:32:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Today’s Gospel reading is of a Gentile woman—and not any Gentile woman, but a descendent of the Canaanites, about whom the Old Covenant as summarized in Deuteronomy had nothing good to say at all (Deut. 20:16-18); yet, she finds salvation through Jesus.

Many were troubled by the Lord’s apparently harsh way of initially dealing with this woman. Shouldn’t Jesus have immediately offered to heal this poor woman’s daughter?

(We need to remember that the Lord had prophetic insight into the hearts of the people with whom he interacted.) He knew what people were thinking and the state of their heart (Matt 9:4; 12:25; John 2:25; 5:61).

Jesus adapts His way of dealing with people to their individual situations and needs. For example, He doesn’t challenge everyone to sell all that they have and give to the poor (Matt 19:21 and Luke 19:8-10). But, He knew that was what the rich young man needed to do.

So, in the case of this Sunday’s Gospel, we need to understand Jesus’s actions are tailored to the faith of this woman. He sees that she has faith, and he puts her faith to the test to elicit more faith. Untested faith is no faith at all!

Jesus says: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs” —a painful reminder that the Gentile pagans have no covenantal claim on the God of Israel, no right to call Him to be faithful to His obligations toward them. They have only the ability to throw themselves (ourselves!) on the mercy of God the Creator.

The woman has both tremendous faith and tremendous humility. While not taking insult from Jesus’s words, and humbly acknowledging her lack of any covenant claim on the God of Israel, she asks for unmerited mercy: “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

Let us recall that Jacob, father of all the sons of Israel, was not the direct heir of God’s covenant but connived and struggled his way in. We recall Rahab’s family and the Gibenonites, both Canaanite groups that should have been wiped out in the conquest of

Jericho, but who tricked and struggled their way into the people of the covenant. We also recall Ruth of the Moabitess and Uriah the Hittite, who renounced their ethnicity and swore oaths to the God of Israel. And we realize throughout salvation history that God has been finding a place in His covenant for people who, in some way or other, didn’t belong there but wanted to be there.

We are also reminded of St Paul’s words:

“For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to the flesh, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God choose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are”. (1 Cor. 1:26-28, RSV2CE)

At Mass this Sunday, look around. Are you surrounded by the riffraff of the earth? You may be the riffraff of the earth yourself. “Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).

What kind of God is this who lets all the riffraff into His covenant?

Thanks be to God; He lets all of us in!

[Source: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 14:35:00 GMT

My Dear People,

The body of the Gospel of Matthew is divided into five major units or blocks of narrative, ending with a major discourse (or “homily” if you will of Jesus Chapters 3-7, 19-25). Each section ends with the comment, “When Jesus had finished saying all these things” or something very similar (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Therefore, this Sunday’s Gospel is set near the beginning of the fourth unit of Matthew, a unit marked especially by the theme of forgiveness, particularly where forgiveness is practiced and administered in the Church—the visible manifestation of the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Thus, Jesus’s concluding discourse of this unit in Chapter 18 will largely deal with forgiveness of sin and the power to “loose (meaning ‘forgive’) on earth” figures prominently in the great periscope of Peter’s confession (16:13-20). (Forgiveness is not a dominant theme in this Sunday’s reading, but we do note the kindness Jesus allows Peter’s failure of faith). As soon as Peter cries out, Jesus “immediately” extends His hand and catches him, suggesting an attentive solicitude for the Apostle’s welfare. The Lord doesn’t sit back and let Peter flounder around in the water to teach him a lesson. Even with the rebuke “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”, we understand that Jesus said it with gentleness, as one who knows the weakness of our condition.

Note various parallels with the First Reading. In both instances, we have a great prophet (Elijah, Jesus) going to a mountain to pray alone. The moral sense of the text is obvious—these great men of God did not neglect their prayer life. If they needed to renew their relationship with God through the communion of prayer, how much more so do we?

In both cases, we have the presence of storm imagery that serves as a distraction from concentrating on the presence of God. Elijah may have had unrealistic hopes for what could be accomplished by dramatic public miracles. At Horeb, he senses God

is not in the storm phenomena that shakes the mountain outside his cave. Likewise in the Gospel, when Peter takes his focus off the Lord and starts to contemplate the wind and waves that are lashing about him, his faith begins to collapse.

Let’s not, though, be too hard on Peter. He was, after all, the only one of the Apostles willing to get out of the boat! So, he attempted something for Jesus; it failed, and he needed to be rescued. But he learned something from his attempt, and his faith grew in the long run.

One is reminded of Pope Francis’s statement that he would prefer the church suffer some damage by going out into the streets to minister than to have her stay safely in the sanctuary and not get the Gospel out.

The readings work together this week to call us, as followers of Christ, away from an attitude of fear and intimidation. The wind and waves that toss around us—the personal and public turmoil of our lives and world—are ultimately under the control of God. But gazing at all the turmoil can be a major distraction from God’s call (in Latin), His “vocation” in our lives.

Likened to Jesus’s call to Peter, focus on the “still, small voice” of Jesus beckoning us. We ought to walk toward Him by concentrating on fulfilling our vocation daily and not to capitulate to fear of the chaos that rages around us.

[Source: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 15:12:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Although the text is not explicit, we are probably correct to assume crowds were made up of the common and poor people in the land rather than the wealthy elite. We hear themes from Isaiah 55 explaining: Jesus is providing a free, satisfying meal to the hungry and thirsty poor.

But the language Matthew implies is intended to remind us of another incident in Jesus’s ministry where He also takes loaves, blesses, breaks and gives them to the Disciples. Of course, this is language from the narrative of the Institution of the Eucharist (Matt 26:26), which is indeed the covenant meal promised by Isaiah 55. Specifically, it is a meal which extends the covenant of the Son of David to those who participate in it.

This account in Matthew stresses Jesus’s mission to restore the people of Israel, to whom the promise of a New Covenant was given by Jeremiah (Jer. 31:31-34). The point of the twelve baskets left over is a sign God is coming to collect the scattered people of the Twelve Tribes. They are to be gathered up from all the places where they had been scattered because of various wars and exiles; gathered and returned back into the kingdom of David, reconstituted around the Twelve Apostles—the twelve new patriarchs of the spiritual restoration of Israel.

In the next chapter (Matt 15: 29-39) Matthew will speak of a different feeding miracle Jesus performed that took place in Galilee and foreshadowed the Gospel intended for the Gentiles. There, four thousand will be fed (possibly for the four-cardinal direction of the compass) and seven baskets will be left over (a covenant number and perhaps related to the traditional seventy Gentile nations in Israelite ethnography). But here, the focus is on the restoration of Israel.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand in Matthew, as in the other Gospels, is an anticipation, foreshadowing the Eucharist—the meal which alone truly satisfies and “answers all our needs,” as sung in the psalm. It is the meal by which we enter the Davidic covenant, receiving the gift of Divine sonship and kingship over the earth, (as Isaiah predicted). Out of His loving concern to provide this meal for us, Jesus

endured anguish, distress, persecution, nakedness, peril and ultimately, death. In turn, this meal is one of the primary ways He stays with us and loves us as we suffer our own anguish, distress, persecutions etc.

This aspect of the Eucharist was foreshadowed in the Old Covenant by the “Bread of the Presence” (Exodus 25:30), fresh loaves of bread continually set out in the Holy Place to represent God’s presence with his people.

As we celebrate this Mass, let us thank Jesus for remaining with us in the Eucharist as we journey through this valley of tears and pray for those who—because of illness, imprisonment, or other impediments—lack the comfort of the tangible sacrament and must rely on the spiritual indwelling of Jesus in their souls alone.

[Source: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for year A by Dr. John Bergdsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 15:10:00 GMT

My Dear People,

We thank Bishop Emilio for visiting us here at St James and Mission Santiago. He enjoyed the visit. A good number of people came to the 8 AM Mass and the session afterwards in the hall. He was impressed with the presentation, especially on such short notice. Overall, his visit was positive and everyone was glad and happy for his visit. Thank you, Bishop Emilio Biosca. We are looking forward to seeing you in the future.

In the three parables in which Jesus speaks about the kingdom of Heaven, He is speaking of the kingdom manifested on earth as the Church, not the kingdom consummated in the world to come. Jesus speaks in parables because He wants the people to respond by faith and not by intellect. Those who responded by faith were able to get the gist of the parable, but for those who responded by intellect, the parable did not make sense to them; therefore it would not have an impact on their lives. Jesus spoke in parables because when people responded with faith they would have a conversion of life. These parables are favorites of converts because the experience described in them seems to parallel some of our own experiences of finding our way (or rather, of God finding us and bringing us into the Catholic Church).

The first of these parables tells us that the kingdom is not always obvious. It’s like a buried treasure. There’s no billboard saying, “True Church, Exit Left 1 Mile.” In fact, those speeding by on the highway of life will never find it. You have to be digging, in the vineyard, perhaps. Suddenly you hit something with your spade. Can it be? Is it? Yes! You are willing to leave everything you have to buy the field with this treasure. (Incidentally, the moral sense of “sells all that he has and buys that field” can apply to those who embrace the evangelical counsel of poverty in the religious life.)

The second of these parables is similar to the first. Again, the kingdom is not obvious. There are many competitors, perhaps even fakes, “faux pearls” or pearls of low quality. It takes some

discernment –indeed wisdom, like Solomon asked for—to tell the true and valuable pearl from all the look-alikes and costume jewelry. It’s found by those who are looking carefully and who (perhaps) have gotten some experience in this business.

The third parable is one of the most important for Catholics to understand and embrace. It tells us that the kingdom, for all its value, is also going to be a mixed bag during this age. Like the net thrown into the sea that catches fish of many kinds, so the Church is like a net thrown by Peter, his co-workers the Apostles, and their successors, which brings many—both saints and sinners—into God’s kingdom. Not all brought in during this age will persevere through the final judgment, however.

“The kingdom” in the Gospel of Matthew is, in one sense, nothing but Jesus himself. However, since the church is the Body of Christ and united to him, what is said about the kingdom applies also to the Church, both Triumphant (in heaven) and Militant (on earth). The seven parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13 are clearly not speaking of the Church Triumphant, glorified in God’s presence; nor are they speaking (for the most part) of the kingdom manifested in the person of Christ the King. No, those parables of a kingdom hidden, starting small, growing slowly, hard to find, mixed with weeds and bad fish, is a description of the Church Militant—perhaps even our local parish!

Many self-appointed “reformers” in Church history have split the historic Church in order to establish a “pure” or “sifted” church. Even today, many leave the Catholic Church for various sects, denominations, even cults, because of the scandal of sinners within the visible Body of Christ. “How can this be the kingdom of God when it has people like that in it?” yet it is, and Jesus told us it was going to be like this.

It takes wisdom to recognize that the Church Militant is, for all its rents and wounds, the kingdom of heaven come to earth. This wisdom can only come from God, granted by him to those who love him. If we are docile to the teachings of Jesus, the one who is greater than Solomon, he will teach us the wisdom of the kingdom.

[Most of the source is from Reflection on the Sunday Mass Readings by Dr. John Bergdsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 21:35:00 GMT

My Dear People,

This parable describes a real scenario from the first century agricultural world. There were Roman laws specifically forbidding the sabotaging of crops by planting darnel.

A man sowed good seed in his field, but an enemy sowed weed all through the wheat. The weed here is darnel, a poisonous plant whose roots would become intertwined with the rest of the wheat crop. To remove it without damaging the wheat would be difficult, which is why the householder tells his servants not to pull up the weeds yet: if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them.

Though darnel could destroy a crop, it did have one positive use; it could be burned for fuel. The householder alludes to this when he tells the servants that the harvesters will collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning.

The parable of the mustard seed builds on the previous one, showing that despite the enemy’s opposition to the kingdom, the harvest will yield tremendous results. At first, the kingdom does not appear to be very large. It is like a mustard seed, which was proverbially the smallest of all seeds. From this tiny seed, a great bush emerges. Jesus describes it as becoming so big that birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches—which recalls an Old Testament description of a great kingdom that gathers many nations as a large tree gathers birds who nest on its branches. In particular, Ezekiel foretold that Israel would gather the nations like a mighty cedar that shelters the birds of the air (Ezek. 17:22-24). Jesus uses this parable to show how his kingdom movement, despite its small beginnings, will become like a prophetic large tree gathering birds, fulfilling Israel’s mission to the nations as Ezek. 17 foretold.

Matthew next shows how Jesus’ new approach of speaking obscurely to the crowds only in parables is part of God’s plan, foreshadowed in the Old Testament. Using a fulfillment quotation, Matthew cites the opening lines of Ps. 78: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has laid hidden from the foundation of the world.

Matthew’s most basic purpose here is to show that Jesus’ parables are in accord with God’s will. Perhaps, since Matthew refers to the psalmist as a prophet, he is revealing Jesus as the official spokesman for God. More likely, since Ps. 78 sums up Old Testament salvation history, Matthew is indicating that Jesus is the one who brings God’s plan of salvation to its completion.

Jesus moves away from the crowds and into the house in order to give his disciples an explanation of the parable of the weeds in the field. The parable shows that even though the kingdom is dawning on the world, the wicked and the faithful will coexist with it until the final judgment. Like the weeds among the wheat, the wicked may not be easily distinguished from the faithful, represented by the good seed. But at harvest time—the judgment at the end of the age—the Son of Man will send his angels to uproot the weeds, which are identified as all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.

Thus, while the parable encourages patience with the presence of wickedness in the world, it also provides assurance that the faithful children of the kingdom will be vindicated, and the wicked will face a severe judgment, as the weeds are thrown into the fiery furnace—an allusion to the burning trash dump outside Jerusalem called Gehenna, an image of hell (see 5:22). There the wicked will experience wailing and grinding of teeth—an image Jesus earlier used to describe unfaithful Israelites being expelled from the kingdom (8:22).

[Source The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:05:00 GMT

My Dear People,

We want to congratulate the newly ordained bishop of our Diocese of Venice. Bishop Emilio Biosca Agüero was ordained on Saturday, July 11th at St John XXIII. He will be visiting our parish, St. James and Mission Santiago, on Friday July 17, from 8:00 AM until Noon. The Mass that day will be at 8:00 AM.

There is a dramatic shift in Jesus’ teaching method. He spoke to them at length in parables. This is the first time Matthew specifically uses the word parables to describe Jesus’ teaching. While Jesus occasionally spoke in parables before, here he suddenly addresses the crowds “at length” in parables, giving several in rapid-fire succession. This movement from teaching the crowds primarily in a straightforward manner (Matt. 5-7) to a new emphasis on parables (Matt. 13) surprises Jesus’ own disciples, who ask, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” (13-10).

For ancient Jews, a parable was a cryptic saying or story intended to stimulate thought. Parables were sometimes used to communicate God’s judgment on corrupt Israelites for their sins. As we will see, Jesus’ parables in Matt 13 address the indifference of any in Israel to his ministry (Matt 11) and the opposition of the Pharisees who are plotting his death (Matt. 12).

When asked about the purpose of his parables, Jesus tells the disciples that knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but it will not be given to those who do not follow him. Those who have been open to Christ’s teachings will perceive even more: To anyone who has, more will be given. But those with closed hearts will be unable to penetrate the mysteries of the kingdom: from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

In the punch line (v. 13), Jesus sums up the reason he now teaches in parables. Many in Israel refuse to receive his message: they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. In the fulfillment quotation, Jesus points to Isa. 6:9-10, a text that tells how the prophet is sent by God to call the people to repentance but

few will take the message to heart. Like Isaiah, Jesus calls God’s people to repent, but many in Israel will not respond.

Jesus’ first parable, known as the parable of the Sower (13:18), draws on images that for some ancient Jews would have been quite familiar not only from the agricultural world in which they lived but also from their Scriptures. In the Old Testament, God was depicted as sower (Isa 55:10-11; Jer. 31:27-28; Hosea 2:25) and seed represented his word that would accomplish his purpose, producing an abundant crop (Isa 55:10-13). In the parable, the Sower is now Jesus, and the seed is his word—his proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. The different soils represent the different kinds of responses to his ministry.

First, some are completely unreceptive to Christ. They hear the word without understanding it. This description applies to the Pharisees, who have so misunderstood Jesus that they have accused him of being in league with the devil (9:34; 12:24). The reference to those who hear “without understanding” also points to the town that witnessed Christ’s mighty deeds yet did not repent (11:20-24). These townspeople, and anyone else who fails to grasp the importance of Jesus’ message, are like seed sown on a path and devoured by birds—a symbol for the evil one, Satan (see 2 Cor 4:4).

Second, some in Israel respond to Jesus’ teaching with immediate enthusiasm: they receive it at once with joy. However, when faced with tribulation or persecution they fall away. This might point to the crowds who initially respond positively to Jesus (7:28; 9:33; 12:23) but whose enthusiasm will vanish during his last days in Jerusalem. People who do not persevere through trial and persecution are like seed that falls on rocky ground and springs up at once, but when the sun scorches it, withers for lack of root.

Third, some hear the word, but worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word, and it bears no fruit. This description recalls the warning Jesus gave his disciples about the worries of the world (6:25-34). It also points to the problem of the rich young man who walks away from Jesus because of his attachment to his many possessions (19:16-22). All such would-be disciples are like the seed that fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.

Finally, the true follower of Christ hears the word and understands it. This points to the disciples who have been given “knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom” (13:11); they truly see and hear (13:16-17). The disciples will be explicitly identified as those who “understand” Christ’s teachings in parables (13:51). Jesus says they are likely falling on rich soil. They will bear fruit—an image for the practical living out of one’s faithfulness to God (3:8, 10; 7:17-20; 12:33). Though many do not respond to Jesus, those who do will produce abundant harvest, yielding a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 14:26:00 GMT

My Dear People,

When He says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father,” Jesus is claiming to be the heir of the universal kingdom of David and the universal kingdom of God. The two are ultimately one and the same. Just as David handed all things over to Solomon, who then rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to claim the throne, God, too, has handed all things over to Jesus (Eph 1:22), who is also the Son of David.

The humble mule of David, which Solomon rode. was a public statement of the close relationship between the father and the son. So here, Jesus emphasizes the intimacy with the Father: “No one knows the Father except the Son!” Jesus, of all religious teachers (ever lived), understands and experiences God as His Father, and He can teach us how to have that relationship. Moses, Plato, Buddha, Confucius, and Mohammed never claimed to have that intimacy much less tried to teach others how to have it.

Now Jesus speaks words of consolation, in favorite verses that Christians memorize:

“Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest!”

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart: and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and by burden light.”

The connection is commonly missed, but in this whole passage, Jesus is alluding to 1 Kings 12, the account of the transition from Solomon to Rehoboam, his heir, and the subsequent tragic splitting of the kingdom of David into north and south.

After Solomon’s death, the people of Israel came to Rehoboam because they were burdened from forced labor and wanted rest from heavy taxation. They pleaded with Rehoboam, the crown prince, to lighten their yoke of taxation and forced labor. But Rehoboam, arrogant and swaggering, promised them a “heavy yoke” (1 Kings 12:11) and an increase in their burdens. As a result, the northern tribes divorced the Son of David and returned to their own homes. They chose a different king, Jeroboam, and the disintegration of the once-great kingdom of David began.

In verses of Matthew, Jesus, the Son of David, contrasts Himself with some of the corrupt and abusive sons of David who preceded him, and whose selfishness led to the breaking apart of God’s people. Jesus comes as the healer and consoler, the one to reunite “Ephraim” (the north) and “Jerusalem” (the south), as we see in the First Reading .

Jesus did reunite and restore the true Israel around twelve new patriarchs, the Apostles. The Church (founded) is the restored kingdom of David, ruled visibly on earth by David’s royal steward, whom we have come to call “the Pope.” In the Eucharist this Sunday, Jesus approaches us as bridegroom-king at a wedding. His nature to ours is a metaphysical marriage of divine and human nature—the two become one flesh.

Are we burdened and heavy laden? Jesus receives into His kingdom all who are repentant, all who suffer from the weight of their own sins and those of others. In the Eucharist, we have a foretaste of the sweet union we will enjoy with God in just a little while, and this foretaste gives us strength and joy for another week.

[Source, Reflections on the Sunday readings for Year A by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:13:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Our Gospel Readings continue in the same theme as the Second Reading. Those who choose what is not God over God Himself! In other words, whomever continues in sin—cannot be the disciple of Jesus even when what is chosen is something good in itself (like members of one’s own family).

The disciple of Jesus must be ready to lose his life—only at this point does his life become truly meaningful, which is what Jesus means by “finding” one’s life.

This Gospel reading is taken from the second of five large sermons of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew wishes to present Jesus as the New Moses, so he has “five books” of Jesus around which he structures his Gospel—just as the Bible itself begins with the “five books” of Moses. These sermons of Jesus are (1) The sermon on the Mount (chaps. 7-7), (2) the Mission sermon (Ch. 10); (3) the Mystery sermon (Ch. 13); (4) the Mercy sermon (ch.18), and (5) the Mount of Olive sermon (chs. 24,25). So, most of Matthew 10, from which our reading is taken, consists of Jesus coaching the Apostles on how to preach the Gospel on missionary journeys.

In the second half of our Gospel reading, Jesus emphasizes that those who assist the Apostles in their evangelizing mission will also be rewarded by God. The passage about the giving of a cup of cold water is often misused to emphasize a general concern for the poor. There are many passages of Scripture that emphasize our need to serve the poor, but Matthew 10 is not one of them. This passage is not about works of mercy or charity in general, but it is specifically about giving assistance to those who are doing the work of Jesus—particularly preaching the Gospel.

So, Jesus says: “And whomever gives only a cup of cold water to drink to one of these little ones because the little one is a disciple...will surely not lose his reward.” This refers to those who recognize that a humble person is a Christian, a follower of Jesus who is doing the work of Jesus, and for that reason gives assistance to that person.

People of this world will be judged and rewarded based on how they reacted to and treated those who came to them bearing the message of Jesus.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:28:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Our First Reading is part of a short subsection of the book of Jeremiah (17:19-20:18) with its own recognizable themes, consisting of four units. The first (17:19-27) and last (20:1-18) are set at the Benjamin Gate, and the two control ones are marked by themes of pottery-making (18:1-23) and pottery-breaking (19:1-15).

The Lord commissions Jeremiah to stand at the Benjamin Gate—the most prominent of the gates of Jerusalem, used by the king himself—and call Judah to repentance concerning the Sabbath observance. If they continue to violate the Sabbath by working and carrying burdens in and out of Jerusalem on holy days, they will be destroyed, but if they repent, royalty and abundant commerce shall flow to the Temple through the Benjamin Gate in perpetuity (17:19-27).

The Lord also commands the prophet to go to the “potter’s house” (18:2) (a potter’s place of business) and observe clay pots being formed on the wheel, spoiled accidentally, then reformed and remade. The Lord claims the prerogative to do the same with His workmanship— the men of Judah and Jerusalem (vv.1-11). Yet, Israel rejects this message from the Lord (vv. 12-17), and they even plot evil against the messenger, Jeremiah (v. 18), provoking the prophet to cry out, for vindication against them, that the Lord will “deal with them in the time of His anger” (v. 23).

Next Jeremiah is instructed to take a clay pot, gather some of the elders and priests, and go to the potsherd Gate near the valley of Hinnom, and there decry sin of the people, particularly their idolatry and detestable worship of Baal (including child sacrifice) and other foreign gods (19:1-9). He shall smash the pot as a sign of the rejection and destruction of Judah and Jerusalem (vv. 10-13).

In response to these experiences, Jeremiah cries out in complaint to the Lord that the prophetic ministry to which he was called has caused nothing but suffering for him. The people laugh, mock, reproach, and deride him whenever he speaks (vv. 7-8), yet if he remains silent, he cannot contain the Word of God, which burns within him like fire. He suffers persecution, like David describes in the psalms (vv. 10-13), leading him to despair of life, and to curse his birth like Job (vv. 14-18; cf. Job 3:1-26).

We see similarities between the ministry of Jeremiah and contemporary voices that call for reform and repentance in the Church and society. The sins of Judah in Jeremiah’s day are similar to the sins of Christians in our own society. Although the command to keep the Sabbath holy is one of the Ten Commandments and applies to the Christian Lord’s Day, we see almost no attempt among most Catholics and Protestants to protect the sanctity of Sunday as a day of rest and worship. Instead, it has become a day for sports and shopping. Infanticide to the pagan gods was common among the Judeans, and infanticide in the form of abortion is common in our own culture, and also among those who identify themselves as Catholics or some other form of Christian. Yet those who raise a voice to oppose these social sins are mocked, marginalized, and derided in civil society and not infrequently within Church institutions as well.

[Source Reflections on Sunday Readings for Year A by Dr. John Bergdsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 12:44:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Thank you to all who participated in the procession of Corpus Christi last Sunday.

Jesus had observed that the people of Israel in His time were “like sheep without a shepherd.” They were God’s sheep, as in Psalm 100; but the “shepherds” they had were unfaithful! The Herodian kings were impostors, and the chief priests were political appointees without the proper pedigree. So, Jesus responded by providing “shepherds” for a reconstituted people of Israel. These “shepherds” are the Apostles.

There are twelve of them, representative of the twelve Tribes gathered at Sinai. Furthermore, the Apostles are granted the status of priests and kings. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI pointed out, the priestly status is most clear in Mark’s account of this event, which says Jessus “made twelve,” taking up the terminology of the Old Testament for the appointment of priests, who were “made” (1 Kings 12:31; 13:33).

But the royal status is also present, as we can see by comparing this account with 1 Kings 4:7-18: “Solomon had twelve governors over all of Israel (...) their names were: “the son of Hur...” then follows the list of princes or viceroys (i.e., deputy kings) that Solomon appointed over all of Israel.

Likewise, Jesus appoints twelve new “officers” and sends them out to the “lost sheep of the House of Israel” to declare “the kingdom has arrived.” The Apostles are the royal officers proclaiming the restoration of the kingdom of David, which is the kingdom of God (see 1 Ch. 28:5; 2 Chr. 13:8). Jesus gives them “authority” over “unclean spirits” and to “cure every disease.” In other words, He authorized them to heal soul and body. The Church has been doing this ever since, through the Sacraments and corporal works of mercy, expressed now in hospitals and the Catholic health care system.

The Apostles are both priests and kings! This royal priesthood also extends to their successors, the Bishops, who obviously perform a priestly role by celebrating the holy sacrifice, which is the Eucharist, but also have the trappings of royalty in their miters and their cathedras (chair—where the name cathedral comes from). Bishops, as successors of the Apostles, rule and sanctify the royal-priestly people of God. But we, too, who have been baptized with Christ, share in His royal priesthood, and, to us are restored the privileges of Adam, since Christ is the New Adam. Thus, the Catechism describes our priestly and royal status (CCC 900-909).

In Christ, what Israel failed to receive at the foot of Sinai because they broke the covenant with the Golden calf—and dozens of times afterwards as well—has been granted to the Church, which Peter calls a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2; 9). Our royalty is expressed in governing our circumstances according to the Law of God and extending the rule of Christ to the extent of our circle of personal influence. Our priesthood is expressed when offering to God our “bodies” as Paul describes it (Rom. 12:1), the substance of our lives, all the “prayers, works, joys, and sufferings” of each day, according to a traditional prayer. St Josemaria said:

You cannot forget that nay worthy, noble and honest work at the human level can—and should—be raised to the supernatural level, becoming a divine task.

