Pastor’s Note May 31, 2026
Dear Parishioners:
Have you ever found yourself staring at an image, a photograph, a picture— and your whole mind starts to be pulled into the world of that depiction? It could be a photo of a long-lost friend, a joyful snapshot of a vacation, or a fine work of art. The image itself has captured and preserved only a frame, a still shot of the life, beauty, and meaning behind and within what our eyes see. As we fondly look at such an image, our minds take us deeper, into the truth and depth of what is really represented: the joy of shared moments, the bonds of love bridging time, the eternal truths of God’s magnificent, mysterious world. We of course would say that what is most real is not the physical, two-dimensional image itself, but the life, truth, and love which have given rise to the representation. On this Trinity Sunday, we profess our God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And what becomes so distinguishing in our understanding of God is that he is not captured and comprehended by a two-dimensional image. Yes, we have rightly have images of the Persons of the Trinity, yet this feast today reminds us to be taken deeper into the very life of God. God is a dynamic, eternal, active, ever-relating communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Behind and beneath our images for God is the God who is eternally alive, enduringly merciful, overpouring and overwhelming the world with his love and truth. This celebration of our trinitarian God wants to take us deeper…into the splendor of all that God has created, into the love that is the very heart of God’s nature, and into the grand story of God’s gift of himself, giving, revealing, and granting life, his very life to us.
God’s peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note May 24, 2026
Dear Parishioners:
No one person could have predicted the sheer impact and influence that the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit would have on the disciples. Face it, in the aftermath of Jesus’ death and the confusing reports of his appearing again, those earliest followers were looking backward, not forward. Their spirits were down, their hopes deflated, their hearts heavy with guilt and grief. Hence, we find them, as Scripture narrates, huddled behind closed doors and all but ready to pack it in and put this whole chapter of life behind them. Who could have predicted the overwhelming power, the unifying bond, the missionary reverberation of the Holy Spirit on those disciples, on the early Church. This Spirit of the Risen Lord, rushing upon them, had to take them by surprise but at the same time, fill them so joyfully, gracefully, perfectly. What they went on to do, empowered always by the Spirit, could never have been predicted by one person but was, and always is, the mighty work of God carried out time and time again. You and I cannot predict the impact and influence of the Spirit in us, in our midst, moving the hearts of believers in this community. What we can do, what is essential for us as believers, is to open the door of our hearts to this Spirit of the Risen Lord. What we can and indeed must do is stand resolute that this Spirit is present in us and for us so that nothing stays the same— everything of us is handed over to our shared mission to bring Jesus to all.
God’s peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note May 17, 2026
Dear Parishioners:
One of the more influential moments in my early days as a worker was also one of the more terrifying. I had recently graduated from college and found employment with a local small business that specialized in home improvement. My work involved mainly core administrative tasks in the office, something that was well within my comfort zone. Yet a few months in, after a twist in circumstances, I was being sent out, alone, to survey a prospective job site project. Now this was terrifying! Although I knew my way around the estimating processes and had accompanied my boss on a few occasions, this was a whole other level! What it ended up being, however, was a moment of profound growth, confidence, and interest in this aspect of the business. It makes me think about the Ascension, this moment marking the departure of Jesus and the commissioning of the first disciples. They also had to feel like they were terrified in the face of a daunting task, a mission of epic proportions, and their own inadequacies. They were staring upward, trembling, I have to imagine, before the magnitude of their mission that Jesus had just left them. They had to be so aware of their smallness, their inadequacies, their inexperience. And yet, they are moved forward by Jesus’ promise, by the solemn word of the Lord to be with them, to send the power of the Spirit, and to make them witnesses to all peoples.
Finally, we offer our prayerful gratitude for the recently ordained deacons, including Deacon Jhonny Escobar. May God bless and guide their ministry!
God’s peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note May 10, 2026
Dear Parishioners:
You've probably lived through moments where you don't know how, but somehow your faith pulled you through challenge or circumstance. Sometimes it's that we discover, unbeknownst to ourselves, the words that we need in a tense encounter. Other times we may feel deeply incapable of meeting the needs of another, and yet somehow, we are moved and lifted up with courage and grace to support a friend or stranger in need. We often may experience the sentiments of faith, reassurances of faith, just when we wouldn't expect them to be front of mind. And what our Gospel tells us today is that these moments are not so much about "somehow," but Someone. Jesus teaches his disciples that his enduring, unwavering presence with them will be guaranteed by their commitment to keep his word, to follow his commandments. Here is the real reason that we live out those moments of grace and wonder: because Jesus remains in us. By our consistent faithfulness to his word-- to love one another as he has loved us-- his presence lives and moves deep within us. Even these many years after Jesus has departed this earth, his presence is not far from us. No, through our daily devotion and acceptance of his word, he lives within us and has become the Someone upon whom we can always rely.
