September 27, 2026
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
J. M. J.
My friends, in this weekend's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Lord tell the story of two sons. Their father invites both of them to go to work in the field, in the Vineyard. The first of his sons first denies his father's request but then changes his mind and goes to work. The second of his sons first agrees to work but then ultimately doesn't go to work. Jesus asks his listeners (the Chief priests and elders) which of the two sons had (in the final analysis) followed the will of their father, and they correctly answer that the first son did so.
Our Lord then reproaches the chief priests and elders for failing to follow his call to the kingdom, and he says that those who they would regard as โdeplorablesโ and โirredeemablesโ and โuncleanโ (due to their life history and circumstances) are paradoxically opening themselves to Jesus and are entering into the life of the kingdom of God ahead of the selfโrighteous chief priests and elders. The Lord doesn't simply want us to welcome him in our words but in our daily deeds.
Those parts of us, those places in us that are wounded and suffering are most often the places where we are faced with the fact that we need Jesus. When we allow Christ to lead us, one day at a time, then he can help us (step by step) with his grace so that we can follow in the pathways to which he calls us. Itโs when we selfโrighteously pretend that we donโt need God (or that we are already righteous on our own accounts) that we are headed for trouble in our lives.
May we ask Christ, whose Body and Blood we receive at the Eucharist, to help us to not only praise him with our words but witness to him with our actions in our daily lives.
PRIESTSโ RETREAT
This coming week, I will be joining my brother priests of the Diocese of Syracuse for our days of retreat at Alexandria Bay, NY. This is a beautiful opportunity for us to gather with our bishop for prayer, fraternity, conversation and support. Since I will be out of town this week, there will be no daily Masses this week, since I can't be in two places at once. Please keep us in prayer as we spend time together and with the Lord on retreat.
BLESSING OF ANIMALS
On Sunday, October 4th, we will be holding the blessing of animals in honor of St Francis (patron of animals). It will be in the parking lot at St Patrick's in Whitney Point on Sunday, October 4th at 3 PM (rain or shine). After the blessing, there will be some light refreshments served. Pets of all faiths and their humans are welcome!
Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day and please remember me in your prayers!
May God bless us and Mary keep us always in his love!
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Peace,
Fr Mal
September 20, 2026
TwentyโFifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
J. M. J.
HOPE APPEAL
My friends, last weekend marked the official kickoff of our diocesan Hope Appeal. All contributions to the Hope Appeal go to support the over 26 ministries of Charity and Evangelization throughout our sevenโcounty diocese. The Hope Appeal funds Catholic Charities; hospital chaplaincy; Newman Centers; vocation promotion; formation for ministry; formation for our seminarians, priests, and permanent deacons; the Taped Mass for the homebound; soup kitchens; and so much more.
All money raised over our goals will be returned to our parishes to support our ministries. May we all be generous in supporting this yearโs Hope Appeal. Thank you, and may the Lord bless you a hundredโfold for your generosity done for others in Jesusโ name.
The theme of this yearโs annual Appeal is โWe are the Body of Christ.โ May we never forget that, in Jesus, we belong to one another and we do not walk alone. Our gifts to the Hope Appeal help to bring the Light and Love of Christ to so many throughout our diocese. God bless you for your goodness!
2026 Hope Appeal Goals:
St. StephenโSt. Patrick โ $ 18,901.00
Our Lady of Perpetual Help โ $ 2,631.00
THE GOD WE BELIEVE IN IS GENEROUS
In our Gospel this weekend, we hear Our Blessed Lord tell the parable of the Laborers and the Vineyard. The Master goes at different times of the day to seek workers for the field and agrees with everyone for the usual daily wage.
At the end of the workday, the Master gives everyone the usual daily wage. The workers who have worked all day are jealous that the Master has chosen to give the same wage to those who have worked only a little while. The owner answers back: โAre you envious because I am generous?โ
The Lord calls all of us to work in His vineyard. Whether we have been in Godโs service many years or only a little while, the same generous Lord has called us to serve and calls us to the same ultimate destiny โ holiness and eternal life with Him. Itโs amazing simply to have been lovingly chosen by Jesus to do His work, no matter our life history or state in life. Thatโs an encouraging thought for our journey! Letโs not envy one another but celebrate the generosity of Christ, who calls us to gather in His abundant harvest.
Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day, and please remember me in yours.
May God bless us , and Mary keep us always in His love.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Peace,
Fr Mal
September 13, 2026
Twenty Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time
J. M. J.
My friends, in this weekendโs Gospel we hear Our Blessed Lord tell the parable of the unforgiving servant who initially begs his Master for forgiveness for his debts but then refuses forgiveness for his fellow servant. The unforgiving servant receives harsh punishment from the master after he refuses forgiveness. Our Lord closes the parable by saying: โSo will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.โ
If we hurtfully and deliberately withhold forgiveness from those who have wronged us, then we cannot expect to experience Godโs forgiveness ourselves. This is incredibly difficult, especially when we have experienced deep wounds, betrayal, or hurts from others. It can be incredibly hard to forgive. We need to be reminded here that forgiveness doesnโt mean having positive thoughts or feelings about those who have failed us.