Live and work for God, with a spirit of love and service, with a priestly soul... then all your actions will take on a genuine supernatural meaning.

[Source Reflections on Sunday Readings for Year A by Dr. John Bergdsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, 2026

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 12:43:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Today as we celebrate the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, and this discourse progresses, Jesus gets increasingly graphic, changing the word “eat” to the more striking term trago, which means “munch or chew.” He introduces the concept of : “drinking His blood ,” which has nothing to do with the multiplication of the loaves—the preaching event for this discourse—but only makes sense if Jesus is moving toward a Eucharistic application in His teachings.

Eating animal blood was forbidden in the Old Testament because the “life . . is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). God does not want us to share the life of animals; but the Blood of Christ is the Blood of God, and He does want us to share in divine life.

This discourse was delivered during the Passover season (John 6:4). It’s an interesting fact, even though Passover was close, Jesus does not journey down to Jerusalem but multiplies the loaves for the crowds in Galilee , a kind of alternative Passover of the Messiah. Also, Jesus makes obvious reference to manna (“I am the living bread that came down from heaven”); so, Passover and Manna are the two Old Testament types usually discussed in commentary about this chapter. It is even less noticeable that Jesus is referring to the Fruit of the Tree of Life, the only other thing in the Scripture that one could eat in order to gain immortality (“Whoever eats this bread will live forever”). It is fitting that we who lost eternal life through an act of eating should regain it through an act of eating.

The Cross becomes for us the new Tree of Life.

Our reflection on the scripture passages for Corpus Christi should give us great joy! Especially, God’s tremendous provision for our needs, both physical and spiritual: the greatest sign, which is His daily gift of the Eucharist, the Flesh of His own Son.

At the same time, we should feel sorrow because of the lack of unity among Christians; The Eucharist is a call for Christian unity with the Son and the Father. The Eucharist represents and causes our unity with the Holy Trinity (celebrated last week).

Yet we often do not live or act in a way that would inspire our family members or co-workers to think: He lives in Christ and Christ lives in him .

May we use this opportunity provided by the Masses this weekend to pray that our thoughts, words, and behaviors in this coming week and the rest of our lives may make more visible our union with Christ through this sacrament.

[From Reflections on the Sunday Readings for Year A by Dr. John Bergdsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

The Most Holy Trinity, 2026

Mon, 25 May 2026 17:37:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Love, the essence of the Trinity, tells us God is not a monopersonal individual who only loved Himself before creatures were made. Self-love is an imperfect form. God would have been imperfect in Himself. Therefore, God would have needed creatures to love in order to achieve perfection of love.

Self-giving love is the highest form of love: “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). From the beginning, Father and Son exchanged their life for each other. Therefore, the gift of the Son by the Father to the world, and the Son’s gift for the world and for His Father, is nothing other than an invitation for the world to enter into the circle of love that defines God’s essence.

Why is it necessary to believe in the Son? Because only Jesus reveals to us the full truth about God. Moses revealed some truths about God. Mohammed portrayed God as an omnipotent, nonpersonal master who has no children (in any sense), does not give Himself to or for us, and does not share with us His very being. The Buddha, technically an agnostic, was unconcerned with discovering God’s nature or even clearly affirming the existence of God.

Alone among the religious teachers and philosophers of the world, Jesus claims, in word and deed, that God is a loving Father who gave His only Son for the salvation of the world. The Son is, finally and mysteriously, the Father’s own Self, for: “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30) and “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (14:9). Therefore, whoever does not believe in the Son is condemned forever to labor with an inadequate understanding of God, which leads—perhaps sooner, perhaps later—to estrangement from God.

We become what we worship! How important it is then, to truly understand the nature of the God we worship. The worship of the Trinity should lead us to a life of self-giving love. Furthermore, while we struggle on this earth to learn consistently to give of self and never to become selfish, which is another name for sinfulness, we can comfort ourselves with the certain hope that what awaits us after this life is to be assured into that circle of self-giving love which is God, the Holy Trinity.

Heaven will not be a trip to Disney World or some sleepy half-conscious union with the “infinite divine.” It will be ecstatic, intense, intimate, and eternal communion with persons; first of all the Three Divine Persons, but also all our brothers and sisters who make up the Body of the Second Person, and who like us, are engulfed in the flaming circle of love.

To have a deeper understanding of the Love of God requires us to self-surrender to the love of God. The more we surrender, the greater God can fill us with His love. In surrendering, our capacity to love becomes greater. Since we are called to love God in this life, it involves a lot of giving of self, to others, and to God.

God’s love is always perfect. It is fulfilled in the Trinity whereby each and every one of the persons totally and completely gives of oneself to the other. Each does the will of the other. We call this Divine Will .

Since we are not perfect in following the Divine Will (from our human standpoint), to participate more deeply in God’s love, we need to follow the words of Jesus when He said (John 14,15): “He who loves Me obeys My commandments.”

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Pentacost, 2026

Mon, 25 May 2026 17:36:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Congratulations to all the young people who received first communion last week . May the Eucharist guide them and inspire them to grow in the love of Jesus.

Congratulations and welcome to the new bishop-elect of the Diocese of Venice, Emilio Biosca Aguero. He was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on December 15, 1964. He entered the Capuchin Franciscans in 1984, the same year that he graduated from Borromeo College in Wickliffe, Ohio (The same seminary college I went to). He was ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 1994. He will be ordained bishop on July 11, 2026.

We celebrate Pentecost Sunday today. Pentecost is a celebration held fifty days after Passover, that is, after seven weeks have passed. The Jews celebrated, joyfully, the material harvest which became, through God’s providence, the symbol of the spiritual harvest which the Apostles began to reap.

The feast of Pentecost marks the official beginning of the Catholic Church. On this day, the Apostles, who were praying in the upper room, received the Holy Spirit descending upon them in the form of flaming tongues. They later went out to the Temple area and began to preach the good news to the whole world.

Today’s first reading gives us a moving account of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The effects of Pentecost are noticeable in the conduct of the Apostles. No longer locking themselves in a room “for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19), they boldly confronted the Sanhedrin, saying: “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

Paul in the Second reading deals with the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian communities established about 51 AD. There were problems among the Christians because they did not understand “spiritual gifts.” These spiritual gifts could be impressive prophecy, speaking in tongues, healing, and the interpretation of tongues.

Paul wanted and encouraged all Christians to avoid pride in their own gifts, their charisms, and disdain for others. “A Charism is a gift of the spirit to someone within the community for the sake of building up the community as the body of Christ” (First Corinthians, Sacra Pagina Series, V.7, p. 472). A key aspect of charisms, therefore, is that they are for the common good, for the service of the community, not for the individual’s benefit.

The author uses the terms “the spirit of God” and “The Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). “Spirit of God” teaches that the Spirit comes from God. “Holy Spirit” recognizes the Spirit’s role in making persons holy, as happens at baptism. “For, in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (12:13). Another important point is: “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (12:13). Faith that “Jesus is Lord” is essential for all Christians.

The dwelling of the Holy Spirit in each of the followers of Christ begins at baptism. This role of Spirit makes it impossible for all followers of Jesus “whether Jew or Greek, slaves or free persons” (12:13) to form the one body of Christ.

The role of the Holy Spirit is expressed very well in the Fourth Eucharistic prayer. Jesus “sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, as his first gift to those who believe, to complete his work on Earth and bring to us the fullness of grace.”

Pentecost was not an isolated event in the life of the Church. It is not something over and done with or forgotten. “We have the right, duty and the joy to tell you that Pentecost is still happening. We can legitimately speak of the ‘Lasting value’ of Pentecost. It is the Christian vocation and the ability to hear that calling and follow it by living a genuinely human life; indeed, a life which is not only human, but holy.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

The Ascension of the Lord, 2026

Tue, 12 May 2026 17:10:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. The Lord brought a conclusion to his ministry on earth, and he returned to the Father. Now he sends the apostles to go out and make disciples of all nations. They are to carry the message of Christ to all nations through the power of the Holy Spirit. For individuals, when there is a parting, there is a death which then enables the others to go forward and take over the mission of the previous individual, such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and St. Dominic. The disciples who were left continue to carry the mission. The Parting of the leader is made more dynamic because now the individuals must take over the mission work of the founder.

Jesus said, “Make disciples of all nations.” This means that all people, whether Gentiles of Jews, are called to be disciples of Christ.

The Gospel is the famous “ Great Commission ,” often jokingly referring to as the “Great Omission,” in reference to our failure as believers in spreading the Gospel. Actually, although great human failures have marked the spread of the Church, it still is to be found present and active on every continent, in every nation. One third of human beings profess to be Christians, one sixth to be Catholics. Even from a merely natural perspective of cultural history, the Church is a remarkable and singular phenomenon.

Jesus’ word of the great commission (“All power in heaven and earth has been given to me”) reflects the theology of Psalm 2, the Royal Coronation Hymn of the Son of David (“ Ask it of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and, as your possession, the ends of the earth” ( v. 8 ), which is perhaps the most important psalm to the theology of the New Testament.

In any case, let us note that the Commission is not simply to “preach me as Lord and personal Savior,” as admirable as that may be, but it is to “ make disciples”— which is a long-term process of formation involving self-denial (it took Jesus three years with the Twelve)—and to baptize, a reference to the sacramental ministry of the Church. Finally, the Commission is to “( Teach) them to observe all that I have commanded you ,” which seems to refer to a considerably large catechetical undertaking, instructing all the nations in the hallakhah (i.e., the interpretation divine law) of the Messiah, the Son of David. In other words, The Great Commission is not satisfied by knocking on doors and passing out tracts—as good as those things may be. It is a description of the entire mission and action of the Church—evangelize, sacramental, catechetical.

Let us consider this catechetical mission a little more closely. The words of the Gospel do not say “teaching them all that I have commanded you,” but rather “ teaching to observe all that I have commanded you.” It’s like the difference between a course in hydrodynamics and a course in swimming. You ought not to learn simply the theory of buoyancy of bodies in water, but you must learn how to swim! We have sadly neglected this. With good intentions, we have taught many people about Christianity but not how to live the Christian life.

Something a high-ranking cardinal said in recent years struck me as relevant. He observed that very few pilgrims to the Vatican seem to have more than two children. That’s very interesting, since the use of natural methods for child spacing usually result in a family size of around six to ten. So even among Catholics devout enough to want to make a pilgrimage to the Vatican, it’s uncommon to see a witness to the Church’s teaching on openness to life. And openness to life , contrary to the way it may seem to many, is not really a side-issue or a tangential teaching, but at the deepest layer, it is intimately tied up with our understanding of divine love, the trinity, marriage, the family, and reality in general. So, this is one area in which we are not doing a good job of teaching the disciples of Christ “ to observe all that I have commanded you .” And of course, there are many other examples as well.

It's not that catechetical instruction should be stripped of intellectual content, but all of us need to be aware that, just as Christ became incarnate, so also we must incarnate the teaching of Christ—act on it, live it out. And until we teach others not simply to know it but to live it , we haven’t succeeded in manifesting the kingdom of Christ on earth.

[Passages from Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

6th Sunday of Easter, 2026

Tue, 12 May 2026 17:09:00 GMT

My Dear People,

First I would like to thank all the ones who contributed and planned for my 50 ^th Anniversary celebration, and also all the ones who participated. May God bless you.

Paul and Barnabas came into conflict with some Jewish Christians, who wanted to enforce the Judaic Laws on the Gentile Christians. They were called Judaizers. So, Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem to resolve this matter. When the Council of Jerusalem made its final decision that the Gentiles were not obliged to follow Jewish practices, it was a conclusion by the Holy Spirit that in the last analysis it is God who has decided the matter. Melchior Cano of the 16 ^th century mentions, “the same road as the apostle Paul considered to be the one best suited to solving all matters to do with the doctrine of the faith. The Gentiles might have sought satisfaction from the Council because it seemed to take from the freedom granted them by Jesus Christ, and because it imposed on the disciples certain ceremonies as necessary, when in fact they were not, since faith is the key to salvation. Nor did the Jews object by invoking the Sacred Scripture against the Council’s decision claiming the Scripture seems to support their view that circumcision is necessary for salvation. So, by respecting the Council they gave us all the criteria which should be observed in all later times—that is, to place full faith in the authority of the synods confirmed by Peter and his legitimate successors. They say, it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us; thus, the Council’s decision is the decision of the Holy Spirit himself” ( De locis, 5, 4).

It is the apostles and the elders, with the whole Church, who designate the people who are to publish the Council’s decree, but it is the hierarchy which formulates and promulgates it. The text contains two parts—one dogmatic and moral and the other disciplinary. The dogmatic part speaks on imposing no burden other than what is essential and therefore declares that pagan converts are free of the obligation of circumcision and of the Mosaic Law but are subject to Gospel’s perennial moral teaching on matters to do with chastity. This part is permanent: because it has to do with a necessary part of God’s salvific will it cannot change. The disciplinary part of the decree lays down rules of prudence which can change, which are temporary. It asks Christians of Gentile background to abstain—out of charity toward Jewish Christians—from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood and from meat of animals killed by strangulation. The effect on the decree means that the disciplinary rules contained in it, although they derive from the Mosaic Law, no longer oblige by that law but rather by the authority of the Church, which has decided to apply them for the time being.

In the Gospel John, he continues the discourse that Jesus gave at the last supper about loving him and keeping his word. This is a stark contrast to that which Paul and Barnabas encounter. Jesus wants to keep his word and adds, “ my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” What does this mean? It means that the words which Jesus speaks in the Gospel are the most important that we follow. Christians in the first century who were Gentiles did not have to follow the Mosaic law. This was a great conflict that arose in the early church, and it took a long time to be settled. Jesus, in this discourse by John at the Last Supper, is like Jesus giving us his last will and testament, i.e. what is the most important way for us to act to be loved and appreciated by the Father? To keep the word of Christ. How important is it? It is so important that we must be willing to make any sacrifice and avoid any temptation in making this commitment and living it out. As Jesus said: “We will come to him and make our dwelling with him. “We” means Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. This passage is something we should ponder and reflect often.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

5th Sunday of Easter, 2026

Fri, 01 May 2026 14:51:00 GMT

My Dear People,

The Temple was the largest building in Israel and was full of storerooms, antechambers, and other spaces. Thus, in it there are “many dwelling places.” Several temple terms are used here. “My Father’s House” is used as a designation for the Temple in other parts of the Gospel (Luke 2:49; John 2:16). Additionally, in Judaism the word “place” had a special connotation. It often meant “the Holy place,” that is, the “sanctuary.” All these explanations indicate Jesus is departing to prepare a temple for the Apostles to live in.

Where is this Temple that Jesus will prepare? In one sense, it is the Church, elsewhere identified as the temple of God. The Disciples will live and abide within the Church, the Body of Christ, where they will experience communion with the Father, the Son, and each other. Jesus’s words also have an application to heaven, which is nothing other than the church triumphant.

The Disciples want to know the “way” to make a pilgrimage to this Temple, and Jesus tells them: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Isn’t that rather arrogant of Jesus to claim that He alone, of all the great religious teachers in human history, is “the way” to the Father” ?

Actually, it is not. No other major religious figure in human history taught God is a Father. Mohammed denied the Fatherhood of God, and Buddha taught no specific doctrine of God. Technically, Buddha was an agnostic. Some forms of Buddhism are agnostic and claim only to show you the path to Allah or to Nirvana. Neither do the lesser-known religious founders of human history (Zoroaster, Gru Nanak) claim to show the way to the Father.

Only Jesus proposes that God is a father. Jesus and His teachings are “ the only way to the Father,” the only viable path to knowing God in this way.

After emphasizing his own unity with the Father (“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”), Jesus promises “whoever believes in me will do the works that I do and will do greater ones than these.” What? Is everyone who believes in Jesus going to raise the dead and perform even greater miracles than Jesus himself? How can this be?

I’m convinced the sacraments are at least a partial solution to what Jesus means by the “greater works ” to be done by the Disciples. The miraculous “signs” of the Gospel of John have been told in such a way “ we can see” the resemblance to the Church’s sacraments; especially in the case of the Water to Wine (John 2); the Feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6) with respect to the Eucharist, and the Healing of the Man born Blind (John 9) with respect to Baptism. But, all the signs Jesus performs have some connection with the sacraments.

Throughout John, Jesus warns people not to be overly impressed with the physical miracles, but to look deeper into spiritual realities (for example, John 4:48; 20:29). Seen from a spiritual perspective, the interior effects of the sacraments—like forgiveness of sins—are much greater miracles than the physical transformation effected by Jesus’s signs. Some of the Church’s greatest theologians have insisted that the resurrection of Lazarus pales in comparison to the power of the confessional.

But raising of the dead to lif—the miracle by which a corpse is reanimated with its natural life—is almost nothing in comparison to resurrection of a soul, which has been lying spiritually dead in sin and has now been raised to the supernatural life of grace.

Likewise, St. Augustine teaches:

“The justification of the ungodly is something greater than the creation

of heaven and earth, greater even than the creation of the angels.”

Among the “greater things” the Apostles will do after Jesus ascends into heaven include the administration of the sacraments, (John 20:22-23). All the readings point to the Eucharist, The Eucharist is the Body of Christ, which is the true Dwelling Place and Temple of God . By extension, we who participate in the Eucharist are also incorporated into God’s Temple.

Those of us in Holy Orders, who bring the Eucharist and the other sacraments to the faithful, are key to the structure of this human temple. These sacraments are the “greater works” that when performed in Jesus’ name, bring us to the Father so we can dwell with Him and with the Son. [Source Reflection on the Sunday Readings for year A by Dr. John Bergdsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

4th Sunday of Easter

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:03:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Jesus solves in His person an apparent contradiction in Ezekiel 24 about the famous prophecy of the new shepherd of Israel. Ezekiel says both God and David will be shepherds of Israel, and yet there will be only one shepherd—two natures in one person. Jesus is both the divine and the Davidic Shepherd.

When Our Lord declares: “all who come before me are thieves and robbers,” He may well be referring to the majority of those who had claimed leadership over Israel since the deposition of the last reigning son of David, Zedekiah, in 587 BC (see Kings 25:7). Many of these leaders had questionable if not outright illegitimate pedigrees.

The Levite clan of the Maccabees had taken over in the mid-100’s and set themselves up as kings of Israel although they were not of the line of David. Herod the Great, who was only half-Jewish, took over Israel by political manipulation of the Roman authorities and established a dynasty that had even less legitimacy than the Maccabees. Meanwhile, the high priesthood had been corrupted (at least since 175 BC), when the high priest Onias III was ousted by this political maneuvering and replaced first by his brother, Jason, and then by Menelaus, a Benjaminite (2 Macc. 3-4).

So, in the lifetime of Our Lord, the kingship was held by pretenders. The high priesthood was held by presenters, and various false, self-proclaimed messiahs arose and led unsuccessful rebellions. In the vacuum of the religious leadership left by these self-serving, competing claimants, the school of the Pharisees arose, which trained scholars in the law of Moses to teach the common people in the synagogues throughout the land.

But as well-meaning as the Pharisees were, they did not have any biblical claim to authority. No prophets had even promised that self-appointed scholars of the law would arise to save Israel in the last days. All these false leaders, intent too often on enriching themselves at the expense of the people of Israel, may be whom Jesus has in mind as the “thieves and robbers” who have come before Him.

Nonetheless, the poor common folk of Israel knew that these pretenders were illegitimate and not the fulfillment of the prophecies. Now Jesus of Nazareth, the true heir of David (Matt. 1), had returned to shepherd His people, as Ezekiel had promised.

Jesus comes not to “steal, slaughter, and destroy,” but that they “might have life, and have it more abundantly.” Another translation could be, “I have come that they may have life and have it excessively” (John 10:10). This statement taps into a theme in the Gospel of John, that of the abundance that Jesus comes to provide. This theme is announced in the first chapter of the gospel, where it says of Jesus, “From His abundance we have all received grace upon grace.” (John 1:16). It is visibly demonstrated in the abundance of wine at Cana (John 2) and the excessive supply of the bread and fish on the mountain (John 6). Jesus has come that His sheep may abound in life, experiencing a fullness unlike anything else.

Too often we live the Christian life in a constrained way, thinking perhaps that the moral law of God puts “limits” on our lifestyle. This is an incorrect way of thinking. In reality, sin constrains our lifestyle and leads to enslavement (addiction) to various behaviors or pleasures that results in both physical and spiritual death. The life that Jesus offers us is infused with meaning, with joy, with love, and with the divine presence. It’s a kind of living by comparison with which anything else seems like a kind of death rather than life.

True life begins with Jesus . A life of dissipation and capitulation to our physical desires is actually a kind of living death. Maybe that’s why zombie movies are so popular these days. Folks feel like zombies, living an empty “life” because they are spiritually dead.

Let’s pray that during this Easter Season, we understand better that the life of sin is no life at all, and that the life in Christ is the beginning (even now) of eternal life.

[comments from Reflection on the Sunday Mass Reading for Year A by John Bergsma]

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

3rd Sunday of Easter, 2026

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:02:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Reading the first half of the story reminds me of the old TV crime drama Colombo, in which the title character, a seemingly bumbling detective, would nonchalantly and unassumingly socialize with different “person of interest,” asking disarmingly simple and even naive questions in order to get them to open up. So we find Jesus nonchalantly strolling along with these disciples, acting like a country bumpkin who doesn’t even read the newspaper and, so, is blithely unaware of the national crisis of the past week. Cleopas and his companion unwittingly tell Jesus all about themselves and their expectation of him.

At that point, Jesus begins to reveal that, if not the Messiah, he is at least a Scripture scholar of the first order, as he proceeds through the Old Testament explaining the key passages that prophesied his ministry. Here again we observe the theme of Christ’s resurrection fulfilling the Old Testament expectations, as in Peter’s sermon above. While we don’t know what texts Jesus exposited, some of those employed in the Easter Vigil would have been good candidates: Genesis 22, Isaiah 54, Exekiel 36-37. To these we could add Deuteronomy 18; Psalms 22, 116, 118; Isaiah 52-53; Wisdom 2; Daniel 9 and many others.

The disciples press Jesus to stay with them for the night, and at the evening meal, he “takes, blesses, breaks, and gives” the bread to those present. Luke employs this same sequence of four verbs in his account of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, and at the Institution of the Eucharist it became almost a technical phrase for Eucharistic celebration in the early Church. This helps us to understand the significance of their “recognition” of him and his sudden vanishing from their sight. This is meant as Eucharistic instruction for us; we should “recognize” Jesus in the broken bread and no longer seek an apparition of him because he is truly present with us in the Eucharistic host.

Many, in fact, have pointed out that the entire Emmaus Road experience may be likened to the celebration of the Mass. First, there is the experience of the scriptures (the liturgy of the Word) as they walk along, then there is the celebration of the sacrament proper (the Liturgy of the Eucharist) at the evening meal.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Easter Sunday 2026

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 17:10:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Happy Easter, everyone ! Easter, the most important feast in the Liturgical Calendar, made it possible for Christianity to start. Even though the Apostles preached Jesus was crucified, what made the difference was: He was alive ! As He told the apostles, “I will be with you till the end of time.” Jesus is alive !

Jesus was always with the Apostles through the Holy Spirit. Whoever received and followed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit followed Jesus. The Holy Spirit, one of the three persons of the Blessed Trinity, follows the will of the Father and the Son. This tells us that, just as the Apostles did, so we, too, continually have to choose and invoke the Holy Spirit. With the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we follow Jesus.

We have received our faith because of those before us. The faith is passed from one believer to another. The first believers, as we read in today’s Gospel, were the first three who arrived at the tomb and witnessed—who believed. First, Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb and sees it is empty but concludes that somebody stole the body. She hastens to tell the Disciples. Peter and the other Disciples run to the tomb. When Peter gets there, he looks in and sees the burial cloths, but we are not told anything further, only that the “ other Disciple” (John ) who outraced Simon Peter, waited, and Peter entered first—“ saw and believed ” (John 20:8).

What did he see? What did he believe?

Remember the Gospel of John is a Gospel of signs. All the miracles Jesus performed were series of signs: water turned into wine, a blind man regains his sight, a multitude fed with little food. What is the sign here for the Disciple? The head cloth, folded, and lying in a separate place . The beloved Disciple did not see it until he entered the tomb. If Christ’s body had been stolen, then the thieves would have left the burial cloths in disarray. The beloved Disciple read the sign, and began to see with Easter eyes. The Lord is risen !

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Friday Night Lenten soup meals . That is great for building community.

To all who are returning north: Safe travels, and have a blessed summer. Hope to see you again next Fall.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Divine Mercy Sunday, 2026

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 17:10:00 GMT

My Dear People,

This Sunday, known as Mercy Sunday, is tied with the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The first thing Jesus did when He appeared to His Apostles in the upper room, was to empower them with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would then enable them to forgive sins.

Next, Jesus showed great mercy to Thomas, the doubter. Instead of being indignant about Thomas’ lack of faith, Jesus consents to show Himself to Thomas in ways that will only satisfy Thomas’s doubts. Significantly, Thomas is invited to thrust his hand into the side of Christ—the very wound from which the mercy (flow of blood and water) came forth. We don’t actually know if Thomas took the Lord up on His offer, despite the many depictions that show him doing so. We do know, however, that Thomas responded to the Lord’s mercy by recognizing His true nature: “My Lord and My God!” In many ways, this is the climactic statement of the entire Gospel of John. The Apostle is leading us to the point where we, too, can make this whole-hearted confession like Thomas.

Let’s not fall into the trap of thinking, “Faith was easy then, but now it’s hard.” It was definitely hard for the first disciples to believe that Jesus of Nazareth, a man they knew and ate with, was also the God who revealed Himself to Moses. After all, for the most part, Jesus, Our Lord, looked normal. Aside from a few revelations which only a few witnessed (The Transfiguration), His body looked similar to other men’s bodies. No halo followed Him around. He did all the things other people did. He performed miracles—but so had other prophets who were not divine. So we should not underestimate the demands on the faith of the first Apostles.

Likewise, we should not exaggerate the demands on our faith today. In many ways we are blessed with a long tradition and a great deal of truth and insight that the Church has been given for over two thousand years. We have categories and a language to speak accurately about how Jesus can be both God and man (one “person,” two “natures”) and how the Eucharist can be his Body (“substance”) and the bread and wine (“accidents”). The host is transformed into the Body of Christ even though it may look, taste, and feel like bread and wine. This intellectual framework is a help to faith as is the clarity and coherence of teaching that is readily available to us, for example, the Catechism.

Embracing Christ and His claims always has required an act of faith, both for Thomas and us. Christ helped Thomas secure his faith—but He gives us help, too. Let’s not make excuses; let’s resolve to make a good confession.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Palm Sunday, 2026

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 22:13:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Today we begin Holy Week. We begin with the solemn entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Up to this point, Jesus had been careful in public settings to keep His Messianic identity quiet. That secrecy ended, however, when He entered Jerusalem. The crowds spread their garments on the ground before Him like a royal carpet (this was an ancient custom of honoring the kings) and praised Him as the royal “Son of David” (21:8-9).

