Today marks the beginning of the season of Lent. We have gathered together to be reminded of our humanity and humble ourselves before Almighty God. Some of us may be here seeking reconciliation; some of us may be here seeking consolation; some of us may be here seeking a fresh start. All of these are made available to us, not because we put ashes on our faces, but rather, because we have made a conscious decision to turn away from the world and set our hearts on God. This is precisely what the…
“Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel echo what the Lord God spoke to Moses: “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” This is precisely what we should be focusing on as we prepare for the Season of Lent. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, a day we remember our mortality and acknowledge our need for God to deliver us from a world of sin and death to eternal life in heaven. So, be holy, as the Lord, our God, is holy.
Today, Jesus uses powerful imagery to describe those who give glory to the Father by their good deeds. He says, “You are the salt of the earth,” and “the light of the world.” This echoes what the prophet Isaiah says in our First Reading: “If you remove from your midst of oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.” In other words,…
Hailing just a few miles away from the famous Trenton Makes the World Takes bridge, Fr. Jim is a native Trentonian and priest of the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey. After completing his seminary formation at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, MD, Fr. Jim was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ on June 2, 2018.
