Dear St. Stanislaus Community,

Having nearly completed my first month as official administrator of the parish, I thank you for your enthusiastic welcome and am humbled by the overwhelming amount of support that has been offered to me. This past July 6th I celebrated my three year anniversary as a priest, so in many ways I am still learning what it means to be a priest and how to be the best priest I can; participating in the Eternal and One True Priesthood of Jesus Christ.

In today's Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray.” Every time I read or hear these words, the memory of when I was in my diaconate formation comes to mind.

As a permanent deacon, I want to share a time in class where the teacher explained the different ways and forms of praying. The instructor told us "the Jews have very beautiful and profound prayers, and perhaps the disciples of Jesus knew and practiced some of these prayers.

I am always amazed by the Gospels and how every time I read them I discover something new. It seems as if the Holy Spirit is slowly unveiling them and only allowing me to see the portions that are most appropriate for the moment in time that I am living.

The words in today’s Gospel truly hit home for me at this time of my life. It is like Jesus is saying “José, my dear José, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

The message of the Gospel: all of us can be the Good Samaritans given our capacity and ability. Putting into good use our Time, Talent and Wealth.

When we have strong yearning for something; our mind, our heart and our strength are involved; there is complete focus to achieve a particular goal! Jesus is calling us to involve this way in fulfilling the Golden rule: love of God and love of neighbor with all our mind, with all our heart and with all our strength.

Last Sunday, June 19, Catholic Christians celebrated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. The biblical text has been taken from Luke 9,11b-17. The scene is very eloquent, clear and precise. He presents us with two very significant postures, the first, that of the followers of Jesus (Apostles/ disciples) and the second that of the Lord himself. Let's see.

Today we hear this psalm: Lord teach us the way of life. The Lord is not at all slow in responding since in the second reading he tells us clearly: Christ has set us free. So preserve your freedom and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

Greetings, good people of St. Stanislaus! As most of you probably know, Bishop Cotta has appointed me as the Parochial Administrator of St. Stanislaus beginning July 1st, 2022. While I am honored that he has entrusted me with this great responsibility, I do know the position has the possibility of becoming overwhelming, so I am asking you all to have patience with me and to pray extra for me as I take the reign as Administrator.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. What a great blessing three people in one, but a very hard concept to understand.

I recall when I was a child and preparing for First Communion these questions that I have never forgotten:

1. Is the Father God? Yes, the Father is God.
2. Is the Son God? Yes, the Son is God.
3. Is the Holy Spirit God? Yes, the Holy Spirit is God
4. Do we have three Gods? No, we do not have three Gods, but 3 different people and only one true God.

Today Sunday June 5th we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity.

In the (OT) God the Father speaks and acts in people, especially in the Hebrew people. In the (NT) in the Gospels, God the Son, Jesus Christ is the one who acts and speaks to people, especially to his disciples; they were to continue their mission after his departure from this world. Likewise, in the book of the Acts of the Apostles that we have been reading throughout the Easter Season, it is God the Holy Spirit who acts and speaks through the disciples and the believers: the new Christian people who had just been born, the Church, the new people of God.

My dear St. Stanislaus Community, it was almost three years ago that I shared with you the excitement and fear and questions I was experiencing after I was appointed as your Parish Life Coordinator.

Today, I am writing to you one last time as Parish Life Coordinator. I feel truly blessed and give thanks to God for allowing me to lead our community, Parish, and School, for the last three years. I give thanks to God for Fr. Adrian and pray that the Holy Spirit will give him wisdom in his new role as our Parish Administrator.

This Sunday we hear from the Gospel: Jesus said, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled! How often do we feel troubled or traumatized or feel depressed!

Maybe when the family is falling apart; Spouses having issues and troubles and drifting away from faith;

Or when we experience failures in Life; There are times we feel our prayers not answered and we are discouraged; Or when you feel lonely and get depressed!

A Happy Easter to all of you!

This weekend (the first Sunday after Easter) is Divine Mercy Sunday. I wanted to share with you a great description of this feast from Divinemercysunday.com:

"Today is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, the 8th day of the Feast of Easter in which Blessed Pope John Paul II said that we receive the Easter Gift. And what is this very special Easter Gift? It is the special gift of the total forgiveness of all sins and punishment that the Catholic Church offers in the form of a plenary indulgence today. But, why today? What sets this day apart from any other day? Today is the Octave Day of Easter; the last day of the world’s greatest feast. And shouldn’t the world’s greatest feast offer the world’s greatest gift; the total forgiveness of all sins and punishment, or in other words, “a straight ticket to Heaven” if we should die today in this perfect state of sanctifying grace? And what is Divine Mercy? The word “Divine” means “given by God” or “like God”. The word “Mercy” means “the refraining from harming or punishing offenders”. So simply put, Divine Mercy is “God refraining from harming or punishing offenders”.

When it seems that we are finally making good progress coming out of two years of pandemic, the loom of war obscures the horizon and once again we are experiencing its impact around the world. What remains the same and has not changed over the past two years, as a matter of fact it has not changed since the beginning of time, is the love of God for us, for each one of us.

It is the love of God that strengthen us to be missionary disciples of His only Son our Lord Jesus Christ. By His resurrection, Jesus conquered death forever and gave us the reassurance that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (Jn 14:6).

We are about to end Lent, it is a good time to reflect on some questions: What experience do I have with my resolutions or promises at the beginning of this Lent? Am I succeeding, or have I forgotten my promises? What benefits am I having spiritually and bodily?

Let us remember that prayer, fasting, works of mercy, promises and good resolutions with which we begin Lent should benefit others and oneself. If you are achieving it, thank God, and if you have not achieved it, do not be discouraged. The Lord Jesus knows that we are weak and that we go through moments of weakness, temptations, and darkness in our lives.