Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
In today’s Gospel it is decision time for those who have been traveling with Jesus, witnessing his miracles and listening to His teaching. Jesus has told them that he is the Bread of Life, and everything that goes along with this truth. Their reaction is one of the major understa ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today in the Gospel we hear the Magnificat, Mary’s powerful prayer of joy and praise to God. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46) Mary’s courage in saying yes to God is nothing less than incredible, but what strikes m ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
I think we can all relate to the prophet Elijah in the first reading today. He undertakes his journey with the best intentions. He keeps walking, but at the end of the day, he realizes he is simply human, “no better than my fathers.”(1 Kings 19:4) He is ready to give up on his ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today in the Gospel Jesus says, “whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35). Take a moment to reflect on the enormity of that statement. Jesus welcomes everyone. All that is required is to come to Him, to believe in Him, and ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today’s Gospel recounts one of Jesus’ most famous miracles, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. It is the beginning of what is called the “Bread of Life discourse”, in which Jesus reveals that He is the bread of life, that will be broken for all so that no one will eve ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today in our Scripture readings we have a familiar image, God as the shepherd of His flock. In the reading from the prophet Jeremiah God warns those who would harm the flock, and promises to gather the scattered sheep and appoint shepherds to care for them. In the Gospel, Jesus recogni ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
In the Gospel today Jesus sends the disciples off on their first missionary endeavor with the instruction, “take nothing for the journey.” (Mark 6:8) Imagine setting off on a trip with no suitcase, no money, no iPhone! The game plan is to walk from place to place and rely on th ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
There is a saying, “you can never be a prophet in your own land.” Jesus says much the same in the Gospel today after his very disappointing homecoming. We can well imagine that He likely looked forward to returning home, to being with those who knew Him best, and had watched Hi ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
In the Gospel today Jesus tells Jairus, “Do not be afraid just have faith.” (Mark 5:36) This was probably easier said than done for a fearful and grieving father. Jesus knows two things that Jairus does not. First, that death is no obstacle for His healing power. Second, that ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
We have much to celebrate this weekend! Today we celebrate Father’s Day, the official beginning of summer, the lessening of COVID restrictions in California, and last but certainly not least, the return of our Carmel Mission Choir to the 11am Mass!
We have been eagerly anticip ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
I am very excited to share with you that we have exceeded our 2021 AMA Campaign Recovery and Renewal goal of $250,000! Thanks to your generosity we now stand at just over $302,000. This is an amazing accomplishment in such a short period of time, and is a testament to your selfless ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi Sunday. This wonderful feast celebrates the amazing gift that is the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It can be easy, I feel, for us to lose our sense of wonder and ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today we celebrate the Holy Trinity, God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-equal and co-eternal. The triune nature of God is one of the greatest mysteries of our faith. The most astute minds in our tradition have attempted to explain what it means that Father, Son ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, often called the birthday of the Church. We remember when the disciples were visited by the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised. Tongues of fire hovered over their heads, and a kind of spiritual universal translator allowed their w ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. This great feast celebrates the moment when Jesus is taken up in to Heaven. Of equal importance in the Gospel today is what precedes and follows this moment in the lives of the disciples. Immediately before He is taken up J ...
