In the Creed professed at Mass, we affirm our belief in the Holy Spirit, "the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son .... " At once the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, eternally proceeding from both, the Holy Spirit is-as articulated by St. Augustine-the mutual love of the Father and Son. "The Holy Spirit is a certain unutterable communion of the Father and the Son."

Dear friends,

In the recent Annual Priests' retreat at Picture Rocks Redemptorist Spiritual Center, we read, reflected, and shared from the Book, "The Priest: Mystery of Love" by Luis M. Martinez. The place of Love dominated the Spiritual journey. Everything from the Pope, the Bishops, the Priesthood, and indeed the life of every Christian is the fruit of Love. The Love between God the Father and the Son in communion with the Holy Spirit. God is Love.

In the solemn celebration of Pentecost, we are invited to profess our faith in the presence and in the action of the Holy Spirit and to invoke His outpouring upon us, upon the Church, and upon the whole world. With special intensity, let us make our own the Church's invocation: Veni, Sancte Spiritus! It is such a simple and spontaneous invocation, yet also extraordinarily profound, which came first of all from the heart of Christ. The Spirit is indeed the gift that Jesus asked and continues to ask of His Father for His friends: the first and principal gift that He obtained for us through His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven.

Dear friends,

One of the greatest joys of standing at the gate of our school each morning for me, apart from welcoming their cheerful faces, is hearing the wonderful questions children often ask me or just letting me know it is their birthday. Recently two of our little first graders, Caleb and Annet, at different times stopped me with questions that have challenged human minds for centuries. "Who made God?" Caleb asked. Then a few minutes later Annet asked, "What is the difference between God and Jesus?"

Our Paschal Candle for this year is hand-decorated by a small Catholic artist based in Washington state. The primary artwork on the candle depicts the scene of John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River from Matthew 3.

Dear friends,

Last week, as I made my way from the airport to a funeral Mass for a dear friend in Dallas, I had an encounter that has stayed with me in a quiet but powerful way. My Uber driver, named Duncan, handed me a simple wristband. On it were the words: "God is big enough." At the time, I received it politely, but it did not resonate immediately with me as my mind was focused on the funeral Mass I was heading to celebrate.

Today, on Mother's Day, we honor our mothers, but an often-overlooked mother to us all is the bride of Christ: Holy Mother Church. The apostles in their writings routinely likened the relationship between Christ and His Church to that of the groom and his bride. Just as God is the father of creation and exercises His authority over it, the Church, as the bride of Christ and flowing forth from Him, is the mother of creation and exercises her nurturing care and oversight of what has been entrusted to her by Him.

Dear friends,

As we journey through the Sixth Sunday of Easter, the Church draws us ever closer to the great celebrations of the Ascension and Pentecost. These coming feasts remind us that Christ does not abandon His people but continues to guide and strengthen us through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Easter Proclamation, known as the Exsultet, a beautiful poem which is sung at the start of the Easter Vigil Mass to the praise of the Paschal Candle (a symbol of Christ), contains many references filled with deep theological symbolism, but one in particular stands out as rather odd. This reference is "O certe necessárium Adæ peccátum, quod Christi morte délétum est! O felix culpa, quæ talem ac tantum méruit habére Redemptórem!", often rendered in English as "O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! O happy fault, that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!".

Dear friends,

In this weekend's Gospel from the Farewell Discourse, Jesus speaks words of comfort to his disciples as he prepares for his arrest and crucifixion. He invites them to trust in God and to look forward with hope to their reunion in the Father's house. In the ancient world, when travelers needed lodging, one of them would go ahead to prepare a place. Jesus uses this familiar image—but what he promises is far greater than a temporary shelter. He offers an eternal dwelling in the Father's house.

On this last Monday evening, I attended a Mass at the Newman Center at ASU, celebrated by Bishop Olmsted. This Mass, other than being special because a bishop was there, was special because of the reason that he was there: the blessing and dedication of the church’s new pipe organ.

Dear Friends,

Learning from the early Christian Community lets us hear Peter announcing the core kerygma, or the essential truths of our faith.

According to Peter, Jesus was a man commanded by God, with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs. Jesus was delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God. He was crucified and rose again, and God has made him both Lord and Messiah. This is the stark truth of the Resurrection. And the people ask Peter and the other Apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" and Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:22-23, 36, 38)

Why is Easter on a different Sunday each year? It is the most important day in the Church’s calendar (more important than Christmas), yet the day we commemorate our Lord’s Resurrection is not fixed to a particular date like our Lord’s Birth is. Well, Easter follows a lunar, rather than a solar, calendar and is celebrated on the Sunday that follows the first full moon after March 21, the vernal (spring) equinox. Therefore, Easter cannot fall earlier than March 22 or later than April 25.

Dear Friends,

The title of this reflection is inspired by the Gospel of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35). In that familiar and beautiful story, the disciples encounter a stranger along the way—only to discover, in the end, that it is the Risen Lord himself.

As they journey, weighed down by confusion and disappointment, Jesus himself draws near and walks with them. Yet they do not recognize him. Instead, they recount to this “stranger” all that has happened concerning Jesus of Nazareth—their dashed hopes, their sorrow, their uncertainty. And then something remarkable happens.

Let all Pious men and all lovers of God rejoice in the splendor of this feast; let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy of their Lord; let those who have borne the burden of Lent now receive their pay, and those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward. Let any who came after the third hour be grateful to join in the feast, and those who may have come after the sixth, let them not be afraid of being too late.

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.

Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh, and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh, and hell trembles with fear.

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.