Also, a blessed, happy Mother’s Day!
God’s peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 5/3/26
Dear Parishioners:
A lot of life is summed up in the question: who and where should I follow? At countless turns, we are led to ask about the right way to proceed forward and the guide that can get us there. Every moment in life is, by definition, a moment we have not yet faced, and therefore we look for guidance, models, insights. We know that someone must have walked a similar path and can offer us a way. Some guides propose an easy way out but one that ultimately leads into disarray. Other options don’t quite get us all the way. As Jesus speaks about himself as the way and the truth and the life, he's indicating that we can and ought to take him as our definitive guide through the journey of life. This way and path of Jesus, of being his follower, is ultimately the most excellent way because it leads us to the heart of God the Father. Amid various paths and guides, we must ask if Jesus is truly the one guiding us along his way. Every life is meant for eternal union with our heavenly Father—Jesus, as we follow him here and now, is precisely that Way.
God’s Peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 4/26/26
Dear Parishioners:
There’s something about a good piece of music that strikes our ears with joy and satisfaction. Of course, the genre of music might be different for each of us, yet when there’s a well-composed piece of music, it has the capacity to captivate us. We may go back to listen to it over and over. Its rhythm finds a place in our consciousness. Every time we hear it, that music draws us in. In something of a similar way, Jesus speaks about how his voice, the voice of the Good Shepherd, draws people in. It is the authoritative voice over and above the other voices that do not have the best interests of the flock in mind. When Jesus speaks, when we hear his compassionate, powerful voice, it strikes our hearts with joy, obedience, and protection. The Good Shepherd is the one who goes after his sheep. He keeps them together by his guidance. He speaks to us so that we might hear the convincing sound of his voice—the voice of truth, unity, and his unyielding love.
God’s peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 3/22/26
Dear Parishioners:
In the previous Sundays of this Lent, we’ve heard narratives from John’s gospel in which Jesus is providing for the human heart in ways that transcend the power of the world, or the power within ourselves. These stories are deeply human, profoundly moving, and can’t help but make us also reflect on our need, our inescapable need for God. We have heard of the Samaritan woman whose desire for truth, mercy, and restoration is met be Jesus offering her the living water. Last week, it was the man whose sight is cured as Jesus opens not only his physical sight but the eyes of his heart to recognize and worship Jesus as the Light of the World. On this fifth Sunday of Lent, we reach a climax in these narratives as now Jesus provides for the deepest and densest desire of the human heart: to find life beyond this earthly existence. By raising Lazarus from the tomb, Jesus declares that he is the Resurrection and the Life. Where the human heart most desires, where it most fears and finds baffling and insurmountable, Jesus offers the gift of eternal life. He is present to his people, to you and me, all the way to the grave, so that we might truly be raised with him.
God’s Peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 3/15/26
Dear Parishioners:
The healing of the blind man in John’s gospel story could read a lot like a courtroom drama. After this man is miraculously healed by the power of Jesus, a whole slew of questions, skepticism, and interrogations ensues. Those of the religious establishment of the day, even the man’s own parents, put this healing on trial. They are highly skeptical that a man born blind could ever be made whole by God in this way. They argue against Jesus because this act of mercy has been performed on the Sabbath. They continually cast doubt on the validity and truth of this healing by undermining the experience of the man himself. Convincingly, this simple man testifies that he has truly been healed—and Jesus is therefore the Lord. Although everyone around him wants to subject him to objectifying scrutiny and speculation, this man stands firm in what God has done for him. He was blind and now he sees. And this has been done by Jesus, the Light of the World. This narrative invites us to stand firm in our knowledge of God’s work in our lives. When there’s doubt, fear, or skeptical voices, we are confirmed in what we have come to know in our hearts: Jesus is the Light who brings sight, truth, and transformation to our lives.