Why this sudden fanfare? It all has to do with Jesus’ decision to ride into the city on a donkey.

Bethphage is on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem. Matthew mentions this place because it was associated with messianic expectations. According to an oracle of Zechariah, the Lord Himself would come to defend Jerusalem and would become king over all the earth (Zech 14L 4-9). The Mount of Olives also recalls the place where David mounted an ass when he was fleeing Jerusalem in exile (2 Sam 15:30). “David went from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives amid cries of lamentation (2 Sam 15;30). Jesus, the Son of David, goes from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem amid shouts of jubilation.”

Jesus’ request for the donkey has a purpose! According to Zech. 9:9, one day the Messiah king would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey: “ Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass.” Jesus enters His holy city on an ass to signal that He is fulfilling Zech 9:9.

Jesus announced a “kingdom” from the beginning of His ministry, and many people had been hoping He was the Messiah. Through this powerful symbolic action, Jesus publicly makes His messianic claim explicit for the first time. By riding into Jerusalem on an ass, He boldly announces—without saying a word—that He is the Messiah Jerusalem has been waiting for!

At the same time, by drawing attention to this prophecy, Christ indicates that His kingship is different from popular messianic expectations. According to Zech 9, the king entering Jerusalem will be “meek” and “on an ass,” (not with a horse, chariot, or bow for battle (Zech (9:9-10). This king will bring peace, not war (Zech 9:10). The allusion to Zech 9, therefore, is meant to counter the nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies associated with popular messianic hopes.

A very large crowd of pilgrims accompanying Jesus quickly perceive the royal claim He is making by riding into Jerusalem on an ass. They immediately begin honoring Him as king. They roll out the royal carpet for Him as they spread their cloaks on the road (an act of homage for a king (see 2 Kings 9:13). Others lay branches before Him in festive procession. They hail Him as the Son of David. A royal title refers to the Messiah.

As they near the end of their procession into Jerusalem, the crowds also fittingly recite the words from Ps 118:25-26, a pilgrimage hymn typically chanted on the way to the temple for the major feasts. Hosanna is a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “Save us,” which became an expression of praise in liturgical worship. Blessings bestowed on the one who comes in the name of the Lord were customarily reserved for pilgrims coming to the temple. Here in reference to Jesus, it takes on a Christological significance. Jesus is the one who, coming in the Lord’s name, represents God and acts on His behalf (see 23:39).

The city’s cold response to Jesus’ arrival stands in contrast to the crowds accompanying Him. At Christ’s birth, when “all Jerusalem” was ‘gravely troubled” by news of a new “king of the Jews” (2:2-3), the whole city was now shaken by the uproar surrounding Jesus’ regal procession into the city. The way the pilgrims acclaimed Jesus as king would have been troubling to the Romans authorities in Jerusalem, who would see any rival king to Cesar as a threat. The priestly leaders of the temple, alarmed by a man from the north, would have seen Jesus as a threat to their own positions of influence in Jerusalem.

Consequently, instead of rejoicing in the king’s arrival (as Zechariah 9:9 exhorted them to do), the Jerusalem inhabitants questioned Jesus’ worthiness to receive such a royal welcome: Who is this? they ask. The crowds (many Galilean Passover pilgrims) emphasized that Jesus is one of their own, not a Judean. He is Jesus of Nazareth (not Jerusalem), a city in Galilee (not Judea).

This was the motive for which Jesus was condemned by the Romans, and the inscription on the cross read, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews .

After Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled that prophecy and now He is a king in Heaven. This is why Jesus said to Pilate: “my kingdom is not of this world.” The kingdom in Heaven was empty until Jesus died on the cross and opened Paradise for the people. Jesus came to bring the kingdom of Heaven on earth, which is upon the people. After life on earth, they will enter the kingdom of Heaven where Jesus will reign forever.

[Source from The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

5th Sunday of Lent, 2026

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 22:12:00 GMT

My Dear People,

When Jesus hears of the illness of Lazarus, he actually delays his travel to Bethany because he loves the whole family! So, we see that the death and resurrection of Lazarus is a premeditated act of Jesus’ love.

By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. As many have pointed out, the Jewish understanding was that the first three days of death were an intermediate state, in which they should stay close to the body. But after three days, death was final.

Martha is consistently the more extroverted and proactive of the two sisters. While Mary sits and weeps, Martha goes to meet Jesus and more-or-less rebukes him: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But she is not subtle about what she wants Jesus to do: “Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

Martha gets a bad rap in the Gospels, always being compared unfavorably with her sister Mary, who chose what is better. But look at her profession of faith in the rest of this dialogue with Jesus, which always profoundly moves me: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world!” Home run, Martha! I want to be like her. This is a confession that ranks with that of Peter and Thomas in other parts of the Gospels. Which raises an interesting question: Does the text of John 11 suggest that the resurrection of Lazarus is in part a response to Martha’s faith-filled request?

Mary comes to Jesus and repeats Martha’s implicit protest as she falls at the Lord’s feet: “Lord, if you had been here. . .”

In response to Mary’s weeping and that of the other mourners, Jesus becomes “perturbed”—“He becomes angry within himself.” What is the cause of Jesus’ anger? The brute fact of death in a fallen, sinful world? A lack of faith among the mourners? Commentators have not come to a satisfactory consensus. Surely, though, one of the purposes of St. John in reporting the emotion of Jesus is to stress his sharing in our human nature, including the depth of human emotion. It is often said that the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as most clearly divine among all the Gospels, at the same time, John portrays Jesus in some of the most deeply human moments of his ministry: “Jesus weeps.”

The Lord commands the stone to be taken from Lazarus’s tomb, but Martha intervenes with a very down-to-earth and personal objection. “Lord, by now there will be a stench.” So practical, the response of someone accustomed to good housekeeping and high standards of hygiene. Our Lord points out that her worries are in contradiction to her expression of faith only a few minutes earlier.

The calling forth of Lazarus, as dramatic as it is, remains only a miracle in the physical order. The greater miracles are in the realm of the spirit. Though it may not seem so to us, the redemption of the world is a greater act than its creation.

The rising of Lazarus, like the precious Lenten Gospel from John (Chs. 4,9) points to Baptism. Paul says, “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too,might live in newness of life” (Rom 6:4). In fact, Romans 6:1-14 is appropriate follow-up and application of the message of John 11.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our former man was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die, again; death no longer has power over him. The death he died he died to sin, once and for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So, you also must consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies; to make you obey their passions. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over him, since you are not under law, but under grace.

The link we observe between sin and death in this passage from St. Paul has striking connection to the narrative of Lazarus: when Jesus commands Lazarus to be loosed and “Let. . . go,” he employs power (Luke 13:16; 1 John 3:8) from sin and death—which usually means “forgiveness of sin” in the Gospel. This resurrection, then, is also a “release” and “remission” of sin, death, and Satan, a further typification of Baptism.

Fr. Reginald Garigour-LaGrange, O.P. wrote, “Even the raising of the dead to life, the miracle by which a corpse is reanimated with its natural life, is almost nothing in comparison with the resurrection of a soul, which has been lying spiritually dead in sin and has now been raised to the essentially supernatural life of grace.”

And St. Augustine said, “The justification of the ungodly is something greater than the creation of heaven and hearth, greater even than the creation of the angels.”

You’ve got to love rising from the dead!

[Source Reflection on the Sunday Mass for Year A by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ.

Fr. Vincent Clemente

4th Sunday of Lent, 2026

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 22:55:00 GMT

My Dear People,

During these first three weeks of Lent, we look at stories from the Gospel of John: 1) The Samaritan Woman, 2) The curing of the man born blind, and 3) The Raising of Lazarus represent humanity which without God is basically a sinful life like 1) the Samaritan woman whom Christ calls to salvation, 2) Humanity without Christ is blind like the man born blind who comes to the light of Christ who brings vision, which is heaven, and 3) the raising of Lazarus. Humanity is dead because of sin, and it is Christ who brings life—eternal life—to humanity.

All of us are born into spiritual blindness: original sin. The Disciples question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” reflects a Pharisaic belief that birth defects were the result of parental sin, or else the child himself sinned in the womb.

Jesus says, “Neither he nor his parents sinned!” Instead, this is an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed.

“I am the light of the world,” Jesus asserts. To fully appreciate this statement, and indeed the entire account of this healing, we must notice that it occurs in a long section of John (chapter 7-9) which takes place during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. This resplendent festival was marked by two themes : light (Zech 14:7) and water ( v8). The Temple was lit with gigantic menorahs all through the night for a week, and on the last day of the festival, water was taken from the Pool of Siloam and poured out on the altar of the Temple as a prayer for rain and as an actualization of various Old Testament prophecies of a river flowing from the Temple in the end times (Ez 47: Joel 3:18; Zech 14:14:8).

Chapter 9 ends this long section of John and draws together the themes of water and light, as Jesus uses water to bring light to this man. Obviously, water and light are connected to creation, too, because the first waters covered the deep, and then God said, “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3).

But first, Jesus spits on the ground and anoints the man’s eyes with clay.

Anointing is an important theme—Baptism is the anointing with the Holy Spirit. To this day, the rite of Baptism includes an anointing with the sacred chrism as a symbol of this reality.

What is the significance of Jesus spitting? This reflects an ancient Jewish understanding of the creation story when God spat on the ground and formed Adam’s body from the resultant clay/mud. Jesus’s spitting on the ground is a recapitulation of creation of the first man, Adam. He is re-creating this blind man, moving him from darkness (non-creation) to light (creation). He is the same God who declared long ago: “Let there be light!”

New Creation themes are presented elsewhere. After anointing his eyes, Jesus sends the man to the Pool of Siloam to wash. The pool of Siloam collected the waters of Gihon (the spring that provides water for Jerusalem). It was named the Gihon after one of the rivers of Eden (Gen 2:13) because Jews saw Jerusalem as a kind of new Eden. So, mystically, the waters of Siloam were Edenic or creational waters. The man is being cleansed anew.

After washing, he enters the light (Gen 1:3) and returns to his home. Those who know him are divided; some say he is the same man who used to beg, but others say, “No, he just looks like him.”

The man’s response—well translated here by the New American Bible Revised Edition –is ambiguous: “I am.”

“You are what? The same? Or different?”

The ambiguity is intentional because this is a baptismal catechesis. When we are baptized, do we come up as the same person as before or as a different person who just looks like the one who approached the baptismal font? The correct answer is: yes! to both. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed. . . the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17).

Note, this is the only place in the Gospel of John where anyone other than Jesus uses the phrase, “I Am.” Having been baptized, the man participates in the divine nature. We truly begin to exist only when we enter a relationship with Christ. Life without Christ is non-existence. Darkness.

The subsequent back-and-forth with the Pharisees is darkly humorous. The statements of the Pharisees are often deeply ironic. Though physically sighted, they are completely blind spiritually. There is a progression of the man’s knowledge of Jesus through it all, till the end of the passage where he fully realizes Jesus’s divinity and worships Him. This represents our post -baptismal growth in the knowledge of Christ.

For the baptized, today’s reading should still in our hearts a profound appreciation for what has been done for us in Christ and applied to our lives through the sacraments. We have been anointed with the Spirit! If we feel very old, dim, and unspiritual, it may be that sin or distraction with the worries of this life has skewed our perspective.

Lent has three more weeks, enough time to return to Confession, increase our prayer, and increase detachment through self-denial. Then we will discover the joy of “walking in the light even as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7).

[source; Reflections on the Sunday Readings for year A by John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ.

Fr. Vincent Clemente

3rd Sunday of Lent, 2026

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:51:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Today’s Gospel deals with Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Whenever there are well-mentioned meetings of a man and a woman in Scripture, it generally indicates a nuptial image. In Genesis, it was at the well that Jacob met Rachel and they eventually married. In Exodus, Moses met the seven daughters of the priest of Midian, who watered their flock at the well. Moses helped them by driving the shepherd away, enabling them to continue watering the flock. Later, he married Zipporah, one of the seven daughters.

Jesus meets the woman of Samaria! She represents the future church; she has a checkered life, indicating that all who became Christians would have a checkered life without Christ; and Jesus is the bridegroom of the future church that will be transformed.

Next Jesus asks the woman of Samaria for a drink. Note: the request for a drink was the sign Abraham’s servant used to determine if Rebekah was the divinely intended bride of Isaac (Gen 24:14). (Interesting also is that the only other place in the Gospel of John where Jesus will request a drink is from the Cross.)

Jesus and the woman begin to discuss wells of water, and at one point Jesus says, “the water I shall give will become in Him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” This is a subtle allusion to the song of Solomon 4:14, where the bridegroom calls his bride a spring of living water. When we receive the water of Jesus, we enter into a nuptial relationship with Him!

Finally, the subject of nuptiality and marriage is explicitly broached by Jesus when He asks the woman to call her husband and return. “I do not have a husband,” she replies. And Jesus responds: “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.”

This is a woman with a checkered personal history, which is no doubt why she is coming to the well at noon, to avoid the other women in the town who come at the usual times of dawn and dusk. But the woman’s personal history is an icon of the history of her people. She is a woman of Samaria, after all. The Samaritans were mixed descendants of the poor people of northern Israel (left behind by the Assyrians in 722 BC) and five foreign nations brought in by their conquerors, with whom the Israelites intermarried and worshiped their gods (see 2 Kings 17: 24-34). Keep in mind that the author of 2 Kings downplays the role of the Israelites left stranded in the land, whose presence we know about from other sources.

Then, after the Judaeans returned to Jerusalem in the late 500s BC, the northern Samaritans bit by bit gave up the worship of other deities and returned to worshipping the God of Israel. But they did not worship according to the covenant with David (whereby Jerusalem was the place of worship). They built their own temple (mentioned in John 4) in Gerizim and tried to be in relationship with God without following the proper form of the covenant. What do we call it today when people live together but are not in a proper covenant relationship? (See the connection with John 4:18).

The woman’s experience mirrors that of her people. The people of northern Israel, her ancestors, left their husband-God all the way back in Kings 12 (see Hosea 1-3 all oracles directed to northern Israel). Now YHWH, (God) the Bridegroom of Israel (Hos. 2:14-23), has returned to woo the people of Samaria.

He is successful. Not only the woman at the well but also the townspeople themselves come to believe that He is the Messiah: “We know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

Throughout this whole process runs the theme of the living water of God:

Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give, will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

This is the water of Baptism, the water of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will say later, on the last day of the feast of tabernacles when water was being poured out on the altar of the temple:

If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-37)

If sin has dried up the living water, it is a good week to schedule an appointed time for Confession.

[Parts taken from Reflections on the Sunday mass Readings by Dr. John Bergssma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

2nd Sunday of Lent, 2026

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:51:00 GMT

My Dear People,

The Transfiguration scene bears witness to an inner circle of three among the Twelve— Peter, James, and John . Here, He takes them up on a high mountain . In the Old Testament, it is the kind of place viewed as especially suitable for divine revelation (See Gen 2.2, Exodus 3:19-24; 1 Kings 18-19) and Matthew’s Gospel (4:8; 5:1).

Jesus was transfigured , which means he was transformed. His physical appearance changed such that His face shone like the sun. This references Moses’ face shining “like the sun” and his clothes becoming white as light when he came down Mount Sinai (Exod. 34:29-35). Even though there are similarities with Moses, Matthew shows how Jesus outshines him: Moses’ face shone because it reflected the divine glory he had seen, whereas Jesus’ face shines with His own glory, even before the cloud and divine voice are manifested on the mountain. Jesus possesses the glory that Moses saw.

Two great representatives of the Old Testament appear and begin to converse with Jesus— Moses and Elijah . Both Moses, the lawgiver, and Elijah, the prophet, were well-known miracle workers who fasted for forty days (Exod. 24:18; 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8). Both were rejected by some of God’s people; both encountered God’s glory on the high mountain of Sinai (also called Horeb—Exod. 24:16-18: 1 Kings 19:8-12). Finally, both figures were associated with Jewish eschatological and the coming of a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15-19).

Interpreters have traditionally viewed Moses, representing the law , and Elijah, representing the prophets , as summing up the whole Old Testament. Their presence at this moment—shortly after Jesus is messianic identity is confessed by Peter (12:16) and after He begins speaking of His journey to Jerusalem to be crucified (16:21) signifies that the entire Old Testament bears witness to His messianic mission that will culminate in the cross.

There, they were discussing Jesus’s exodus from the earth, and going back to Heaven. In awe, Peter desires to build three tents. He likely has in mind the tents used for the Feast of Tabernacles, the autumn harvest festival in which the Israelites dwelt in makeshift tents for seven days, commemorating how God’s presence dwelt in the tent of meeting and how the Israelites themselves dwelt in tents as they journeyed through the wilderness on the way to the promised land. The Greek word here, “tents,” is used in the Septuagint. Tents for this feast pointed to a future fulfillment, anticipating the time when the nations would come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord as king in an eschatological Feast of Tabernacles (Zech. 14:16-20; see Hosea 12:9). When Peter witnesses Jesus transfigured in glory, he may consider the eschatological era to be dawning and thus seek to enter into this experience in a way reminiscent of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Suddenly, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them. In the Old Testament, God’s presence was manifested in the form of a cloud in the wilderness and in the sanctuary in Jerusalem. The word for “cast a shadow over” was used in Exodus 40:35 to describe God’s glory cloud overshadowing the tent of meeting at Sinai. The same glory of the Lord now descends upon the mountain, which covers them.

Similar to Christ’s baptism, the transfiguration scene bears witness to the Trinity with the voice of the heavenly Father, the radiance of Jesus the Son, and the glory of the Spirit—signified this time not by a dove but by the cloud (3:16:17). The voice from the cloud repeats verbatim the words of the Father to Jesus at his baptism (3:7): This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. But now these words are directed to the three disciples, to confirm their faith in Jesus’ messianic identity in the face of his approaching crucifixion, (recently revealed to them) (16:16-17, 21). Also different from the baptism scene is a command to the apostles— listen to him. This recalls the promise of a prophet like Moses, to whom the people are to listen (Deut. 18:15,19), and continues the emphasis in the Gospel on Jesus’ authoritative teaching (5:21-22). This divine command to listen to Jesus reinforces His words in the preceding scene, which was about His death and resurrection and about the disciples taking up their crosses and following Him (16:21, 24-28). The transfiguration of Jesus inspired Peter, James, and John to remain strong during Jesus’s passion, which He was going to encounter. Jesus made them aware of the heavenly glory they someday would be participating in. Therefore, they need not be afraid, no matter what they will encounter: what persecution, what suffering, or obstacles. This brief experience of Heaven is the ace in the hole which is waiting for them. Of course, afterwards, it will be eternal.

[parts of this came from the commentary on The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri]

Sincerely yours,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

1st Sunday of Lent, 2026

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:00:00 GMT

My Dear People,

From the waters of the Jordan, the Spirit leads Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan. This is the rugged Judean wilderness west of the Dead Sea. Here, Jesus goes for a grueling forty days and nights of fasting. He faces not only harsh conditions, utter loneliness, and the gnawing discomforts of hunger, he also endures the assaults of his archenemy, the devil. Matthew presents this ordeal as an escalating series of three temptations. The first temptation is the most subtle, the second is less so, and the third is the most blatant and audacious. All are attempts by Satan to divert Jesus from the path of human suffering and obedience that his mission entails.

If the first temptation runs: “ If you are the son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” The devil would have Jesus perform a miracle to relieve the suffering of his languishing body. Some take this to mean that Jesus is tempted to gluttony, to stuffing himself beyond all limits of moderation, but there is something more subtle going on that a temptation of gluttony.

The focus is on the identity and power of Jesus. What was declared in public by the Father (3:17: “This is my beloved Son”) is now tested in private by the enemy. The devil challenges Jesus to use his divine might for strictly personal benefit . In effect, the reference to bread is simply the bait that hides the hook. The temptation is not really about food but about turning Jesus away from the difficult road that the Father wills for his Son (26:39). His mission is not to serve himself by exploiting his divine prerogative but to serve others by a life of heroic sacrifice (20;28).

Jesus responds with the words of Deut: 8:3: “ One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” The statement is a short lesson on God’s priorities for our lives, teaching us that physical needs are not our greatest needs. The Word of the Lord is more essential sustenance for life than bread. Obedience to his Word is something for which we should “hunger and thirst” (5:6). Committed to this teaching, Jesus refuses to prioritize the cravings of his body over the higher obligation to do the will of the Father in all circumstances.

The second temptation brings Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem. There the devil perches him high on the parapet of the temple and utters the words: “ if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” As in the first temptation, the divine Sonship of Jesus is central to the test. This time, however, the challenge is buttressed with a passage from Scripture, Ps. 91:11 – 12, in which God promises to protect and support the righteous person with his angels .

Immediately, one notices how the tempter adjusts himself to the one being tempted. Jesus has quoted the Bible to express his commitment to live by God’s Word (v. 4), and so the evil turns to the Bible to press his second attack. Moreover, the setting of the temptation is significant. There are many elevations and steep cliffs throughout Palestine from which Jesus could take a fatal plunge. Why bring him to the temple in Jerusalem? Because this is where the God of Israel has chosen to make his presence dwell among his people. If there is any place where a Jew could expect the Lord to heed his prayer for deliverance, it is at the temple.

This second temptation is essentially a challenge to the trustworthiness of God. Satan wants Jesus to subject his Father’s promises to verification. Instead of trusting in the Lord’s care, which is the real message of Ps. 91, the devil urges him to certify the truth of the Scriptures by making a daredevil’s leap from the sanctuary. Such an attempt to manipulate God into action is presumptuous . The Father will not be forced to prove himself at our bidding.

Jesus strikes back with words from Deut 6:16: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” The original context of this passage is the rebellion of the exodus generation in the wilderness. At Massah, the Israelites had grown so weary and irritable that some demanded God give proof of his presence among them (Exodus 17:1-7). Failing to trust, they dared to put the Lord to the test. Jesus will not make the same mistake. The Son will not turn his own experience of testing into a pretext for testing the Father.

The third temptation brings Jesus to the summit of a very high mountain. The purpose is to give him a panoramic vision of all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence . This time, the devil’s mask comes off. Insinuation has proven ineffective, as has quoting from Scripture. Now the foul ambitions of the demon are laid open to view.

Peering out at the great empires of the world, the devil says: “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” In essence, Jesus is being offered a shortcut to achieving his messianic objectives. Kingly power and international glory can be his without any humiliation or torment. In exchange, Satan wants nothing less from Jesus than a brazen act of apostasy and idolatry. Jesus has refused the offer to serve himself rather than his mission from the Father, and he has declined the challenge to test the Father’s goodwill. Now he is asked to repudiate the father altogether by surrendering himself to the lordship of Satan, the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31).

Still Jesus remains unmoved. He responds. “Get away, Satan!” and drives the devil off with the words of Deut 6:13: “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall your serve.” The context of the quotation is instructive, for it prohibits the worship of “other gods” (Deut. 6:14). Bowing before Satan would be such an act of idolatry, and Jesus will have no part of it.

In the end, Jesus has proven himself the loyal Son of God. Neither the pangs of hunger nor the prospect of worldwide kingship have been able to bend his will away from the Father’s. In a final scene, we are told that angels from heaven came and ministered to him. Most likely this means that Jesus was fed by the angels, much as Elijah was in the Old Testament (1 Kings 19: 4-7).

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:59:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Thank you for all the ones who contributed to the CFA. If you have not made a pledge for this year, please make one. May God bless you.

Many people thought that since Jesus was kind and generous, especially with the way he dealt with people, that he was going to relax the law. Actually, Jesus did not come to relax the law but to make it stricter, and he included the interior disposition which Mosaic law did not contain. For example, Moses allowed people to be divorced. Jesus says that if one divorces his wife, he causes her to commit adultery. Pure and simple. In another passage where it says you shall not kill, Jesus goes further and says whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Jesus goes as far as saying whoever calls his brother “you fool” is liable to the fires of Gehenna. This shows that Jesus came to make clear what the commandments say and their intent.

Yes Jesus told us the law of love and the beatitudes which are positive. This means we must have a humble and clean heart. We must be willing to do what God wants from us, not to the least but to the most. In order to fulfill the law the way Jesus wants us to, we must rely on inspiration and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is given not to excuse us from the law or give us license to sin but rather to empower us to fulfill God’s law perfectly, not merely externally but also internally. Jesus’ teaching in this passage tends, after all, to direct our attention to the interior disposition (like anger) that are the root of external actions (like murder).

Jesus’s moral standards are much more demanding than those of the Pharisees. The Pharisees tended to be concerned only with the exterior performance of the law, and they became expert in developing contorted and convoluted legal chains of reasoning in order to circumvent the demands of divine law. In particular, they permitted divorce and remarriage for any number of reasons, with some rabbis saying that any cause at all sufficed for a divorce even the mere fact that a man found a younger, more attractive woman.

Jesus was radically opposed to this effort to extrapolate legal reasoning in order to get around the clear demands of morality and divine law. He warns his followers: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” It must exceed their righteousness because their righteousness was largely external and relied on exterior actions in accord with the traditional interpretations of the old law. It was not a righteous motivation motivated by love. It was a righteousness that said, “What is the least I have to do and the most I can get away with and still not formally break the divine command?” Jesus’s attitude, like the attitude of the psalmist, is rather, “What is most pleasing to God? That is the only thing I desire to do.”

It’s not easy to follow Jesus’ laws—in fact, it is impossible unless we share his Spirit. Then, we can rejoice with St. Paul that “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.”

We have received the Holy Spirit at baptism and confirmation. Let us pray that the Eucharist will replenish the Holy Spirit’s love in our hearts; that we may love and not resent the law of God and see it for what it truly is: the way of peace and communion with the Lord.

[Some of this passage is from “the “Word of the Lord” by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:58:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Jesus summons His disciples to be what God’s people were always meant to be—the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Salt was used to flavor and preserve food. By living the Beatitudes, Jesus’ disciples became the salt of the earth and preserved goodness in the world. The disciple who does not embody the Beatitudes is like salt that loses its taste: he is no longer good for anything.

Similarly, the disciples were to be the light of the world. In the Jewish tradition, Israel was to be a light to the nations (Isa. 60:1-3; Bar. 4:2). Jesus called His disciples to fulfill this role by living the Beatitudes in such a way that the world “may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Christians may ask: “What can I do to share God’s love in the world?” Christians are called to be the light to the world, and the world will be impacted for better or worse by the way we live our lives. When we as Christians fail to be saints, when we fail to live the Beatitudes and be the light, the world suffers. But when we imitate Christ’s love, mercy, and generosity, the world will see our good deeds and glorify our heavenly Father (5:6). Though evil may still flourish in the face of saintly witness, we should always consider what good we can do to serve the coming of Christ’s kingdom in this world.

St. John Chrysostom invites us to ponder what the world would be like if the entire Christian community lived in imitation of Christ. “Assuredly, there would be no heathen if

we Christians took care to be what we ought to be ; if we obeyed God’s precepts, if

we bore injuries without retaliation, if, when cursed, we blessed our aggressor, if we rendered good for evil . For no man is so savage a wild beast that he would not run forthwith to the worship of true religion if we saw all Christians acting as I say.”

