May 2025 Newsletter – Perfect Love

“For God so loved the world…”

In this Easter Season we hear much about God the Father’s character, i.e., what He is all about.

Each of us may see God the Father in different ways. Perhaps some really connect with what Jesus told us, He is our dad, a loving and caring Father. For others, we may see Him as a judge. Some may see in Him the balance of justice and mercy. St. John, the beloved disciple, would later write much about the character and nature of love as found in God: So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. (1 John 4:16-18) The thought of God as love moves John to talk about God’s love “perfected among us.” The Greek word translated “perfected” (teleios) means “reaching a goal”, or “finishing” and “completing” something. It is the word Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Jesus was telling the world that in His death God’s redeeming work was finished, having reached the Father’s goal.

As much as John speaks of love he speaks of us. He uses words like we, us, and those who abide. God’s perfect love completed the work of salvation in Jesus on the cross, but we who abide here still have much to do. As we accord more and more to the way of Jesus we reach a perfection of love that is like the Father’s. We come into a unity of love as exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God’s love takes active action in us reaching love’s goal and causing His Kingdom to grow. We have a goal we are headed toward. So, let us live His love in greater and greater ways, eventually reaching that point where we can truly empty ourselves for love of our brothers and sisters, and can say along with Jesus, we have completed our work.

Welcome to our May 2025 Newsletter. A bit late, but here nonetheless. We continue to celebrate the fifty day Easter Season. We celebrate our moms and our heavenly mother, Mary. We look forward to great summer events – read up on them. All that and more in our May 2025 Newsletter.

Reflection for Good Shepherd Sunday 2025

“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.”

Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The eternal creating God, the just God holds us like this.

Jesus calls out a very key point we sometimes fail to grasp. We may miss it because of images like that of Jesus cradling the lamb. In calling Himself the Good Shepherd, it is natural to focus only on the image of Jesus as Shepherd. Yet, what Jesus calls us to today is focus on His Father in heaven holding us. 

The Father, upon His throne, holds us in His hands. The Father declares that we are His and no one can take us away from Him. 

We could liken this image to that of a father or mother holding their infant in their arms as they rock away in a chair. We, through our experiences, have all seen that image of perfect love and care, of defense and protection. Love when poured out before our eyes, is naturally understood.

Today we are called to see our Heavenly Father doing that for us. His magnificent, overwhelming, and unconditional love is poured out on us as He holds us. 

Some smarty-pants people when talking about our faith, and they are usually ‘insiders,’ make ridiculous statements like love is more important than doctrine. That is because their definition of doctrine is corrupted. In this 1700th year of the Nicaean Creed which we will profess in a few moments we declare a doctrine the tells us who God is.

And this is Who He is: A Father sending His beloved Son into the world and to the Cross for us; A Father with love so great that He spent it all to bring us into His arms.

If we live what we believe we live love. If we are one with the Father and Son in the Spirit, we bear the image of our loving God.

Yesterday, we experienced the ordination of a new shepherd in the model of Jesus. Fr. Sean. Toward the end of the Holy Mass, after pledging his obedience, the Prime Bishop leaned over and gently kissed him on top of his head. The shepherd’s love in the model of the Father exemplified. I cried because God opened my eyes to see that He loves us like that.

Reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Easter 2025

“Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

There is an amazing amount of material and symbolism contained in today’s gospel message.

Seven of the remaining eleven Apostles have gone back to their former way of life, and their former failures. As when Jesus first called Simon, James, and John their nets were empty.

Jesus tells them to try again – meaning not just the fishing, but the ministry they were called to.

Jesus is not big on going back or backsliding. He wants us to, through the power of His resurrection, move forward, to persevere in the ministry we have been given.

After the catch and their recognition of Jesus, Peter finds himself undressed and quickly covers himself and then swims toward the Lord. Peter takes the first step in recovering himself with grace, putting on not just clothes, but the Lord.

Jesus reasserts His resurrected humanity at the campfire by the lake where He eats with them. During that meal, they are reminded of that supper they shared with the Lord before His death, and they are recalled to the ministry of that supper.

