Behold the Lamb of God

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Lent

2nd Sunday of Lent

Jesus reveals himself in our Gospel as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, signified by his speaking with Moses and Elijah who represent the Scriptural writings of the Law and the Prophets.  Jesus also fulfills what was begun in our first reading with the story of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his only son, Isaac.  Jesus is the long awaited Lamb of God, who is sacrificed on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sins when we had broken our covenant with God, Jesus who cuts a New and Eternal Covenant in his own Body and Blood to open up for us eternal life!

Ash Wednesday – It’s About Jesus

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Lent

Ash Wednesday

What is Lent about?  Is it about giving something up?  Well…not exactly. Is it about sacrifice?  Well…not exactly.  Lent is about Jesus Christ.  Lent is about us intentionally following Jesus and growing closer to Jesus.  If we forget that, then anything and everything we do during Lent – all the practices, all the sacrifices, all the resolutions – in the end, mean nothing.  The deeper presence of Jesus Christ in our lives is the meaning of Lent.  In our Gospel Jesus gives us three rich Biblical practices for that presence to become a reality in our lives: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  Done with Jesus and for Jesus, these have incredible power.  Done purely by our own strength of will or just because “that’s the rule”…then we’re just spinning our wheels.

Lenten Resolutions

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Ordinary Time

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When we think of Lent we often think of some sort of sacrifice that we make, something that we “give up” for Lent.  But a great question to ask the Lord as you consider your Lenten resolution(s) is, “How will this help me grow closer to You, Jesus?”  The whole point of a sacrifice in Lent is to be a sacrifice of love to the Lord, an intentional turning to God.  When our Lenten resolutions simply become a test of our own will power, however, then we’ve missed the whole point.  The whole point of this Lenten season is to draw closer to Jesus Christ.  If we are not intentionally growing closer to the Lord, then our Lent will be in vain.  So as you consider your resolution(s) for this Lent, I want you to ask the Lord, “How will this help me grow closer to You, Jesus?”

Repent, Believe, Go

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Ordinary Time

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings today give us an outline of the Christian life, the three necessary steps of what it means to live as a Christian.  Our destiny is to be in a total, life-giving, rich relationship with Jesus Christ, the Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity…and to begin living in that reality now through these three steps.  Christianity is quite simple…it’s not easy, but it’s quite simple.  G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult and left untried.”  So this week, will you give it a try?  Today, which step is God calling you to focus on?

Our Baptism

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Christmas Season, Feasts

The Baptism of the Lord

Today Jesus is baptized, not to be washed by the water but to wash the water; not to be cleansed by the waters but to cleanse the waters.  Today Jesus isn’t baptized by water – water is baptized by Jesus.  So when we go down into the water in baptism, we no longer just get wet, we get Jesus Christ!  At our baptism we were set free from the hold of sin, worry and anxiety in our life, brought into God’s family, and given the power of the Holy Spirit to live this new life in God.  The challenge this week: how are we doing?  How are we living out the graces of our baptism?  Have we in some ways forgotten the power and strength God gave us on our baptism day and settled for a less than full and vibrant life of faith?  This week, let’s ask for a renewal of that strength of our baptism!

Love & Family

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Christmas Season, Feasts

Feast of the Holy Family

Jesus not only came as a baby at Christmas, He also entered into a human family – with all the joys and frustrations that go with it.  We are challenged in all relationships, but especially in the family, to put the wants and needs of others before our own, to stretch our hearts, to learn how to love more, to sacrifice for each other.  Our readings today all challenge us to put others first, “Children, obey your parents in everything…Wives, be subordinate to your husbands…Husbands, love your wives.”  Jesus loved us, and so He subordinated Himself to our needs, even to the point of death.  We can practice this kind of love every day, especially in the family!

O Holy Night

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Christmas Season

Merry Christmas!

O holy night!  The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night, Oh night divine

Deacon Brian: Fiat

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Advent

4th Sunday of Advent

On this 4th Sunday of Advent, Deacon Brian gives an incredible homily on Mary’s fiat to God (“may it be done to me according to your word”) which lays the groundwork of the vision for our parishes in the coming year.  In it he uses the analogy of a NASCAR race to portray God’s first call and primary challenge for all the lay faithful to be drivers for Christ in the great Christian race of missionary discipleship, with the clergy being your pit crew and the fans being the whole world!

As we, lay parishioners and ministers alike, discern in this coming year how to transform our parishes of St. Joseph and St. Ann into communities that welcome the Lord’s call to “go and make disciples of all nations,” we ask for your prayers and support, that together we all might echo back to God Mary’s fiat: “may it be done to me according to your word,” and that we might draw many more to echo those word along with us!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Advent, Feasts

3rd Sunday of Advent

People started following and listening to Jesus in large part because of the signs that accompanied his message – the miracles he was performing. December 12th was the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  In 1531 Mary appeared to an Aztec peasant named Juan Diego asking that a Church be built on the spot.  Accompanying these apparitions were three miracles – the miracle of the roses, the miracle of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appearing on Juan Diego’s cloak/tilma (which can still be seen today in Mexico and which defies all modern explanation), and the miracle of over 9 million people converting to Christianity in a matter of years and following Christ because of this apparition and image.  In our Gospel today John the Baptist is preparing the way for our Lord.  Mary has prepared the way for our Lord Jesus in so many ways, both through her life on this earth and her continued apparitions to God’s children. Inspired by the miracles that God has done, let’s ask God to continue to work miracles in our lives and in this world, that we may follow Him with more conviction and that others may be opened to hearing the message of Jesus Christ!

Daily

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Uncategorized

1st Sunday of Advent

We humans change one step at a time – it’s just the way we’re wired.  And once we’ve made a change that tends to become the new normal and we stick to it,  for better or for worse.  This Advent season God wants to work in your life in new and powerful ways!  But for that change to occur, there is a requirement: DAILY prayer and reflection.  To give Jesus the space He needs in our lives and minds and hearts to work out His grace within us requires the daily practice of openness to God in prayer and reflection.  One day a week is okay, 2 days is all right, 3 is getting better…but if we’re wondering why we’ve plateaued and not much seems to be changing or growing in our spiritual life, it’s because God needs our daily permission to work His good grace in us, one step at a time!