In the first reading, Isaiah plainly tells us we can be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. He tells us to share our bread (food) with the hungry. We are called to shelter the oppressed and homeless; clothe the naked, and not to turn back on our own. In other words, prioritize the needs of others before our own needs. These are what the Church has delineated as corporal acts of mercy . What happens when we do them? Isaiah has the answer in today’s first reading:

“Your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall cry for help, and He will say: Here I am!

The light of the world comes from practicing what Isaiah said in today’s reading. Read and reflect on it. Christians in the early church reflected on this teaching. They shared love where there was hatred and persecution. This made an impact on many pagans who would say: “ See how they love one another.” Such examples encouraged them to become Christians.

[Information taken from Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri]

Yours in Christ,

Fr Vincent Clemente

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 17:43:00 GMT

My Dear People,

The Beatitudes are new teachings Jesus gives to us and are different from the Commandments. The Beatitudes tell us what to do; how to be holy by having a pure heart, and what our hearts’ disposition should be. I will point out just some of the Beatitudes as there is not enough space to include all.

First, we should recognize when Jesus went up on a mountain to teach, it is a Mosaic motif. Moses was the great teacher of Israel, and he climbed Mount Sinai to teach the law of God. Jesus is recapitulating this motif. Jesus, the new Moses, will teach a better law and correct some of the compromises that Moses introduced into Israel’s legislation. (Matt 5:21-48).

Now, with respect to the Beatitudes (which are just an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount and not synonymous with the entire Sermon, Matt 5-7), we should note that there are eight main ones, followed by an epilogue on persecution (vv. 11-12). The Beatitudes are about the kingdom of heaven. Specifically, they are the virtues that are required of the kingdom citizens.

Finally, we should note that the Beatitudes are not a simple grab-bag of random virtues, but there is a certain progression as we move through them. They are all interrelated, and to a certain extent they move from one to the next.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The primary reference— poverty of spirit — is a recognition of one’s spiritual bankruptcy which needs to be filled with God’s spiritual riches; that is, His Spirit, granted by faith through the sacraments. Nonetheless there is a relationship with material poverty ( material riches can be a great distraction to the spiritual life), sidetracking us to pursue goals other than following God. Elsewhere, Jesus will warn about seed that is choked by the “anxieties and riches and pleasures” of this world. (Luke 8:14).

For this reason, many of the saints have understood “poor in spirit” to be “poor for the sake of the Spirit,” that is, temporarily poor for the sake of spiritual ends. Thus, those who go into religious life take a radical vow of poverty. But even laypeople should practice restraining material wealth. How do we practice it? The principle of St. Josemaria was “have nothing unnecessary.” He encouraged laypeople to pare their belongings down to what they really needed for their vocation, and then to take care of those things so that they would not constantly be wasting money by replacing them. Thus “poor in spirit” refers to spiritual poverty but nonetheless is tied to living a form of temporal poverty as well, because temporal indulgence is incompatible with spiritual poverty.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. This refers to those who mourn for their spiritual poverty, for their nothingness, emptiness, and for their sins. Thus, recognizing that you are “poor in spirit” leads to contrition (sorrow of sins), but that is good because God will comfort the contrite.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land . Meekness is roughly the same as humility. It is the virtue of not putting oneself forward, not throwing your weight around, being docile. Citizens of the kingdom of heaven are meek or humble because they realize they are spiritually poor, that they really aren’t much, when considered by themselves without God’s grace.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom citizens who live the virtues of the Beatitudes will be hated by those who don’t want to give up their lustful ways because, first of all, the discipleship is a painful reminder to others that they are not following the way of God, and secondly the disciple becomes an impediment to others fulfilling their lusts because he will not cooperate.

Only in this way can we understand the hyperbolic venom and slander aimed at the pro-life movement. For example, legal protection of the lives of the unborn would mean persons in our society would have to restrain their sexuality (which is a form of lust of the flesh). Those who live chastely remind others of the dignity of the unborn child and are an unwelcome reminder and impediment to the rest of society in its pursuit of unrestrained indulgence in the lust of the flesh. Songs for, slander, dismissiveness, and other behaviors are expressed toward those who advocate for the unborn.

And, nonetheless, persecution of Christians in most western nations still does not approach the kind of physical brutality Christians in Muslim and communist countries continue to experience. Waves of persecution come with a blessing, because it assists us in gaining detachment from the things of this world, thus helping us to live a life of spiritual poverty. So, persecution makes us poor, which brings us full circle to the first Beatitude: Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Jesus, Son of David, came to reestablish the kingdom of the Lord on earth. But Jesus’s kingdom is an upside-down kingdom that calls good what the world calls bad, and bad what the world calls good. This Sunday’s readings call us to leave the ways of the world and practice the virtue of citizens of the kingdom, but also warns us this choice we make is to travel upstream against the current of our culture.

[Passages taken from Sunday Mass Readings for Year A by John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 17:36:00 GMT

My Dear People,

When Jesus approached John to be baptized, without hesitation, John announced: “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

Lambs were sacrificed in the temple to atone for sins. Every Passover celebration recalls lambs the forefathers of the Jewish people sacrificed. They then marked the door posts with the blood of the lamb.

Lambs offered in the temple to atone for sins was very familiar to the Jewish people. Jesus came to be ‘ the lamb,’ sacrificing Himself to take away our sins. After Christ’s death on the cross, lambs were no longer needed to be sacrificed in the temple. Jesus died, once, for all. Every time we celebrate Mass, we are united with the event at Calvary where Jesus became the lamb by sacrificing Himself and dying on the cross for our sins.

Jesus came to “ take away sins of the world,” not just to take away the punishment for the sin of the world, Jesus came to give us the power not to sin (1 John 3:5-6). Sin itself is hell. Sin is turning away from God, and separation from God is hell. To be saved from hell but to keep on sinning is an oxymoron. One can’t be in God’s presence (Heaven) while continually not choosing God (Hell). Thus, we can’t survive with sinful habits. We have to let the Spirit in us drive sin out. We also must seek the help of the Sacraments often.

“I saw the spirit come down. . . and remained upon Him.” This calls to mind the anointing of David in 1 Samuel 16, to whom the Spirit came mightily “from that day forward” (v. 13). In other words, it remained on Him. The Spirit coming down and remaining on Jesus is the sign that Jesus is David’s heir. John the Baptist, the prophet, is assuming the role of Samuel, who anointed the first David, when he baptizes Christ.

This Gospel announces Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision of the Davidic royal servant, the one who is Israel. Just as Israel, symbolically, was washed in the waters of the Jordan when they crossed into the Promised Land under the first Joshua, so this second Joshua (Jesus) comes to enter the Jordan once more and lead us to the promised land of heaven. This is done primarily through Baptism, in which we, Christians, are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, giving us power to become children of God and to live lives of holiness, not lives of continual defeat.

Of course, concupiscence in us (sometimes called “the flesh” in the New Testament) often resists the workings of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we have to struggle to put down that resistance. The means to do this has remained the same through the centuries: prayer, self-denial (mortification), the Sacraments (especially Confession), and the support of the Christian community (fellow Christians, spiritual counselors). This means God provides for us in His goodness in order that we may learn docility to the Spirit and the holiness and happiness of a life led by Him.

(A portion of this article was taken from the Word of the Lord for year A. by Dr. John Bergsma)

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2026

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 23:55:00 GMT

My Dear People,

When Jesus approached John to be baptized, without hesitation, John announced: “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

(A portion of this article was taken from the Word of the Lord for year A. by Dr. John Bergsma)

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

The Baptism of the Lord, 2026

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 23:54:00 GMT

My Dear People,

This scene marks the beginning of Jesus’ public life. Having traveled from Galilee, Jesus joins the crowd of repentant sinners to be baptized by John at the Jordan.

While Mark and Luke also narrate this event, only Matthew records the interchange between John and Jesus that precedes Christ’s baptism (3:14-15). John objects to Jesus being baptized, saying “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” John acknowledges his subordinate role in relation to Christ—something he already spoke of in 3:11. If John’s baptism is only “with water” and “for repentance,” John views himself as needing to be baptized by the one who “will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Understandably, John—who views himself merely as the forerunner—is uncomfortable with the strange reversal of roles in which the one who is “mightier” than he joins the sinners at the Jordan River and submits to his preparatory baptism of repentance.

Nevertheless, Jesus tells John, “Allow it for now.” Although this appears to be an inversion of their proper roles, it should be permitted, Jesus explains, because “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” In Matthew’s Gospel, the word righteousness often refers to the proper moral conduct of the Christian disciple being obedient to God’s will, but it also can refer to God’s saving plan. Both meanings may be intended here since Jesus speaks of fulfilling all righteousness. The word fulfill is used sixteen times in Matthew’s Gospel and in almost every case it refers to the fulfillment of Scripture. Thus, Jesus being baptized by John is fitting not simply because it is God’s will for this instance, but because it also fulfills an aspect of God’s saving plan. As we will see, Christ’s baptism becomes the occasion for his anointing as the Messiah-king and the confirmation of his divine sonship (3:16-17).

After Jesus is baptized, Matthew reports a heavenly vision and a heavenly voice. This revelatory event at the Jordan River recalls the commissioning of the prophet Ezekiel by the river Chebar. Like Jesus, Ezekiel came in a time of suffering for God’s people (Ezek. 1:1), and he too was beside a river when “the heavens opened” and he saw a heavenly vision, heard the voice of God, and received the spirit (Ezek. 1:1; 2:1-2). Jesus, like Ezekiel of old, is being commissioned as a prophet to Israel in a new period of crisis.

Matthew first notes that the heavens were opened. This phrase dramatically describes a unique revelation being given, as if the heavenly world were being unveiled to those on earth. Here, the phrase introduces God’s own direct revelation about Jesus. So far in Matthew’s Gospel, an angel, the magi, and John the Baptist have confirmed Christ’s identity and mission. Now the heavens open, and we encounter God’s own, unmediated revelation about Jesus.

The vision itself consists of Jesus seeing the Spirit of God. . .coming upon him (3:16). This verse does not imply that this is Jesus’ first contact with the Spirit, for Matthew already highlighted that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Still this marks a pivotal moment in Christ’s life. The Spirit coming upon Jesus represents his anointing as Israel’s Messiah. Indeed, the Spirit of the Lord sometimes came powerfully upon the kings of Israel at the time of their anointing. Samuel told Saul that a sign of his being the anointed King of Israel would be the Spirit coming to him (1 Sam 10:6). When David was anointed king, “the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David” (1 Sam 16:13). Similarly, it was expected of the future royal son of David that “the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him” (Isa 11:2; see Isa 61:1). Therefore, readers of Matthew’s Gospel are to see the Spirit coming upon Jesus as an anointing that formally inaugurates his messianic mission. Peter in Acts 10:38 describes Jesus’ baptism as an anointing with the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit descending like a dove recalls Noah’s dove that signaled the end of the flood and the beginning of the new world. It also recalls the Spirit of God over the waters of creation in Gen 1:2, where the Hebrew text describes the Spirit as “hovering” or “fluttering” over the waters like a bird. With these images from Genesis in the background, Matthew suggests that this event at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry—his ministry whereby he will redeem humanity—marks the beginning of a new world, a new creation.

The voice. . . from the heavens is God’s voice (Gen 15:4; Deut 4:36; Dan 4:31), which reveals Christ’s divine sonship: “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” These solemn words contain several Old Testament allusions that shed light on Christ’s identity and mission.

First, the father’s voice echoes Isa 42:1—the first verse of a series of “songs” about a figure called the Lord’s servant in Isa 42-53. This servant will restore Israel and bring salvation to the ends of the earth, accomplishing this through suffering as he offers his life for sin. Isaiah foretold that God would be pleased with his servant and would put his Spirit upon him: Here is my servant who I uphold, upon whom I have put my spirit. (Isa 42:1).

With the Spirit descending on Jesus, and God speaking of him as the one “with whom I am well pleased,” Jesus is clearly revealed as the servant foretold by Isaiah.

Second , the “beloved son” recalls Isaac, the only individual person described as a beloved son in the Old Testament (Gen 22:2 LXX). Isaac was to be offered as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, (Gen 22:1-12; recognized as the temple mount in Jerusalem: 2 Chron 3:1) like his beloved son Jesus, who will be offered as a sacrifice for sin in Jerusalem.

A Third allusion may be found in the echoing of Ps 2:7. In that royal psalm, God addressed the newly enthroned king, saying. “You are my son: this day I have begotten you.” Similarly, God proclaims Jesus as “my Son” at the beginning of his own kingly mission.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

The Epiphany of the Lord, 2026

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 23:53:00 GMT

My Dear People,

The word magi originally described members of the Persian priestly caste and Median who advised kings and interpreted dreams. The term later was used more broadly to denote those who possessed mystical knowledge including priests, astrologers, soothsayers, or sages. Their popular association with kings today may be based on Old Testament passages that recount kings bringing gifts to the royal Davidic son (Ps. 72:10-11), including gifts of gold and frankincense (Isa. 60:3-6). In the Jewish tradition, magi would bring to mind the opponents of Daniel in Babylon, who were associated with enchanters and sorcerers and claimed to interpret dreams and signs (Dan. 1:20; 2:2: 4:6-7). Hence, one would not expect magi from the east to be among the first to pay homage to the Jewish messiah. This account thus sets up a theme that will be repeated throughout Matthew’s Gospel: “Israel’s king is welcomed by those whom one would least expect while Jewish leaders work against Him!” (2:4).

The event of the magi following a star and searching for a king underscores Jesus’ kingship by recalling the prophecy of Balaam in Num. 24. Balak, the Moabite king called upon a seer named Balaam to pronounce a curse on Israel; but each time Balaam tried to curse Israel, God took control of his speech and words of blessings came out of his mouth instead. During his last attempt to curse Israel, the Spirit of God, came upon him, and he prophesied about a future king arising out of Israel. According to this oracle, a star would be the sign for the great king’s arrival (Num. 24:17).

All this foreshadows the events associated with Herod, the magi, and the birth of Jesus. Just as Balak sought to use the pagan seer Balaam to destroy Israel, so Herod seeks to use the pagan magi to destroy the Christ child. And just as Balaam failed to cooperate with the king’s plan, uttering blessings instead of curses, so too the magi failed to assist Herod in his plot to destroy Jesus, by paying homage to the child instead of reporting His location to Herod. Balaam prophesized about a star heralding the coming of a great king to Israel; the magi following that star and coming to worship the newborn king. Thus, the magi stand as “successors to Balaam” in the sense that they pay homage to the king that Balaam foretold.

The idea of a star signaling the birth of a great person or king was popular in the ancient world. Various explanations have been offered as to what this star truly was that guided the magi:

(1) it was a comet , such as Halley’s comet that appeared in 12-11 BC;

(2) it was a planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn which gave the appearance of a bright,

single star in 7 BC;

(3) the star was a stellar explosion —a nova—which is reported to have been sighted in 5-4 BC. (continued on page 4)

One shortcoming of these naturalistic explanations is that the star in Matthew’s Gospel

leading the magi comes to rest over a house (2:9). This suggests that—whatever the nature of the star in Matt. 2:— God intervened in an extraordinary way to lead the magi to the messiah .

Another interesting proposal is that the star guiding the magi represents an angelic figure . In the Jewish tradition stars were associated with angels! The guiding star in Matthew’s Gospel recalls the angel, whom God sent, to guide the people in the desert on their way to the promised land (Exod. 14:19). Thus, while some natural stellar phenomenon might have initially led the magi in search of a king, Matthew is telling us that God is providing a supernatural guide to lead the magi to Christ, just as he provided Israel with an angel to lead them through the desert.

When news about the magi’s quest is revealed around Jerusalem, King Herod becomes greatly troubled . Herod was not born king of the Jews. He was an Idumean whose family got itself appointed by Rome to rule over the Jews. The Magi following a star and seeking the newborn king of the Jews would have been quite alarming to the ethnically non-Jewish Herod, who in his later years was violently paranoid about any potential rival to his throne.

Herod’s reaction was to gather the chief priests and scribes, who were part of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem, to inquire where this messiah was to be born. The chief priests and scribes tell Herod that the messiah was expected to be born in Bethlehem, a city charged with Davidic hopes.

Bethlehem was the place where David was born, and according to the prophet Micah the new Davidic king was expected to come from this city (Mic. 5:1). The Jewish leaders quoted this passage and then went on to say that this ruler would “shepherd my people Israel”—an echo of God’s words to David at the beginning of his reign (2 Sam. 5:2).

[Source Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

The Holy Family

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 22:44:00 GMT

My Dear People,

I wish for everyone a very Happy and Blessed New Year .

This liturgical year we read from the Gospel of Matthew . He is directing the Gospels to Jewish-Christians. Since they know the Sacred Scriptures, they are readily able to see the connection from the scriptures to what happens with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph (the Holy Family).

Matthew’s Gospel is one of the few that focuses on St. Joseph as the protagonist. Let us recall a few facts about a great but overlooked saint. St. Joseph was of royal blood. In fact, he himself was heir to the throne of Jerusalem (that is the point of the genealogy of Matthew:1). Although he is the legitimate heir, he must flee from the imposter who sits on the throne. Herod, a half-Jewish, half-Edomite aristocrat and politician, bribed, manipulated, and married his way onto the throne of Israel. Herod is one of the original anti-Christ figures of the Bible.

St Joseph was of the royal line of the tribe of Judah, but he is named after the patriarch of a different tribe, one that always rivaled Judah for leadership of the Twelve Tribes of Israel (see Gen. 49:10,26). Like Joseph of the coat-of many-colors fame, St. Joseph is particularly open to communication from God and receives revelatory dreams that involve traveling to Egypt and preserving God’s people from harm. In this period of salvation history, the safety of the Holy family and thus the preservation of hope of salvation for the entire human family is in St. Joseph’s hands. Mary is immaculate, the child Jesus is divine. In this way, St. Joseph is a type of believer.

What does the Scripture highlight about St. Joseph? What qualities does it put forward as the virtues that made St. Joseph successful in the role God called him? We know of two qualities in this passage: (1) He was open to hearing the voice of God, and (2) he was prompt in obedience.

Particularly speaking, being open to hearing the voice of God in our own lives usually requires certain habits, among which we may list: (1) devoting adequate time to prayer, including silence in prayer when we can let our hearts be moved by God; (2) reading and meditating on Scripture, through which God speaks to us; (3) seeking the counsel of a holy confessor or Spiritual Director, (4) practicing penance and (at least small) mortifications, through which we develop detachment from the material goods and pleasures that often dull our spiritual senses.

St. Joseph sets the example for all Christians, particularly fathers; and for all believers generally, how to hear God’s voice and obey it.

St. Joseph, pray for us!

[Portions were taken from Reflections on Sunday Readings from Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Christmas 2025

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 22:42:00 GMT

My Dear People of God,

May this Christmas be a very special time and may the baby Jesus bless you and your families.

The infinite God had a plan from the beginning of humanity to be with us. But first, God had to create a people who would be able to receive Him. So, God called Abraham to leave the land by the Tigris and Euphrates and to go to an unknown land far away. Why did God want Abraham go to this new land? It was a twofold purpose. First Abraham must be detached from the influences of his ancestral home, and, going to an unknown land meant he had to trust God . The most important reason why God told Abraham to go to a new land was because it would be the place in which the future Messiah was going to be born and live . There, the people were going to be different! There would be no empire to destroy them.

God planned to have a maiden, a virgin, give birth to a child, Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”. Isaiah foretold 700 years previously this would happen. This was fulfilled when the Angel appeared to Mary and announced the good news that she was going to have a child through the power of God : “the Holy Spirit will overshadow you,” and to name this child Jesus, (Yashua), because He was going to save His people. Jesus (Yashua in Hebrew) means savior.

This is the most important news for the whole of humanity. God chose a humble maiden and a poor man, Joseph. They were betrothed and committed to be with each other for the rest of their lives but had not yet lived together. Learning that Mary was with child, Joseph was unsure and confused. The Angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid—to take Mary as his wife—because this child is from God. So, Joseph took Mary as his wife.

God was with them as they traveled to Bethlehem, their ancestral heritage, to register for the census. Upon their arrival, Mary gave birth to Jesus in the City of David, their ancestral home. This shows the connection between David, Mary, and Joseph. As it was promised, someone will sit on his throne (King David’s) and rule forever. That time had come! Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is the newborn king who will sit on the throne of David, and rule forever. We recently celebrated Jesus, King of the Universe. It has a connection with the prophecy Nathan told David that God will establish the House to last forever. (This is in the physical sense.) And when Jesus dies on the cross, Paradise will be opened and the kingdom of God in Heaven will last forever. This, in a spiritual and eschatological sense, is all connected. This reveals that God had planned this for a long time, and what He revealed through the prophets was fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus came to save us from our sins; to open Paradise—a place for all who believe they will be with Him forever. This is the good news of salvation ! This is the good news in which we rejoice at the coming of our savior on earth, taking flesh, and becoming human as one of us, so we can relate to Him and follow Him.

This proves how great the love of God truly is. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife; so, if our final goal is to be in the Kingdom of Heaven where Jesus reigns, we should not be afraid of the setbacks we encounter in this life, either.

When Jesus reigns in our hearts, then Christmas will have a greater and deeper meaning for each one of us. Each year we should and will have a deeper appreciation of the love of God and our lives will be edified because of it.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

4th Sunday of Advent, 2025

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 22:41:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Matthew’s Gospel for the fourth Sunday of Advent concentrates on the events that took place just before Jesus was born. Matthew, a Jew, relates the prophecy through Mary. When the angel appeared to Mary and told her she was going to have a Son, the angel also told Mary to name Him Jesus (Yashua in Hebrew—meaning God saves). Mary replied that she had not had relations with a man. The angel responded that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her and she will conceive this child. His name will be Jesus, and He will save the people from their sins.

Saved from sin is not the same as “saved from the consequence of sin.” Jesus did not come merely to save us from hell but to save us from sinning. He came to enable us to live holy lives. A life of sin is miserable; in fact, it is a kind of hell on earth. But sin is addictive, and we need a Higher Power—really, a Higher Person—to become free.

As in the Old Testament, Joseph, son of Jacob, was a great dreamer, God now communicates with this New Testament Joseph, son of Jacob (Matt 1:16 ) through dreams. The angel does not call Him “Son of Jacob” but calls Him “Son of David,” emphasizing Joseph’s connection to promises and the covenant attached to the House of David, including Isaiah’s promise of an “Emmanuel” to be born of a “maiden” of the dynasty. Joseph, in fact, was heir to the throne of David. Had the Davidic dynasty been in control of the throne in the first century BC, Joseph would have been reigning in Jerusalem. As it was, he was doing manual labor in Nazareth, a tiny hamlet in the back hills of Israel.

Why a descendant of royalty in such a remote place? Probably the Davidic clan settled in Nazareth to be far away from politically volatile places like Jerusalem. Having royal blood was a political liability unless you controlled the throne. Herod the Great was currently in control of the throne, and he, an importer without royal blood, was half Jewish, and his father was an Edomite.

Although Matthew only gives the genealogy of Joseph (Matt 1:2-16), we can have moral confidence that Mary, too, was from the line of David. That is the constant tradition of the Church. Moreover, it makes sense, as villages were settled by clans in those days, and so all the villagers were typically members of the same extended family from an illustrious ancestor. Probably, all the townspeople of Nazareth were of Davidic lineage.

Through Mary will come the one who will “ fill up ” the prophecy originally directed toward Hezekiah. But Jesus will be “Emmanuel” in a much more profound sense: not merely a sign of God’s presence but God’s presence in the flesh. Hezekiah’s mother Abijah was only a “maiden” before she went into Ahaz. Jesus’ Mother, Mary, was a maiden before, during, and after His birth. Jesus completely fulfills the ancient prophecy directed to the House of David.

When we step back and meditate on these readings, we see the common theme is the invasion of God’s presence into the lives of people. God offers to intervene in the life of Ahaz, and the king’s response is “thanks, but no thanks.” God processes liturgically into Jerusalem, and the people greet Him with acclamation in Psalm 24.

In the Gospel, God “invades” the lives of Mary and Joseph with His presence. Perhaps their aspirations were nothing more than to lead quiet and peaceful lives, and to try to raise a family in Nazareth while awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promises to their ancestors through the prophets. Little did they know that God would use their lives to fulfill all the promises they had read or heard about.

But the presence of God in their lives means an end of business as usual and the typical comfort of ordinary life. Joseph is disturbed to find his fiancée pregnant and fears to marry her, either because he suspects wrongdoing on her part or because he is hesitant to espouse a woman so holy as to be set apart for the conception of divinity. Mary and Joseph’s hope to be just an average middle-class couple living the “Israelite dream” are dashed. Their lives are not going to be normal or typical.

The angel guides Joseph to his next step—completing his marriage to Mary. We know that the coming months will involve more strain and stress—a long journey to Bethlehem in the late stage of pregnancy followed by a midnight flight from Bethlehem to Egypt to flee from persecution.

Mary and Joseph’s life will never again be average and comfortable because when God “invades” our lives, He incorporates us into His plan of salvation for the world, and we have to partake of the suffering of the man named, “Salvation” (Rom 8:17).

At Mass, we prepare to receive the “divine invasion” of the Eucharist, when God again will enter our lives and our bodies, “Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.”

Are we ready for that? Are we ready to let our lives go off course? Off into a new direction?

Perhaps even an uncomfortable direction because God is now living in us?

[Parts taken from Reflection on the Sunday Mass Readings by Dr. John Bergdsma]

Yous in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

3rd Day of Advent

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 16:40:00 GMT

My Dear People,

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

This question seems odd because John recognized Jesus at the Baptism and, according to other Gospel accounts, acknowledged Him to be the Messiah, the one who was to come after him, and whose sandals he was not worthy to untie (Luke 3:16). So, what is the meaning of this question?

It is true John had encountered and experienced Jesus (in happier times) when he was preaching at the Jordan and all the crowds were coming to him. At that time, it seemed that the kingdom of heaven would appear in power at any time. But things had not worked out exactly that way.

Even great saints can go through a dark night and experience trials of faith. Such is compatible with holiness. And as John is suffering the physical spiritual darkness of Herod’s dungeon, he reaches out to Jesus for consolation: Are you the one who is to come? Don’t you know I’m imprisoned for speaking up for marriage? Why was John now imprisoned for speaking the truth?

It seems to me that John’s imprisonment was putting his faith to the test. And if Jesus was the one who had been anointed to “bring good tidings to the afflicted. . . to proclaim liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners” (Isa 61:1), could He use some of His liberating power to get John released?

Jesus said in reply: “ Go and tell John what you hear and see; the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

Jesus is sending back a message of consolation to John: “Go tell him that the signs of the Messianic age according to Isaiah 35 and 61 are being fulfilled visibly in your sight. ” John will understand the implications. “Blessed is the one I have not offended that my way of bringing in the kingdom of God is different from what they had expected.”

Isaiah’s prophecies about the blind, lame, deaf, and so on, were as we saw, speaking about spiritual realities. But condescending to our weak nature, which needs tangible, visible signs (John 4:48), Jesus literally enacts prophecies that were intended in a spiritual sense.

