Saint Paul reminds us today to consider ourselves dead to sin but alive in God. We know that we still sin; it is because we do sin that God asks us to at least be grateful for His unending mercy.

We cannot be afraid to face the darkness of the evil one. Temptations seem real and very powerful, but, in reality, temptations are weak; the devil’s greatest weapon is deception, making sin seem as though it is irresistible when in fact the devil has no power at all, he has been conquered by Christ’s death on the Cross.

Whatever hardship we endure must be seen in the light of Jesus’ victory over sin and so we should be careful not be deceived into believing we are powerless against evil.  In Christ and with Him, we can conquer sin because Jesus died for just that reason.  The only thing we should be afraid of is the person “who can destroy the soul;” those who easily lead us into sins like gossip, lust, greed, envy, pride, anger, gluttony, and sloth.

Saint Bernadette Soubirous once prayed, “Lord, I do not ask that I never be afflicted, but only that You never abandon me in my affliction.”

Remember my friends that ‘the Lord is with you, like a mighty champion; your tempters will stumble, they will not triumph…run and you will not grow weary for God is your strength!’

This morning we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity: One God, Three Persons, Who is infinitely a Family of Love.

As Christians, we are all of the same Family who have been touched by the divine life of God through the Word made Flesh. A serious threat to one part of our family is a serious threat to every part.

We have to be more conscious of our family members and the true meaning of its universality in the context, not only of love, but also of suffering and persecution and sadness.

“God so loved the world that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

This Holy Trinity Sunday let us expand our definition of everyone. Saint Paul says it so beautifully: “Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

As we prepare for the great Feast of Pentecost, we encounter again the Apostles retreating to the Upper Room in order to pray and wait for the coming of the Advocate, promised by Jesus. We listened to Jesus last words to them ‘I am with you always, until the end of the world.

It is important for us to understand how we pray as intercessors and for whom we pray. Prayer is firstly a conversation with the Holy Trinity. It is also an opportunity to be an intermediary for someone we know or love. Often times we can find ourselves praying for our own immediate concerns, problems in our families or bad situations in which we find ourselves.

Continue reading “We are the intercessors for those who are lost!” →

We live in a society that is becoming more and more hostile to God and increasingly more anxious, impatient and confused.

In such an atmosphere, a disciple stands out as different and as counter cultural. My friends, Catholics are becoming voices in the wilderness, crying out, ‘make straight the way of the Lord.’ Imagine a person whose trust is completely in God. What peace, what joy!

If you have ever been with the dying, you would learn the true meaning of life. Where is nothing left of the earthly but only God, the dying see the only treasure in life that matters: love, compassion, forgiveness and mercy.

Continue reading “Be ready to explain the reason for your hope and joy!” →

Deacon Greg Maskarinec’s Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter

We all have our pet peeves…things that annoy us.  One of my pet peeves is someone not giving me a direct answer to a question.  They give a detailed background, possible answers and all the implications.  For those of you who know me you’re probably thinking, “Look who’s talking!”  Yes, I often find myself doing the same thing!

Another of my pet peeves – and let me be clear that it’s something that I too sometimes fall into the habit of – is the way we sometimes treat the Church’s Liturgical seasons.  For example, we wish people a Merry Christmas on December 25th and on the morning of December 26th or 27th we drag our Christmas trees to the curb and rush off to the Mall to return the “much appreciated” gifts from our loved ones.

Or consider how some of us begin the Easter Season a little early.  Out of fear that we won’t see each other on the Day of Resurrection we began exchanging the Easter greeting during Holy Week; after the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, after Jesus’ Passion and death on Good Friday, and on Holy Saturday or the day of the Great Silence.  And some of us end the Easter Season a little early.  On the Friday after Easter I greeted somebody with the words “Happy Easter” to which he replied, “You’re 5 days late!  Wasn’t Easter last Sunday?”  We sometimes forget that the Easter Season doesn’t start until the celebration of the Easter Vigil and it doesn’t end until Pentecost Sunday.   In fact, in the words of Saint Athanasius the 50 days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to the Sunday of Pentecost are celebrated as one “great Sunday”.  So it’s really not appropriate to wish someone Happy Easter during Holy Week!   And if you don’t get a chance to wish somebody Happy Easter on Easter Sunday, or even if you already have,  you can say it without feeling awkward all the way to Pentecost Sunday! Continue reading “The Paschal Joy of Easter!” →