Once I went to a hospice facility to celebrate Last Rites for an elderly dying man. His family had told me that he had been uncommunicative for days. At the conclusion of the ritual, we began to recite the Our Father prayer. To everyone’s surprise, his lips moved, clearly mouthing the words to the Lord’s prayer. Stripped of most of his faculties, the man could still pray those precious God-given petitions. A lifetime of prayer had planted the words even deeper than his failing consciousness.

Teach us to pray. Jesus prayed often. Sometimes he went to a private place to be alone and pray. But he also prayed in the presence of his disciples. Imagine what kind of experience that must have been! As they heard Jesus pray, there must have wondered why he prayed for some things and not for others. Probably they wondered which of their own concerns and questions were acceptable subjects in prayer. To their credit, they did not ask Jesus if they could pray for this or for that, as we might have done, but they asked him to teach them to pray. The reference to John the Baptist teaching his disciples to pray may refer to a specific form of prayer that was an identifying mark of this group. The rabbis often taught specific prayers, so that prayer was a learned discipline and not simply a release of feelings.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

With this month of July, the Confirmation “season” is basically behind me. Thanks be to God, the Confirmation celebrations have been well attended with large crowds throughout our Diocese of Stockton. The Jubilee Year has truly reflected a sense of hope for the Church as our youth, young adults, and adults have stepped forward to “be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” For the rest of us who were confirmed many years ago, let us allow each celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation to offer us the opportunity to reflect on how we have allowed the Spirit to lead us in our everyday lives.

(Luke 10:1-12, 17-20) The Gospel we hear this Sunday, which presents the Liturgy of the Word, shows Jesus sending his disciples on missionary work, giving them instructions, including bringing the greeting of Peace: "...Let peace reign in this house..."

The disciples also bring a wonderful and life-changing message to the places where Jesus planned to go: "The Kingdom of God is at hand."

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, though their personalities and missions were so different. This Solemnity commemorates the martyrdom of two great Apostles assigned to the same day on June 29. There must be a reason why we celebrate both the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. It is because we already have Feasts in honor of the Chair of Peter and of the Conversion of St. Paul. Peter and Paul, did not work so closely together. And so, why do we celebrate this Solemnity to honor them both? How can we compare these two super apostles?

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ; it is the Catholic celebration of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Jesus instructed the apostles to consecrate the bread and wine to become His true body and blood as the Holy Sacrifice in the Mass. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, as the catholic faithful participate in his one sacrifice, represented at Calvary, continuously, every hour at all Masses throughout the world. This has always been the teaching of the Catholic Church, though its understanding had become less known in recent generations.

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This year continues to live up to its reputation as a Year of Jubilee, a year of joyful celebration and gratitude to God for his grace and mercy. Here are a few things that are contributing to our celebration of this Jubilee Year: We, as the Universal Church, have been blessed with a new Successor of St. Peter, Pope Leo XIV. We, as the local church, have prayed, and patiently waited, six years for the ordination of a priest, and our Lord Jesus has graced us with Fr. Akbar Saul Perez.

Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

You have probably heard this as a prayer or heard it as the gospel antiphon this weekend. This is a popular prayer to the Holy Spirit, and this weekend we celebrate Pentecost-fifty days after Easter and the end of the Easter season.

Jesus has completed his earthly mission, and this signifies his enthronement as heavenly king. Jesus has also completed his Father’s mission and he now rules with all authority and intercedes with all sympathy as our mediator and high priest. There are four main implications of this for our lives today. First, Jesus is presently reigning as king and remains active and engaged in our world and our lives. Second, we therefore need to live boldly, confidently and strategically as servants of the exalted king of heaven. Know that your labors in the Lord Jesus are not in vain (1 Cor 15: 58).

Following Jewish custom, the early Christians greeted one another, wishing peace. It wasn't just a routine and conventional greeting. For them, it had a deeper meaning. In a letter that Paul wrote around the year 61 to a Christian community in Asia Minor, he expressed his great desire "that the peace of Christ may reign in our hearts."

This peace should not be confused with anything else. It is not merely an absence of conflict and tension, nor a feeling of well-being or a search for inner tranquility.

My brothers and sisters,

Traditionally, the month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This special month offers us an opportunity to thank God for the gift of Our Lady in our lives and in the life of the Church. In this Jubilee Year of Hope, the Virgin Mary stands as a model for us as she leads us to Hope, itself, her Son, Jesus. From the Annunciation to the foot of the Cross, Our Lady has faithfully responded to her call as the Mother of the Messiah, the Christ, and as Mother of the Church.

In today's Gospel (4th Sunday of Easter) Jesus tells us “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jn. 10:27).

Listening to the Voice of God: How and where do we hear the voice of Jesus?

We hear the voice of God par excellence in the Holy Scriptures, through prayer, through the CCC, through the saints who have emerged in the Church, in the Eucharist, in the community, in images...

I eat breakfast. If I don’t have something substantial, I’m fading by midmorning. Breakfast is my key meal because it sets up my physical wellbeing for the rest of the day.

Spiritually speaking, we need sustenance to get us going. This is true for the Apostles in this Sunday’s remarkable Gospel reading. The risen Jesus makes his third appearance to them in the early morning light and calls, “Come, have breakfast” (John 21:12). The exhausted and cold fishermen sit, and he feeds them bread and fish as the dawn breaks.