

Notes from Fr. Vic
Pastor's Page
"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
John 10:27
February 3, 2025
We just celebrated the Presentation of Jesus in the temple / And when Mary and Joseph meet Simeon and Anna, we see that the Old Testament will be fulfilled in the New Testament / And because the Holy Family was obedient to the Law of Moses, Jesus will ultimately restore and renew the temple Sacrifice and Worship / Jesus will give to His Church the perfect Sacrifice of the Mass offered all around the world / To heal and restore us.
This theme began when I prepared a homily using the Mass readings for Thursday, the 2nd Week of Ordinary Time (Mark 3:7-12; Hebrews 7:25-8:6).
-In Mark’s Gospel (ch.3); Jesus cured so many people that he had to climb into a boat to escape the press of the crowd / To this day the Church carries on Jesus’ healing ministry.
-I am reminded: Jesus is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek / By shedding his own blood He entered, once and for all, into the Holy Place / Not a place made by human hands / He entered Heaven itself, where he is at God’s right hand interceding for us / The Church continues this mystery in her highest prayer and offering: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
-Through Jesus we can now offer a perfect sacrifice and prayer that is now acceptable to the Father / Through Jesus, the sacrifice we now enter into is holy, living, and pleasing / Indeed, if Christ had not sacrificed himself for us, we could not offer any sacrifice in and through Him.
-Jesus will ultimately restore creation / Including us / And at the core of the Church, Jesus, as High Priest, gives the Church the Mass / A way to enter into and be united to His “One” perfect sacrifice to the Father / And in return / The Father by His Son, and through the Spirit, is slowly restoring us as we offer and open ourselves to His healing.
-Give God thanks for allowing us the Wisdom to come to Mass / To know how important this prayer and intercession is to bring healing and order while in exile, and in the messiness that life can sometimes become.
-The Gospel tells us that Jesus withdrew / Let Mass be a moment to withdraw from the world, and simply contemplate and be in the presence of God / Wow, that also sounds like Eucharistic Adoration / If you have not given Eucharist Adoration a try; start with 5 minutes to just be with the Lord, and slowly increase your time to an hour, as you become more comfortable withdrawing from the world and spending time with the Prince of Peace / Do not worry about what to pray / That will come / Just start by sitting before the Real Presence.
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Vivat Jesus,
Fr. Vic Gournas
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Older Messages:
​December 16, 2024: Third Week of Advent
December 11, 2024: Second Week of Advent
December 2, 2024: First Week of Advent
November 25, 2024: Thanksgiving Message
November 14, 2024: Prayer for Elected Officials
October 28, 2024: Final thoughts before the 2024 election
October 14, 2024: During this Election Cycle...
October 7, 2024: On the Reality of Matrimony
October 1, 2024: Consecrating the Election to the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 23, 2024: Becoming Child Like
September 17, 2024: The blind leading the blind
September 9, 2024: Let Down Your Nets
August 26, 2024: Bread of Life, Conclusion
August 19, 2024: Bread of Life Discourse Part 2
August 12, 2024: Bread of Life Discourse Part 1
August 5, 2024: Five Loaves and Two Fish
July 9, 2024: Pulling Up Repetitive Sin by the Roots
July 2, 2024: "Little Girl, Arise"
June 25, 2024: Homily Notes, Jesus Calms the Storm at Sea
June 18, 2024: The Parable of the Mustard Seed
May 29, 2024: 6 Tips to Overcome Pride
May 20, 2024: Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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