It is important instead that we pray to want to want whatโs best for those who have wronged us โ that they may come to know Christ, and that they, together with us, may come to know Christโs eternal life. May we this week think of at least one person we need to forgive and ask the Lord Jesus to help us forgive them in our hearts, to help us pray to want to want whatโs best for them.
TWO GREAT FEASTS
On Monday, September 14th, we celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, where we remember with joy the Triumph over evil that Our Lord won by His dying for us. This feast goes back to when St. Helena, Mother of St. Constantine the Emperor, discovered the Cross of Christ near the site of Our Lordโs crucifixion, burial, and resurrection in the fourth century. The relics of the Holy Cross are preserved at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Rome. This feast reminds us that our sufferings, if lived and offered in union with Christ, are opportunities for growth in grace. As the old prayer goes: โHail, O Cross, our only hope.โ
On Tuesday, September 15th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. On that day we remember the Compassion of Our Blessed Mother in the Passion of her Son Jesus. We remember Our Ladyโs wholly unique cooperation in her Sonโs work of Redemption. There are seven key moments commemorated on this feast:
(1) The Prophecy of Simeon
(2) The Flight into Egypt
(3) The ThreeโDay search for Jesus by Mary and Joseph
(4) Mary Meets Jesus on the Way of Calvary
(5) Christโs crucifixion and death
(6) Christโs being taken down from the Cross
(7) Christโs burial
May Our Lady of Sorrows teach us to unite ourselves with Christ at all times.
Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day and please remember me in your prayers!
May God bless us and Mary keep us always in His love!
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Peace, Fr Mal
September 6, 2026
Twenty-Third Sunday In Ordinary Time
J. M.J.
My friends, in this weekend's Gospel, we hear Our Lord remind us about what we are supposed to do in those times in our lives when there is division and strife. The Lord outlines what the process of intervention and reconciliation should look like. I am particularly struck by the ending words that Jesus speaks at the end of today's Gospel: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." When we gather together to pray, it is only in answer to the call of Christ and his Holy Spirit. Christ is among us, calling us to life. It is good to pray, not only individually, but in groups. When at Church we pray together, Christ is present in our midst, opening us to listen to his words and receive his Body and Blood together as his famous. We are called to pray at home too, as members of God's family, and members of our own family. When we pray together as a family, Christ reminds us of his presence. When we pray as a family together, we are reminded to see his face in each other. Fr. Patrick Peyton used to say that "The Family that prays together stays together." I invite all our families to pray in some way together every day. Some ideas include the family rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet, Family morning and/or night prayers, grace before and after meals, reading the Bible or the Lives of the saints daily as a family. A family that prays together is not a family without problems, but is rather a family open to Christ, who gives us just enough grace for each day. That is an encouraging thought for us.
LABOR DAY
Monday, September 7th is the holiday of Labor Day. I can't believe that another summer has unofficially ended and another fall has unofficially begun. May we remember in our prayers all our young people starting another school year. May we give thanks on this Labor Day for all those who work and may we pray for meaningful work and good work conditions for all! Our parish office is closed on Monday, September 7th in observance of the Labor Day holiday and Mass will be at 10 AM that morning at St. Patrick's in Whitney Point. There is no 6 PM Mass that day and confessions and adoration are canceled that day. I hope you all enjoy the day! May St. Joseph the Worker, patron of workers pray for us!! Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day and please remember me in your prayers!
May God bless us and Mary keep us always in his love!
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Peace,
Fr Mal
August 30, 2026
Twenty Second Sunday In Ordinary Time
J. M.J.
My friends, in todayโs Gospel we hear about how, after Our Lord gave Peter the promise that he would receive the awesome and humbling role of being the Chief Shepherd of the Church after his profession of faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Our Lord immediately foretold his upcoming passion, death and resurrection. Peter takes Jesus aside and tries to rebuke Jesus for saying this. Our Lord rebukes Peter and says:
โGet behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.โ
Peter had not understood the full import of the profession of faith in Christ the Son of God that he had made under divine inspiration.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen would speak often of how Peter was willing to have a glorious Christ but not a Crucified one. Our Lord rebukes Peter and all who would try to have a Christianity without the Cross. The full meaning of the Word of God, the Son of the Living God, becoming one of us in the Person of Jesus Christ is only shown to us in Christโs death on the Cross for us and for our salvation.
Peter (and so many of us too) often conflate Christโs messiahship with a political program or with other โpainlessโ paths. But Jesus reminds us that he chose to suffer and die and rise again to give us life. Moreover, in our own life, we are reminded that our suffering, in union with Jesus, can be a pathway to glory. The world in which we live hates suffering and the road of the Cross. The road of the Cross for us is Christโs road of selfโgift, to which he calls us, his disciples. This does not mean that we wallow in suffering, but rather that we give our suffering to Jesus and allow him to use it as he wills, in his own time and way, for the salvation of souls and the upbuilding of the Kingdom of Christ.
How counterintuitive but amazing that is!
As Our Lord sums up this amazing truth when he tells all his disciples:
โWhoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.โ
โFor whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.โ
May we ask Christ to help us with his grace so that we can live with joy the crosses that we have in our daily lives, and so that we give ourselves to Him and others, bit by bit, one day at a time!
Without Christ, we can do nothing!!
I hope you are all enjoying these last days of summer! Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day and please remember me in your prayers!
May God bless us and Mary keep us always in his love!
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Peace,
Fr Mal