If the primary problems with humanity were physical handicaps, Jesus would have founded a hospital to heal people’s bodies. But instead, he founded a Church to heal people’s souls. The Church has gone on to found hospitals, too, because she realizes we need tangible signs of God’s love. But the physical healing should point us toward a deeper healing, otherwise it is only temporary and ultimately meaningless.

Jesus goes on to praise John the Baptist, calling him the greatest of the prophets of the Old Covenant, the culmination of preaching and teaching of the Scriptures of Israel. Yet, “the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than He.” What does this mean?

The kingdom of heaven ultimately is the Church. Jesus’s words may be taken as a reference to the Church Triumphant, those who are saved and even now dwell in God’s presence in heaven. They are greater than John because they see God face to face and share His blessedness while John was still subject to physical and spiritual trials and the weakness of his body.

Again, this may be taken as a reference to the Church militant (the believers who still struggle on earth). While we may lack any of John’s virtues, nonetheless we have many advantages he did not: the sacraments that convey to us the Holy Spirit; the fullness of truth in the Scriptures which is further clarified by the church; the invigorating reality of the communion of the saints, and so much more. So even the least of us who truly believes in Christ is greater than John in many ways.

Or we should say, greater than John was, because as Jesus spoke, John was still on this earth and bound under the Old Covenant. He has since gone on to glory and stands in God’s presence now with the other saints.

There is no doubt that this life involves painful waiting during times when life seems to go backward rather than forward. Even during Advent, as we sing songs about the coming hope and joy of Jesus’s arrival, it may sit oddly with the events in our personal lives as well as social and political events around the world, many of which seem to portend inevitable disaster rather than love, joy, and peace. The Church is realistic, and so are the Scriptures. Jesus told us: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

That is the message of the readings of this Sunday. Like the prophets, we are looking forward from the middle of a world running backwards. But this present world is a temporary problem to which Jesus had given an eternal answer.

As we light the pink candle to mark “Gaudete Sunday,” Let us take heart in the fact that we, least as we are, can stand with great ones like John the Baptist and look forward to enjoying his company in the presence of God one day.

[Source from Reflections on the Sunday Readings by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

2nd Day of Advent, 2025

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 16:39:00 GMT

My Dear People,

John announces that the Kingdom of God is at hand, and asks the people to repent. The Greek for “it is at hand ” is actually a verb meaning: “has drawn near! This could be translated, “ has arrived !” . There appears to be great urgency in John’s message.

Matthew identifies John with Isaiah 40:3, “A voice cries out in the desert” “ prepare the way of the Lord. . .” Interestingly, this was the same verse that the pious Essene monks of Qumran, who left us the Dead Sea Scrolls, quoted in their works to explain their decision to dwell in the desert. The fact that both John and Qumran monks identify their mission with this verse is probably too similar simply be coincidental—not to mention the fact that both were also strongly focused on water washing for repentance associated with eschatological forgiveness of sins and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The connection was made, probably, when John, who taught at the monastery at Qumran, was expelled and then later began his ministry.

Unlike other sects of Jews, the Essenes practiced extreme asceticism, including asceticism of dress. They wore only linen and would wear one garment until it wore out before changing it. We see asceticism in John’s dress, as well: camel’s hair, a rare material for fabric usually used only for structural textile like tents but not for clothing because of its coarseness. The hair garments and leather belts also associated him with Elijah (2Kings 1:8), as this was the prophet’s distinctive dress. In fact, dressing this way was like publicly broadcasting the fact that he associated himself with Elijah’s legacy. That was extremely provocative since the last of the canonical prophets, Malachi, predicted that Elijah would return before the day of God’s judgement on Israel (Mal 4:5-6; Mal 3:22-23). This, no doubt, was part of the reason John was causing such a stir.

Matthew remarks that John’s food “was locusts and wild honey.” Meant to indicate some typical foods, his diet was not entirely limited to just these two items. But this would mean he was living off the land, eating whatever was edible in the environment. Locusts and wild honey were clean foods and permissible according to Mosaic law. The Dead Sea Scrolls describe ritual procedures for eating locusts (another interesting connection between John and the Essenes). But there is more.

The historian Josephus (37 AD-ca. 100 AD) tells us that, upon entering the community, Essene candidates had to swear fearsome oaths, including a promise never again to eat food prepared outside the community. As a result, Josephus tells us, those who were excommunicated and expelled were forced to eat grass and nearly starved to death to avoid breaking their vow.

Matthew remarks that “Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan” were going to John to receive Baptism. That limits the area of John’s ministry to a narrow region because the Judean banks of the Jordan were only about ten miles in length extending from the north end of the Dead Sea in the south to a few miles north of Jericho to the north.

Our translation says they were “acknowledging their sins,” words equivalent to “confessing.” But, “acknowledging” is an acceptable translation and may even have the advantage of shaking us a little out of our usual religious jargon and getting us to think about what it means to “confess” our sins. A big part of confession is simply “acknowledgement,” or should we say, “recognition.” It is calling a spade a spade and recognizing truth for what it is.

When we confess our sins, then we are just agreeing with God, who tells us that our deeds are wrong. We are admitting that His classification of our behavior is correct. For the ancient Jews, however, it was a “big deal” to admit they were sinners. There was a certain amount of ethnic chauvinism that regarded Jews as “clean” and Gentiles as “unclean.” For Jews to admit they needed cleansing and to accept a ritual washing of their whole body is a dramatic acknowledgement of the need for total renewal and a great act of public humility. John must have been very persuasive to have this effect on the Judaean population. John, first of all, is preaching for a change in behavior. He tells the Pharisees and Sadducees to “produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance.” Any words not accompanied by a concrete change in lifestyle are empty and banal.

“We may have Abraham as our father,” and we might say “I’m baptized!”; or, “I’ve done twelve years of Catholic schooling!”; or “I wear a scapular!” These things can be fine, but if our life does not have “good fruit” as evidence of repentance, then we are actually sinning by presumption !

Even in his own day, John was universally regarded as a great prophet, revered by the people and feared even by the leadership. Nonetheless, the one coming after him is so great that John himself—a prophet to rival the great Elijhah—is not “worthy to carry his sandals,” (the task of a slave). Who is greater than the greatest prophet if not the one prophet, namely, God himself?

The Coming One will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” This is probably a literary device! (one meaning using two words). So, we might translate, “He will baptize with the fire of the Holy Spirit” or “the fire which is the Holy Spirit.” But John clearly associates the “fire” with eschatological judgment: “the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

This is interesting because it points to the sacraments as a foretaste of the final judgment. In a sense, we are wise to be judged now through the sacraments in order to be spared the judgment later. In Baptism, our sinful self is judged and killed through drowning so we don’t need to experience eternal death later.

In Confirmation, likewise, our sinful self is burned up through the Holy Spirit, so we don’t experience the flames of hell later. So, Jesus does “baptize us with fire” in an eschatological sense when we experience Him in the sacraments. The sacraments are a foretaste of the final judgment. This is also, by the way, the reason the Church sometimes practices excommunication: because unworthy partaking of the Eucharist is a dangerous pre-experience of the final judgment. That is the subtext of Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 11:27-32.

Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died. But if we judge ourselves truly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned with the world.

To reiterate, our Gospel text today presents us with Jesus through the eyes of John the Baptist, and John sees Our Lord as the eschatological judge who baptizes with eschatological “fire”. This presents us with a sobering perspective on the sacraments and motivates us to make a sincere examination of conscience and have recourse to the sacrament of Reconciliation lest we participate unworthily in any of the other sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

[Source: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings by Dr. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

1st Sunday of Advent, 2025

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 16:17:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Happy Thanksgiving Day to everyone! This is the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. This year we have read from the Gospel of Luke. Next year we will be reading from the gospel of Matthew. The last Sunday of the liturgical year is reserved for Christ the King .

The gospel of Luke mentions Psalm 22:8, which states “All who see me mock me.” As the people there watched, Jesus is taunted by three sets of characters: among those who sneered at him were rulers, soldiers, who also jeered at him, and even one of the criminals hanging there reviled and insulted him.

The scorn of the rulers and the criminals focuses on Jesus’ title of Messiah (Luke 23:35,39). “If He is really who He says he is, let Him save Himself—again echoing the same psalm (which refers to God as the one who saves): “Let him deliver Him” (Ps. 22:9). The emphasis on the verb save, occurring four times in these verses, paradoxically explains the significance of Jesus’ crucifixion—by not saving himself, He saved others . Indeed, Jesus is the ‘savior” (Luke 2:11) who has come to bring “salvation” (19:9) and “to save what was lost” (19:10). This is His mission as the Messiah (2:11, 9:20)—that is, as a Messiah who suffers (24:26, 44).

The rulers also derisively refer to Jesus as the chosen one (see 9:35), a title pointing to another biblical passage that sheds light on the crucifixion: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased” (Isaiah 42:1). Jesus is the servant foretold by Isaiah (Isa. 52:13) who at his crucifixion is “counted among the wicked” (Luke 22:37), quoting Isaiah 53:12). Moreover, Moses was also called God’s “chosen one” (Ps. 106:23). At the transfiguration, Jesus spoke with Moses about his “exodus” to take place in “Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31), and the voice from heaven referred to him as the “chosen Son” (9:35). This exodus of God’s chosen one is now being accomplished.

The mocking by the Roman soldiers focuses on another title— King of the Jews —which is how the title “Messiah” was earlier explained to Pilate (23:2-3), bearing the same title of King of the Jews in an inscription on the cross. According to the Roman practice, it was likely carried in front of Jesus on his way to the site in order to announce his crime and was then affixed to the cross for the same reason. As part of their mockery, the soldiers offer Jesus a drink of sour wine. They unwittingly fulfill another psalm associated with Jesus’ passion: “For my thirst they gave me vinegar” (Ps 69:22).

The gospel of Luke takes us to Jesus on the Cross and the sign nailed atop the Cross: “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews,” and what Jesus mentions to the good thief: “ Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Rebuking the criminal’s mocking of Jesus, the other one urged him—especially since they are about to die—to have fear of God, which is necessary for obtaining God’s mercy. He confesses that they have been condemned justly on account of their crimes but recognizes that Jesus has done nothing wrong. He thus echoes Pilate’s threefold assertion that Jesus is not guilty (23:4,14,22). He next addresses Jesus and directs a plea to Him: remember me when you come into your kingdom . His moment of conversion comes just in time. His appeal recalls biblical prayers to the Lord God—for example, “Remember me according to your mercy” (Ps. 25:7, see Luke 1:54)—yet it is addressed to Jesus, whom Luke has frequently presented as Lord. His prayer expresses the hope that he will be saved not from the cross (see Luke 23:39) but from his sins, and so enter after his death into Jesus’ kingdom.

Jesus’ final Amen saying (see 4:24) solemnly grants the appeal. He promises him that he will soon be in Paradise , which was commonly understood in Jewish literature of the time as the realm of blessedness for the righteous after death. Now, however, this blessedness comes from being with Jesus: you will be with me . As seen through Luke, the fulfillment of the promise occurs not in some distant future, but today you will be with me in Paradise .

Yours in Christ,

Fr Vincent Clemente

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 11:21:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Thank you for all who donated to Choice. There was over three thousand dollars. That is a great program that supports mothers in the local community, so that they will have children.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the readings have to do with apocalyptic times. It is important to recall the transition of time, what we love and appreciate, while understanding that the way things were will never be the same again. We must and need to move forward.

The people of Jerusalem were no different. They admired the temple, appreciated how great it was, and how beautifully it was adorned. Indeed, they were proud of it. They felt proud to live in Israel where there was such magnificent architecture. They derived a sense of value from a physical structure; something they had nothing to do with, except that they were born and lived in the area.

Jesus made them think, saying to them: “the day will come when there will not be left a stone upon another.” It was hard for them to fathom. The temple had been there their whole lives, and in a sense, they strongly identified with the temple.

Jesus gave the prophetic oracle of the destruction of both the temple and the city of Jerusalem. His discourse is eschatological: that is, it discusses the last things. He also uses apocalyptic language to bring comfort to His followers, an important purpose of apocalyptic writings. He promises to be with them in adversity, even sharing His wisdom to enable refutation of enemies, which can include family members and friends (Luke 21:16).

The enemies of Steven could not refute his long exposition in favor of Christianity. Fidelity to Jesus may lead to loss of life, as it did for Stephen and the Apostle James (Acts 12:1-2). True discipleship, however, will assure everlasting life with the Lord, who also died because of His dedication to the Father and His love for all God’s children.

In the Gospel, Jesus mentions to the Apostles, “before the temple is destroyed, they will persecute you, and will hand you over to the synagogues and prisons. They will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony.” Then Jesus adds something unique. “You are not to prepare your defense beforehand!”

Indeed, the Apostles were taken and persecuted before the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. They were witnesses to the faith. Many other Christians were persecuted also. Despite all this, the number of Christians grew by leaps and bounds especially in the first century. Truly that fulfilled the expression: “the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the Church.” Many became Christians because they saw examples of Christians giving testimonies of their faith with their lives and martyrdom. They were not afraid to stand and speak out about the Faith. That made a difference for many in the first Century. We need more examples like this in this moment, where people are willing to speak firmly for their faith and not be intimidated by the antagonists, atheists, or mores of the day.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, 2025

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 13:11:00 GMT

My Dear People,

This Sunday, November 9 ^th is a special Feast. It is the dedication of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral in Rome. Because of this event, we, too, recall the dedication of our own Church here at St. James. The Gospel Readings of John tell us of how we should be treating our church. It should be the same way Jesus told the people to treat the Temple in Jerusalem. It is the House of God, and we should deal with it with great respect.

After a short sojourn in Capernaum, Jesus went up to Jerusalem , and the text implies that the Disciples accompanied Him (2:12,17,22: 3:22).

For the first time in the Gospel, we meet with direct notice of a Jewish liturgical feast: The Passover of the Jews. As an observant Jew, Jesus made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and entered the temple area.

The Temple was the most important institution and building in Jewish life operating under the auspices of the high priest and the priestly aristocracy in Jerusalem. It was the place where God dwelt among His people in a special manner, and it was a central factor and component of Jewish life. The temple was God’s house, the place where He made Himself known, instructed His people, and received their worship.

The psalmist said: “How lovely your dwelling, / O Lord of hosts! /

My soul yearns and pines / for the courts of the Lord” (Ps. 84:2-3).

Since Passover was a pilgrimage festival, it attracted an international crowd of pilgrims, swelling the population in Jerusalem with hundreds of thousands of people. The Temple’s Court of Gentiles would have been inundated with pilgrims, who were given entrance to the temple precincts in successive waves.

Since foreign coinage often carried the image of an emperor or king (Mark 12:15-17), and such images were considered a violation of the law (Exodus 20:4), the pilgrims needed to exchange their currency to pay the temple tax and buy sacrificial animals in monies acceptable in the temple (hence the money-changers). Pilgrims would then have their Passover lambs (sheep and birds) slaughtered and offered in sacrifice. Upon entering the temple precincts, Jesus could see those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers who were seated there.

Jesus drove out all who supplied pilgrims with the proper temple coinage and the animals for the Passover sacrifices. (The Synoptics--Matt 21:12-17). Several things in Jesus’ command: “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” provides insight into John’s theological understanding of the temple incident. Of the four Gospel accounts of this incident, only John has Jesus calling the temple “ my Father’s house.” This unique phrase reveals that John understands Jesus’ action here in terms of His relationship with the Father. Jesus is the Son of God, and His relationship with the Father legitimizes His astonishing action, which disrupted the business related to sacrificial offerings, thus implying a claim to have control over the temple. By disturbing the sacrificial system, Jesus symbolically announces changes to come in the worship of God. Just as the water of Sinai was transformed into wine at Cana, so will the worship of God be transposed into worship of the new covenant--worship in Spirit and truth” (4:24).

But John, for theological reasons, places this event at the start of Jesus’ public life.

Only in John’s account does Jesus speak of the commerce in the temple as turning it into a “marketplace.” This could be a subtle allusion to the end-time vision in Zech 14. There the prophet envisions the day of the Lord, when He will come in power to rescue His people, defeat their enemies, and establish a perfect situation in the world. God will so sanctify His people that they will have no need to purchase animals for sacrifices in the temple: “ No longer will there be merchants in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day” (Zech 14:21). Jesus’ command that the commerce in the temple must stop could be a prophetic indication that the Lord has now come with the salvation for His people as foretold by Zechariah.

Jesus’ Disciples recall the words of scripture: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The quotation is from Ps 69:10, but John made a subtle but very significant difference. In the ancient Greek version the text reads, “Zeal for your house consumes me” (Ps 68:10 LXX), but in John’s Gospel, the verb is in the future tense, “will consume me.” Jesus’ zeal for his Father is one of the principal reasons that He will be consumed on the cross.

By placing the temple incident at the start of Jesus’ public ministry, John provides a lens for viewing the whole of Jesus’ life and work. For the first time the source speaks of His relationship with the Father. The Father is the source of Jesus’ authority and His mission of salvation. His claims about His relationship with the Father and His actions that follow from it will be the cause of controversy between Him and Jerusalem’s religious authorities throughout His life and will lead to His death.

[Source taken from the Gospel of John by Francis Martin and William M Wright IV]

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

All Souls Day, 2025

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:18:00 GMT

My Dear People,

At this time, we remember and pray for the faithfully departed. It is true they cannot pray for themselves; however, our prayers can be efficacious and can make a difference for them.

We will not know what difference our prayers and a Mass offered for them will make, but when we pray for the faithfully departed, we do know that it is very much appreciated.

When Augustine and Monica were returning to their native place in North Africa from Italy, Monica fell ill and she felt she would not survive. She told her son, who now had embraced the Chrisian faith, that it would not matter where her body was buried. However, the one thing that is of importance was that he remember her at the altar when he offered Mass.

We cannot take material things with us when we leave this earth. We do, however, leave with our soul, and that makes a difference. Times like today make us ponder about our soul and where it will end up after our life on earth. Many things are written about the emotional levels of the individual, and how important they are. One thing that hardly ever seems to be mentioned is where the soul ends up after death. Many are not making any preparations for it! They think all will be fine, or it will be handled when the time comes.

Let us reflect on what Jesus tells us in the Gospel. The Lord mentions in Luke 12:35-38 “ Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like the servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at the table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared this way, blessed are those servants.”

The Lord emphasizes the importance of being prepared and vigilant. Being vigilant means that one tries to stay prepared at all times! Since we all sin, the one who is vigilant will immediately find a way to go to confession and confess sins so that he will be absolved and continue to be in the state of grace.

When Jesus speaks of the bridegroom coming, it has a special significance. Jesus is referring to Himself as the bridegroom. When the Apostles were told of this, they were not fasting. Jesus replied, when the bridegroom is taken from them then they will fast. Jesus knew that He was going to die; therefore afterwards, when they would be evangelizing, is when they would fast.

Jesus refers to Himself as the bridegroom because we the people of God are the bride. And Jesus as the bridegroom offered His life and suffered and died for His bride in order to purify her, the Church (that is all of us).

After death, we will meet the bridegroom, which is Jesus Christ. No matter when it comes, if one is prepared because he was vigilant, tried to avoid sin, and tried to stay in the state of grace, when his time comes, he will be ready and prepared. He fulfills the expression where Jesus says that he will find the servant prepared and alert.

We are not always perfect or vigilant, but this year, a year of Jubilee, we have the opportunity to fulfill the requirement of the Jubilee—that is go through the Holy Doors of the church designated as a special shrine during the Jubilee Year; say One Our Father, one Hail Mary and a Glory Be to the Holy Father; then commit to avoid all sins, even venial; and go to confession within seven days prior or after visiting the designated site. If we do this, we will have an opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence. The plenary indulgence affects us and the time we spend in purgatory. It is possible to eliminate the entire time in purgatory. In addition, you can do this for yourself or you may do this for someone who has already departed. In this one special way, we can pray for the faithful departed and the ones who were close to us.

May the Lord give you grace to fulfill this Jubilee year the best possible way for your loved ones.

May God bless you, in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:49:00 GMT

My Dear People,

First of all, I would like to thank Dick Bipes who did an excellent job framing the portrait of Pope Leo XIV, which is now in the vestibule of the church.

Another parable about prayer immediately follows, directed at some who are confident in their own righteousness. Fittingly, a Pharisee represents such serf-righteous people who despised everyone else. Appropriately, the other character is a tax collector. The parable compares these two people, as earlier parables compared “two people” who “were in debt” (7:41) and “two sons” (15:11). Both have gone up to the temple mount to pray. Thus, it is likely a time of public prayer associated with the morning or evening sacrifices, where people gathered to pray (1:10; Acts 3:1).

The Pharisee took up the posture of standing to pray. His prayer, however, is less toward God and more to himself. In his self-righteousness, he considered the rest of humanity (“everyone else” (Luke 18:9)—including this tax collector) to be dishonest or unrighteous. The Pharisee's religious practices are exemplary—to fast twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays) and pay tithes on all he receives. However, these practices have become his badge of pride. Moreover, in his contempt for others, he neglects weightier matters such as love of neighbor (see Matt 23:23).

The tax collector likewise stood to pray, but in a humble manner. He remained at a distance, further back in the temple courts. Out of shame, he did not even raise his eyes to heaven (see Ezra 9:6). As an expression of his deep sorrow, he beat his breast (Luke 13:48). With these gestures, he gave evidence that he was a sinner and thus asked God to be merciful to him. This verb differs from the vocabulary used in Jesus’ earlier command to “be merciful” (9:36) or “have mercy or pity”. It occurs only once elsewhere in the New Testament, where it means to “expiate” or make atonement for sin (Heb 2:17). Such “sacrificial overtones” fit the parable’s temple setting, more so if the prayer occurs at the time of the daily sacrifice. For Luke’s readers, the expression may also call to mind the sacrifice of Jesus, “whom God set forth as an expiation” (Rom 3:25).

Jesus explains—I tell you—the shocking reversal: this tax collector whom the Pharisee held in contempt (Luke 18:11) is the one who went down to his house justified—considered righteous by God—not the Pharisee who considered himself righteous (v.9). Luke will soon recount the story of a real tax collector, Zacchaeus, who similarly goes down to his house justified, having found salvation (19:5-6,9).

Jesus concludes with a principle which repeats verbatim his earlier teaching (14:11). He thus applies the parable to everyone and highlights the reversal involving those who are humble and those who are exalted (1:52)—by God!

Jesus’ words can serve as an examination of conscience to guard against a self-righteous attitude: “Christians should keep in mind that the value of their good works, fast, alms, penances, and so on, is not based on quantity and quality so much as on the love of God practiced in them. True love of God will also find expression in love—not contempt—of neighbor (Luke 10:27-28). Thus, Christians will also be careful to avoid falling into the same trap another way—that is, by thanking God that they are not like those self-righteous people!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 14:09:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Having noted in the previous chapter the tribulation of the end times of the world, Jesus urges His followers to be persistent almost to the point of being bothersome in prayer to obtain the merciful justice of God against the injustices of one’s persecutors. In the end times, in fact the iniquity of men will be so great and the apostasy so widespread that all human remedies or initiatives will become ineffectual; only the great means of prayer will remain. Jesus urges everyone to pray, relating a parable which also characterizes the nature of the heads of state in the end times.

There was a judge in a city that feared neither God nor had any respect for the people. He was skeptical, unbelievable, with no notion of higher justice, and consequently he did not have any sense of respect or charity towards anyone. These sad characteristics are already very visible in the atheist and unbelievable chiefs that preside over our modern states! These leaders do not know true justice but only wrongdoing, corruption, and oppression.

There was a widow in the city who had received some serious injury or was greatly wronged and unable to defend herself. Being a widow, she appealed to the unjust judge; however, it was to no avail, because he did not care about her situation and despised her for asking. But she did not relent or tire in her pleading and thus became so bothersome that the exasperated judge in order to stop being tormented by her insistence, agreed to rule in her favor.

With this parable, Jesus made an argument from less to more. If an unjust judge who did not care about justice yielded to the insistent prayers of a widow, will not God, who is justice in the purest sense, listen to the prayers of those who invoke Him day and night against the oppression of the wicked?

Will not the prayer that can win over a wicked man because someone has become bothersome to him win over the infinite goodness of God because of love? He will surely listen to those who plead with Him, and He will not delay and will quickly bring justice.

Jesus gives the reason for His exhortation and very clearly identifies the time for which it is intended, adding: “ But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

These will be the times—the end times—in which it will be more than ever urgent to pray. The Son of Man will come with an extraordinary outpouring of grace in and for the Church. But He will find souls with no faith and completely unconcerned. He will come in the end to judge everyone and shall appear glorious in those days when the apostasy on earth will be almost complete. The few faithful survivors, unable to defend themselves, will have to find refuge in God alone, and they will find Him , if they pray unceasingly.

The times predicted by Jesus already have begun to appear in many nations, where apostasy and atheism are wreaking havoc, and where persecution, overt or subtle, leaves the faithful without help and defense, at the mercy of the wicked.

The present situation of the world is such that it is impossible to discern how to correct it effectively. Some people even hope for a global war, not considering it is a terrible punishment that always leaves a trail of other spiritual and material punishments. Others have the illusion to be able to conquer the despots of the world, without thinking that these people have a brutal power in their hands and will not let anyone sway their minds or conquer them. We are left with only prayer, and for this reason the Church is intensifying prayer in these times, attempting to vanquish the wicked with this great power that is almost like a bombardment from on high on their fortified positions.

There are some who hear about prayer when a serious threat is looming and mockingly cast it aside as a naïve illusion. It can be said, in fact, that almost all people subconsciously, each to a greater or lesser degree, question the effectiveness of prayer, believing it to be a childish fallback during times when decisive and urgent action is needed.

This interior false state is due to the fact that everyone has experienced times where prayer has failed them. In fact, these failed instances for some add up to the conclusion that their prayer efforts are a complete failure.

No one considers that they may pray poorly or even not pray at all, all the while reciting many prayers. No one humbles himself sincerely when his prayer is not granted or when submitting himself to the Lord when pleading for his assistance, and so it can be said that we rarely if ever truly plead to Him. For this reason, Jesus wanted, through a parable, to reveal the attitude of the spirit that makes a prayer effective.

This is a very important thing to ponder because prayer is more vital to us than bread.

[Reflection of the four Gospels by Don Dolindo Ruotolo]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:16:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Since the Paschal celebrations were approaching, Jesus took His final trip to Jerusalem intending to accomplish His divine mission. As He traveled through Samaria and Galilee, heading for Perea, He was approaching a village. Still in the countryside, ten lepers rushed to meet Him. They stopped far enough away so as not to have contact with people and began shouting, loudly, begging for mercy. Their faith was an act of trust! They knew Jesus to be powerful and hoped He would ease their pain. It was not a faith of complete abandonment! Yet, Jesus wanted to re-ignite this in them with a command which they could only obey with a “full” faith. “Go” , He said: “show yourselves to the priests.”

While traveling through Samaria, Jesus wanted to perform an act of pure mercy toward a people much despised by the Jews by pointing out the gratitude and the faith of the Samaritan. By so doing, He wanted to show that the Samaritans were not an inferior people. On the contrary, it could be said, in this moment, they were superior to the Jews. Going through Samaria, Jesus wanted to eliminate this sense of contempt by his fellow Jews. He wanted to prevent all recriminations, and He directly called all people to the unity He had come to establish on earth. Jesus Christ went to Jerusalem to give His life for all! He went to sinners, who truly possessed leprous souls. He wanted to manifest symbolically what was burning in His Heart. He would give His blood to save us! Nevertheless, He would not apply the price of redemption without considering the mediation of a priest.

