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“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it.” In today’s gospel reading from Matthew, we hear the well-known parable of the sower. This parable has challenged all of us since the time of Christ to live a holy life loving God and letting Him love us. In the parable, the sower who generously scatters the seeds on good and bad ground is God. The seeds represents his Word. We are the ground or soil which receives the seeds. In this parable, Christ is challenging all of us and asking if our faith is taking deep root in our lives. Are we good soil or bad soil? That’s the question for us to answer today. So what soil are we?

This weekend as we reflect upon our nation’s 250th birthday, our Scripture readings invite us to see our country not only in the context of human history, but also of salvation history. Salvation history is the story of God’s grace flowing through human history.

Scripture scholars say that some version of the phrase “do not be afraid” occurs 365 times in the Bible. The Lord, of course, wants to encourage us with this phrase every day of the year. It is mentioned three times in today's Gospel reading: “Fear no one… Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul… Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10: 26, 28, 31).

In these three days that we are presently in, the Church has given us a point of reflection and prayer to deepen our faith in the Life of God. On Friday we celebrated devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The very Heart that pumped the Blood of Christ’s Humanity that is joined to His Divinity. A heart that once stopped by His death on the Cross, was pierced by the lance of a soldier. At that, the blood and water flowed from His side Giving His life to the world in the Sacraments. Through His Sacred Heart all generations are delivered from sin and death. It is the very center of His Love for us and His thirst for us is unquenchable. As His Blood Flows out to the world from His Sacred Heart, pouring out His Divine Mercy, He longs for our love in return as we are redeemed to the Father through that Sacrificial offering on the Cross. His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity that we receive at every Mass is the culmination of the Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist.

The bishops of the United States are inviting us to join them in consecrating our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This consecration is meant to prepare our country for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 2026). The consecration will take place on Thursday, June 11, on the Eve of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, we will pray the Consecration Prayer after Communion during the 8:30 am Mass and during the 7 pm Candlelight Mass.

When looking at the state of young people in the world today, it can be easy to fall into despair. In 2024, the youth ministry organization Lifeteen published a report called “The State of Catholic Youth in America”. According to data gathered for this report, the average attention span of a teenager has fallen under 8 seconds. The average teen spends 4 hours and 15 minutes per day on social media, and watches about 68 videos a day. The stats on mental health and well-being are even more troubling. In 2021, 44% of teens reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless. According to the Wall Street Journal, 4 out of 5 teens lack a sense of purpose in their life. Teens in 2023 spent 70% less time socializing with friends than teens in 2003.

This Spiritual life that we are all called to live is important for us as Christians. It is a gift, a grace of our Baptism and Confirmation. Just as the Holy Spirit dwells in the Soul of Christ Himself, so He dwells within us. The third person of the Holy Trinity is the manifestation of the Love of the Father and Son. A love so complete, where the mutual self-giving from all eternity, bears fruit in the Spirit of that love to all of creation. In Light from Light, all things are.

The Easter Season is coming to a climax—this weekend we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord and next weekend is Pentecost. These two events are closely related as Jesus tells his apostles right before he ascends to heaven: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The apostles probably felt intimidated by this mandate to go “to the end of the earth!” But after they received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost they were, indeed, empowered to give witness to Jesus wherever he sent them. And successive generations of Christians have done the same eventually establishing the Archdiocese of Denver in 1887.

The Book of the Psalms is one of the most loved books of the Old Testament. For centuries, it has served both Jewish and Christian communities as a songbook for public worship, as a prayerbook for personal devotion and as a guidebook for wise living. Today’s responsorial psalm is described as a thanksgiving psalm. Psalm 66 was sung in the Jewish temple annually at the New Year feast when the ark of the Lord was installed anew in its place. This was met with shouts of joy and prayerful gratitude to the Lord.

After reading today's Gospel, I had to be honest with myself: I was just like Thomas. I grew up Catholic my entire life, and I have spent the last 21 years learning and teaching the faith. Yet I still ask almost the same question as Thomas: “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” I even know Jesus’ answer to Thomas’ question, and I still struggle at times to understand how I ought to follow Jesus.

