4th Sunday of Easter Year A (1st Communion) Homily

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we come to celebrate our parish First Communion Mass. Therefore, my prayers are with all of the children of our parish who will soon receive their First Communion. Through the witnessing of such an act, may each of us also come to rekindle our relationship with Christ, present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion are all huge steps in our life of faith. These sacraments are not solely a rite of passage, but a font to which we flock in order to be given an abundance of grace so that we may live good and holy lives. As our Gospel promised, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Through the Eucharist, we are being invited toward such an abundance of life. In the early Church, we are told that Christians “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” This reality places Christ, present in the Eucharist, at the center of our life of faith.

Throughout this past year, the children of our parish have been prepared for such an encounter with Him. In their hearts is found a longing to receive our Lord who has made Himself present with us in the Eucharist. Through such readiness, they come to “know his voice,” for He “calls his own sheep by name.”

This calling requires a relationship with Christ to continue to be nurtured. We must be people of faith who desire to know Him. If we desire to know Him, we will make the time to come to know Him through prayer, and we will live lives that relate to the One for whom we have been claimed in the life-giving waters of Baptism.

Whenever life is difficult, let us remember that He is to be the rock of our life. He is the Good Shepherd who leads us toward restful waters and verdant pastures, and whose cup overflows. Many attempt to find fulfillment in areas that will never satisfy. It is Christ for whom our heart truly longs.

My dearest children, let Christ be the one for whom your heart always longs. To your parents: please continue to assist your children in the life of faith. Teach them to pray and to know Christ. Bring them to Mass every Sunday—not only when it is convenient—in order that they may know Christ. Allow your homes to be a place where Christ is made manifest.

Now together, let all of us look to the altar of sacrifice. From here, we will be invited to “Behold the Lamb of God.” Let us behold Him with our sight and our hearts. From this verdant pasture we will be nourished, and from this overflowing cup we will find our strength. This invitation leads us toward an abundance of life that can only be encountered in Christ Jesus.

13th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

We must be grateful for all that God has given to us especially the gift of His grace.

The lepers were helpless for their situation placed them as outcasts of the community. They were unable to do anything for themself that would bring forth healing except to beg their situation to God. They thus cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Of the ten who came to be healed only one returned into order to show gratitude for such a wondrous gift.

Like the lepers we are unable to be saved by our own merit. We needed Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross as well as the continued assistance of God’s grace in order to complete such a task. By accepting such a gift we must remember to be filled with such gratitude for what we have received.

There are some who unknowingly go about this life as if they are able to save themselves. They act as if no matter how they choose to order their life that they will be saved. Rather, we must realize our dependence upon God and the need for His mercy. In such a state we are able to cry out “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

Through such an act of faith these words lead us towards true repentance. With a contrite heart we come before God confessing our sins and receiving the grace of the sacrament of confession as we are absolved from these sins. We should be thankful for such a gift for without it we would be unable to be healed from those serious sins that have cut us off from the gift of God’s grace.

The ultimate proclamation of such thanksgiving is the Eucharist itself. The word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.” Thus through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we are not passive recipients, but active in our role of giving back to Him who has given all things unto us. Through the Mass we are able to enter into His sacrifice and give thanks to God for this gift through our worship.

In coming to commune with the Lord in Holy Communion we invite Him to enter in under our roof. Through such a reception we are strengthened to enter into the world not living as an enemy of Christ, but as one who has been sent forth to bring Christ out into the world. In such manner the leper was commanded, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

This command did not send him back into the world unchanged, but as one that had been changed by God’s healing power. Let us continue to call out to the infinite mercy of God and intrust ourselves to the gift of His grace. In doing so we must always remember to give thanks for all that God has done for us.

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

3rd Sunday of Easter Year C Homily

The apostles had a difficult time catching fish until the Lord came in order to help them. Prior to His Resurrection we are told of a similar account when they were called to follow after Him. It was only after they were willing to listen to Him that they caught an abundant catch of fish.

Likewise, the Lord must be the refuge of our life. We so often attempt to find our refuge in a multitude of other areas. In doing so we are so quick to move the Lord far away from our midst as we place our trust in something else.

This evening the children of our parish have the opportunity to receive the Lord for the first time in Holy Communion. Hopefully this first communion will simply be the first of many times that you come to receive Him in the Eucharist.

No matter how many times we have come to receive Him we cannot act as if what we receive is just mundane food. The Eucharist is special not because we receive bread and wine, but through the reality that what we receive is truly Christ present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

As was stated at the Second Vatican Council, “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.” This is to say that we should live our life oriented towards Christ and His presence in the Eucharist.