God’s peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 3/8/26
Dear Parishioners:
Would God ever take time to get to know you? Maybe that seems like an odd or even inappropriate question. We may think of God as well occupied with more important things than us, or too mighty for casual conversations with you and me. And yet, the Gospel today is just that: Jesus getting to know the Samaritan woman at the well. She comes from a broken, stigmatized past: she is considered second-class by virtue of her gender, religion, and social ranking. The very fact that Jesus even begins a conversation with her is astounding by all standards of that era. Not only does he engage her in conversation, but he takes time to get to know her. He gently opens up a space in their encounter where she feels respected, heard, and seen. Throughout this soul-searching dialogue, Jesus invites her deeper spiritual thirst, he challenges her to recognize her need for conversion and repentance, and he guides her to know that she is to be given a mission by God. After this extended, profound moment of mutual exchange, this woman goes forth carrying with her the knowledge that God has known her…not just facts and figures about her, but her life, her soul, her entire being. And she has discovered the most profound truth: this God, in Jesus the Savior, comes to know her because he loves her, saves her, and offers her life with him. That’s the God who likewise takes time to know us, who offers his very self to save and love us always.
God’s peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 3/1/26
Dear Parishioners:
We can often struggle with "seeing the whole picture." Wouldn't you agree? We experience the bits and pieces, the ins and outs, of our daily moments, work, tensions, and dilemmas. There's the effect of tunnel vision that can set in: we are so narrowly focused on the dreary demands of the moment-to-moment that our spirits droop. Sometimes we struggle to see above it all and to maintain perspective beyond the particulars, which can overwhelm us. And that's where Jesus arrives at the mountain experience of the Transfiguration in this weekend's Gospel. His disciples are deep into the demands of discipleship: listening to Jesus' hard teachings, facing the backlash of those who oppose him, confronting their own weakness and sin, and literally journeying along to an unknown future in Jerusalem. And Jesus reveals his glory, resplendent, wondrous, and reinvigorating for the disciples in their weary moments. Such it can be for us, especially in the journey of Lent, one of purposeful self-denial, sacrifice, and trust in the power of the Lord's transformative mercy to heal us. The Lord shines his transfigured glory upon us so that we see the full, complete, and eternal picture...that even now, in this season, in whatever low moment, is coming to pass.
God’s Peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 2/8/26
Dear Parishioners,
We just celebrated the Christmas season, giving thanks for the unmatched gift from God of his son to us as our redeemer. We also have celebrated the Epiphany of the Lord, the Baptism of the Lord, and just celebrated the Presentation of the Lord on the February 2nd. The celebration of these feasts invites us to reflect on whom Jesus is to us and how we could be Jesus to someone else.
Being Jesus to someone else reflects to our various callings to be a true disciple of Jesus who is a patient, merciful, compassionate as peacemaker and a holy people just as the gospel reading on the beatitudes reminded us last Sunday; it is by following the footsteps of Jesus and it is by living the promise of the beatitudes that we could find that lasting peace and happiness that we all desire.
This weekend is the continuation of the beatitudes and Jesus today, reminds us to be the light and salt of the earth. Like salt, we care and nurture people to bring out the best in them; like the light, we light up the world that is full of various darknesses that separates us from both God and from each other. The world needs many lights and more salt, many people are struggling with various forms of darkness, the darkness of division, darkness of hatred, darkness of pride, and darkness of spiritual dryness. Jesus is inviting us for us through our Christian conduct, sharing our gift with those who do not have, showing compassion to those who are struggling that our light of faith would be made visible for others to see and to follow Christ.
Peace and God’s blessings,
Fr. Sampson
Pastor’s Note 1/25/26
Dear Parishioners:
What’s on the other side of a decision, the decision made each day, to follow Jesus Christ? That’s what the Gospel of today describes. After the initial proclamation by Jesus that the Kingdom of God is at hand, and therefore the people are called to repent, Jesus begins calling his individual disciples, those to follow him. We can assume that these fishermen from the Gospel passage today have heard something of Jesus. They have either heard his riveting message firsthand or they have caught wind of it as the popularity of Jesus spreads throughout that land. And now, as Jesus encounters them on the shoreline at their livelihood, they are called to follow. With very little to go on, without any contractual assurances or even a vague roadmap for the journey proposed, these disciples drop everything, leave it behind, and follow Jesus. And they do so immediately, we are told. What did they expect to be on the other side of that decision? Honestly, they didn’t know absolutely and concretely— and so is the same for us. Each day, we have the opportunity to recommit to following Jesus, to shedding our distractions and self-constructed projects, and following Jesus unreservedly. Now we can’t say what exactly is on the other side…but we can rest assured who is with us, leading us in that journey of true life, service, and fulfillment.