Jesus calls Simon Peter aside to reconcile his betrayals. Jesus questions him about his love. In the original Greek, Simon Peter says he loves Jesus as a ‘brother.’ Jesus is asking him if he loves Him with his whole self – just as Jesus loves us.

Even though Simon’s answer is weak, Jesus still calls him to feed and tend His followers, recalling him to ministry.

Finally, Jesus tells Peter that he will have to forego his sense of self-determination and self-control. Jesus tells him that he will learn to let go, even to the point of sacrificing his life for the life Jesus offers.

Like the Apostles that day let us hear Jesus’ call and offer Him all our love. Allow Him to take control of our lives.

Reflection for Low Sunday 2025

Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

We all may have heard of the term ‘shock and awe.’ That term first emerged as a military strategy based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy’s perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight. While as a concept, the term and strategy had been around for some time, it came into the public lexicon during the Gulf Wars against Iraq. 

We might perceive the day of the resurrection and its following week as a time of shock and awe. The overwhelming power of God was fully on display as the resurrected Jesus appeared to His followers over and over. God’s might was spectacularly displayed.

We would all like to think that if we were there we would get it, understand. But, that’s unlikely.

In the first hours after the resurrection Mary Magdalene understood. John the Apostle got it. The disciples on the road to Emmaus had their eyes opened and Simon Peter finally understood. The rest, well, it took them time.

As we proceed through this season of joy, we will arrive at that moment when Jesus is taken up into heaven, the Ascension. Even there, some of the Apostles did not believe. Scripture records in Matthew 28:17: When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

Jesus had appeared over and over, He ate and drank with them, built a campfire, helped them with their catch, and repeatedly offered them peace.

My brothers and sisters, it is ok to be like Thomas, like the others who  still doubted. The problem comes when we persist in doubt and when doubt turns sour.

Jesus’ direction is very clear. It starts with the peace He gives us, a peace beyond the absence of conflict. It is a grace of peace that allows us to stand in the midst of conflict and still be at peace – because we have Jesus. So let us take Jesus’ command to heart: do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Reflection for the Solemnity of the Resurrection 2025

He saw and believed.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Today we encounter the greatest image ever, the empty tomb.

That image is the one, beyond the cross, that God wants us to remember most.

God envisioned that empty tomb for us. It is our hope, it is our comfort. Most importantly it is our assurance, the vision God has for us resurrected and with Him forever.

On that Easter morning, Jesus encounters His faithful in varieties of ways. He greets Mary Magdalene as the Gardener. He walks with the disciples on the Road to Emmaus. He enters the upper room. In each encounter we see God’s image of how life should be, lived with Jesus’ resurrected reality and in the family of faith. There is truly nothing better than to be loved to the extent God loves us.

We concluded on Palm Sunday by remembering the totality of God’s gift of love, great grace, restoration, and His amazing promise. Today we see the reality of that fulfilled promise at the empty tomb. As the Apostle John did,  let us see and believe it.

Holy Week and Easter Schedule for 2025

The following is our Holy Week and Easter schedule for 2025:

  • April 13: Palm Sunday; Traditional Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Mass at 10am. Second Holy Mass at noon.
  • April 16: Spy Wednesday: Holy Mass at Noon. Private Confessions until 2pm.
  • April 17: Maundy Thursday: Solemn Holy Mass with Reception of Oils, Procession, Reposition, and Stripping of the Altar at 7pm. Church open until 9pm for Private Adoration.
  • April 18: Good Friday: Church Opens at Noon. Last Words at 1pm. Bitter Lamentations/Gorzkie Zale at 2pm. Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified and Opening of the Tomb at 3pm. 
  • April 19: Holy Saturday: Liturgy of New Fire, Renewal of Baptismal Vows, and Blessing of Baskets at 10am. Church open until 2pm for basket blessings and private devotion.
  • April 20: Solemnity of the Resurrection (Easter): Traditional Resurrection Liturgy, Procession, and Solemn High Holy Mass at 8am. Second Holy Mass at 10am.

For more information, call the parish at 518-372-1992 or visit our Facebook page.

