Fr. Rick Spicer

Marriage, as many of you know, is a roller coaster of joys and sorrows, of triumphs and tragedies. Job losses, illnesses, and the myriad of raising children are all part of the adventure. Just about every spouse faces some kind of complication sooner or later that confounds them with their own inadequacies and doubts. I can’t do this. I can’t be the husband or wife or parent I need to be. And yet, they manage to find within themselves the compassion, the forgiveness, the love to be the spouse and parent their family needs them to be in such moments.

On that first Easter evening, before Jesus appeared to the apostles in the upper room, imagine how inadequate they felt, yet when Jesus breathed on them, empowering them with the Holy Spirit, whatever fears they had then disappeared. That moment, the Church was born. As any student of history can tell you, the Church is a product of human struggle, disagreements, and crisis. Yet with the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit, the Church has weathered the test of time and continues to do so.

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PentecostRead More »

More than once as a pastor, I have heard of someone leaving the parish because he or she didn’t feel welcomed. I find such decisions disappointing, but I have observed that sometimes those who feel unwelcomed do little to allow themselves to be welcomed as this short tale relates.

A certain farmer was interrupted in his work by a man driving down the road who asked him, “Sir, I have traveled a long way and I am thinking of settling down in the next town. Tell me, what kind of people live there?” The farmer asked him, “What kind of people were in the town you left?”

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6th Sunday of EasterRead More »

Some years ago, a great actor was asked at a gathering to recite for the pleasure of the other guests. He consented and asked if there was anything special the audience wanted to hear. After a minute’s pause, an elderly minister asked him to recite Psalm 23. The actor consented, provided the minister would also recite the psalm when he was done.

“Me?” asked the minister, somewhat surprised. “I am not an elocutionist, but if you insist, I shall do so.”

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4th Sunday of EasterRead More »

The gospel begins with two disciples recounting “what had happened on the way and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” They then walked seven miles from their home in Emmaus back to Jerusalem to share the news of their encounter with the risen Lord. Seven miles! Can you see yourself even walking one mile to tell someone news that was too good to keep to yourself?

For many people, receiving communion isn’t all that exciting. Otherwise, our church would be packed at every liturgy. Week after week, many come to Mass yet judging by their body language, they don’t experience the same excitement that Cleopas and his companion did. Others who aren’t touched by their encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist have no qualms about missing Sunday Mass at times.

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3rd Sunday of EasterRead More »

As soon as the risen Jesus appears to his disciples, he said to them, “Peace be with you.” At the top of his list of priorities, that is his prayer for us as well. “Peace be with you.” For some people, that seems like an illusion. Division, rather than peace is common in many communities today unlike in the first faith community we heard about in Acts. Differences of opinion on what is right and what is wrong prevail. That can lead us to act like doubting Thomas, not so much doubting the existence of the risen Lord, but doubting what he expects of us.

The absence of peace originates with some manner of conflict, the consequence of ignoring God’s commandments. When that happens, the need for forgiveness arises and at times, that can be a rather tall order to fill, yet when we refuse to forgive, inner peace cannot be realized. Think of what goes on within you when you refuse to forgive. When you are hurt or angry due to another person’s offense, instead of saying, “Peace be with you,” to the offender, you are fuming, plotting ill will, or thinking of ways to get even. These tensions, building up within you, leave you unable to experience peace of any kind. So that peace could be experienced, Jesus breathed on the disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

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2nd Sunday of EasterRead More »