Hello my friends! I love you! This weekend, I'm looking forward to speaking about our Children's Faith Formation program. We have the largest program in the diocese*, and I love to brag about the amazing children, families, and volunteers who make everything possible.

I did it again! I opened up my phone and looked at the news. It didn’t fill me with joy or peace; instead, it left me feeling disheartened, discouraged, and even a little angry. And those feelings are on top of my own personal anxieties and struggles! So why do I do it? Why do I continue to open up my phone and go down the rabbit hole that is the news? I realize with today’s Gospel that I am in good company. I imagine that the disciples on the road to Emmaus were feeling very similar feelings, since I know that only last week I, too, “stopped, and [looked] downcast.”

Did you notice in the recent World Baseball Classic there was a mercy roll for the early rounds of the tournament? A game is called if a team leads by 15 or more runs after 5 innings or 10 or more runs after 7 innings. When I hear of this mercy rule, it tells me the tournament organizers are giving up on the losing team because they think the team doesn’t have a chance of winning the ballgame. I remember the mercy rule when I played baseball in Little League. I hated it. I did not want to concede until the final out of the game. I didn’t want anyone to give up on me!

Happy Easter everyone! Today and for the next fifty days we celebrate the greatest event in human history. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and He continues to rise in the lives of his followers. The evidence of his resurrection is compelling and stunning. Not only is it reported in all four of the gospels but, according to St. Paul, the risen Christ “appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once" (1 Corinthians 15:6). His appearances compelled Christians to spread this Good News around the world for twenty centuries. They were not only proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead, but also that we can rise with him to everlasting life.

Welcome to the holiest week of the liturgical year. From Palm Sunday to the Easter Vigil, we accompany our Lord from his jubilant entrance as the Messiah/King into the royal city, though his Last Supper with his disciples, his rejection, crucifixion and resurrection. Each year we are invited to find our place in the greatest story ever told, as it continues to unfold in and through us. Let us journey together with Jesus through his Passiontide, “For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection” (Romans 6: 5, Easter Vigil Epistle). Here are a few highlights from the story of this earth-shattering week.

Dear Lord, I read this Sunday’s Gospel story from John on how you raised Lazarus from the dead. I must be honest Lord; I didn’t know at first why you waited a few days before you traveled to Bethany. Mary and Martha’s faith was being tested. I know my faith is tested a lot too. I think it’s because I don’t always understand.

In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, the man born blind progressed through four different names for Jesus. First he referred to him as “the man called Jesus” (9:11); then he called him “a prophet” (9:17); then he spoke of Jesus as being “from God” (9:33); then, looking in the face of Jesus with his newly-opened eyes, he said, “I do believe, Lord!” and he worshiped him (9:38). This narrative challenges our minds to make the same conclusion and our hearts to make the same response (cf. Scott Hahn, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, John 9:11 footnote.)

I have grown up in this parish; many of you watched me grow up. This parish is my family, and in my love for the Church and zeal for Christ, this place has always been my home. I see your ministries, apostolates, and prayer groups—the places where you dedicate your precious time. I see how each distinctly intertwines to make a beautiful tapestry of love and faith. The effect of that tapestry is visible: it can be seen within our community of Northglenn! I see your hearts, and I am in awe. But now, we need your help.

In my sixteenth summer I had an unforgettable mountaintop experience. In April of that year, I had re-committed my life to Jesus in a personal way. My new Christian friends took me on a few practice hikes in the San Juans Mountains of Southwest Colorado. Then we traveled east to the Sangre De Cristo Range. On a warm July day, we began hiking from the Sand Dunes up into the high country and camped in a meadow beside a creek at the base of Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle. Early the next morning we began crawling up the boulder fields and reached the summit of both “fourteeners” by noon. Perched there at the top of the world, basking in the summer sun with mountains as far as I could see, I felt absolutely blessed. I realized then that “Happiness / blessedness is communing with God in the beauty of creation giving thanks.” Our Creator richly blessed me that summer by revealing his beauty through nature and letting me play in his amusement park. Eventually I came to realize that the most beautiful creation of all is the loving person: friends, family, and especially the family of the Church.