April 2025 Newsletter – Bear His Image

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Throughout the PreLenten and Lenten season we have been focused on God’s imagery. We have considered the many ways in which God’s Holy Word in Scripture, and in particular in the Person of Jesus, draws for us mental images of what He wants us to see and be. When we see God’s images we quickly perceive who and what He wants us to be, to become, and what He does not want us to be. He draws us a picture so we might clearly perceive His intent for us. We’ve all heard the old saying: ‘Can you draw me a picture?’ Well, God does.

Among our reflections we saw that we must resist evil and persevere as Jesus did in His desert fast. In the Transfiguration we saw that we are to be people of light entering into the fray and the chaos. In the parable of the fig tree owner we saw that we are to be fruitful and that we must avoid barrenness. We will continue to see images that speak to us, images of judgment and of what the Lord has done for us in His passion and death. At the end of our Lenten journey as will occur at the end of our lives we reach the image of the resurrected Christ.

St. Paul reminds the faithful of Corinth that they have been changed by their faith in Christ. Our former image as dust, of the earthly, has been transformed into the image of Jesus, of the heavenly. That is the wonderful promise of Easter to we who are Easter people. St. Paul goes on to tell them and us that our image has been changed. We are no longer just flesh and blood nor are we perishable. Because of that we will inherit the kingdom of God and will be imperishable. Because of Jesus, and by our acceptance of His salvation in our baptism (which we will specifically recall and celebrate on Holy Saturday morning) and lived faith in the image He wishes us to bear, we will be transformed to be like Jesus and live in glory forever. Let Easter joy fill our hearts and strengthen us to bear His image.

Welcome to our April 2025 Newsletter. It is chock full of information for Holy Week, Easter, and the Fifty Days of Easter. Please join us as we walk with Jesus through His passion and death so to arrive together at His resurrection and our own.

Our 21st Basket Social is just around the corner, on Sunday, March 27th starting at Noon at the South Schenectady Fire Hall (6 Old Mariaville Road, Schenectady). Join us for this amazingly fun event and get some of that great Polish Food that will be served.

We provide information about the great events coming in the months ahead (our Mission and Evangelism Conference, Men’s Spiritual Retreat, the Kurs Youth Encampment, Music Convention and Workshop, Golf Tournament, and Bowling Outing). Also, check out the amazing things God is doing to provide workers for His vineyard.

All this and more in our April 2025 Newsletter.

May 2024 Newsletter – Kindness Cheers

“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”

The text above is from Proverbs 12:25. The proverbs of King Solomon begin by stating their purpose: for gaining wisdom and instruction; understanding words of insight; receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right, just, and fair; giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We all need this kind of learning and insight, especially when confronted by the anxieties of our time. When we look at the world and all its conflict, or perhaps even in our own hearts, how can we possibly be cheerful. Well, Proverbs tells us – by a kind word.

Spring is well underway, Summer around the corner – yet what surrounds us can still choke the air with anxieties. As this is leap year, we will soon be (and already are in) the midst of political conflict, bickering, election noise, and nastiness on all sides. As such, I ask you to realize the anxiety that rises in us and offer a solution that will work for our own hearts. It is God’s advice. With anxiety’s heaviness, kindness is a powerful counter-balance. This is more than just a feel-good sentiment. It’s a call to action, reminding us of the profound impact we can have on ourselves and others. We have the opportunity to be light-bearers, to offer kind words that uplift, cheer, and heal.

As we extend kindness, we ourselves often experience a lightness too. Kindness multiplies, spreading light to both the giver and the receiver. Then, as this year goes on, let’s take this Proverb to heart. Let’s seek those moments to speak a kind word. We never know the impact a single word of kindness can have – it might just be the very thing that lightens someone’s load. Lord, In a world filled with so much anxiety, help me to be a source of light, using my voice to uplift and cheer the hearts around me, just as You do for me every day.

May, what a wonderful month. All is coming to bloom and we are busy with all the great things we can do to magnify the Lord and His Blessed Mother.

