Dear OLP Family,

I wish to reflect with you on two words that are very relevant this week.

First, Shepherd: Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ since the focus is on Jesus who has accorded that beautiful title of ‘Good Shepherd’ to himself.

Dear OLP Family,

I believe that all of us are aware of and horrified at the senseless criticism President Trump levelled against Pope Leo XIV. Trump posted on Truth Social April 12 that Pope Leo was "terrible for foreign policy," and that "Leo should get his act together as Pope." Trump also wrote that the pope should be "thankful," for him:

Dear OLP Family,

Happy Easter! Yes, Easter is such a foundational feast of our faith, that the Church continues to celebrate it for about seven weeks. These Sundays are named 2nd Sunday of Easter, 3rd Sunday of Easter, etc. The power of Easter has transformed the face of the earth as believers began to increase and Christianity began to spread all over the world.

Dear OLP Family,

Easter Blessings to you and your dear ones!

Father Basil Pennington, a Catholic monk, has written about an encounter he once had with a teacher of Zen. Pennington was at a retreat. As part of the retreat, each person met privately with this Zen teacher. Pennington says that at his meeting the Zen teacher sat there before him smiling from ear to ear and rocking gleefully back and forth.

Dear OLP Family,

I remember reading this story about comedian Yakov Smirnoff, a Ukrainian-American comedian, actor and writer who began his career as a stand-up comedian in the Soviet Union. When he first came to the US, he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores.

Dear OLP Family,

Our parish buildings have been lying vacant from last summer. You must have seen the “Space available for rent” sign for some time now. We have received inquiries from interested parties. We are in the process of renting our space. God willing, it will happen from this summer onwards. Please say a prayer for a fruitful outcome.

Dear OLP Family,

Happy St. Patrick’s Feast on Wednesday, March 17, when “everyone is an Irish.” Our parish is celebrating this popular feast today and our Knights of Columbus is hosting it in our parish hall. And Happy St. Joseph’s Feast two days later on March 19! Lavish celebrations for these two feasts, especially for St. Patrick’s Day, are typical. But it is very important to reflect on the spiritual dimension of each feast.

Dear OLP Family,

I wish to share two reflections with you in this column:

First: Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day, an annual celebration to honor the achievements and contributions of women, while challenging the discrimination and oppression they continue to face. We salute all the women for their invaluable contributions to enrich our families and communities, and pray for them in a special way.

Dear OLP Family,

A parishioner told me how touching and meaningful was last Sunday’s post-Communion meditation on “A different approach to fasting” and suggested that I put it in our bulletin. It was sent to me by a friend some time back and I am very glad that many felt that it was a very beautiful and spiritually enriching way to meditate in the church as a community.

Dear OLP Family,

So wonderful to see the big crowds in our church on Ash Wednesday – as in all the Catholic Churches all over the world - to mark entry into the penitential season of Lent. The traditional practices (fasting, meatless Fridays, saying extra prayers, giving up some favorite food or drink, refraining from certain habits, etc.) are all focused on personal or spiritual improvement of oneself.

Dear OLP Family,

Thank you to those of you who signed up: Last Sunday we had the lowest freezing temperature of the year, making it difficult for people to come to church - with only about half the usual numbers for each Mass. And yet the response of those who signed up to join the “LIVE LENT! Small groups for Bible sharing” was encouraging. Thank you.

Dear OLP Family,

MASS IN SIGNED LANGUAGE IN OUR PARISH: Our Diocese of Metuchen has a vibrant ministry for the deaf and hearing-impaired communities. I was asked if I would be open to hosting an interpreter at our 10:00 am Mass on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. I agreed and so the first signed language or interpreted Mass in our parish begins today.

Dear OLP Family,

I’m happy to be back after my three-weeks of vacation in India. Glad to reach back just in time to join you all to face the big winter storm of last Sunday. It was a good feeling to spend some quality time with my mother and siblings. Enjoyed a wide variety of the local food and delicacies. As a priest, it was expected of me to visit the many relatives who were sick or homebound, and I was happy to do so. To some I brought Holy Communion too.