It is a most sad illusion to think, because He can save us without mediators, that He embraces it. In instituting the priesthood, He told everyone: to “Go show yourself to the priest.” It is obvious, since He saved us by His obedience and death on the cross, that He wants us to have the benefit of salvation by the obedience and humiliation of ourselves at the feet of a priest, so that our miserable sin may die.

We are indeed lepers when we sin, and we have lesions that consume our soul. We cry out to God for mercy and go to the priests to receive it. When we are sincerely sorry and have a deep conviction of the evil we have done offending God, then we, too, experience that!

While confessing to a priest, we are cleansed because the perfect contrition wipes our sins away immediately. It is necessary, always, to go to the priest, because this is the condition put in place by Jesus. We cannot be sure our contrition is perfect! (The lepers also had a duty to go to the temple so that their healing could be officially and legally recognized.)

The Lord lamented the fact that only one of the ten healed lepers came back to thank Him and to give praise to God; and, so, He wanted to teach us the great importance of being grateful for the blessings we receive from the Lord. The act of gratitude is the recognition of the glory of God! It is a confession of His power and a filial abandonment to Him that He may bless us as the most loving of fathers.

The Lord does not require our gratitude to benefit Himself, although our praise increases His glory adventitiously, but because our act of gratitude opens to us new sources of mercy and graces. The Samaritan lepers, however, were already healed! Prostrated at His feet, Jesus said with great care: “ Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

Each time we thank our Lord we receive from His goodness new graces. The early Christians used to greet each other with these lovely words: Deo Gratias. These words seemed foolish to the Gentiles because they were more a conclusion than a greeting.

For the early Christians when greeting each other in this way, they were thanking God that they were meeting again and grateful that Jesus Christ had redeemed them.

[Reflections on the Four Gospels by Don Dolindo Ruotolo]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 14:35:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Faith is an immensely valuable treasure for souls in everyday life because it is a beacon of light and an immense consolation at all times of distress. Therefore, it must be jealously guarded in one’s heart.

The Apostles, who were asked to grow in faith, desired to see wonderful deeds accomplished (in order to confuse the Pharisees). They also wished to do these works themselves. This is why Jesus told them that if they had the faith the size of a small mustard seed—a bare minimum—and if that faith was alive and able to grow, they could uproot and plant a mulberry tree in the sea with only a command .

It is clear from the context that the Apostles had asked to grow in faith for a faint and subconscious sense of vanity! They wanted miracles to confuse the Pharisees. They also believed it was necessary that the Master defend Himself against the plotting of His enemies. For this reason, Jesus, subtly and through a parable, said they should consider themselves like the servants of a master, plowing his field and grazing his flock! Even if they would do wonders for the apostolate, they should never think to take the glory for themselves, but should think of themselves only as useless servants who were simply commanded to perform a task as part of their duty.

Those who understand just how much pride inflates one’s sense of self and how easily our fallen nature feels vanity for a job well done, should, in turn, understand (very well) the timing and truth of Jesus’ cautionary remark. Sincerely believing oneself to be nothing gives one an immense interior joy while the inner feeling of humility protects the good that has been done. And, when giving it back to God, He makes all more fruitful with His grace, multiplying it in our souls.

In every age, the words of Jesus have been a defense against vanity for the messengers of the Divine Word. Those who work for an apostolate, in fact, are an instrument of God’s grace, often witnessing the wonders of His power and the divine mercy in their work.

The Lord, in His mercy, works great wonders with minimal means and through inept men; but also, when His intervention is obvious in works done well, the person who has been the instrument may feel the personal satisfaction for this work, and could also demand recognition of his efforts before God. Jesus’ words immediately bring him back to reality! Recognizing that he has done only his duty, and that he is a useless servant because he did it imperfectly, he humbles himself, prostrates himself, and he appeals to the divine mercy. Then it is possible for the good work done to bear fruit.

Those who have a little experience with the true apostolate know how deadly proud satisfaction can be! They also know it is a sure sign of not having produced the true fruits of eternal life.

It is necessary, therefore, to have humility and not to seek personal satisfaction but only the glory of God and the true good of souls.

[ Reflections on the Gospels by Don Dolindo Ruotolo]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 18:16:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Today Jesus speaks of the parable of the rich man. This is the parable to which all Christians should pay close attention. This parable can make a difference in one’s soul and where the individual will spend eternity.

To better impress in all hearts just how opposed earthly wealth and pleasures are to what is valued in the sight of God and to describe more effectively how the riches must be used, Jesus tells a most beautiful parable, which is a true revelation of the mystery of the afterlife in reference to the life we live on earth.

There was an Egyptian man so rich that he dressed like a king in purple and fine linen called byssus. He was a bon vivant, and every day he gave splendid banquets. At the door of his sumptuous palace there was a poor, wounded man named Lazarus (an abbreviation for Eleazar). He was sick, exhausted, starving, but he could smell the rich man’s food and hoped to get at least some of the leftovers. But no one gave him anything. Dogs came to lick his wounds, but Lazarus did not even have the strength to shoo them away.

So, from an earthly standpoint we have a splendid life on one hand and a most sorrowful one on the other. But, for God, things are completely different. The poor man, in fact, died and was brought by angels to the bosom of Abraham, that is, to Limbo, where the righteous, in the company of Abraham waited for the Redeemer to open the doors of Heaven. It was a place of happiness and natural peace, far superior to any condition of earthly happiness. Shortly afterwards, the rich man also died, and he was buried in hell. His dissolute life had produced its fruits of death, and in the fire of hell he suffered horrible torments.

From that place of torment, God allowed him to see Abraham and Lazarus in His bosom, far off, together, and in happiness. What a contrast! Hoping to have at least some relief from the pain he was suffering, he turned to Abraham, (the head of the people to which he belonged), begging him to send Lazarus to him so he could dip the tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue, as he was being scorched by the flames. Abraham answered with peace and the love of God that the situation had changed irrevocably. In eternity, the state is immutable, and it was impossible for Lazarus to do anything to change it.

The tormented rich man, seeing that he could not change his situation, worried about his five brothers and begged Abraham to send Lazarus to alert them to the danger they faced. Abraham did not say that Lazarus could not go to them but answered that they already had Moses and the Prophets, and that they could save themselves with the light of the Prophets’ words. The unfortunate man insisted that if they had an appropriate warning from a dead man, they would repent. It seemed to him that the appearance of a happy soul like Lazarus warning them of their own perdition would be enough to convert them. However, Abraham said flatly that if they did not believe Moses and the Prophets they would not believe even the words of a deceased man returning from the dead.

This parable should be a warning to all Christians. The reason the rich man did not go to Heaven wasn’t necessarily because he feasted and dressed splendidly but that he ignored the needs of Lazarus. For this reason, he was destined for a place of torment.

Jesus’ words are very clear! We should not ignore our neighbor when he is in need.

[Source: I Quattro Evangeli (the Four Gospels) by Don Dolindo Ruotolo]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 18:15:00 GMT

My Dear People,

The Readings today deal with how people squander their gifts from God and take advantage of others for selfish gains.

In the first Reading, Amos reminds the people how they behaved and acted against God by pursuing self interests; cheating on transactions; fixing scales, and buying the services of the poor with a pair of sandals. They totally abused their power. This parallels with the Gospel where the steward, seeing that the master takes his time in returning, takes advantage of the servants, squanders the master’s money, and continues to live a life of selfish gratification without any sense of responsibility for the property of the master. He is dishonest and only interested in himself.

The Gospel speaks to the right use of material possessions by Jesus’ followers. The parable, unique to Luke, encourages prudence and resolute action on the part of the disciples. The steward was prudent in thinking of himself, even though he cheated his landlord.

The point that Jesus makes is that his followers should be equally prudent when responding to Him and to His demand for repentance. They would thereby earn an eternal home in heaven. Jesus was concerned because “the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light” (16:8).

After this application of the parable, the Gospel gives several independent sayings by Jesus concerning the use of wealth. Jesus wants His followers to use money to assist the needy and thereby assure their salvation (16:19).

Daily fidelity is also expected of Christians (16:10-12). In this situation, he calls wealth “dishonest” (16:9) because it often leads human beings to put wealth before God. Jesus says one must choose between God and mammon (16:13). Mammon is personified as a false god attracting persons away from the true and only God.

Jesus demands that we serve God, (an honorable activity for every person), and not mammon, (an enslaving and degrading activity). Saint Paul speaks of a greedy person, for example, as an idolater (Ephesians 5:5).

Let us be accountable for how we use the gifts of God, both temporal and spiritual.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 2025

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 22:45:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Today we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a very important feast that precedes the Sunday Liturgy. Jesus spoke of how Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert so those, if bitten, would be healed when they looked at it. Jesus made the comparison with His being lifted up on the cross similar, or parallel to, Moses lifting up the bronze serpent. We read today from the Gospel of John where Jesus employs a biblical figure to explain how He will reveal the Father bringing us eternal healing: “ Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life!”

This is the first of three occasions in the Gospel where Jesus incorporated the verb “ lifted up ” as having a twofold meaning. It can mean “lift up” in a literal sense, as Jesus being physically lifted up from the ground onto the cross. It can also mean lift up in the sense of exaltation. Jesus uses the word in both senses—Jesus being lifted up in ignominy from the ground; yet, while on the cross, it will also be the moment of His exaltation when He preeminently reveals God’s love.

Like the title “ Lamb of God” (1:29), the mention of “lifted up” is an allusion to the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. In the Septuagint text of Isaiah 52:13, the Lord says that His servant will be “lifted high”—using the same Greek verb—“and be exceedingly glorified.” The same Servant, “like a lamb led to the slaughter. . . took away the sins of many” (Isaiah 53:7). The Son of Man, who will be lifted up, is also “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus unfolds the mystery of His cross by referring to the bronze serpent raised up by Moses in the wilderness (Num. 21:4-9). In that incident, the Lord afflicted the Israelites with fiery serpents as punishment for their rebelling and complaining. The Israelites then appealed to Moses to intercede for them. God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and affix it to a pole. When an Israelite gazed at the symbolic portrayal of the effects of his sin, the bronze serpent , he was granted healing and life (21:9). Similarly, whoever gazes in faith at the ultimate effect of human sin, the crucifixion of the Son of God, “is” the spiritual reality. Thus, a living faith experience of heavenly realities becomes the means of entry into eternal, divine life. With this biblical example for Nicodemus, Jesus opens up the possibility of a spiritual understanding of His own tradition inviting Nicodemus to have genuine faith in Him.

Having set forth Jesus’ teaching about eternal life, which His cross makes available, and into which beliefs are born by the Spirit’s action, the Evangelist now penetrates to the heart of this Gospels’ message: “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,

so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish

but might have eternal life !”

The Father’s love for mankind leads Him to give His only Son for the world’s salvation. The world is under condemnation and in spiritual darkness on account of sin, but the Father does not want anyone to perish. Hence, He gives His Son so that the world might be saved through Him. The gift of salvation, which the Father offers us all through Jesus, is eternal life: a participation in the divine life of the Trinity. We accept this gift through faith in Jesus.

Faith is yielding to the action of the Spirit, who first moves a person to address what God has revealed, and to commit one’s whole life to God.

Jesus will later tell the crowd, faith is our consenting to and cooperation with God’s work in us: “ None can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws Him. ” [Taken from commentary on The Gospel of Joh by Francis Martin and William M. Wright]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 22:44:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Jesus Christ entered the home of a leading Pharisee on a Sabbath after receiving an invitation to dine at his house. He had invited Him because he was seeking an occasion to find reason to accuse Him, since the Sacred text says “ they kept their eyes ” on Him.

It would not have been a surprise that at the house of a leading Pharisee, many would have been hostile to the Redeemer.

Speaking to the scribes present and to the Pharisees, Christ told a parable.

It is possible that one of them had been asked by the head of the family to yield his place at the table to another guest of more importance; and maybe he had complained because Jesus began addressing everyone there, encouraging them to take the last place, if not because of virtue, at least in order to not lose face in front of the others.

Certainly, Jesus would have preferred to encourage them to seek the last place because of true and sincere humility, but the guests were not capable of this. So, He was content to convince them at least for human reasons. With this, He wanted, in a way, to promote good manners, which are a sort of preparation and disposition toward true virtue because they always represent a power over one’s weakness and a first attempt at charity toward others.

It is important, in fact, even for the purpose of seeking virtue, to temper one’s actions through a sound education and proper etiquette. True virtue always results in a graceful and gentle way of doing things, but when virtue is missing or has not yet formed, a graceful and gentle way of acting produces in the soul a natural disposition that may facilitate, later, the action of grace. Jesus Christ, obviously, does not exhort anyone to act for a natural purpose, but rather to understand that a lack of virtue will lead to a lack of external behavioral forms that in turn will awaken the contempt of others. Hence, to the Pharisees who, after all, were only interested in being honored in front of everyone, it was enough reason to encourage them to stop being so proud and arrogant—attitudes that were so harmful to their souls.

Perhaps if souls who are beginners in virtue were taught proper etiquette and civil behavior, they would gain virtue itself. Etiquette is like a fine garment put on a poor commoner; it is a motivation to exchange certain bad habits, maybe acquired since birth, with more decent habits. It is then used by the Lord for elevating the spirit. It is the first refinement of disposition that gives itself to God, a stroke of nobility taught to those who are not habitually genteel.

In teaching them to choose the last places at the table, Jesus noticed that at the table of the Pharisee, all the guests were distinguished, and therefore there was a race to take the top place.

It was a vain, ostentatious display of their importance—lavish ceremonies done for self-serving purposes. Jesus, looking into their hearts, saw what went beyond those invitations made for pure opportunism for returning an obligation, or for hindering others; and He felt in that room the chilling absence of any acts of kindness or spiritual motivation. Thus, He turned to the Pharisee, who had invited Him and asked him, next time give dinner, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, and in so doing receive merits before God for his eternal life.

Exhorting him in this way, Jesus gave him a spiritual benefit directing him to the path of true good and so giving him a precious return for the invitation He had received on that day.

The exhortation of Jesus to the Pharisee is very precious to us and is a guide for a very common habit among all peoples, The giving of a banquet, which is usually done to increase the joy of a celebration, should inspire us not to make it a poor reflection of pride or personal interest. Jesus wants the poor and the unfortunate to also participate in our celebrations, not necessarily literally inviting them to the dinner—which would be commendable—but always including them in our joy.

A meal cannot be reduced to gorging. That, of course, would be a shameful thing to do! Rather, it is a gathering of family members and dear friends in an outpouring of generosity, because joy naturally extends itself to others.

Now, as we are all children of the celestial Father, it is right that we share and are generous with those less fortunate. If only the value of our charitable alms could be understood, and we could see the many blessings the poor bring to our celebrations, we would never omit them from our almsgiving and charity. In this way, our banquets will not be reduced to essentially a disguised Epicureanism; and, our simple joy on earth will be changed into the joy of Heaven.

[Taken from Reflection on the Gospel of Luke by Don Dolindo Ruotolo]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 22:44:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Jesus was thinking how different the thoughts of men were, from his own, and the reasons so many do not accept an invitation from God. Thus, to the large crowd of people gathered around Him, He began to say convincingly that it was impossible to reconcile their thoughts and interests with the thoughts of God and eternal interests! He exclaimed: “ if anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and comes after me cannot be my disciple.”

It is evident that Jesus does not mean to hate one’s dear ones. He speaks of one’s closest relationships, and even of one’s very own life, to describe those things we care about the most. In the same way, He said, ( at another time): “pluck out your eye, cut off your hand or your foot if they are the cause of scandal.”

It can happen that parents or people close to us could be against the interests of God, and then it is necessary for us to hate them—that is, to stand opposed to their ways, and to follow a life completely opposite to theirs. Nevertheless, Jesus clearly says, if, what is dear to us or what we are attached to is in opposition to the precepts or the will of God, these must be rejected and opposed by us, as one who hates another.

Hate is establishing a complete separation between two people making them irreconcilable. It is the most effective expression of how our separation should be from the world; from the spirit of the world, and, from all that draws us in opposition to the precepts and love of Jesus.

It is necessary to deny oneself and be convinced that you cannot embrace the Law of the Redeemer without embracing the cross and following Him on the way of immolation and calvary. This is essential and fundamental for whomever really wants to be perfect and attain Paradise.

Whoever does not detach oneself from everything and does not persist to fight the world, the devil and the flesh, becomes like insipid salt, no longer fit for the soil or for the manure pile—that is, it cannot be used as waste, either to enrich the soil directly or to be mixed with fertilizer—but rather is thrown out; rejected by God, and one will lose eternal life. Jesus adds: “ Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear” while addressing His Disciples who would have to build up the Church and fight the great battle with the world, with the devil, and with the flesh. They, more than anyone else, would have to repudiate themselves and renounce everything for the love of God.

The Apostles could not be expected to attain places of honor in the world, nor could they aspire to make arrangements for their families. The apostolate requires a complete renunciation of any bond with the family and any material interest, because they had to go into the world to preach the good news with great tribulation, and even at the cost of losing their own lives.

Our path, too, on this earth is a path of self-denial and sacrifices if we want to follow Jesus and to work to spread His kingdom. Almost always, those who understand our great aspirations the least are our closest relatives. In this case, it then becomes a necessity for us to counteract their ideas or their views in order to follow Jesus faithfully.

We are not for this earth, and so we should not have material comforts, lofty careers, honors, great residences, nor speak of wanton pleasure and revelry as goals for our lives. Let us abandon ourselves to God, seek His Will and His glory!

Let us follow Jesus faithfully and persevere in serving Him until the end, and in so doing attain eternal happiness.

[Reflection on the Gospel of Luke by Don Dolindo Ruotolo ]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 15:51:00 GMT

My Dear People,

While Jesus was walking towards Jerusalem, a man asked Him if only a few would be saved. Jesus Christ did not answer the question directly, because it was not a question that concerned men; only God. How important is it for us to know if there may be only a few who will be saved? For us, it is necessary to be saved! Because we are not predestined to perdition or salvation, to be saved depends on our efforts in doing good and in our filial appeal to divine mercy.

More than knowing the number of the elect, we need to make an effort to belong to that number! We must not presume to have a privileged position in Paradise because we had it on earth, as part of the chosen people. This is the basic meaning of Jesus’ answer. He exhorted them to enter in Heaven through the narrow door, that is, through the path of renouncing our disordered passions and being faithful to the divine law.

The world thinks this path to be narrow and oppressive! Jesus calls it narrow in this sense, but in reality the true narrow and oppressive door is of the evil one, because it ties the soul to the toils of a most awful slavery. The gate of heaven appears narrow, but in reality it is immensely large and beautiful! It is enough to enter it in order to understand.

The narrow door can be seen as the epilogue of one’s life ! When one carries to God what one has done, and if the time of the test has passed, then one cannot do anything to change one’s condition. Divine justice then is like something narrow, in the sense of a precise assessment of a life, self-evident and therefore irrevocable. Many would like in that moment to enter and to change their condition, but they will not be able to do so because the door will be closed. Their life (in time) has ended, and it is not possible to begin again.

To think, as many foolish people do, that after death there can be another way and a new earthly existence to resume the path of life, is just a dangerous fantasy. When one has arrived, one has arrived; and when the door of earthly life is closed, there is no other alternative. Either stay inside with the Father of the family and rejoice, or remain outside to suffer, in eternal perdition.

Speaking directly to the Jewish people, Jesus pointed out that their position of privilege among the peoples of the earth did not constitute a claim for the attainment of eternal glory. If they did not do good works, they, too, would be far from God’s eternity, just as surely as the master of the house is far from someone who is completely unknown to him. They will purely and simply be considered as committers of iniquity, and will be condemned to eternal damnation—away from the saints and away from all persons who are saved who will come from all parts of the world.

Then it will be realized that the “last” called by God to His kingdom will be “first,” and the first, who are part of the chosen people, called by God first, shall be last.

The way of salvation is narrow because many plot against it and try to put obstacles in its path. There is in the world a strange enmity against all that is good, an enmity that comes from diabolical suggestions, and sometimes even ensnares good people, making them involuntarily instruments of the evil one.

It is necessary to continue to walk straight ahead and always look towards the ultimate goal we must reach. [Taken from Don Dolindo Ruotolo on reflection on the Gospel of Luke]

Fr. Vincent Clemente

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 11:18:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Jesus continues focusing on His coming: “ I have come to set the earth on fire.” This fire, different from what Elijah called down from heaven (9:54-55); 2 Kings 1:10), is associated with the Baptism that Jesus still has to receive. The words “fire” and “baptism” are emphasized in the Greek text as the first words in the two parallel sentences. John the Baptist prophesied regarding the one who was “coming,” who would “baptize with the holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). The combination here of fire and baptism therefore foreshadows Jesus sending (24:49) the tongues of fire at Pentecost (Acts 2:3-4), when the disciples will be baptized—that is, filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). The Father’s plan is that the fire (which Jesus longs to see) will come blazing down from heaven (see Luke 9:54) . Before the Spirit can be given in this way, however, Jesus must suffer the “baptism” of his passion and death (see Mark 10:38-39) in order to fulfill the Scriptures (see Luke 18:31). Having set his sights toward Jerusalem, Jesus is hard-pressed with this mission until it is accomplished.

John the Baptist, however, had also warned of a punishment by “fire” (3:9, 17). This image signifies, as well, the judgment that will occur at the Son of Man’s coming (see 17:29-30).

These two different aspects—the giving of the Spirit and judgment—are not surprising since Jesus has come as a sign of contradiction (2:34). He comes offering peace to those who accept it, but since some reject that offer, he brings division. This division will even affect household relationships (see 14:26; 18:29): father and son, mother and daughter, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Such was foretold by the prophet Micah:

For the son belittles his father, the daughter rises up against her mother,

The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and your enemies are members of your household. (Micah 7:6).

However, after this description of family strife, the prophet goes on to describe Israel’s regathering and restoration (Mic 7:12-15). Jesus thus foretells that there will be a time of tribulation at his second coming (see Acts 1:6, 3:18-21; Rom 11:7, 25-26). Jesus’ words also apply to people of every nation. In choosing to follow Jesus, Disciples must be willing to bear with divisions resulting among family and friends who do not share their commitment.

Turning now to the crowds , Jesus notes that they are able to interpret the appearance of external weather-related phenomena— rain coming from the Mediterranean in the west or heat waves from the desert in the south —but not the inner meaning of the present time, which is an opportune time for repenting (see 13:3,5) and recognizing the Messiah. Because of this disparity between the outside and the inside, Jesus calls them hypocrites. When Jesus reaches Jerusalem, he will lament that it, likewise, “did not recognize the time” of His “visitation” (19:44).

Jesus urges the crowd to judge for themselves what is right in the looming crisis of which they are hardly aware. As He travels on the way to Jerusalem, the city that is coming under judgment, Jesus uses a courtroom image involving a case of debt in order to exhort them to waste no time, but to settle the matter while still on the way to court. Otherwise, they will face the judge , who represents God, and be thrown into debtor’s prison, from which one is not released until they’ve paid the last penny.

Debt represents sin, and Jesus’ mission is precisely proclaiming the jubilee year of remission of such debts (4:18-19). However, these debts will not be forgiven without repentance—the sooner, the better, Jesus will now take up this message by issuing an urgent summons to repentance. (13:3,5).

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:43:00 GMT

My Dear People,

In today’s Gospel Jesus is speaking to the Apostles about the responsible servant who is a steward of his master’s possessions while waiting for his return. This leads us to think we, as travelers on earth, are that prudent servant.

In those times, long garments were typically worn, and so traveling people would tie their long garments with a belt around their legs enabling them to move more freely. Jesus wants us to live on earth, like travelers, with girded loins. Also, we are to be like servants waiting for the return of the master, and, not knowing at what time he would return, we are to remain vigilant.

Life is a continuous expectation of death, and death is the solemn moment in which Jesus, the bridegroom of the Church, comes to collect our souls and introduce us to the eternal wedding feast. Because nobody knows the moment of death, Jesus will come suddenly, when we least expect it. Life on earth is like a long night because it does not have the true light of joy, and it is a test.

Life may be regarded as divided into three vigils, as the ancients divided the night: youth, manhood, and old age. The Lord can come during any of these three vigils. It is necessary for us to always be vigilant to welcome Him if we want Him to make us partakers in eternal glory. It is almost like a master who girds himself, then has faithful servants sit down at the table for him to serve. The Lord in His glory gives us His own happiness, and it may be truly said that He nourishes us because in His greatness, He makes himself proportionate to each soul, according to its capacity, and He feeds it with eternal goods.

During the night, thieves can come to steal our soul because demons are always ready to ambush us. We must also be on guard against the incursions of demons that try to compromise the moment when the soul meets God.

Here is a perspective on life that cannot accept illusions and cannot make a Christian hesitant to meet his obligations. Since he is a traveler, he lives in a transient situation, and he cannot be at all interested in what is temporal. He should be even less interested in what deprives him of his eternal goods.

Peter, listening to this teaching, asked the Teacher if it was meant for everyone or only for the Apostles—he would have liked to understand better what it meant to be vigilant and to wait for Him, and so he asked for clarification. Maybe he thought Jesus was speaking of the temporal kingdom they were expecting. Jesus did not answer him directly because it was clear that the instructions were for everyone, but He did add what pertained especially to the Apostles, and in general to the ministers of God. They, in fact, were not only to be vigilant for themselves, but also for all others, as faithful and wise stewards of the gifts of God to souls.

Jesus Christ expresses this thought with a question: “ Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward?” and so on. He spoke in this way because He was surrounded by the scribes and Pharisees who were violent and unfaithful stewards. He wanted to tell him: “Do you believe that there are faithful and prudent stewards who give to everyone what God grants for the good of souls?” And without going into detail, He insists that a minister of God must watch over all souls and perform with great care and fidelity the office received from the Lord towards them, while keeping in mind the final account. Those ministers who believe that life consists of having fun or is just a search for material comforts mishandle souls instead of healing them and give themselves over to a disordered life. During the final judgment, they will be considered unfaithful and will be punished.

With regard to our souls, we must be vigilant at all times and be ready to meet the Lord at any time in our lives, because we do not know when our time will come.

To be vigilant means to be prepared!

[Parts from Don Dolindo Ruotolo’s reflections on the Gospel of Luke]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:42:00 GMT

My Dear People,

An interruption from someone in the crowd leads to a change regarding teaching the disciples not “to be afraid ” nor “worry” about facing persecution. In response to the man’s demand that Jesus settle an inheritance dispute, Jesus declines with a question that hints at His identity. He asks: “ Who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” The question echoes the one once put to Moses: “ Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us?” (Ex. 2:14). Luke includes it twice in Stephen’s speech (in Acts) revealing that, although some Israelites rejected Moses, God appointed him as their redeemer (Acts 7:27,35). Likewise, Jesus will be rejected but He will bring about God’s redemption (Luke 21:28).

