The Easter we celebrate with joy today is not simply a passive commemoration of the past, but an active participation in the Mystery that presents itself in the person of Jesus.

These past few days have reminded us that true disciples of Jesus are willing to lay down their lives that others may come to believe! This is at the heart of who we are as a parish. We are believers, willing to sacrifice ourselves to make the world more human, more Christ-like.

As believers, we are not spectators to what we believe. Charity is Love in action. We are believers who not only teach a new path to holiness, we put it into practice, perhaps not perfectly but certainly purposefully.

Continue reading “Easter 2014” →

“This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord as a perpetual institution” (Exodus 12:14).

What is the memory that makes for a perpetual institution? It is God’s memory; the 4500 year memory that caused the author of Exodus to write, the 2000 year memory of Paul who told us that Jesus took bread blessed and broke. It is our memory of encountering Christ in our daily living, the memory of God being made manifest at the Altar of Sacrifice, the very stone of Calvary.

We approach this sacred place, as we are ready to do this in memory. It is here on this sacrificial stone of Golgotha that alone God desires to meet us face to face. Tonight we enter the Upper Room as pilgrims with the Apostles to witness the priest breathe over the bread and wine, changing them into the Son of God and then sacrifice Him Whom we believe to be the true Bread from Heaven.

Continue reading “Mass of the Lord’s Supper – “Do This in Memory of Me.”” →

Each year, the Church celebrates this holiest of weeks, with reverence and awe. We deliberately place ourselves in the Mystery of our salvation by participating in these ancient rites, each one giving purpose to our mission as disciples of Jesus.

Our readings focus on the great sacrifice that Jesus made because He loves us. The proclamation from Isaiah portrays God’s servant who hears His voice and does not turn back. St. Paul tells us that Jesus sacrifice is what led to his glorification and our salvation. In the passion, the Roman centurion proclaims what Peter denied, “Truly, this was the Son of God.”

I encourage all of you to observe these holy days and walk together with the whole parish the Way to Calvary. Each day draws us closer to the Mystery of His Passion, Death and Resurrection.  In this Solemn Commemoration, let us lift our voices in an endless prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of our salvation inaugurated upon the Cross.

God’s blessing for you and your families! Father Cioppi

Father Walter Ciszek spent 23 years in Soviet prison and work camps. Never allowed to celebrate Mass publicly, he memorized the Mass and with scraps of bread celebrated the Eucharist for himself and his cellmates. Eventually he was released and returned home to Allentown.

My dear friends, we are rapidly approaching the holiest week of the year: the inner sanctuary of our Catholic life. The Gospels are preparing us with the dominate themes in Holy Week: Light, living water and now eternal life.

Continue reading “Can I trust God with my life? – John 11, 1-45” →

What does the transfiguration of Jesus have to do with us? What is the message being given to us that would help us during this week?

I think it means that ordinary men and women like us can make a difference in the world if we can just believe in our power to do something and not be afraid to stand up and make a difference.

Look at what the Gospel says about you. Jesus takes you up the mountain. He has called you from your homes to be here on the mountain, on this holy place. He shows you His Face in the Eucharist with Moses and with Elijah, the Law and the Prophets. Then He says, “Listen.”

Continue reading “Abram went as the Lord directed. You do the same! – Matthew 17:1-9” →