St. Thomas the Apostle
Catholic Community

Today is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 40 days after His birth. The presentation in Jerusalem is motivated by Jewish rituals of the law of Moses. After a woman gives birth to a son, she is impure for forty days. At the end of that period, she is to bring an offering to the temple, which the priest offers as a sacrifice, effecting her purification. In addition, the law states that every first-born male (which “opens the womb”), whether human or animal, “belongs” t

The first disciples never considered being, as Jesus says, “fishers of men.” Being a fisher of men could seem similar to what today we call being a head hunter, that is, a person specialized in finding talent and bringing it into a company. Those who find talented folks get commissions; and those with talents are hired and often earn a lot of money. Being a fisher of men is instead about love and a decision to the mission of Jesus. It does not bring in a lot of money nor any

Did you ever notice that children often have a very strong sense of whom they can trust? It is like a simple way of seeing that immediately perceives the goodness in others. Children have not yet been affected by resentments or the lack of trust of adults and, therefore, they can see much more clearly. Neither do they have any fear of having someone better or more important than them. They readily see the truth and the simplicity of kindness. John the Baptist was an adult, an

Jon Leonetti, at our recent TriParish Mission in October, reminded us all that it is a privilege to belong to God’s family, and it is also a responsibility. We are held to higher standards, to God’s standards. None of us is perfect, nor should we expect others to be perfect, but we are all on the journey together to become the sort of people we never knew we could be. God gives us a place to belong permanently, and we are invited to be a part of a community through our member