Dear Friends,

We live in a world increasingly shaped by a “tit-for-tat” mentality—a world where mercy is rarely celebrated, and strength is often measured by raw power rather than compassion. One need only look at the tragic conflicts unfolding across the globe to see the consequences of this mindset. At the root of so much violence lies humanity’s struggle to forgive and a persistent refusal to show mercy for past wrongs.

Dear Friends,

What a week this has been! Holy Week—the most sacred stretch of time in human history—is always a week marked by gross contradictions and naked betrayals. These painful moments were not carried out by strangers, but by those purported to be the "soul friends" of our Lord; a people He loved, served, and sacrificed everything for.

Dear Friends,

Palm Sunday inaugurates Holy Week by placing the Church before a paradox that unsettles every shallow understanding of power, success, and faith: salvation comes through obedient self-emptying, not through domination or resistance. We are not invited liturgically to a sentimental admiration of Jesus’ suffering but required to have a theological clarity and personal decision. The question posed is not whether Christ suffered, but whether we are willing to follow the path by which suffering becomes redemptive.

Dear Friends,

As we continue our Lenten journey and approach this 5th Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to continue looking more deeply into our hearts. Lent is often the time when we try to “fix” ourselves—we give something up, we pray more, we try to improve. But sometimes, without realizing it, we spend more time looking at the sins of others than examining our own.

Dear Friends,

As a young boy, I used to think eyeglasses looked "cool." Now that I have to wear them always, and my vision continues to change, I often wish I didn’t need them at all. Moreover, I tend to misplace them often. We usually assume that everyone wants to see perfectly, but as a colleague recently pointed out to me when I was sharing my situation, there is a strange "middle ground" where your vision is just good enough to get by, but bad enough that you have to carry your glasses everywhere. Life is actually simpler when we admit we need help to see clearly. This is what the gospel reading today reminds us of.

Dear Friends,

Two weeks ago, following the whirlwind of "Name Tag Weekend," I was finally settling down into the quiet of my evening. That peace, however, was suddenly interrupted by a single phone call from the daughter of a former parishioner at St. Andrew the Apostle. Her message was brief but urgent: "Father Robert, your friend collapsed in church and is being rushed to the emergency room at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale."