All Posts

St. Michael Parish is on a journey know, love, and serve Christ in our parish community. Together we must embrace Christ’s vision for missionary discipleship so our parish can thrive and be a place for others to grow together in faith. The very first step in this process involves assessing our greatest strengths and opportunities, and that is where the Disciple Maker Index (DMI) comes in! The DMI is an important survey tool that invites you to reflect on your discipleship jou

When we look at the statues of saints in our churches, we sometimes think, “These people were extraordinary! They prayed for hours and performed miracles. How can an ordinary person like me become a saint?” This weekend’s Solemnity of All Saints gives us a wonderful answer: Yes, you too can be a saint. The saints were not all born extraordinary. Many struggled with their weaknesses. St Peter was impulsive. St Paul persecuted Christians before becoming an apostle. St Augustine

The readings this weekend teach us that love is not measured only by what we say, it is revealed by what we do. In the Gospel, Jesus joins two commandments together: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." They are two sides of a coin. We can pray beautifully, sing enthusiastically, and attend Mass faithfully. But we must ask: Does our worship make us more compassionate? As St. John of the Cross reminds us, "At the even

Have you ever looked at a photograph of yourself and wondered if it truly shows who you have become? The photo may show you smiling, but your heart may be carrying bitterness. You may be dressed beautifully for Sunday Mass, but during the week you speak harshly at home or treat someone unfairly at work. A photo shows our outward appearance; our daily life reveals whose image we truly bear. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is asked a trick question: “Is it lawful to pay tax to C

Have you ever received an invitation to a very special occasion? You don't just say, "I have been invited." You begin to prepare; what you will wear, how you will get there. This weekend, the readings invite us to the magnificent banquet God prepares for us. But the Gospel reminds us: we can come as we are, but we must not remain as we are. Notice whom the king invites. When the original guests refuse, the servants are sent to the roads to gather everyone they can find — "bot

Have you ever poured out your heart to someone, been well received, and later been utterly rejected? Or have you ever loved someone so dearly and later was indignantly rejected? That is very sad indeed. An experience like this can help us appreciate this weekend's liturgy. It speaks about God's wonderful love for His people and our failure to respond positively. The image of the vineyard shows how important we are to Him and how much He has invested to make us fruitful. But h

One of the greatest blessings from this weekend’s Gospel is the assurance that it is never too late to change. Sometimes we look at our past and say, "I have gone too far." Sometimes we look at another person and say, "That person will never change." But God does not look at us that way. He believes in conversion. As St. Jerome reminds us, "We do not seek in penance how long a man has lived in sin, but how he lives now." That is why God promised: when the wicked repents, he s

We have a natural habit of comparing. We compare our homes, families, children, jobs — and even our relationship with God. "Why does he have more than I do? Why was she blessed and not me?" We see it every day. When someone buys a new car, we immediately pressure our partner to buy one for us. When a neighbor builds a new house, we feel our own house is no longer enough. When a friend buys new jewelry, we want the same — or even better. We see another family and think, "Their

There was once a man who watched his neighbor making poor choices. He saw the effects on his family and work, but he stayed silent. He thought, "It's none of my business. He may get offended." Months later, things got worse. The neighbor said to him, "You saw what was happening. Why didn't you say something?" He replied, "I was afraid of losing your friendship." The neighbor answered, "I needed a friend who loved me enough to tell me the truth." That story is at the heart of

Being a Christian is not just about what we believe on Sunday. It is about how we think, speak and act all through the week. Our faith is not meant to remain inside the walls of the church. It must follow us home, to work, to school, into our marriages, our friendships, our finances, our decisions, our struggles and even our moments of disappointment. In other words: we must live our faith where life happens. The world tells us to put ourselves first, to get even, to look for

A class preparing for first communion was asked, “What is the greatest miracle Jesus performed?” After several answers, a little girl quietly replied, “The greatest miracle was Jesus never sent hungry people away.” I loved this answer because it’s so true. Indeed, wherever Jesus went, people came with many kinds of hunger — hunger for bread, healing, forgiveness, hope, and love. No one who came to Him in faith went away empty handed. This weekend’s readings invite us to refle

Dear Friends, this weekend Jesus asks His disciples and us the most important question we will ever answer: ”Who do you say that I am?” There was silence. Then Peter spoke: ”You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” That confession changes everything. Peter was not just giving Jesus a title. He was giving Him his life and loyalty. In joy, Jesus commissions Peter: ”I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Using this paradigm let us explore our Christian journey. F

Discover Christ, Choose Christ and have Christ as destiny. This weekend’s readings invite us to reflect on the Kingdom of God and challenge us to go out of our way to enter it. The Kingdom is the place where God’s will is done. It is already present among us; in the sacrifice of the Mass, in a good deed done quietly for another, in service to the poor — and it is also in the future, when the just will enter into the eternal blessedness of God. Jesus compares the Kingdom to a

Every farmer knows that growth does not happen overnight. It takes regular sunshine, rain, pruning, and patience. So it is in the spiritual life. This weekend’s readings remind us that the world is a mixture of good and bad; wheat and weeds — but we should not be discouraged. Instead, we can trust that the Spirit of God is with us, guiding us, acting in us, and bringing us along, even when we may not recognize His action. God knew this before time began. He did not create tw

The readings of this weekend point to one thing: the Word of God. God’s Word is powerful. It is meant to bring life, to heal, and to bear fruit. As it reveals that the Word alone is not enough. It needs open hearts to receive it and grow. Jesus makes this clear in the Gospel through the Parable of the Sower. A sower goes out and scatters seed. The seed is always the same: the Word of God — God’s teaching, His revelation, His message of love to us. But the seed falls on four d

Life often teaches us that what first appears to be a disappointment can become God's appointment. With the eyes of faith we discover that God is always at work, even in our struggles. This is the heart of this weekend’s gospel. Jesus thanks His Father because the mystery of the kingdom is revealed not to the learned but the humble and childlike. Even in the face of rejection, Jesus remains united to His Father in loving trust by giving thanks. From that loving relationship

In this weekend's Gospel, Jesus does not sugar-coat the cost of discipleship. He tells His apostles what to expect: there are two possible responses to those who proclaim the Gospel. Some will reject and persecute them; others will welcome and support them. Without saying it directly, Jesus asks each of us: Which side are you on? Will you be among those who reject God's servants, or among those who receive them with generosity? His answer is clear: those who welcome them will

Dearest friends in Christ, today's readings bring us into the heart of what it means to be a disciple: to walk in truth even when the world is against you, to trust in grace that is greater than sin, and to remember that we are never alone because God sees and values us. Jeremiah speaks from a place many of us know: betrayal, mockery, and fear. “All my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine...“Denounce him!” He was persecuted for speaking God’s word. Yet in the sam

Our world is broken and it needs healing. We see it in the single parent working two jobs who gets asked, “What would you do to survive?” and have no good answer. Further it is seen in the evening news: wars that displace families, greed that empties communities, abuse of power that silences the weak. Similarly, we see it closer to home in loneliness, addiction, and the quiet poverty of people who smile on Sunday but weep on Monday. Brokenness means pain. It means helplessnes

St. John Chrysostom once said: “The Trinity is proof that the Church was founded by God. Why? It is because the core of our faith cannot be grasped by human reason alone. If the Church were founded by men and women, its central mystery would be understandable to them. But we cannot fully understand the Trinity because it breaks all our rules; - the rules of mathematics, grammar, and logic. So we simply say, ‘Yes, I believe,’ because God has revealed it to us.” Human language