Rather than resolve the dispute, Jesus uses the occasion to instruct the crowd to be on guard against all greed . Regarding bodily life (see Luke 12:4-5), Jesus now puts possessions in relative perspective by speaking about treasures in heaven (vv. 21, 33-34). He makes His point with the parable of the rich fool (vv. 16-210, which is unique to Luke). The man’s obsession with his material goods leads to self-absorption. He is only concerned about “me”: my harvest, my grain. The problem is not what he thinks it is—where to store his bountiful harvest — but rather his selfish greed .

In contrast, Joseph in Genesis also “collected grain” abundantly (Gen 41:49), but the purpose was to feed others in time of famine. Here, the man’s focus on himself even extends into the future: “ I shall say to myself.” The Greek word for “self” (in “myself”) is psychè, which refers to a person’s “life” (Luke 6:9). The man thinks he is in control of his life. While congratulating himself for having so many good things stored up, he can therefore rest, eat, drink, and be merry. It seems that he has misinterpreted the similar words of the teacher in Ecclesiastes, who advises finding joy despite life’s toil : “There is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad” (Eccles. 8:15). Forgetting also the end of Ecclesiastes (see Eccles 12:5-7), the rich man thinks that his possessions give him security for many years to come.

God, however, calls him a fool !--a term Jesus earlier applied to the Pharisees (Luke 11;40). The fool says in his heart: “There is no God!” (Ps. 14:1). Effectively, the rich man behaved as if there was no God, since he put his trust in his possessions rather than in God. He is an atheist in practice. However, his plans come to naught, because, that very night , his life (psychè) is demanded of him.

The Greek word “demanded” is used to call in a debt (Luke 6:30; Deut. 15:2-3 LXX). The “life” that the man considered to be his own was really on loan from God . Though he wished “to save his life,” he ended up losing it (Luke 9:24).

The lesson of the parable is what Jesus said earlier about persecution (12:4-5)--keep God in the picture--be not afraid and do not worry. One should view earthly things, whether negative or positive, from the perspective of eternity.

This is precisely what the man did not do. He was too busy thinking about himself to think of God and to thank God for blessing him with a rich harvest. He was also too busy hoarding his wealth rather than sharing it with the poor (see 18:22-23). He stored up treasure for himself rather than “treasure in heaven” (12:33; 18:22), and, so, was not rich toward God.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 16:17:00 GMT

My Dear People,

In this week’s passage, Jesus was praying in a certain place, but the focus is not on where it happened but on what Jesus was doing. He was praying . The disciples, who are by now accustomed to seeing Jesus pray, are inspired to enter more deeply into prayer themselves. So, one of His disciples asked Him, “ Lord teach us to pray as John did with his disciples” (see 5:33) (The rabbis of the time typically gave instruction on prayer to their disciples). In response to the request, Jesus teaches a new prayer, brief but profound, which changes the very way of praying. He sayes to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. . .”

Luke’s version of the Lord’s prayer is shorter than the one in Matthew (Matt. 16:9-13), and contains five petitions instead of seven. Just like the variations in the accounts of Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist, the differences here reflect how the Lord’s prayer was used in prayer and worship in the early Church. Matthew’s version became the one commonly adopted for liturgical, devotional, and catechetical use.

Earlier in His own prayer, Jesus addressed God as “Father” (Luke 10:21). He also explained that as the Son, He could reveal the Father to whomever He wished (10:22). Thus, He now reveals: “when you pray, it is good to begin by addressing God as Father.” Whereas the title “Father” (for God) is typically used in the Old Testament in relation to the people of Israel; (Deuteronomy 32:6; Mal. 2:10); also, to Israel’s king (as a special case). Jesus is distinctive in teaching that ordinary individuals can regularly address God as “Father.” In this way, Jesus invites His disciples to share in the deep intimacy of His own relationship with the Father. Elsewhere, He describes His Father as merciful (Luke 6:36; 15:20), giving (11:13; 12:32), attentive to the human needs (12:30), and forgiving (23:34).

Jesus may have taught the prayer in Aramaic, saying Abba, a word preserved in its original form elsewhere in the New Testament (Mark 14:36; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6). To name God, Abba, or “Father” in prayer expresses a family bond, indicating that “we are called the children of God. It is with “childlike” (see 18:17) trust and simplicity that one should daringly pray the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.

The first two petitions focus on things of God and the last three on the needs of those praying (“us”). The passive form of the petition that God’s name be hallowed—honored as holy—recognizes that God alone can make it happen: “I will sanctify my great name!” (Ezek. 36:23). Empowered by God, human beings, such as Mary, can hold God’s name in reverence: “Holy is His name” (Luke 1:49). The petition also asks for assistance so that one’s life may not profane God’s name, but rather reflect His holiness: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy ” (Lev. 19;2).

The second petition, your kingdom come, recalls the preaching of Jesus and of His disciples about the kingdom. Though the kingdom is already at hand with Jesus, one must also fervently pray for its future coming in power. The petition implicitly asks God’s Kingdom, rather than Satan’s kingdom, to rule in one’s own life.

The petition for bread functions on several levels. First, it is a prayer—made with confidence in God—that life’s basic needs may be met—that those “who are hungry . . . will be satisfied” (6:21). Indeed, the disciples, sent out on missions with no “food,” trusted that God would supply what they needed. Jesus had also multiplied the loaves and all who ate were satisfied.

In the verses that follow, “loaves of bread” and other items of food are used to illustrate Jesus’ teaching on prayer. These examples point to gifts from God of higher order than physical food—for example the gift of “the Holy Spirit” (v.13). This context suggests that the request for bread is also open to spiritual interpretation. For example, recalling the first temptation, it is a reminder that “one does not live by bread alone” (see Matt. 4:4) since one also needs the “word of God” (Luke 1128). Again, the multiplication of the loaves not only signified the feeding of the hungry crowds but also recalled the manna provided in the wilderness and points ahead to the Eucharist. So, too, the Church Fathers thought the petition for bread was a prayer for the new manna of the Eucharist. The words “give us each day” and “daily” are unusual, alluding to the manna, the day’s amount of “bread” that was “given” by God “each day” (Exodus 16:4-5, 15) during the Israelites’ journey to the promised land. Jesus will institute the Eucharist as the bread for the disciples’ journey to the kingdom, which is already present but still awaits its fullness. The petition for bread thus fittingly follows the petition for the coming of the kingdom.

The petition “ forgive us our sins” has a reason attached to it: for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us. Thus, the prayer is also a constant reminder to forgive others, indeed “everyone.” Moreover, the verb “forgive” and use of the word “debts” for sins recall Old Testament legislation regarding the Jubilee (Lev.25:10) and “remission of debts” (Deut. 15:1). In Nazareth, Jesus had announced His jubilee mission of proclaiming “liberty.” (Luke 4:18). He now includes the jubilee in His model prayer , indicating that it is a permanent aspect of His mission.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 16:57:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Jesus stopped at the home of Martha and Mary to share a meal with them. Mary and Martha, however, had different attitudes about hosting Jesus in their home. Mary’s concern was what Jesus could teach her; and so, she sat at His feet soaking up His teachings. Martha, on the other hand, was concerned with how she should serve Jesus. She stayed busy preparing and serving the food.

Martha is not ill-intentioned, and Jesus treats her gently, “Martha, Martha. . . “ The interpretation of her name is a sign of affection and love. He understands her mindset and knows that her desire to serve is ultimately also an expression of love for Him (even if misguided). “You are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.”

What is the “one thing”? The Scripture holds layers of meanings. On a deeper level, the “one thing” that is necessary is communion with God . This is the only thing that matters, and it is all we will do and enjoy in eternity. Martha’s noble intentions cause her to lose communion with Jesus. Staying busy serving is not spending time with Him. Mary seems to understand this as she sits at Jesus’s feet.

Concerning Mary’s actions, we can apply a pleasing interpretation of an important Old testament text. After the Sinai Covenant was solemnized in Exodus: 24:1-8, the leaders of Israel went up on Mount Sinai and shared a meal with God. “They beheld God and ate and drank” (Exod. 24:11). Some ancient Rabbis took this to mean: “They looked at God, and in this way, they ate and drank.” In other words, the Beatific Vision was their sustenance. We can apply this verse to Mary—while Martha tries to prepare a physical meal, Mary beholds Jesus, and that is sustenance enough for her. We should meditate on this concept in Eucharistic Adoration.

This Sunday, we hear these words proclaimed at Mass, our own covenant meal with God present. Yet we need to remember the Mass is not something we do for God, nor is it a meal we host for God. The Mass is something God does for us ! He is the host of the meal.

We do not do God a favor by showing up for church on Sunday and throwing something into the collection plate. This does nothing for God. It does not enhance His dignity or add anything to His power or glory. God does us a favor by hosting a meal for us every Sunday in which He offers Himself to us as food, in the most intimate act of communion with Himself imaginable. Mass is not about what we do for God but about what God does for us.

At this Sunday’s Mass, let’s pray more intensely for God to work in our hearts, to forgive our sins, and to transform the way we think and act. Strive to become like the man of Psalm 15 who is suitable to dwell in God’s presence, or like Mary, who understood the “one thing” necessary and was willing to say “no” to distraction and demands in order to soak in the presence and teachings of Jesus.

Like Mary, be willing to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him, especially before the Blessed Sacrament. Sitting or kneeling before the blessed Sacrament, you will be in communion with God.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:34:00 GMT

My Dear People of God,

Today we talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The scribe attempting to test Jesus and perhaps feeling he might be humiliated amid the populace, who would think him ignorant, asked Jesus: “Who is my neighbor? In other words toward whom would one have to exercise charity? Jesus Christ answered him with a parable recounting an incident that had recently happened.

An Israelite, going from Jerusalem to Jericho fell victim to robbers on the road he traveled (about 17 miles), passing through a desert that even today is infested with robbers. Thus unfortunate instance was sadly not an extraordinary occurrence. The robbers not only stripped the man of everything he had but also beat and wounded him, leaving him half dead on the ground.

A priest, coming from Jerusalem after serving in the temple, saw the unhappy man, beaten and battered but he continued on his way with no pity for him. Forgetting, as a minister of God, he should show pity, he did not want to assume responsibility nor be troubled by someone he did not know. A Levite also did the same: he stopped a moment out of curiosity, maybe with some words of pity, but then he, too, went on his way.

Later, a Samaritan, a traveler, stopped, bandaged the man’s wounds after pouring oil and wine on them to soothe the pain as was done in ancient times. Then he put him on his own beast and brought him to a public inn, located on the outskirts of Jericho, and cared for him.

They remained overnight! In the morning, the Samaritan had to continue his journey, so he left him in the care of the innkeeper. He paid him two silver coins and promised to cover any additional expense incurred when he returned.

When He finished the parable, Jesus asked the scribe: “ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” The scribe answered: “the one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus then said to him: “Go and do likewise.”

Samaritans were hated by the Jews who paid them back with equal hostility, and yet this Samaritan took care of a Jew. Would a Jew have done the same for a Samaritan? Certainly not! Neither the Priest nor the Levite had pity for their fellow-countryman, even though they should have taken care of his soul because of their sacred ministry.

He who has mercy and helps another who is suffering is his neighbor! Also, a man who regards his neighbor without any distinction of nationality, race, or religion, establishes a holy brotherhood among men--which is mutual charity. It is necessary to break down the barriers of social divisions and to give each other the embrace of charity, which is the strongest feeling of peace among nations.

We live in cruel and hypocritical times, where empty words abound. Social assistance and initiatives to practice it are plentiful, but charity is lacking because services which should be provided become bureaucracy and are limited to the privileged few. Those living in poverty who really are suffering are shunned and considered outsiders.

Often the social services emitted are virtually a joke (although not deliberately so), because they lack the very basis of charity that is inspired by the love of God. If the Lord is not present within us, charity is not achieved for Him under the inspiration of His grace. It is not possible to see the reason why one must help one’s neighbor without this inspiration because, if we do not see a person through the lens given to us by God, our neighbors in reality are strangers, and they could even be our opponents.

If only the world, instead of wasting time in useless man-made initiatives to diminish human suffering, would love God, they would then receive from above the lifegiving grace of charity! If only men would see that any initiative inspired by secular norms of society and not by God is inexorably destined to be devoured by fraud and selfishness!

Social assistance programs proliferate based on tax receipts and not on living charity! They truly yield very poor results and sometimes they even achieve the opposite of what their purpose is, because opportunists and embezzlers take advantage of them.

Mankind and nations have attempted thousands of experiments of all kinds to attain a certain acceptable standard of happiness but have not yet tried in earnest to turn truly to God, loving Him with their whole hearts and glorifying God in all the activities of their lives.

The earth is illuminated by the sun during the day, and the moon is the splendor of its night! The sun in our lives during daylight is our love for God and the moon during the night is our troubles and misfortunes lit with the love for neighbor, which is a reflection of the love for God. It is not possible to conceive a different life or claim such peace and spiritual welfare. Both corporeal and eternal, can come from other sources. There is no substitute for the love of God and where it is not, there is only desolation and the night of eternal death.

O Lord raise this shining sun over our desolate valley, light in our hearts a true and deep love for You, so that among men charity, peace, temporal and eternal goodness can flourish.

You must come, Jesus to heal us; but you cannot come if our love does not call on you.

You are the merciful Samaritan who came to heal us, redeeming us and leading us to your Church to find salvation. Come again our way, to heal our wounds and restore us to life in your Church. Once, You paid the price of our redemption and You continue to pay it for us. Free us from the wounds of our corrupt nature. You can still save us if we truly love you! Demonstrating our love for You with a full, Christian and holy life, we strive to fully align our will to your adorable Will.

[Source From the reflection on the Gospel of Luke by Don Dolindo Ruotolo]

Fr. Vincent Clemente

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 11:58:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Today in the 10 ^th Chapter of Luke, Jesus sends His seventy-two Disciples ahead to towns He intends to visit. As the end of His mission approached, Jesus Christ increased the number of ministers of His word in order for the Word to be spread with greater urgency throughout all of Palestine. He elected seventy-two Disciples to whom He gave special faculties. Since the Apostles were the first Bishops of the world, with St. Peter as their head, the selected disciples were more like priests. Jesus, Himself, formed the hierarchy. He was at the top! St Peter was the head of the Apostles; His vicar; and the Church, followed by the seventy-two disciples who collaborated and worked with Him and the Apostles. He therefore sent them to every city where He was going to be to prepare the souls for His coming and instructed them on how to perform this mission with appropriate teachings.

First, He inspired in them a real concern for the souls they would meet, saying: “ The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.” They especially had to have great concern for the work about to be done, and they were not to not worry about their own comfort.

Why didn’t Jesus elect more disciples? Because recognizing a vocation and having the attitude to undertake a supernatural mission are the fruits of graces that not everyone accepts! In order to receive and align oneself with such grace, it is necessary to pray intensely. It is the Lord who sends laborers into His vineyard, and Jesus elected the Apostles and the Disciples after a long period of prayer with the Father.

Prayer is in our hands as well and can give us omnipotence. God requires it of us so we may cooperate with Him in the great works of His love. God could have created the children of Abraham out of stones, but instead, God wants us to cooperate both on the election of those who will become ministers and on the salvation of their souls. This great law of love and fertility reveals how much God loves us and with what intensity He respects our freedom.

The chosen Disciples had to preach the Divine Word to save souls, but they also had to seek and choose their successors. In this latter effort they would have to pray to God to multiply the vocations of future laborers. The Church in fact would become itself an apostolate and in the Church there had to be, more than in the nations, the so-called spiritual demographic problem. It would not be enough to perform a holy work in the Church and then abandon it. It was necessary to let it germinate and continue to ripen. And then to seek (through prayer) from God who would continue to oversee it to its maturity..

What would be the use of sowing a field in order to bear fruits without the seeds? The souls won to this faith are the fruit of the vineyard of God! The priests are like seeds because they, with the help of God, enable new plants to germinate continually.

The harvest grows not by the power of the farmer but by the fertility that God gives to the land; but if a farmer does not cultivate and harvest it, it rots. Thus, to go in the Name of God to sow the Word also includes the need to preserve and multiply the fruits and so, Jesus addressing not only the disciples, but the Church in all ages says: “ I pray the Lord of the harvest, to send out laborers for His harvest.”

In sending out His disciples, Jesus considered the great difficulties of their ministry, saying: “Behold, I send you as lambs among wolves”. They were not going to harvest peacefully; rather, they were going to be met with souls full of misery and agitated by passions. They had to overcome this resistance with humility and goodness. This is a fundamental and constant character of the apostolate in the Church. Any deviation from this approach produces only ruin in souls.

Everyday experiences confirm this, and it is wonderful that the Church has always been faithful in the selection of her great and holy ministers of the apostolate and the hierarchy.

Misguided souls are sometimes fierce and terrible, and it is indeed appropriate to liken them to wolves. They can be unruly, aggressively greedy, arrogant, violent, and often have at their disposal the worldly means to resist, even with weapons, and will push themselves to the most violent extremes. This violent resistance took place in the Jewish nation and in the pagan nations when Christianity began to spread. In modern nations more or less apostolate from God, it is often far more barbaric, savage, and aggressive than in pagan nations.

The Church does not go to them with vehemence or with force, even at the cost of appearing overwhelmed or defeated, or even at the cost of alienating those who would love to see in Her the power of Her strength. She is in diametric opposition to the modern generations, who are accustomed (from an early age) to violence: She remains faithful to the fundamental precept of her divine Founder, advancing steadily as a lamb among wolves.

One of the glories of the Church is the calm and solemn voice of the Pope, in tragic international times, and the serene objectivity of Vatican diplomacy. The world the church faces is certainly a wolf, capable and bloodthirsty. But it is true, in the end, it is always overcome by the gentle and quiet dignity of the Church.

Jesus Christ wants His disciples to go as carriers of peace and with a plan of charity. Sacred ministry is fundamentally a question of peace, and its fruits are fruits of peace. Those who refuse it, refuse peace. It is not this way in sacred ministry, however. The man who engages in it does so principally for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls. His work of peace becomes fruitful for those who accept it and profit from it! And this peace remains in them.

The minister of the Divine Word, consequently, must always and constantly have the thought and the desire to glorify God in his apostolate. He should not lose hope if he is not successful with certain souls but instead should content himself with praying intensely for them so that the mercy of God may conquer and save them.

Souls put thousands of obstacles and difficulties in the way of their salvation, and to enlighten them or to renew them is very hard work and truly an epic struggle. Sometimes their intellect is clouded and unswerving in a false aspiration, and their heart is entangled in a web of deceit and does not wish to be unraveled from it. Kindness in their regard seems intolerable, because of their hostility. They despise all that is done for them, and would rather run away from the paths of salvation.

In these difficult battles, which are able to consume the soul and the body of a minister of God or a person dedicated to the apostolate, the word of Jesus is of supreme comfort! What is done is not lost! On the contrary, grace is granted and returned to those who do good! It returns, (in the strictest sense), as an experience, as an impetus for an increased vigilance on oneself, as a greater desire to pray, to be humble, to have self-control, and also to try again to return to the task better prepared to evangelize other souls.

[Source from Rev. Dolindo Ruotolo commentary on the Gospel of Luke]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Sts Peter and Paul, the Apostles, 2025

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 11:55:00 GMT

My Dear People.

A sincere thank you to all who helped and participated in the procession of Corpus Christi last week . Today, June 29, we celebrate Saints Peter and Paul, two great Apostles! Both were martyred in Rome. Both were buried in Rome. St. Peter is buried beneath the Basilica of St. Peter. Likewise, where St. Paul was buried, there is the Basilica of St. Paul.

Following the death of Peter, Linus was elected to govern the church. It has been so until today! Today, Pope Leo XIV, who is governing the church, is the one who sits at the chair of Peter. The proclamation of Peter being the head of the church comes from Matthew 16, the Gospel we read this Sunday. Jesus asks the Apostles: “who do you say that I am? ” And Peter replies, ”You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

This happened in the region of Caesarea-Philippi located in the headwaters of the River Jordan in the northern part of Galilee. This was a Hellenistic city mainly populated by Gentiles, and it was home to a cultic shrine dedicated to the deity Pan.

Now, Jesus, who is safely removed from the Jewish crowds and the surveillance of his opponents, can pose the all-important question to His Apostles: “ Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” As it turns out, the opinion polls are divided . There is no consensus as to the identity of Jesus. Some say John the Baptist, others say he was Elijah, others identify him as Jeremiah. The common thread that unites these opinions is the perception that Jesus stands in line with the prophets.

Jesus now puts the question to His disciples: “ But, who do you say that I am?” The response comes from Simon Peter, who declares: “You are the Messiah!” Here we have a confession of faith that stands out amid the cacophony of conflicting opinions heard throughout Galilee But what does it mean to say that Jesus is the Messiah?

The title represents a Hebrew term that means ‘Anointed One’ . In the Old Testament, we see it applied to the priests and kings of Israel, both of whom were installed in office by a rite of anointing. Occasionally anointing is also associated with the office of prophets (1 Kings 19:16). Though the specific term messiah is rarely used in the Old Testament, it is beyond question that Israel’s messianic hope is deeply embedded in the texts and traditions of Scripture.

Peter not only declares Jesus to be the Messiah, he also confesses Him to be the Son of the Living God. This is because, as noted above, the anointed kings of David’s line were reckoned as God’s sons (2 Sam 7:17’ Ps 27).

This does not mean that Peter used the expressions synonymously. There was certainly a basis in Israel’s royal ideology for linking the two ideas together. But Matthew’s Gospel has made it clear that the Sonship of Jesus is utterly unique (11:27) and transcendent (3:17). He is the Son of the living God in a sense that is far more profound than the response that comes back to Peter: “ Blessed are you, Simon!”

Jesus accepts the confession that He is the Messiah and God’s Son without hesitation or qualification. The reason Peter is blessed is because flesh and blood did not make it known to him, but he received this insight into the majesty of Jesus as a revelation from the Father.

Just as Simon declares Jesus to be “the Messiah” and “the Son of the living God” in verse 16, so Jesus responds to him in similar terms, only in reverse order. He declares that Simon is the “son of Jonah” in verse 17 and then verse 18 calls him Peter . To modern ears, this is a familiar first name, the meaning of which is often no longer remembered. But in ancient times, before rise of Christianity, the Greek word rendered “ Peter” (Petros) was simply a noun meaning “rock.”

Finally, Jesus mentions “my church” for the first time in the Gospel. The Greek word for church, ekklesia, takes its meaning from Greek Old Testament , where it is used for the “assembly” or “congregation” of the people of God (e.g., Deut 9:10; Josh 8:35; 1 Kings 8:65).

A second indication that the rock imagery is connected to the building of a temple lies in Jesus’ statement that the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against His church. In symbolism of Israel’s theology, the gates of the netherworld were the opening leading down to Hades, also called Sheol, or the Pit, which was the dark and gloomy underworld hidden deep within the bowels of the earth. There the souls of the dead sank down into a shadowy, joyless existence. There, also in Jewish thinking, was the habitation of infernal powers that bring death and deception into the world of the living.

Peter was given the comparable role in the living temple built by the Messiah. Thanks to the blessing by Jesus on Peter, it now made the rock of the new temple neither death, nor the devil; nor would his deceiving spirits ever prevail against the Church.

Jesus then promises to entrust Peter with the keys to the kingdom of heaven . This mention of keys in conjunction with the kingdom has its basis, once again, in the Davidic traditions of the Old Testament. For most of the monarchical period, the possessor of the keys was the chief steward of the kingdom of David. He was the senior official who held the most powerful government position in Israel under the king.

We are invited to see Peter in these terms because the statement— Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven— is the allusion to Isaiah 22:22. There the prophet announces that “the key of the house of David” will pass from the hands of one royal steward, Sheba, to his successor, Eliakim. Of Eliakim it is said that “when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open.” Peter, too, will be installed as the chief steward of the kingdom, but this will not be a government position under an earthly head of state. Instead, he is chosen to be the prime minister of the universal Church under the Davidic Messiah.

Inasmuch as the office of chief steward in Israel was occupied by a line of successors, it is reasonable to suppose that Peter’s authority is likewise intended for successors. In fact, Isaiah 22:22 is a text in which the focus is precisely the succession of the office from one royal steward to the next.

This is where and how we get the papacy, and the one to succeed St. Peter who sits on his chair. The current steward to sit at the chair of Peter is Pope Leo XIV.

[Passages from the Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri]

Many Blessings to all on this holy Jubilee year,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession at St. James Catholic Church

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 17:51:00 GMT

Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession at St. James Catholic Church

Sunday, June 22, 2025 from 10 AM to 11 AM – After 9 AM Mass – Refreshments and fellowship after

Lake Placid, FL

You are invited! The public is welcome.

St. James Catholic Church will hold a Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession after the 9 AM Mass on Sunday, June 22, 2025.

Led by Father Vincent Clemente and followed by Parish members, the procession will stop at several stations for prayer.

“The procession with the Blessed Sacrament… reminds us that we are called to go out and bring Jesus to others. To go out with enthusiasm, bringing Christ to those we meet in our daily lives.” Pope Francis, Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, 6 June 2021

A #EucharisticProcession, just like Eucharistic Adoration, is an extension of the worship of Jesus Christ, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

The supreme act of adoration and the source and summit of the Christian life is the celebration of the Mass, and that celebration is prolonged and intensified through Eucharistic worship outside of the Mass.

In Eucharistic Processions, the missionary aspect of the Eucharist is emphasized as we go forth into the world. Not only gazing upon our Eucharistic Lord, but walking with him, we experience what the disciples did 2000 years ago as they walked with Jesus, proclaiming the Good News to the world.

A parish community that undertakes a Eucharistic Procession has made the decision to publicly proclaim its belief in Jesus’ True Presence in the Eucharist. By this public witness of faith, the parish invites people in the community to encounter the Risen Lord present in the Eucharistic Host.

For those who participate in the procession, it is an opportunity not only to proclaim their faith but also to grow in their faith. The procession is, finally, an invitation to Jesus himself to be a part of our daily lives, to be immersed in the world in which we live.

“We entrust these streets, these homes, our daily life, to his goodness. May our streets be streets of Jesus! May our houses be homes for him and with him! May our life of every day be penetrated by his presence.” Pope Benedict XVI, Homily on Corpus Christi, 26 May 2005.

Eucharistic Processions became more prominent as the worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass grew in popular devotions and as the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist became more of a central focus of theological study. In the 13th Century, when the Solemnity of Corpus Christi was established for the universal Church,

Eucharistic Processions quickly became a part of that celebration.

Over the following centuries, Eucharistic Processions spread more and more throughout the Church. The Church has consistently encouraged the development and growth of Eucharistic Processions.

In many parts of the world today, Eucharistic Processions are a very important form of Eucharistic piety. Different cultures have developed traditions surrounding Eucharistic Processions including street decorations, songs, prayers, and other devotions.

Join Us! Call the church for questions: 863-465-3215

The Most Holy Trinity, 2025

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:34:00 GMT

My Dear People,

This week’s Gospel is on the meditation of the Trinity. Here Jesus continues to teach the Apostles about the Spirit, but in the process, He explains the relationship of the Spirit to the other Persons.