Whenever we lose sight of the Eucharist we allow ourself to lose sight of the Lord. If we lose sight of Him we are like the apostles unable to catch any fish because our faith is found to be lacking. With our sight placed upon Christ we are able to catch abundantly because of Him.

For this reason we must frequent the sacrament of confession because it heals our relationship with the Lord broken down by sin. For this reason we must assist at Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation because here we make time to be with the Lord. For this reason make time for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament because here we place our attention upon Christ. Parents must lead the way in living such an example and integrating it into the life of the family.

My dearest children we rejoice with you this day because of Christ and your willingness to receive Him. Continue to keep your sight upon Him and be willing to go wherever it is that He leads. The unknown can seem to be scary, but it is not scary if we place our trust in the Lord.

Through our “Amen” given at the reception of Holy Communion we come to place our trust in Him and His mercy which endures forever. May the Risen Lord continue to come to us in order that we may be sent forth to proclaim Him in thought, word, and deed.

Resumed 5th Sunday After Epiphany Homily

This past week we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints and observed the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. These days reminded us of the totality of the Church made up of the Church Triumphant (those now in Heaven), the Church Purgative (those now in Purgatory), and the Church Militant (those now here on earth).

We should all strive to be saints just like those now in Heaven. This means that we take upon ourself the mission to pursue holiness in our everyday life. The many saints of God show us that this is possible in so far as we are willing to live for the Lord. Through entering into the sacramental life of the Church we are given the grace needed to pursue this path.

In passing from this life to that which is to come we cannot forget that the life that we have lived on this earth matters. Some proclaim with confidence at every single funeral that they are now in Heaven. How do we know this to be true? How do we know this to be true of ourself if we are not willing to live for the Lord by separating ourself from a life of sin?

As was stated in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.” This precisely what is being mentioned in today’s Gospel through the separating of the cockle from the wheat. The cockle must be cast out because it is not good for human consumption and so those who want nothing to do with the Lord must be cast out.

As was said in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive our demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?” So too it is with those who want to hide behind their list of outward deeds without allowing their inside that is seen by no one to be purified.

When we die we will be judged and thus sorted like the cockle from the wheat. Some to Heaven and others to hell. Notice that Purgatory is not on this list. Purgatory is not the place of second chances, but is where one who has already been judged as worthy of Heaven goes to be purified of temporal punishment. We must remember to pray for the souls in Purgatory instead of failing to pray for them.

As we come to the conclusion of this liturgical year we should continue to prepare ourself for that which is most important in our life, our salvation. Let us choose to strive to be saints by coming to embrace holiness in our everyday life. We can only embrace holiness if we are willing to let go of sin and embrace the Lord. Let us to such as those saints of God who have now gone before us into Paradise.

All you saints of God, pray for us.

5th Sunday of Easter Year B Homily

My dearest children today you experience a great joy. That joy is that at Mass we behold Jesus present with us under the appearances of bread and wine. We know this to be Christ who is present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Today you will receive Him for the very first time run the Most Holy Eucharist. This is truly a great joy.

For the rest us we should join with these children in experiencing such a joy. For we too behold the Lord present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist. We too have the opportunity to receive Him under the appearances of bread and wine if we so allow our life to be oriented unto His. This is truly a great joy for us as for these children.

In our Gospel the Lord makes known to us, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” Here we are being invited to enter into communion with Him. We must remember that our life should live untied to Him instead of lived independent from Him.

So often we are found willing to sacrifice attendance at Mass in favor of some worldly pursuit. So often we flock towards an event, but are content with pushing the Eucharist to the side. In other words we allow ourself to forget that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That He invites us to enter into communion with Him and is truly present with us in the Eucharist.

It is the Second Vatican Council that proclaims that the Eucharist should be the source and summit of our life. Does our life revolve around Him or does it revolve around something else? Again, Christ is “the vine” and we “are the branches.” What would happen to a branch if it is removed from the tree? It will not continue to live. We are in need of Christ and we need to make Him a priority in our life.

This priority is not only for us, but is for the whole family. Parents bring your children to Mass. Teach them how to pray and how to enter into relationship with the Lord. If the home cannot be a refuge of prayer and faith what are we doing for our children (for their salvation, for our salvation)? As the Catechism speaks concerning prayer, “Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all.”

