As members of the Body of Christ we are united with every other Catholic throughout the world. Catholics number 1.390 Billion people or 17.7 % of the world’s population. A total of 2.4 billion people (including Catholics) out of 8.2 billion people are Christian. That means of course that 5.8 billion people, for one reason or another, have not explicitly embraced Christ.

In his September 26th column in the Catholic Sun, Bishop Lucia calls our attention to reflect on the Church’s Social Teaching - which the Church has been building upon for generations. As we begin Respect Life Month, it is important that we know the Catholic Church’s consistent ethic of life. I encourage you to read the Bishop’s entire column which can be found on the Syracuse Diocese website: “To hope and Act with Creation” What follows is his summary of Church teaching on the consistent ethic of life.

“Take a deep breath… now do a real one.” This is the advice from a bride’s little sister when I asked her and members of the wedding party “Do you have any advice for the bride and groom?” This past weekend, I celebrated my sixth of eight weddings this wedding season. And the line “Take a deep breath… now do a real one” was advice I took before writing this bulletin article.

After teaching high school for six years and working in higher education for almost 25 years, late summer and early autumn seem to draw my attention to new beginnings: the beginning of school, the beginning of college football, nature’s display of her most beautiful array of color. From one day to the next, this time is filled with the excitement of new life experiences and the bright promise of special things to come.

After a long week of work, we may not feel that human labor is a gift from God, but it is important to recall that indeed it is a divine gift. In the beginning, human labor was created by God for us who were created in His image and likeness. In the midst of the work of creation by the hand of God, humanity was called to take responsibility for all of creation:

declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. However, this title honoring Mary as Queen appears in the writings of the early Church Fathers and we reflect on this title when praying both the fifteenth decade of the

Together, we have been reflecting on Rev. Christopher Seibt's series on Saint John's Gospel, Chapter 6, and The Mass. Here is the last article in that series based on this week’s Gospel.

Together, we have been reflecting on Rev. Christopher Seibt's series on Saint John's Gospel, Chapter 6, and The Mass. Here is the third article in that series based on this weekend’s Gospel.

Last week we began Rev.Christopher Seibt's series on Saint John's Gospel, Chapter 6, and The Mass. Here is the second article in that series based on this weekend’s Gospel.

For the next several weeks, as the Church calls us to reflect on the Sixth Chapter of John's Gospel, the Bread of Life Discourse, I would like to share with you Rev. Christopher R. Seibt's reflections on the celebration of the Mass and this passage from John's Gospel.

In today’s Gospel, we encounter the Apostles eagerly sharing with Jesus all that they accomplished in their first foray into ministry. As you recall, Jesus had sent them out two-by-two to teach, anoint the sick, and drive out demons. They are excited as they return to Him and share their stories about their experiences. (One can almost picture the apostles all clamoring for Jesus’ attention at the same time.)

Summer Vacations! Who does not love them? Growing up in NJ, my family’s go-to summer vacation spot was Ocean City, MD. But the Ata family did not travel like Jesus asked the disciples to travel. I think we traveled in the opposite way. We had no walking sticks; we had tons of food, more sacks then possibly needed, and money to spend. We did wear sandals, but not carrying a second tunic, my family, we had bags and bags of clothes.

Jesus returns to Nazareth, accompanied by His disciples. On the Sabbath, He begins to teach in the synagogue, and His wisdom and miracles astonish those who hear Him. Yet, their amazement quickly turns into skepticism. "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" they ask. And they take offense at Him.

In today’s Gospel we hear stories about individuals who face hopeless situations, turn to Jesus with faith and in return discover that the impossible is very much possible. They show resilience and strength to embrace this faith when all seems lost. It is this call to embrace great faith in the face of impossible odds that the over 200 young men and women who have said yes to a year of service with FrancisCorps have answered.

In our prayer and in our preaching, we usually concentrate on the Good News that we are made in the image and likeness of God. This revelation gives us great hope and comfort as we face the ups and downs of our daily life. It is an aspect of our Faith that St. Francis stressed in his preaching and in his life. St. Francis was in awe of our God who surrenders His divinity to fully embrace our humanity and thus offers us a pattern for living and praising our Heavenly Father. Jesus freely emptied Himself of His divinity to become fully human and we are made in His image and likeness. In His embrace of our humanity Jesus fulfills all of our needs and desires.

Like many traditional pillars of our society, fatherhood has fallen on hard times. 1 in 4 children in our country grow up without a father in the home. There is really no need to list all of the consequences that follow from this tragic reality.
However, it is important to remember that the entire family structure has its origin in God. St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians 3:14-15 tells us, “ … I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.” In other words, fatherhood is integral to the family structure. Something not always appreciated in today’s culture.

In this week's Gospel, Jesus faces misunderstandings from His family, accusations from religious leaders, and redefines what it means to be part of His family. This passage is rich with lessons about faith, community, and the radical inclusivity of God's kingdom.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi). This feast was established for the Universal Church in 1264 by Pope Urban IV. By the 15th century, it became one of the principle feast days of the Church.

For 40 years, I have begun my day with a renewal of that prayer of consecration to Mary. She has kept me on the straight and narrow road and protected me from temptations and poor judgment. In my times of loneliness, she has reminded me that every Christian’s vocation is to follow in the footsteps of Her Son, Jesus; and His path led Him to the cross. Mary has helped me appreciate the countless blessings and joys of these 40 years – from the privilege of ministering to God’s holy people in one assignment only to be embraced by His people in the next assignment.

Today is Pentecost. As the Church, we come to the end of the Great 90 Days: the 40 days of Lent and the 50 days of Easter. We have recalled the ministry, passion and death of the Master, Jesus Christ. We have celebrated His resurrection from the dead and his ascension into glory. Today, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the day that the Church was born.