Reflection by Fr. Larry Thorpe
Pentecost is my favorite religious celebration. It is often called the “Birthday of the Church” since absent the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, there would be no Church today. The Holy Spirit was present at creation referenced as the “Ruah Elohim” in Hebrew or the “Life ...
Pentecost
In just under a week, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. The readings begin to focus on the coming of the Holy Spirit and during these nine days preceding Pentecost, we pray to grow closer to the third person of the trinity and to be filled with the gifts...
The Bread of Life
Today, we come to the end of John 6, the discourse on the bread of life, in the gospel readings in this Easter season. The last couple of weeks we have heard Jesus proclaim that he is the bread of life, the manna God the Father sent to all...
Abundant Grace
All of us are sinners and in this Easter season, we are reminded of the divine mercy of God, who came to redeem us. Recently I was praying before the blessed sacrament and heard that still small voice speak to me about areas of my life that need to...
Overcoming Darkness in Our Time
The sacred scriptures in John 1: 5 tell us, “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus is the light of the world who came to remove the veil woven over the nations, to dispel the darkness, so we could live in the...
Believing in Jesus
All of Christendom is based upon belief that Jesus rose from the dead. St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised, then empty [too] is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.” So belief is absolute trust in what God said and our experience...
Our Rock
”The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2 In today’s readings we see Jeremiah calling out to God in the midst of hard circumstances of...
Prayer
Prayer and Perseverance The Lord himself gave us an outline for prayer, the “The Lord’s Prayer. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we...
The Virtue of Hope
In preparation for the year of the Holy Spirit, Pope John Paul II wrote on the virtue of hope. He wrote, “In this eschatological perspective, (doctrine concerning the ‘end times’) believers should be called to a renewed appreciation of the theological virtue of hope, which they have already heard...
What is Evangelization
According to the American Festival of Evangelism, the gift of being an evangelist is “is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to share the Gospel with unbelievers in such a way that men and women become Jesus’ disciples and responsible members...
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