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There are some words which can be difficult for us to say. For example: I am sorry or please forgive me or I forgive you. These words are difficult for us to say because we struggle asking for forgiveness or forgiving someone. Why is that? Is it pride? Is it stubbornness? In today’s divided world, it seems like our society is less forgiving than at any other time in recent history. We are reminded however in today’s scripture passages from both the Old and New Testament, that God demands we forgive others as he has forgiven us so many times. For example, we hear these words from the book of Sirach: “Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?” In other words, how can we expect God to forgive us if we don’t forgive our fellow women and men? It seems like we would be hypocrites, wouldn’t you agree?

There are times in our life that require us to reflect on our relationships. Mostly, those times do not always require deep thought. I have a relationship with my family and friends, my co-workers, fellow students or just simple acquaintances. Day-to day activities require us to relate with one another in some form or another. We connect, we relate, we take care of the task at hand and then we move on.

Just a week ago, we heard the Gospel in which Jesus gives Simon a new name—Peter—and upon him, Jesus would build his Church. Now, only one week later in our Sunday readings (which was probably mere minutes for Peter, since it is only five verses later in the Gospel of Matthew), we see Jesus rebuking Peter. Why the change?

I recently attended a week-long family reunion near Okemo Ski Area in Ludlow, Vermont. At the peak of the week we filled two log cabins with 25 people aged 2 to 69! Our days began quietly with coffee on the deck, then developed into various excursions like paddle-boarding on a lake, hiking along waterfalls and swimming in their pools, visiting cheese factories, mountain-biking, and riding the gondola to the top of Killington Ski Area. Our days ended with homemade meals, card games, and soaking in the jacuzzi. It was as good of a family reunion as I had hoped for considering the level of dysfunction and pain with which some family members are struggling.

The Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel gives us a wonderful example of silent suffering, prayer and faith. Her daughter, whom she loves, is in need of healing and she finds herself in the presence of Jesus who is continuing his journey of going to the lost sheep of Israel. But her perseverance in supplication shows how prayer can find answer in the mercy of God. He heals the daughter of her demon at that hour because of the woman’s great faith!

It’s estimated that variations of “fear not” and “do not be afraid” appear anywhere from 133 to 436 times in our Catholic bibles. No matter what number you think is correct, the point is that God has told us countless times that in the midst of our trials and tribulations, the Lord extends his hands to us and saves us.

When I read the gospel for this week, a phrase kept popping into my head. I am sure we are all familiar with it. We have probably all uttered it or thought it in frustration at some point or another when dealing with coworkers or spouses or children or roommates or countless other people in our lives. It frequently pops up in movies and TV shows, interestingly, often by a villain complaining about their henchmen. According to a variety of internet sources, the phrase seems to have been in use for almost 500 years, and may have even been popularized by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte.

You may have heard the words “universal call to holiness” at some point over the past fifty years. It’s the idea that all of us–not just priests or religious, but truly all of us–are called to be holy and to be saints. But I wonder: Have you heard about the universal call to mission? The universal call to mission is very closely related to the universal call to holiness in that all of us–not just priests, religious, or professional evangelists, but truly all of us–are called to go on mission. In fact St. John Paul II says that “The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission” (Redemptoris Missio 90). But what does this mean? Do I need to uproot my life and go serve somewhere in the world that has not heard about Jesus? If this call to holiness and mission are so closely related and we are all called to live them out in our lives, then we need to look no further than today’s Gospel to start to understand what we need to do.

For the last two years I was blessed to participate in the Encounter School of Ministry which helped me become more activated in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was an inspiring and renewing experience. Encounter Ministries began at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Brighton, Michigan, and is now an international movement fanning the flame of revival in the Catholic Church. (See: https://encounterschool.org/) And I am excited to announce that some of their teachers are coming to IHM to share the fruits that the Holy Spirit has been producing through them.

“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.