We give thanks for an excellent Basket Social and all its supporters. We will celebrate Mother’s Day on May 12th. May Devotions are underway each Wednesday following Noon Holy Mass. The Ascension Solemnity is celebrated on its proper day, May 9th (no, Jesus did not Ascend on the 43rd day after His Resurrection!). Join us as we honor all who gave their lives in service to our country with our annual Memorial Day Holy Mass at the parish cemetery (May 27th at 10am). Read about all the great summer events – and yes, you can go without cost to you – such as the Men’s Retreat (June 12-15), the Kurs Youth Encampment (July 4-13), and Convo (July 22-26). Looking for volunteer or ministry opportunities? Check out our articles as to what you might want to do. Like mysteries? Encounter a season dedicated to God’s mysteries starting this May. All this and more in our May 2024 Newsletter.

Reflection for the 6th Sunday of Easter 2024

This is My commandment: love one another as I love you. 

Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen! Alleluia! 

On this Sunday in the Easter season, we are blessed to welcome a new member of God’s Kingdom through the waters of regeneration – rebirth into a completely new way of life. It is indeed a life of love.

Now, this causes us to raise a question as to Kingdom love, our Christian way of life. What’s all so different about it?

Indeed, people of every background provide love and charity for others. Most people regardless of religious affiliation, or no affiliation whatsoever love in ways aimed at the physical, emotional, psychological, relational, and economic well-being of others.

For Tallulah and us this is the difference. It is not the how, where, or work of love, but rather, its source, sustaining power, and goal.

For those in the Kingdom the source of love is the cross of Christ, the total self-giving of God for a people who neither deserved nor merited His concern. St. John tells us: “We love because He first loved us.” In the Cross our sins are forgiven, we are justified, accepted, and loved by God. By the cross fear and greed, the great barriers to love, are taken away as we trust in what God has done in Christ. So, the first difference between secular love and Christian love is that our love is rooted in the work of Christ and its impact in us.

Second, Kingdom love is sustained and shaped by the Holy Spirit, where secular love isn’t. St. Paul calls it the “fruit of the Spirit.” It is the Spirit that takes the death of Christ, causes it to be real for us, and gives us new hearts so that the death of Christ has a love-producing effect on us. The work of the Spirit sustains and shapes Christian love, but not the love of the world.

Finally, Christian love has a radically different goal, All the good we do in our loving has a Godward goal. Our love has more than a here and now goal and effect. Our love is not just for the present, rather it is forever because its emphasis is what is truly good for all, bringing all to God in Christ.

All that was about how our loving is different, what our baptismal faith changes about our outward loving. But there is more. Our commitment to Kingdom love must bring about deep change in us. We cannot remain just as we are. Within ourselves we must be fully convicted of our love’s shortcomings and work to grow our love so to meet Christ’s commandment.

Reflection for the 5th Sunday of Easter 2024

I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.

Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen! Alleluia! 

My dear brothers and sisters, we continue in our celebration of the Easter Season. We have not so much journeyed with Jesus as we do in other seasons of the Church year, rather we have sat and listened to His teaching, encountering His Risen presence, and being reassured in what He has won for us. We are having the meaning of all scripture opened to us so we might integrate all we learned as we did journey with Him. In short, Easter is about a deeper learning and integration of that learning into ourselves.

We heard this same gospel of the vine just seven weeks ago on the Solemnity of the Institution. On that occasion we related the meaning of the True Vine and our connection to it corporately as the Church.

Today, we consider our personal union with Jesus. Today is about how we are effectuating Jesus’ life in us in tangible ways, i.e., how we are bearing fruit.

We are given the best of examples of bearing fruit in Acts. Saul has just encountered Jesus on the Damascus Road. This man, who, as Paul, would later write about his life of animosity toward the Body of Christ, and toward Jesus, who lived as an enemy of God in his self-righteousness, now lives washed of all sin. Saul was regenerated and made new in forgiveness and in his desire for unity with Christ’s body. Not only that, but he now lives on fire for evangelization: [He] spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.

We see fruit in Barnabas who brought Saul into the community. He acted as a true brother in kindness and personal witness.

St. John reminds us of our obligation toward love of God and each other. He tells us: And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. He also reveals to us the mark of our salvation, the source of the confidence we should have from living in the True Vine and bearing His fruit, the Spirit he gave us.

Having the Holy Spirit in us and carrying out the work of Jesus in building the kingdom, evangelizing the unbeliever, acting in witness and welcome, we glorify the Father and bear great fruit living what we have learned.