We cannot forget Him who is our life and our all because He is the vine and we are the branches. Let us remain united to this vine always thus entering into deeper communion with Him. It is for this reason that we rejoice this evening with our children who will have the opportunity to receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ for the first time.

1st Communion Homily

My dearest children today is a joyful day for we gather here for your first Holy Communion. To our eyes we see bread and wine, but the one whom you will receive is Jesus. To receive Jesus is into your life is to allow Him to stay close to you. We stay close to Him when we choose to live our life for Him. The world is a busy place, but we must always make time for Christ. Continue to invite Him to enter into your life to dwell with you out of love. Continue to say “yes” to Jesus each and every day of your life.

To our parents please remember to take your children to Mass. Teach them how to pray and love Him. We are called to build up the domestic church which is the church at home. When we fail to assist at Mass we fail to be present with Jesus. We say that there is something else in my life which is more important then developing a relationship with Him. Saying “yes” to Jesus is not just for these children, but for each of us. Let us share in their joy each and every time that we receive Jesus.

Let us receive Jesus with great joy!

Holy Family Homily

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Jospeh.

It is important for us to remember the family for the family is central to our society. God took on our human flesh and He dwelt among us. In doing so He chose to enter into a family on this earth. There is no escaping the importance of a family, no matter how much our society might try to redefine, if not eliminate the family from its midst.

Within the Holy Family we discover a love for God which is perfect. Mary and Jospeh were well versed in their faith and knowledge of Scripture. They turned to God in prayer and placed their trust in His will for them no matter how difficult that would be. 

If we think of the modern family the notion of God so often gets pushed off to the side. In the midst of the busyness of everyday life we can never forget God. It is important that families pray together, study the faith together, and attend Holy Mass together. Sadly, the domestic church (the church at home) is something that is missing from many homes.

Within the Holy Family the love between man and woman was found to be perfect. Jospeh respected his bride and he would do anything to protect her. Mary respected her husband and she would do him no harm. Their home was filled with the virtue of love not a so called “love” that has so many restrictions attached to it. Their love is an extension of the love that they had for God. So often our homes might contain a concept of love, but do we truly love as love is meant to be?

When times get difficult, the opportunity for true love begins to form. This is so because in the midst of sacrifice we can let go of what is not important and begin to love freely. Our homes are so often filled with so many distractions caused by our self absorption that causes each member of the family to go off by their self and do their own thing. There is no concept of sacrifice because it is something that is found to be irksome.

The Holy Family lived a life of sacrifice for they lived a life of love. Mary humbly sacrificed everything to God through her yes. Joseph went in haste in order to sacrifice in order that his family would be protected. They would also make sure to offer the sacrifice that was expected of them by the Law. Are willing to allow our family to sacrifice in such a way or would we rather our family be built upon the ways of the world.

May Mary and Jospeh pray for us that all families may be found to be holy and in love with Christ.

1st Communion Homily

My dearest children today is a most joyous occasion.

We are filled with joy for the Lord has risen from the tomb signaling the triumph over sin and death to us. We are filled with joy for today you will receive Him for the first time in the Eucharist.

In the Eucharist Jesus continues to come to us out of love under the appearances of bread and wine. Due to what takes place here at the Mass each of us should be happy no matter our age because we come here in order to encounter Jesus.

As you come to receive Jesus for the first time you are filled with joy and rightfully so. Hopefully this same joy will continue each and every time that you receive Him. So often when we do something over and over again it becomes ordinary, but there is nothing that is ordinary about the Eucharist for there is nothing that is ordinary about Jesus.

A saying to priests states, “O priest of God, say this Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass.” The same should be said of those who encounter Jesus in Holy Communion. We should receive Him each time as you do on this your first time with joy. Each and every single time that you receive Him you should do so with joy.

Let us always remember the joys of the Eucharist for Jesus is truly present among us under the appearances of bread and wine.

Bulletin Article: November 7

Monday, November 8, is our next Parish Open Forum from 7pm-8pm. We will again meet via Zoom. The purpose of these open forums is to bring the parish together to talk about topics which are of importance to our community. This is the perfect place to bring ideas and concerns, so that we as a parish community can work together for the good of the parish.

In Christ, 

Fr. Dustin Collins

Bulletin Article: August 8

We are now close to a month away from our parish homecoming celebration which will be on September 12th.

On September 12th we will have an outdoor bilingual Mass at 11am with a parish picnic to follow. There will also be Mass September 11th at 5pm and September 12th at 8am (Latin) for those who are unable to join us for the outdoor Mass.

