Reading 1  1 THES 2:1-8      We were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts. Nor did we ever appear with flattering speech, or with a pretext for greed–God is witness– nor did we seek praise from men, either from you or from others, although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ. Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nurturing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.

MT 23:1-12          As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." 

MT 23:1-12          As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Gospel JN 1:45-51  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no deceit in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." 

I've begun to reflect whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It's become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the misguided impression that I am trying to hide something—something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even scared. This is distressing because it is simply not true. The fact is, I'm celibate as a priest, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.

On a life totally centered upon following Christ 24/7.

MT 19:16-22  A young man approached Jesus and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 

Gospel MT 18:21–19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often must I forgive them? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. Each of you must forgive your brother and sister from your heart." When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

Gospel LK 1:39-56 And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his humble servant. From this day all generations will call me consecrated: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has spread the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever." 

"...remembering Charlottesville..."

The Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
November 19, 1863

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

WhitSupremacists, AKA Ku Klux Klan, are terrorists and should be treated as such.

 MT 14:22-33  Jesus said, "Come on."  Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.  But when he saw how strong the wind was he got scared; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, help me!"  Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, "Friend of weak faith, why did you doubt?"  After they got into the boat, the wind died down.  Those who were in the boat did him reverence, saying, "Honestly, you are the Son of God.

1 DT 6:4-13    Moses said to the people: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. "When the LORD, your God, brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that he would give you, a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, with houses full of goods of all sorts that you did not harvest, with reservoirs that you did not dig, with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant; and when, therefore, take care not to forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. The LORD, your God, shall you fear; him shall you serve, and by his name shall you bless."

Gospel MT 15: 21-28 

The woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "Dear woman, boundless is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour. 

MT 14:22-36        Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "You of slight faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."

ON THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION

DN 7:9-10, 13-14        As I watched:  Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne. His clothing was bright as snow, and the hair on his head as white as wool; his throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire. A surging stream of fire flowed out from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him. The court was convened and the books were opened.  As the visions during the night continued, I saw:  One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed. 

Reading 2 2 PT 1:16-19   Beloved: We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, "This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased." 

The words are from God Himself and are unequivocal.  They must be pondered and incorporated into our lives and spirituality and lived and given the total respect that they deserve.  As a priest my ministry must manifest and glorify God 24/7 since we are eyewitnesses of his majesty.

Gospel MT 17:1-9    Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transformed before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, speaking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, witness, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell face down and were very afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid." And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.  As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

I celebrated my 6th anniversary as a Catholic priest in the American Catholic Church in the United States on June 12. Much of my spirituality is rooted in the life and teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola, service to the most marginalized members of our communities. Most importantly, American Catholic Church in the United States proclaims the unconditional love and compassion of God, which embraces every human person regardless of their state or condition in life. We acknowledge the primacy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to speak in our day through the "sensus fidelium" ("sense of the faithful") of the Catholic Church, leading to a world of justice and peace.

1 EX 40:16-21, 34-38 
Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded him. On the first day of the first month of the second year the Dwelling was erected. It was Moses who erected the Dwelling. He took the commandments and put them in the ark. He brought the ark into the Dwelling and hung the curtain veil, thus screening off the ark of the commandments, as the LORD had commanded him. Then the cloud covered the meeting tent, and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.

MT 13:31-35  Jesus proposed a story to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches."  He spoke to them another parable. "The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened."  All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables,  to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:  I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.