Finally, I thank you, for prayerfully considering in this week ahead your gift to the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries, the annual way that we support ministries, services, and programs of faith-in-action across our Archdiocese. This coming weekend we’ll have the opportunity as a community to offer our generous support. Contributions can also be made at: www.archbalt.org/aacm Thank you!
God’s Peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 1/18/26
Dear Parishioners:
Someone once told me that our lives can essentially be thought of as arrows. That’s right, you and me are arrows, and our lives can point in a whole lot of different directions. On a day-to-day basis, it’s perfectly normal that our lives “point” to a diversity of goods, goals, and values. At work, we aim toward efficiency and excellence. At home, we seek to point toward peace, communication, and relationship. With our friends, we want our encounters to point toward relaxation, encouragement, and support. And if we step back, we also recognize that throughout everything we do and experience in life, there’s the larger sort of arrow: where is all of my life, in all of its complexity, pointing toward? Is it pointing to me, or to something outside of me? Is it pointed solely at the passing things of this world, or at something more eternal? Today in the Gospel John the Baptist presents himself as an arrow: the prophetic arrow who points entirely to Jesus, the Son of God. John understands everything about his life as pointing out and paving the way for the Lord. He makes us ask the heart-stirring question: where does the arrow of my life point?
God’s peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 1/10/26
Dear Parishioners:
Plenty of things in our life each day remind us of who we are, what we’ve committed to do, and what we’re all about in our daily dealings. We might think of the wedding ring that spouses wear as a reminder each morning of their promises of marriage—to live faithfully and show sacrificial love to one another. There may be the clothes worn to work, perhaps even a uniform, that help situate us within our specific job or occupation. Trophies, awards, or plaques on our walls at home or work can point us toward the best of what we have become—and still strive to become. We could call these identity markers, reminders of our goals, pursuits, and purposes day to day. On this day of the Baptism of the Lord, we mark the baptism of Jesus, a moment when he opened up and sanctified the waters of baptism for us. In doing so, Jesus makes baptism for us the identity marker. Through the saving waters of baptism, we are immersed into the life of Jesus, into the very life of God himself who claims us as his beloved sons and daughters by adoption through Jesus. What does it mean to carry and live this identity as a beloved daughter or son of God? To take the image of baptism itself, we are plunged into the life of God himself, we are immersed into God’s love, we find our permanent, true belonging in our relationship with God. To recall our baptism is to be reminded of this fundamental, inerasable identity: we are children of God, made to live in his love and strive for the kingdom of God that Jesus has made known to us.
Also, I do wish to express my apologies for recent inconsistencies in the communication of Mass times, particularly over the holy days of the past weeks. I recognize the inconvenience and will be working to ensure future clarity in this area.
God’s Peace,
Fr. John
Pastor’s Note 1/4/26
Dear Parishioners:
If we envisioned the Christmas event as concentric circles, we would notice how the news of the newborn Child ripples outward. On Christmas itself, that glorious day, our attention is drawn to the Child, the manager, the long-awaited birth of the Savior. We give thanks to God the Father for sending his Son Jesus as our King and Redeemer, coming among us as one of us, in gentleness, humility, and closeness. Then we widened out last weekend to view the Holy Family, the family unit of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as this blessed community of family where God’s grace is to be found, where God’s love is to be shared, where God’s presence abides and radiates. And now the circle of influence of Christmas frames out farther. On this Epiphany, the Scriptures would have us see to all the nations, to all peoples. This is represented by the appearance of those Wise Men, or Magi, who come from the East to visit and pay homage to the newborn King. Here, the news spreads far and wide, taken to understand that the news of Jesus’ birth and presence in our world is to reach all the world. This Epiphany is a chance to consider how we are involved in that, how we are agents of that movement outward, how, in many small and wonderful ways, the Light of Christ shines on others precisely through our witness.
Also, I do want to thank everyone for the generosity offered for Fr. Sampson’s village in Nigeria. While he had planned to be traveling there this month, present geopolitical circumstances make the trip at this time untimely. Please keep his family and people in your prayers, and we will provide further updates on future plans.
God’s peace,
Fr. John