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Today we continue to reflect upon farming and harvest imagery. The central meaning of the parable is that the Kingdom of God takes root in imperfect communities of “wheat and weed” and in both an imperfect church and world. The threats of farming to go bad are real and yet it is the abundant life that is the expected outcome, just as weeds that threaten to choke out the long-anticipated good harvest.

With the celebration of this Sunday, we continue through the Ordinary Time of the church’s liturgical life. It is “the green season”– it is the season of growth. At the height of the growing season in the northern hemisphere, today's liturgy reminds us that the soul, like soil, must be well prepared if we expect good things to grow from it.

At the heart of summer vacation, Jesus extends to us an incredible invitation, “Come to me all you who labor and find life burdensome and I will give you rest.” Although summer for most of us is all about rest and rejuvenation, we know that sometimes even vacation can be a time of exhaustion and anxiety.

This Sunday offers us great opportunities to assess our lives, mainly what role Jesus plays in our lives. In the context of the Gospel message, Jesus gives us a very direct answer– “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” Jesus speaks of being a worthy disciple. But what criterion does Jesus give to be a worthy disciple?

During the Ordinary Time of the life of the Church, we have many great opportunities to “get to know” Jesus better through all of the different aspects of His life and work. So in the months to come, we will walk with the disciples alongside Jesus and learn the rhythm of day-to-day life – a pattern of learning and teaching, love and service.

At last, we have arrived at the end of the many weeks which were taken up with the celebration of and reflection on the ‘Paschal Mystery.’ It began with Ash Wednesday, went through Lent, the celebration of Holy Week and Easter, the weeks following Easter, and culminated in Pentecost and the handing on of Jesus’ mission to His Church.

These words from today’s Gospel teach us that Jesus is true food and true drink that nourishes us so much that those who partake of Him will live forever. The significance of Jesus’ statement is echoed by St. Paul who reminds us that we "participate in the body of Christ," when we break the bread and the cup we drink is "a participation in the blood of Christ."

The joyful season of Easter came to an end last Sunday with the celebration of the Feast of Pentecost and brought us back to the Ordinary Time of the liturgical year of the Church. As I mentioned many times before- there is nothing “ordinary” about this time as this Sunday brings our attention to one of the greatest mysteries of our faith – The Most Holy Trinity.

Today we celebrate Pentecost, the day when Christ's risen life was entrusted to the Church by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Third Person of the Holy Trinity descended like tongues of fire on the Apostles nine days after Christ ascended into heaven.

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. The Gospel reading comes from the conclusion of the Gospel of Matthew and it is the first reading that gives us the account about Jesus’ Ascension and His promise to be always with His disciples. 

As we move through the Easter Season, today the Church takes us back to the Last Supper, giving us a chance to dig deeper into its meaning. Throughout His Last Supper discourse, Christ's constant refrain is: “If you love me, you will keep my commandment.”

The Fifth Sunday of Easter marks the passing of the midpoint of the Easter season. The Gospel readings are taken from the Gospel of John and invite us to reflect upon the meaning of the aftermath of the Resurrection – the openness to the Spirit of God- in order for us to bring about the ministry of evangelization and proclaim the power of the Risen Lord and His Kingdom here and now.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday. The Gospel reading refers to the 10th Chapter of St. John’s Gospel, in which Jesus reveals the relationship He has with each of His faithful followers.

On the Third Sunday of Easter, the Church gives us another appearance of Christ in His risen body. It's one of the best-known and great passages of the New Testament. 

On the Second Sunday after Easter, the Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. The title comes from the amazing revelations of the Divine Mercy received from Christ by Polish nun, Faustina Kowalska, in the early years of the twentieth century. She was canonized on April 30, 2000, by St. Pope John Paul II.

It is with great joy that we gather this resurrected morning to celebrate Easter - the greatest festival of our faith that brings to fulfillment the essence of our belief that God’s love is stronger than death!

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Branches of palm, olive, or sometimes even budding willow are ancient symbols of victory and hope, as well as new life.

The Fifth Sunday of Lent offers us a remarkable story that proclaims that no one is so far gone into death that Jesus cannot call him or her back to life, for He is the resurrection and the life, which is more than just physical life in the present, but also on the other side of death.

Today the Church celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Lent. This Sunday is traditionally called "Laetare [lay-TAR-ay] Sunday", the Sunday of rejoicing, as we sang in the entrance antiphon expressing the Church’s joy in anticipation of the Resurrection.

The Third Sunday of Lent takes us to the heart of the season of Lent and offers us an incredible opportunity to pause briefly on our pilgrimage toward Jerusalem.