Browsing Thoughts from Fr. Bob
The Baptism of the Lord - January 12, 2025
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 1/08/25
Over the Christmas season, which ends today, the Gospel passages have told how God’s Son was made manifest to the world. The angels told the shepherds that a savior had been born in Bethlehem. The Magi followed the star to give homage to the new born Messiah. In his ... Read More »
The Epiphany of the Lord - January 5, 2025
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 12/31/24
An epiphany is an unexpected manifestation. In the case of this feast, it is the manifestation of the Messiah to the magi. These foreigners did not even believe in the God we do. They were not Jewish, so they were not awaiting the Messiah recognized in this tiny baby ... Read More »
Feast of the Holy Family - December 29, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 12/30/24
In our first reading by Samuel, Hannah, because she was childless for so long, promised God that if she had a son, she would consecrate him to the Lord. Today we would never consider giving a little child over to the church. Yes, parents generally bring their newborns to ... Read More »
Fourth Sunday of Advent - December 22, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 12/19/24
Christmas is so close this year because Advent was only three weeks and one day. Children can hardly contain their excitement while adults panic about all they still need to do. But for now, let us consider Mary and Joseph just days before she would give birth, struggling to ... Read More »
Third Sunday of Advent - December 15, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 12/11/24
We will hear it at least a few times over the next two weeks, “It’s better to give than to receive.” We recognize this when we see the expressions of joy in a child’s face or tears of appreciation from a parent or spouse when they open a gift ... Read More »
Second Sunday of Advent - December 8, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 12/09/24
We hear John the Baptist proclaim today, “Make straight your paths.” How do we do so? John’s primary message throughout the whole region answers that question. We must repent of our sins. Our sins are the obstacles that block the path of the Lord, that make it more difficult ... Read More »
First Sunday of Advent - December 1, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 11/26/24
On this first day of December, this first day of the season of Advent, and this first day of a new liturgical year, we are reminded that our relationship with the Lord can always begin anew. Even as we prepare for the coming of Jesus as an infant on ... Read More »
Christ the King - November 24, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 11/21/24
On the final Sunday of the Church year we celebrate Jesus Christ’s unique role as ruler over the entire universe. He did not become King by conquering other nations, nor by popular acclaim. No, he became King by willingly suffering and dying for our sins and leading us to ... Read More »
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - November 17, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 11/12/24
The days are growing shorter. The nights are getting longer. For those few who live above the arctic circle, the sun has disappeared for weeks now and won’t return until March. The first part of the Gospel resonates loudly for them. As terrifying as some of the images are, ... Read More »
32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time - November 10, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 11/07/24
We believe that everything we have ultimately comes from God. God gave us life to begin with, offers us the gift of new life through Christ, and blesses our life everyday. We hope to imitate God’s generosity through our own actions. The readings we hear today offer a lesson ... Read More »