4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

02-01-2026Weekly ReflectionFr. Abraham Orapankal, Pastor

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.

After enjoying the near-90-degree temperature in India, plunging myself now into single digits is a real sea-change for me. I am very grateful to Fr. Sebastian Kaithackal, Fr. Ken Kolibas, Fr. Justin Akkara and Fr. Sean Winters for helping out with the Masses, Confessions and funerals in my absence. Sincere thanks also to our wonderful parish staff for keeping the parish life going.

I had announced a plan to introduce Bible sharing in our parish during this Lent through small groups or Basic Christian Communities. What is it all about and why? A parish, by definition, is “a community of communities.” Even though we attend Mass as a big community in our big church, real growth in faith can happen when we gather in small communities. We can experience fellowship, fun, understanding and mutual support through small groups. At the same time we learn more about our Faith by deepening our understanding of the Word of God in these small groups.

During the first centuries of Christianity, there were no big Churches or large buildings for worship. In fact Christianity spread, not through mega-churches or cathedrals, but through “house- churches” as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles:

• “Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes” (Acts 2:46a).
• “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the gentiles. Greet also the church in their house.” (Romans 16:3-5).
• “Give greetings to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nympha and to the church in her house” (Colossians 4:15). “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved and our co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church at your house” (Philemon 1-2).

These and other verses suggest that the first Christians met in different houses to “break bread” (the oldest term for celebrating the Eucharist) and to deepen their faith. Christianity truly became more alive through small groups. My own desire for our parish is that we become a more active community growing deeper in our understanding of the Scriptures. This can be achieved by forming many small groups in our parish. My plan is to begin this during Lent. But first I wish to invite you to come to a presentation I am giving today, Sunday (February 1) so that you understand more about this initiative and its practical aspects. You will then see how we all can benefit from it. Please come to the parish hall soon after the 10 AM Mass. All are most welcome.

Your brother in Christ.