Dear Friends in Child Jesus,

First of all, I wish you all with all my heart and with all my prayers, Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy life. Second, I thank sincerely all the members of my Tri-Parishes for your generous support because of which our three parishes and a School are successfully going on. Also, a special thanks to all the Council members, Office assistant, Deacon, Ushers, Lectors, Ladies of all three PCCW, Musicians, Altar servers, Money counters, Teachers, and other Volunteers who are helping in many ways for administration of our Tri-Parishes.

It is Christmas and the joyful hearts everywhere. Every family has spent a day or two to decorate the house with Christmas trees and jungle bells with the crib of Jesus. The light outside each house illuminates the joy to the onlookers.

Dear Brother and Sisters,

First of all, I thank sincerely all those who supported for the installation of my Rectory windows by purchasing raffle tickets and a double thanks to all the council members of St. Lawrence, Immaculate Conception and St. Boniface for your planning, coordinating and executing this project. Also, thank you for those who donated for the giving trees! May God reward you for your generous heart!

The sign that God revealed to us on this last Sunday of Advent is highly significant. God’s choice of the Messiah was from the house of David. However, Mary’s child belongs to all nations. So, we all form part of the nations. This is through God’s love, and his invitation to share in the Christ’s heritage. Hence, Christ is coming for the sake of all of us.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Good morning to you all. This third Sunday of Advent, is often called 'rejoice’ Sunday. This joyful spirit is marked by rose color candle of our Advent wreath. The liturgy of the word God is about the coming of Messiah and it is a hymn of joy. Today’s readings give the message of joy.

In the First Reading of today, Prophet Isaiah portrays the joyful advent of the Lord as a healing, transforming event. In particular we have the images of physical healing that God will come to bring – once more the weak hands and feeble knees will be made strong, the blind will see again, the deaf will hear again, the lame will walk again and the dumb will speak again. There will be no more sorrows because our God is coming to take all that away. Through all these liberating actions, the glory of the Lord is being revealed for all to see.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Prayerful greetings to you all! On this second Sunday of Advent, we could hear three voices from three different persons. These voices bring messages of hope for us this Sunday.

The first voice is from Isaiah, given in the first reading. He lived when Israel had some underwhelming kings. Isaiah is a prophet, who hopes that one day a new shoot of life will sprout from the stump of Israel’s kingdom. He hopes for a king like David, who will rely not on political advisors but on God alone, a king who will bring justice and peace, especially to those who are poor and afflicted. Isaiah, our first voice is a voice of hope that a future king will come and create a new world of peace and joy.

Dear People of God,

First of all, I appreciate and thank all the Ladies of our St. Lawrence’s PCCW for arranging a meaningful ‘Thanksgiving Ecumenical Prayer Service’ on last Sunday to thank our God for His blessings to us. Today, we begin a new liturgical season which is called “Advent”. The term ‘Advent’ comes from two Latin words Ad-ventus, which simply means “to arrive” or Ad-venire, meaning “to come.” For us, it means expecting the Lord’s coming. It is a four-week preparation period leading up to Christmas.

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord. We celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King today. It was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in response to growing nationalism and secularism. If we can truly come to know the Lord Jesus as the center of our lives, there is no more room for atheism nor for secularism.

The first reading, from the Second Book of Samuel, tells us about the anointing of David as the king of Israel. David is seen as a symbol of the savior who was yet to come. In today’s gospel, In the gospel, from the cross, Jesus tells the good thief that he will join him in paradise; The kingship of Jesus Christ, The Kingdom of God and Eternity.

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord. Good morning to you. As we draw close to the end of the liturgical year, we are reminded of the Day of the Lord through this Sunday's readings.

In today’s first reading, Malachi announces the coming of the day of the Lord. He paints two pictures: the fate of the evil doer, and the triumph of the righteous who endures till the end. This short reading simply serves as an encouragement to us to continue our good work in patient righteousness and endurance. It teaches that to persist in good works till the end, one must endure all forms of trials and difficulties as some Saints did. Today’s first reading ends with a promise: “But for you who fear my name, there will be arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (Malachi 3: 20a)

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord! We have a new month ‘November’ which is dedicated to the remembrance of all Souls. We are called to pray specially for the repose of all souls. It is also good to visit the cemetery for an extra-plenary indulgences especially for the 8 days of this month of All Souls to alleviate the poor souls in Purgatory. Because it is based on our Creed “Resurrection of Life” The liturgy of the word on this Sunday, also invites us to contemplate on the mystery of God in relation to human death and Resurrection! Jesus assures us that there is life after death because our God is the God of life.

Dear People of God, Praise the Lord. I am very happy to inform you that our beloved Bishop William P. Callahan, is going to confer six of our Students the Sacrament of Confirmation this Sunday at 3pm (October 30, 2022) at Sts. Peter & Paul, Independence. Let us say an extra prayer for them.

On this 31st Sunday, the liturgy of Word of God reminds us of God’s love, mercy, and salvation for us. In today’s first reading, the book of Wisdom reminds us of the mercy of God which extends to all his creatures irrespective of their status. Hence, in spite of the weakness of humankind, God continues to be merciful: “Yet, you are merciful to all because you can do all things and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent.” In order words, our merciful God gives us the opportunity to retrace our steps.

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord. First of all, I appreciate all those who participated in the Square Rosary Rally held on 15th October at our Fountain City Park. There were about twenty people gathered, recited Rosary and prayed for our beautiful country.

The main theme of this Sunday’s readings is that true humility and repentance for our sins must be the hallmark of our prayers. In last week’s readings we were encouraged to remain persistent in our prayer life. Today we focus on the proper attitude towards our prayer to God.

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord! Pray, pray, pray! That is the message of the readings of this Sunday.

In our first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, we find Moses’ interceding for the Israelites as they engage in a fierce battle against Amalek. As long as, Moses keeps his hands raised, the Israelites succeeded. But when his hands grow tired, the Israelites begin to lose ground. In his wisdom, Moses anticipated that he would need support from his community as he engaged in this spiritual battle. He brought Aaron and Hur along with him to support him as he began to grow weary. Moses relied on his friends to hold his hands up so that they remained steady until the battle was won. The psalm of today also declares “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth”. God is our provider. So we need to pray to Him continuously.

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord. I express my sincere gratitude for all your support towards our tri-Churches. I also thank all those who purchased Rectory Restoration Raffle Tickets. I am really grateful to you all. It is very fitting to say ‘Thanks’ today, because the Readings of this Sunday remind us of the importance of showing gratitude to God.

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord! On this twenty seventh Sunday, the readings invite us to reflect on one of the most important virtues – ‘Faith’. It is the foundation of our Christian life. Faith gives us a new vision and version of life.

In the first reading of this Sunday, we are reminded of this very popular verse from the book of Habakkuk: “the just shall live by his faithfulness, God simply encourages us to remain faithful in good deeds and actions. The Just here is the one who still perseveres in good deeds. He is the one who still trust in the saving power of God. He is the one who still prays to God.