REFLECTION FOR 1-24-2021 It was over 150 years ago that the first Mass was celebrated at the mission church that would become the parish of St. Francis de Sales in Abingdon. It was a time in the history of our country when we were trying to recover and move […]
Dear Friends: St. Francis de Sales was born to a noble family near Geneva, Switzerland in 1567. He was a Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Francis was both intelligent and gentle. From a very early age, he desired to serve God. He always knew he had a vocation to […]
REFLECTION The Second Sunday In Ordinary Time January 16-17, 2021 There is a scene early in the television series, “The West Wing” when Josh goes to see his friend Sam, who is working as an attorney at a prestigious Manhattan law firm, to tell him about a dark horse […]
Dear Friends: Today we return to Ordinary Time and will be there for five weeks. Then, believe it or not, we will be celebrating Ash Wednesday. Seems like yesterday we were celebrating the birth of Jesus. Our readings today from Samuel and the Gospel of John are about being called […]
REFLECTION ON THE FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD AND THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM January 9-10, 2021 If Jesus is sinless, why did He seek out John the Baptist to be baptized by him, which was a Trinitarian event. (Mt 3:11-17)? The baptism of Jesus marks the beginning […]
Dear Friends: Today’s Gospel from Mark 1:7-11 is a little bit about John the Baptist preparing the people for the coming of Jesus and then quickly moves into Jesus being baptized by John. The real meat of this Gospel comes in the last third of the reading. Jesus is baptized […]
Dear Friends: Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Our reading is from the Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12. It is one of the most famous stories we have. I do believe that every child over the age of seven is familiar with the three Kings. Many […]
REFLECTION The Epiphany Of The Lord January 2-3, 2021 We often get caught up in all of the trappings of this feast day. The Magi have evolved into wise men or Kings. Their Crèche figures are always the most elaborate, as are the costumes for the persons portraying them […]
REFLECTION FOR 12-27-2020 Jesus, Mary, & Joseph are the holiest of families; but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have their struggles. Imagine Joseph’s shock, grief, and anger when he discovered that Mary was pregnant before they were married. But, Joseph was open to God’s presence in his life; so, […]
Dear Friends: Today is the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We hear from Luke’s Gospel 2: 22-40 the story of Jesus being presented in the temple as was the Jewish custom of his time. Simeon, the priest on duty that day, recognizes immediately who has […]