Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: January 29, 2012

My Dear Parishioners,

Well, the Patriots are going to the Superbowl! Last Sunday evening they beat the Baltimore Ravens and there was much cheering and excitement throughout all of our neighboring cities and towns. Perhaps for a short time, people forgot about their problems and focused on the Patriots winning!

If we think about it, this win gave us all (Patriots’ fans anyway) hope. May we take this to a higher level as we think about our spirituality and our relationship with Jesus. As we look at this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus is bringing excitement and hope to the people in Capernaum. The Gospel states that they were astonished at His teaching, and then it says that He taught with authority. People living at the time that Jesus walked the earth, believed that evil spirits roamed the world and created havoc wherever they went. So Jesus came and stood in their midst and spoke words of comfort and joy; people no doubt clapped and cheered as they heard His message, for He truly brought much needed good news into their lives.

So, as we get excited about the Patriots going to the Superbowl, may we also continually find hope and excitement in the message of Jesus, for His words are truly filled with peace and love, which we all need in the world today.

Fr. Leroy