“When He comes, the Spirit of truth will guide you to all truth.” In other words, the word “you” is second person plural. Jesus is speaking to the Apostles as a group. They are the seed and nucleus of the hierarchy of the Church, the font of the Episcopal conference. So, when the successors of the Apostles are gathered together, as they once were in the Upper Room, the Spirit will not fail to lead them into the fullness of God’s truth.

“ He will declare to you the things that are coming .” This line seems strikingly prophetic since it is written down by John, the Apostle whom tradition identifies as the author of Revelation—the book which reveals all the things that are coming soon.

“Everything that the Father has is mine; . . . He will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” Here we see the unity of the Godhead as well as the principle of the development of dogma.

The Father and Son are united! They commonly possess all; and out of the treasury of this infinite common goodness, the Spirit and the mystery of God and His saving works is too infinite to be exhaustively written down. Knowing this, Jesus did not leave the Apostles and the Church with a book but with the Spirit, who would continue down through the ages “taking from what is mine” and “declaring it to you.”

This is what, in fact, has happened. Down through the ages, the Church has entered ever more deeply into the mystery of God. The doctrine of the Trinity is itself a good example. The reality of the Trinity is the foundation of the cosmos. God has always been, always will be, Triune. The Scriptures bear witness to this fact even if they do not define the Trinity in its particulars.

The definitions and particulars had to be worked out over centuries, as the Spirit took from what is mine and declared it to you--through the writings of the saints and the decisions of the Councils. Gradually, the picture of the truth became even sharper, reaching a milestone of clarity at the Council of Chalcedon 1451. The picture did not change and never will. This is not an evolutionary process. Rather the picture became more clear and better defined.

We might wish we had lived in the time of the early Church (when we imagine there was more energy and purity of faith.) That may be, but we should be grateful we live now, because now we benefit from the vastly superior clarity the faith enjoys today.

In those ancient days, if someone had claimed Jesus had been created, you would have known instinctively that he or she was wrong, and you would have had some Scriptures (i.e. the Gospel of John) to rely on, but you would be without any clear, definitive written judgment of the Church. Now, almost every person on the globe can access the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church—which is delightfully clear and specific—via the internet in seconds. Never has it been so easy to know the truth of salvation.

We should be grateful for the many Councils, Fathers, and Doctors of the church through the centuries who have been instruments of the spirit, enabling Him to “take from what is mine and declare it to you,” enriching and clarifying the faith and the truth of God for our benefit, making it easier to believe and to live a life of holiness.

“Everyone to whom much is given of him, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Throughout the history of the church, the Spirit has given us much from the Father and the Son, a great body of teaching to “guide us to all truth.”

This Sunday let us give thanks to the holy Trinity for the riches and clarity of our faith and all the teachings we have received that help us understand and practice the way of salvation.

Further, let’s beg the Holy Trinity for the actual graces we need to give a good return on the “deposit of faith” that we have received in apostolic outreach and good works.

[Parts taken from Reflection on Sunday Readings for Year C by Dr. John Bergsma]

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Pentecost Sunday, 2025

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:13:00 GMT

My Dear People,

As we celebrate Pentecost this Sunday, I want to thank all the candidates who were confirmed here at St. James on May 23, 2025. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide you the rest of your lives.

The Last Supper Gospel discourse (John 13-17) contains the largest section of Jesus’ teachings on the Holy Spirit, so the church refers to this unit quite heavily during Easter, especially as the weeks draw near to Pentecost.

Several observations we can make about this passage are: First, the Spirit Christ sends to us is the “ Spirit of Truth .” Jesus taught what is true and taught us to seek the truth.

It is not the Church but the culture that believes in things that aren’t true. Years from now, in hindsight, everyone will recognize how many falsehoods with dogmatic certainty our culture believes !

There is no evidence for a god;
The baby in the womb isn’t a person;
All living things could come to be by random chance and natural laws;
There’s no such thing as sin;
Sex outside of marriage has no negative consequences; etc.

We live in a surreal world of brainwashing and falsehoods in which the truth of Christ seems odd and unrealistic. But the Gospel message is meant to lead us into the real world and out of the fantasies of contemporary culture. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, not fiction.

Jesus says, “When He comes, the Spirit of Truth will guide you into all truth.” We have here an important teaching that leads ultimately to the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church. Jesus is speaking here not to individual Christians, but to the Apostles gathered as a body. They are the nucleus of the Church’s leadership, represented later by an ecumenical council, who are the successors of the Apostles around the world when they gather together to reconstitute the Apostolic College.

Christ promises the Spirit will lead the gathered Apostles “into the truth.” For this reason, we have confidence that when the Apostolic college is gathered, it will not err. If it did, then the Spirit would not have led them “into the truth.” Confidence in the Church is ultimately confidence in the Holy Spirit. If the leaders of the whole church, who are gathered together in obedience to Christ, err in doctrine , then we likely would have very little confidence in the truth of our faith. So, we speak of the infallibility of an ecumenical council, taking a risky step of faith to believe that Jesus’ promise is true in an objective and tangible way.

Secondly, “He will not speak on His own. . . He will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” This makes evident the continuity between the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit does not enable us to “surpass” the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and “evolve” into some higher plane of spirituality. Throughout Church history, there have been various movements that have arisen—some of a conservative nature and some of a progressive nature—claiming the Spirit has led them to insights that overturns the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Gospels, or the Apostles. Such movements have abandoned some or all of the sacraments, the successors of the Apostles, and various moral teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. There’s more than a hint of it in the contemporary movement to change the Church’s teachings on marriage from what Jesus defined and St. Paul clarified. Some even feel the spirit is causing us to evolve into a higher state of truth.

But the Spirit does not overturn the Gospel and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, and Son of David. This Jesus is God. The Spirit leads us deeper into understanding this teaching . He does not lead us to surpass or overturn it. There is a “Hermeneutic of continuity” between Christ and the Spirit.

Thirdly, Jesus says, “you also testify.” While that command has its immediate application to the Apostles themselves, nonetheless it also applies to the whole church. We must testify to the truth of faith in the middle of a culture that is founded on multiple falsehoods. The Spirit gives us the power to do that, the power to understand more deeply the teaching of Christ, and also to proclaim it boldly.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

The Ascension of the Lord

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:11:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Jesus, today, instructs His Disciples about the fulfillment of the Scriptures and announces their future missions. First, He explains how it was necessary that everything written about Him in the Old Testament came to fulfillment. He opened their minds to understanding the Scriptures. He also told them they were witnesses to these events; His suffering, death, and resurrection. He explains that repentance for forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name. This is the mission now assigned to the Apostles and the other Disciples. Indeed, in Acts, repentance and forgiveness of sins via the name of Jesus will become the core message of the Apostles’ preaching (this is called kerygma). The beginning of the Apostles’ mission in Jerusalem will thus recall the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Nazareth, as read from Isaiah’s announcement of a Jubilee, which explains why He was sent to proclaim liberty. Now, Jubilee is being extended in time and space. From Jerusalem, the liberty that is forgiveness will be preached to all nations. The Apostles and Disciples will be witnesses of all these things about Jesus: His words; deeds; life; death; and resurrection.

One last instruction is that they should stay in the city until they are clothed with power from on high, enabling them to carry forward their mission. This power, which Jesus also describes as the promise of his Father whom he is sending upon them, is the Holy Spirit. (which the Disciples will receive at Pentecost.) As Jesus carried out His ministry “in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14), so too will His followers be filled with the power of the Spirit to carry out their mission of spreading the gospel. You are witnesses—as the Apostles carried out their mission, “with great power” bearing “witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33).

In addition, all Christians are entrusted with the apostolate in one way or another (Catechism 900). In other words, we are called to be witnesses to Jesus in our lives and thus advance His mission. “Clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). —the power of the Holy Spirit received through Baptism and Confirmation—we can bear witness to Jesus by our deeds and by our words. This is what the early Christians did, and thus the faith spread quickly (despite persecution), to every part of society. This is what Christians today can and ought to do: joyfully share their faith with family members, friends, and coworkers .

Luke’s Gospel concludes with an account of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, in which he elegantly presents Jesus, the Messiah, as a Priest, Prophet, and King. Moreover, as Lord (2:11), Jesus is to be worshipped. Though the timing of the event is not explicit here, Luke indicates in Acts: 1:9-11—that it took place “forty days” after the resurrection (Acts1:3). After giving his final instructions, Jesus led His Disciples [out] of Jerusalem. The Greek word exago (lead or bring out), which occurs only here in Luke’s Gospel, is the verb typically used in the Septuagint. Jesus now completes His exodus from Jerusalem to heaven . Just like the prophet, Elijah, Jesus is taken up to heaven.

His followers will then receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 2Kings 2:9,11,15).

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

6th Sunday of Easter

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:50:00 GMT

My Dear People,

During these last days and before the Feast of the Ascension, we, liturgically, “re-live” the end of the forty-days the Apostles spent with Jesus as He prepared them for His departure. We have no record of Jesus’s teachings during this time, either in Acts or in the Gospels. So, the Church turns to Jesus’s discourse (by John) during the Last Supper, because Jesus speaks extensively about His imminent departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said to His disciples : “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my word; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.”

Here we see the convergence of love and obedience. Liberal Christianity, fond of forcing a wedge between these, asserts:

“We used to follow the commands of a God of justice,”

but now we are in a relationship with a God of love.”

There is no disjunction between these realities. Commandments and obedience merge into love. God’s commands are given for our good, and to show us the path to love. Our obedience shows that we both love and trust Him. A lawless Christianity is not loving, no matter how exuberant the worship or how much emotion is expressed in the prayer.

The Father and Son promise to “make our dwelling” with the one who “keeps my word.” This is a Temple theme, picking up the motifs of the Second reading. The one who keeps the word of Jesus becomes the “new Jerusalem,” the dwelling place of the ”Lord God almighty and the Lamb.”

“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

This passage is not a promise of infused, infallible knowledge for each individual believer. We must remember that these words were spoken to the Apostles as a group. This is a promise of the Spirit to the whole Church, as represented by her officers, the Apostles—and by extension, their successors. This promise of being “taught” and “reminded” of the truth told to them by Jesus is best expressed when they gather as a college to seek to understand and explain the faith better—which is what we saw happening in the First Reading. The Ecumenical Councils throughout history best manifest the truth of this promise of Jesus that the Holy Spirit would “reach” and “remind” his Church throughout time.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.

On the one hand, this verse is a word of consolation to the whole Church and to each individual believer. God will provide a supernatural peace that cannot be explained or justified on rational or observational grounds. Though all seem turned against us, and persecutions and tribulations abound, still we can experience a lasting peace unlike anything natural or of this temporal world.

On the other hand, this promise of peace follows directly from the promise of “teaching and reminding” the apostolic college in previous verse. The authoritative teaching of the Apostles and their successors assembled around Peter (that is, an ecumenical council) brings peace in the church by settling questions of dispute and establishing doctrine clearly.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid! You heard me tell you: ‘I am going away, and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you believe me.”

In these last words, Jesus cares for the Apostles and provides pastoral comfort, “pastoring the pastors” so that they remain courageous and confident in their duties even when the apparent absence of Jesus Himself is realized. But, His words of comfort touch all Christians: we ought not be troubled or afraid because we have confidence in the return of the Lord. The tribulations we are experiencing are nothing or unexpected. He warned us ahead of time that they would take place so that we can maintain our faith during the time of testing .

To summarize, in these Readings, the Holy Mother Church speaks to us about how to have peace. The path to peace includes (1) Faithfulness to the teachings of the apostolic college, rather than trusting in private judgment or rouge pastors. (2) Obedience to the word of Jesus, so that the Father and Son may dwell in our hearts and give us their peace. (3) Trust in Jesus’s promise that He will return and bring us to live with the Father.

[Passages from Reflection on the Sunday Mass Reading for year C, by John Bergsma” ]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

5th Sunday of Easter

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:48:00 GMT

My Dear People,

In today’s readings St. Paul is not cowed by persecution and physical suffering. He knows that his crisis is the prelude to abundant spiritual fruit. He knows, also, that there are many people within the region who embrace the Gospel. St. Luke records progress and success of acceptance of the word of God, and he also shows that its preachers certainly encounter the cross. The Gospel meets with acceptance everywhere—and with opposition. “Where there are many laurels,” St. Ambrose says, “There is fierce combat. It is good for you to have persecutors: that way you attain more rapid success in your enterprises.”

The Apostles had no difficulty pointing to events to show the Disciples that suffering and difficulties form a part of Christian living. “Cross bearing, toil, anguish: such will be your lot as long as you live. That was the way of Christ, and the Disciple is not above his master.” (J. Escrivà, The Way, 699).

Each one of us has at some time or other experienced that serving Christ Our Lord involves suffering and hardship. To deny this would imply that we have not yet found God. Far from discouraging us, the difficulties we receive spur us on to mature as Christians. This fight sanctifies us and gives effectiveness to our apostolic endeavoring,” (J. Escriva, Friends of God, 28,216).

The appointment of elders in each church means that certain Christians were invested with a ministry of government and religious worship by a liturgical rite of ordination. They share in the hierarchical and priestly ministry of the Apostles, from whom their own ministry derives.

Vatican II teaches that the ministry of priests shares in the authority by which Christ Himself builds up and sanctifies and rules His Body. The ministerial office of priests is essential to the life of every Christian community, which draws its strength from the word of God and the sacraments. Their priesthood (derived from our Lord) is essentially different from what is called the “priesthood common to all the faithful.” A man becomes a priest of the New Testament through a special calling from God. The priestly life is a sublime vocation which cannot be delegated or transferred to anyone else. It is a lifelong vocation and means that one has to give himself entirely to God. This he can do, with the help of grace, because “we do not claim back our gift once given.”

It is important to know that if one is called to Priesthood or any other form of serving God, that one responds. It is not important to be concerned about the qualities of any individual, what is important is to be humble and submit to God’s will. God will work with any individual, in any circumstance, provided that the individual will respond to the call of God. God uses weak and frail individuals to do great things—it is the grace of God that makes it all possible. As St Paul said, the grace of God works through the weakness of the individual. All one needs to do is to respond and be available to God’s call.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

4th Sunday of Easter

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:48:00 GMT

My Dear People ,

Jesus initiates a very personal dialogue with Simon Peter, which focuses on the way Peter will bear witness to the risen Lord. It takes place after the breakfast, which was prepared on “a charcoal fire” (21:19)—a detail that recalls Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus in Anna’s courtyard, where he stood warming himself by “a charcoal fire” (18:18). Peter denied Jesus three times, thereby rejecting Jesus and his own status as a Disciple. Jesus does not address him as “Peter” but as Simon, son of John , which was his name before becoming Jesus’ Disciple and the “rock.” Moreover, when Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him more than these , He reminds Peter about his solitary boast to be willing to lay down his life for Jesus and Jesus’ prophecy of Peter’s threefold denial (13:37-38). Jesus now invites Peter to repent and profess his love for Him three times and, in so doing, restore their relationship.

Jesus asks Simon three times. Do you love me, and three times Peter answers: “ You know that I love you.” After each profession of love from Peter, Jesus assigns him a responsibility as the shepherd of His sheep. “Feed my lambs. . . Tend my Sheep. . . Feed my sheep.” Throughout the Bible, people appointed by God to lead and govern His people are often spoken of as shepherds (e.g. 2 Sam 5:2; Ezek. 34:2; 1 Pet 5:2). In the Fourth Gospel, this scene recalls the Good Shepherd Discourse (10:1-18). Jesus is the good shepherd , and He gives Peter a unique share in His work of shepherding. As shepherd of Christ’s sheep, Peter has a special role as leader and custodian of Jesus’ disciples (See Matt 16:17-19; Luke 22:32). Modeled on the good shepherd, Peter’s office as shepherd is one of self-sacrificial service and care for the sheep (10:11-15). It is built upon Peter’s own discipleship and personal love for Jesus, for in 21:19, Jesus gives Peter the command that applies to all disciples: “Follow me. ” At the heart of both discipleships in the church is the personal love for Jesus.

The good shepherd “ will lay down his life for his sheep” (10:15). Like Jesus, Peter’s role as the shepherd of Jesus’ sheep extends to the laying down of his own life, culminating in his martyrdom. Peter previously professed his willingness to lay down his life for Jesus (13:37) and Jesus said that Peter “Will follow later” (13:36). Now Jesus tells Peter: “ When you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted.” As the shepherd, Peter will have to lay down both his will and his life for Christ. “ But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hand, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” The phrase “ stretch out your hand ” refers to crucifixion, and Peter was martyred by crucifixion during the persecution of Christians in Rome around A.D. 65. The Evangelist clarifies that Jesus had been talking about Peter’s death by which he would glorify God. Peter, therefore, will bear witness to the Lord by serving as leader of Christ’s disciples and by laying down his life as martyr. Recall the term “martyr” is from the Greek word “witness.”

With the command, “ Follow me” , Jesus emphasizes that Peter’s own leadership with Him as a Disciple lies at the heart of his role as shepherd. When speaking about His own death, Jesus said, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be” (12:26). For Peter to serve as the shepherd of Jesus’ sheep, he must follow Jesus completely, even to the point of laying down his life (13:37). He must carry out his role as shepherd, of imitating Christ the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (10:15), and thus performs the greatest act of love (15:13).

[Source from Gospel of John by Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

3rd Sunday of Easter, 2025

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:01:00 GMT

My Dear People ,

[Source from Gospel of John by Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Divine Mercy Sunday, 2025

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Congratulations to all the candidates who entered the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil. Mary Alexander. Araceli Salgado, Marvin Ospina and Stephanie Torres .

Jesus appears to the apostles on the evening of the day on which he rose. He presents himself in their midst, without any need for doors to be opened, by using the qualities of his glorified body; but to dispel any impression that he is only a spirit he shows them his hands and his side. There is no longer any doubt of it being Jesus himself, about his being truly risen from the dead. He greets them twice using words of greeting customary among the Jews, with the same tenderness he previously used to put into this salutation. These friendly words dispel the fear and shame the Apostles must have been feeling at behaving so disloyally during his passion. He has recreated the normal atmosphere of intimacy, and now he will endow them with transcendental powers.

Pope Leo XIII explained how Christ transferred his own mission to the Apostles: “What did he wish regarding the Church founded or about to be founded? This: to transmit to it the same mission and the same mandate which he had received from the Father, that they should be perpetuated. This he clearly resolved to do: this he did. “As the Father hath sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:21). “As you did send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18). When he was about to ascend into heaven he sent his Apostles by virtue of the same power he had been sent from the Father, and he charges them to spread abroad and propagate his teachings , so that those disobeying should perish. Hence, he commands that the teaching of the Apostles should be religiously accepted and piously kept as if it were his own: “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me” (Lk. 10: 16). Wherefore the Apostles are ambassadors of Christ as he is the ambassador of the father. In this mission, the bishops are the successors of the Apostles: “Christ sent the Apostles, as he himself has been sent by the Father, and then through the Apostles made their successors, the bishops, sharers in his consecration and mission. The function of the bishops’ ministry was handed over in the subordinate degree to the priests so that they might be appointed in the order of the priesthood and be co-workers of the episcopal order for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been entrusted to it by Christ” (Vatican II Presbyterorum ordinis, 2).

The church has always understood—and has in fact defined—that Jesus Christ here conferred on the Apostles authority to forgive sins, a power which is exercised in the sacrament of Penance . “The Lord then especially instituted the sacrament of Penance when, after being risen from the dead, he breathed upon the disciples and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit… The consensus of all the Fathers has always acknowledged that by this action so sublime and words so clear the power of forgiving and retaining sins was given to the Apostles and their lawful successors for reconciling the faithful who have fallen after Baptism.” (Council of Trent)

The sacrament of Penance is the most sublime expression of God’s love and mercy towards men, described so vividly in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (cf. Luke 15:11-32). The Lord

always awaits us, with his arms wide open, waiting for us to repent –and then he will forgive us and restore us to the dignity of being his sons. The popes have consistently recommended Christians to have regular recourse to the sacrament: “For a constant and speedy advancement in the path of virtue we highly recommend the pious practice of frequent confessions , introduced by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; for by this means we grow in a true knowledge of ourselves and in Christian humility, bad habits are uprooted, spiritual negligence and apathy are prevented, the conscience is purified and the will strengthened, salutary spiritual direction is obtained, and race increased by the efficacy of the sacrament itself.” (Pious XII Mistici Corporis).

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Easter Sunday, 2025

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:05:00 GMT

Happy Easter Everyone !

It was the Resurrection fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that said He was the son of man and would be put to death but would rise on the third day. The prophecy was widely known! The leaders of the Jewish community even went to Pilate and asked to have guards placed at Jesus’ tomb so that no one could steal His body and then claim He had risen. The prophecy was fulfilled at Easter when He appeared to the apostles, revealing to them He had risen and He was truly alive!

Today, Easter Sunday, is the most important feast of the year. It was the resurrection of Jesus that made a difference in the lives of the Apostles. Each was motivated to go forward with the message of salvation. When Jesus died, the Apostles were visibly moved and upset. Some thought everything was over! Thomas was doubtful and was not present the first time Jesus appeared in the upper room, (the day of Christ’s resurrection). Two of His disciples, distraught because Jesus had died, gave up and departed for Emmaus. They turned their back on Jerusalem! They did not think there was anything left for them to do.

When Mary Magdalene told the Apostles Jesus had risen, they did not want to believe her. Peter and John hastened to check the tomb for themselves. Jesus reprimanded them for not believing her. What makes their response so interesting was because Jesus had told them what was going to happen, Mark 8:31. He had taught them--the Son of Man must suffer greatly; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes; be killed, and would rise after three days. This message, however, did not sink in! When they heard it, they did not believe it truly was going to happen. After all, no one has ever come back from death! It was something their minds could not compute. But the Jewish leaders believed this was going to happen, so they went to Pilate and requested he put a guard at the opening of Christ’s tomb.

Perhaps some of the Apostles hoped there could be a small chance Christ would come back from death, but from what we have observed, the thinking of the Disciples and the Apostles was the opposite of this. They were so devastated by the death of Jesus they did not know what to do. The only thing they could do was to wait and see. They, indeed, did that! They enclosed themselves in the upper room! Jesus soon entered through closed doors and instructed them to go out into the world; proclaim the gospel; and know: He will always be among them !

We know Jesus has risen, and we must reflect in our lives that this is true. To do so, we must bring to our lives a commitment and dedication to prayer; increasing enthusiasm in our faith, and a lively response to the teachings of the Church. Like the new converts to the Catholic faith we must demonstrate with equal zeal our belief that Christ has risen. Jesus is risen and is alive! We have been redeemed. We should not be afraid to express our faith to anyone!

Let us go forth just like the Apostles and exhibit enthusiasm regarding our faith and the love we have for Jesus Christ!

Happy Easter to all! May the risen Jesus inspire your lives.

Fr. Vincent Clemente

Palm Sunday, 2025

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:20:00 GMT

My Dear People,

Jesus reclines at the dining table with His Apostles. He begins a farewell address with the announcement of His upcoming suffering and death and the institution of the Eucharist. All is part of an unfolding plan that “has been determined” and “must be fulfilled.” Jesus is not passively resigned to His destiny but actively takes the initiative to accomplish His purpose.

His comment: “I have eagerly desired to eat (literally, “with desire I have desired to eat,” reflecting an underlying Hebrew expression)—is another indication that He acts with intention. The significance of what He says and does here can be examined by focusing on three interrelated key words.

Passover: This Passover night is different from all others. Those who observe the annual Passover feast do not simply recall the exodus as a past event but relive it in the present and thus experience the Lord’s saving power. However, at this Passover, Jesus instituted His memorial, saying in memory of me. Likewise, He is about to accomplish His “exodus”—His death and resurrection—which will bring to those who believe in Him a different kind of liberation: forgiveness of their sins. Thus, His apostles, observing the new Passover memorial in obedience to His command, will experience the saving power of this new exodus. In the institution of the new Passover, which was prefigured at the multiplication of the loaves with its similar actions, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the Apostles. His accompanying words provide the interpretation. The bread is not the expected “bread of affliction” of the exodus but becomes His very self: This is my body .

In the new Passover, it will be Jesus’ body, not that of the lamb, that will be given up in sacrifice. Like the sacrifice of the lamb, this will be done “ for you” He tells the Apostles. In other words, it is done on their behalf and for their benefit. Moreover, this body is eaten, as was the lamb. Bread that has become the Eucharist through these words is not merely a symbol. Just as the lamb is real, so the Eucharist is really His body! Indeed Christians have understood this from the beginning.

Likewise, Jesus’ words provide the interpretation of the “cup” taken after supper, the third of the four cups of wine in the Passover meal, the “cup of blessing.” The wine in the cup becomes my blood. By drinking from the cup, His apostles thus have communion in His blood. Jesus is referring to His imminent, violent death: “His blood will be shed like the blood of all prophets since the foundation of the world.”. However, “He transforms His violent death into a free act of giving for others and to others.” In other words, as He already indicated in speaking of His body, His death becomes a sacrifice offered for you (the Apostles) on their behalf, for the purpose of atonement. Hence, a better translation is that His blood is not just shed but “poured out.” Indeed, the blood of the Passover lamb and sacrifices in general were poured out at the base of the altar.

Kingdom : Prior to the two statements about His body and blood, Jesus announces His imminent death. After this meal, He will not eat the Passover meal nor drink its cups of wine until the time of fulfillment of the coming kingdom of God. With these words, Jesus looks ahead to His resurrection and entrance into kingly glory. After His resurrection, He will once again eat and drink with His disciples, a sign of the kingdom banquet. Certainly, the kingdom has already come among them in Jesus, yet its future coming in power has not yet occurred. Thus, the Jewish Passover not only looks back to the exodus but also looks towards God’s saving action in the future. So, too, whenever His disciples celebrate the Eucharist, they will do so not only in memory of Jesus’ death, but also in anticipation of the kingdom banquet.
Covenant : Following the first Passover and the exodus, Moses at Mount Sinai threw the blood of sacrificed lambs against the altar when God established the covenant with the twelve tribes of Israel. He also “splashed it on the people, saying, ‘this is the blood of the covenant’,” (Exodus 24:8) before taking part in a sacred meal in which “they ate and drank.” Here in the context of the Last Supper with the twelve apostles, Jesus’ reference to a covenant in His blood recalls this event. However, it also indicates something new. Indeed, if there is a new Passover and a new exodus, there will also be a “new covenant” (1 Cor 11:25), as Jeremiah had prophesized: “See, days are coming…when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jer. 31:31).

Moreover, under the Mosaic covenant, the bread of the presence was offered and not just set out each Sabbath (Lev. 24:7) by the Levitical priests as a kind of grain offering. It was an un-bloody sacrifice. Their unleavened loaves were a “memorial” of the covenant made at Sinai. Here, Jesus’ command to His Apostles to do this in “memory” of Him, means that the eucharistic bread that the apostles will offer will serve as a memorial representing the New Covenant established by Jesus through His bloody sacrifice. Thus, the role of the apostles in the New Covenant was in a sense prefigured by that of the Levitical priests in the Mosaic covenant.

Because of Jesus’ command, the Church understands the Last Supper as the Institution of the Eucharist and the Institution of the New Covenant priesthood.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente