Parish Blog

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, in this Laetare Sunday (“Rejoice Sunday”), the fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear again that amazing parable of Luke's Gospel, where Jesus justifies his unprecedented practice of forgiving sins to regain men for God.

Many wonder if the expression “prodigal son,” which this parable is named after, is really understood by most people. Perhaps we should rename it as the parable of the “merciful father.”

Dear Friends in Christ,

Jesus tells his followers a parable that concerns us: “The owner of the vineyard approaches the fig tree to pick its fruit and finds none.” This Lent, God demands fruit from us: Are we happy that Jesus calls us to account? Are we surprised? Are we afraid when we see our life as a tree full of leaves but without fruit? The episode begins with anxiety but has a happy ending. God will make one last effort to recover his tree: he will turn the earth, apply fertilizer, and wait another year because he is patient with what he sowed with such enthusiasm. Indeed, we should not reach the end of our lives empty-handed. Lent is an invitation to conversion.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, the second Sunday in Lent, the liturgy of the word invariably brings us the dramatic event of the Lord's transfiguration. This year it is with the nuances typical of St. Luke's Gospel.

It is St. Luke who more strongly emphasizes the praying Jesus, the Son who is permanently linked to the Father through personal prayer, at times intimate and hidden, at times in the presence of his disciples, but always full of joy through the Holy Spirit.

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Year of Evangelization starts this Lent as the first year of the five-year Diocesan pastoral plan called “Via Fidelis.” In the coming weeks, Bishop Fabre will be sending out a pastoral letter detailing this five-year journey. Recently, he shared suggestions for all of us for prayer and evangelization each month during this Year of Evangelization.

Dear Friends in Christ,

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the preeminent issue facing us as Americans is respecting and protecting life, from conception all the way to natural death. Currently, a serious concern for all faithful Catholics is the aggressive manner in which in vitro fertilization (IVF) is being promoted at the federal and state level.