Browsing PARISH BLOG - INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK
When the world sees us, do they see to whom we belong?
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 5/20/23
When the world sees us, do they see to whom we belong? In what ways are we most manifestly Christian? In prayer, in service, in sacrifice? Whatever it is, let us devote ourselves to it with one accord, so that Jesus Christ may be glorified in all that we do.
We will keep his commandments
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 5/10/23
If we love Christ, we will keep his commandments, and the world will not accept us. But we are not left orphans — God sends us an Advocate. Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!
To those who persist in faith
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 5/04/23
To those who persist in faith, the truth is a living stone, strong enough to support the weight of real joy. To those who despair of faith, it is a stumbling block. The truth will always be in their way.
Voice of our shepherd
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/28/23
We know the voice of our shepherd. We know he speaks a language of love, of patience, of long-suffering sacrifice. The voice of the thief will offer us freedom, but it is a freedom that ends in destruction. There is only one gate that leads to everlasting life.
God in flesh and blood before them
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/18/23
It wasn’t until Christ spoke the words of blessing over the bread that the eyes of the disciples were opened, and they saw him for who he was — God in flesh and blood before them. The Eucharist makes real what we otherwise would fail to see.
Doubting Thomas
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/13/23
Doubting Thomas is a mood, and we’ve all had it. We hang our every hope on this sign, that proof. We challenge God: “Make me believe.” To each of us he extends his wounded hand, to each of us he shows his pierced side. He will always meet us ... Read More »
“Do not be afraid.”
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/06/23
We are witnesses of all that Christ has done — in our lives, in our souls, in our hearts. We have seen the empty tomb. We have touched the abandoned burial cloths. “Go tell my brothers,” Jesus commands us. “Do not be afraid.”
Mesmerized
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 3/29/23
LIVE THE LITURGY - INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK
Our relationship with Christ should leave us mesmerized — “shaken,” like Biblical Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It should leave our jaws hanging. If it does not, we should ask ourselves: what needs to change?
Martha's Grief
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 3/20/23
Though weighed down by grief, Martha rushes out to meet Jesus. She may not understand why he was absent upon the death of her brother, but her faithfulness is undeterred. In the hour of her heartbreak, she knows her only solace is in the embrace of the Lord.
The blind man showed great bravery
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 3/17/23
The blind man showed great bravery by speaking of Christ’s miracle in the face of the Pharisees’ disdain. But then, how could he ignore the truth, once he had seen it? It would be a form of blindness worse than the absence of physical sight. To deny Christ would ... Read More »