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.