Last week we saw that Confirmation is not just about being mature enough to know that we want to be Catholic, and we reviewed the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, but we didn’t really explain what Confirmation is really about. Perhaps now is the time to speak about Pentecost. You can’t talk about confirmation without ...read more

Deacon Pedro reflects on his first experience with the Holy Spirit, and the true meaning of Pentecost. ...read more

Next week is the Feast of Pentecost and we enter the season of Confirmations. Most of us are confirmed, but if you are at all like me, you probably have no real understanding of the meaning of the Sacrament. You think that it has to do something with being of age and “confirming” that you ...read more

By now I’m sure you’ve heard about Alfie Evans – the 23-month-old British boy who was removed from life support last week. Let me begin by saying that most of us were not in that Liverpool hospital for the year or so that Alfie was on a ventilator and receiving care. Most of us do ...read more

Last week we looked at the significance of Jesus being the bread of life. I think most of us get the nourishment part. There is so much spiritual hunger in the world. But the Eucharist is feeding a lot more than what we think. How many of us really recognize all the fruits of receiving ...read more

Last time we saw why Jesus used bread and why He referred to himself as the “bread of life.” In John chapter 6, in what is known as the “Bread of Life Discourse”, Jesus pretty much lays it all out. It was a hard teaching, because at the end of the chapter, John tells us ...read more

Last time we saw how the Eucharist is rooted in the Jewish celebration of Passover. Christ is the new Passover Lamb that was sacrificed in atonement for our sins. We also looked at how the Eucharist is not just a Sacrament in that it makes Christ present, but in the Eucharist, Christ is truly present. ...read more

This whole week, beginning today, we will be listening to post-resurrection narratives from the Gospels (and from the Book of Acts). We'll hear about Mary Magdalene and the other women running to tell the disciples. We'll hear about a gardener who turns out to be Jesus. We'll also hear about two disciples whose hearts were burning within them as they walked along the road with a stranger. We are going to hear about how the disciples were scared, troubled and confused. ...read more

Read Deacon Pedro's reflection on the meaning of Martyrdom. ...read more

A reflection for the 4th Sunday, Lent, Year B. The readings are 2 Chronicles 36:14-17a, 19-23; Psalm: 137, Ephesians 2:4-10 and John 3:14-21. Picture it: Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a religious leader; perhaps a member of the Jewish Council, the Sanhedrin. It’s the Feast of Passover and Jesus is in Jerusalem. All eyes are on Him. Nicodemus is ...read more