In preparation of this parish celebration we ask that you send a picture of your family to clinenob2000@yahoo.com. Please put in the subject line “Family Photo Slideshow.” We will compile these photos into a slideshow which will play in our gathering area leading up to September 12th.

On August 13th we will have our 4th of 6 parish rosaries at 6pm. The 13th of each month lines up when our Lady of Fatima made her visitations to three shepherd children. We gather to pray for all those effected by COVID-19, that people may begin to return to Mass, that our parish community may continue to grow, and in preparation of our parish celebration.

Finally, next weekend will be the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. On this Marian day our parish will hold a ministry fair after each Mass. I know this weekend will be helpful in promoting the many ministries that our parish has to offer. If you are not already involved with a ministry I hope that you will prayerfully consider that ways in which you can get involved with our parish community.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Bulletin Article: August 1

Please keep the students, teachers, and faculty in your prayers as they begin this new school year. Teachers will return tomorrow, Monday, and students will return on Thursday. We will have the first All School Mass of the school year this Friday at 8:30am. In the weeks to follow we will resume having the All School Mass on Wednesday. 

Please keep Deacon Matthew Donahue in your prayers. He will be ordained to the priesthood this Saturday, August 7, at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus at 11am. Due to this ordination there will not be 8:30am Mass nor confessions at 9am on August 7.

In Christ, 

Fr. Dustin Collins

5th Sunday After Easter Homily

The faith is not something which is dead and docile, but instead is found alive and well. In two weeks time we will be reminded of this in the most vivid of ways through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which according to the Book of Acts came forth as a strong driving wind. Therefore, we can see that the Holy Spirit leads the Church forth to lead others into the abundant Harvest of the Lord.

So often we are not open to receive such a gift for we fear where this gift will lead us. As our Epistle stated: “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving you own selves.” The apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit and from it they did not remain self contained within the Upper Room, but through it they were sent out into the world to lead others towards Christ.

We hopefully hear the Word of the Lord day in and day out. Hopefully we not only hear this word, but allow it to seep into our heart and our soul allowing it to become who we are as one who is created in the image and likeness of God. When Christians fail to be doers of the word they do the faith a great injustice. When we live a life which is contrary to the faith it harms not only ourself, but others. It makes evangelization impossible on our behalf because we live for self and not for Christ Jesus.

It is time for us to be shaken out of our complacency and to realize the need to turn away from sin and to live for Christ Jesus. Some have grown comfortable and they thus see no need to turn away from sin because they have spent so much time rationalizing it in this life. They have allowed themselves to become desensitized to sin in order to live for the here and now. Therefore they allow themself to become a slave instead of being set free for Christ Jesus.

We must reject this notion and turn towards Christ. It is not enough for us to come to Mass when it is convenient. It is not enough for us to come to Mass, but not dare to conform our life to Christ. We can study Sacred Scripture and say that Jesus loves me all that we want, but that does nothing if we have closed our heart to living out the Gospel, not as we wish, but as Christ wishes through the teaching authority of the Church.

Therefore, we must each ask ourself what we must let go of if we are to live for Christ Jesus. Very soon the Holy Spirit will descend upon the apostles and so too the Holy Spirit continues to descend upon us to orient us towards all truth. We cannot deceive ourself any further, but realize that now if the time to live for Christ Jesus. May we use this time which has been allotted to us to live Him.

1st Communion Homily

Today we celebrate a great joy which should point our heart towards that which is most important in this life. So often we think we know what is important. Maybe that would be watching something on television, playing video games, and engaging in sports to name a few. No matter that which we do with our life we can never forget that it is important for us to love God and to order our life towards Him.

Therefore, Christ is that which is important for us. Thankfully, He loves us so dearly that He left us the gift which is the Most Holy Eucharist. Today, you, my dearest children will come to receive Him for the first time in the gift which is the Eucharist. For the rest of us, may we continue to encounter Him with such vigor. May none of us ever allow anything to be more important than God.

Sadly, there are those who do not make Mass a priority or receive Christ with great haste and then they rush out the door. No, we cannot give into this attitude because in doing so we are saying that there is something which is more important for us than Christ. Remember that before and after Mass you have the opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus. Use this opportunity to be in silence not to talk, but to pray. To prepare to receive Jesus and to give thanks to Jesus for loving us so much.

In a matter of moments, you, my dearest children we receive our Lord for the first time. Never take this gift for granted, but each and every time that you receive our Lord in Holy Communion do so with great devotion, always remember to give Him thanks, and always remember of His love which is abundant and without end.