The Lord is truly Risen, Alleluia!
by Fr. Robert Aliunzi | 03/30/2024 | Weekly ReflectionDear Friends,
What a week this was! What a climax!
The said week, known as Holy Week, is always a week of gross contradictions and naked betrayals. These painful contradictions and betrayals involved people who were supposed to be the soul friends of our Lord and Savior Jesus and a people he “slaved” and sacrificed so much for. Led by the ever-impetuous Peter, the whole bunch of the apostles abandoned and betrayed Jesus at his hour of greatest need. This becomes particularly so painful after Peter even pompously professed that he was ready to die for him. That he would never abandon him even if others did. Did he? Not at all!
ContinueHow can we make Holy Week holier again?
by Fr. Robert Aliunzi | 03/23/2024 | Weekly ReflectionDear Friends,
This weekend, we celebrate Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday. For the past five weeks, we have, I believe, engaged in many spiritual activities in order to prepare well and share fruitfully in the paschal mysteries of our Lord which we are about to celebrate in a few days time. To help us in this process, in one of my articles at the beginning of this season, I recommended a series spiritual activities to observe.
ContinueBrief Feedback on the Parish Census
by Fr. Robert Aliunzi | 03/16/2024 | Weekly ReflectionMy Dear Friends,
“However big a tree is, it cannot make a forest” (African Proverb).
This past weekend, we had our Parish Census exercise during which over 600 of you registered or updated your information. Since I do not have any precedence to compare these numbers with, I consider the entire exercise, a great success already. This fact is also corroborated by numerous positive feedback I have been receiving during this entire week. Know that the Census is still ongoing for those of you who have not yet done so till mid-April.
ContinueParticipate in the Census Today! Jesus Himself Did It.
by Fr. Robert Aliunzi | 03/09/2024 | Weekly ReflectionMy Dear Friends,
For the past two weeks, we have been inviting you to participate in our Parish Census, giving reasons as to why it is important to do so. My invitation still continues especially today when we begin our actual Census exercise. Did you know that a census is so important that one of the most significant events in Salvation History, that involved God being ushered into our world as a child happened around a census? The Gospel of Luke connects the birth of Jesus to a "worldwide census" ordered by Augustus Caesar in which individuals had to return to their ancestral cities to be counted. Jesus' parents, Joseph, and Mary, had to travel about 90 miles from their home in Nazareth, Galilee, to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. Yes, the birth of Jesus happened around a census, that’s how important a census is.
ContinueStewardship: Sharing Our Treasures with the Poor
by Fr. Robert Aliunzi | 03/02/2024 | Weekly ReflectionMy Dear Friends,
The three spiritual activities recommended for us to embrace during the Lenten seasons are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. In one of my previous articles, I reflected on Prayer as an important component of Stewardship. In this article, I would like to reflect on the aspect of almsgiving in the context of sharing our treasures with the poor.
Continue