Browsing Thoughts from Fr. Bob
10th Sunday in OT - June 9, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 6/04/24
It is appropriate to think of St. James Parish as our family of faith, for in the Gospel today we hear Jesus tell the crowds that whoever does the will of God is part of his family.
But at the same time we are sinful people. We can blame ... Read More »
Corpus Cristi - June 2, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 6/03/24
One of the hallmarks of our Catholic faith is the Mass. We are a Eucharistic people, listening to God’s word and receiving sustenance from the Body and Blood of our Lord in the Eucharist so that we may be sent out as disciples, manifesting the real presence of Jesus ... Read More »
Most Holy Trinity - May 26, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 6/03/24
In our first reading today, Moses asks, “Did anything so great ever happen before?” After celebrating Easter and then Pentecost, we may ask the same question. Throughout the Easter season, which has just come to a close, we recalled how the Son made the ultimate sacrifice for us. The ... Read More »
Pentecost - May 19, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 5/16/24
On this day of Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit into our world to stay with us always. Three months ago we began our journey from death to new life, from Lent to Easter, from winter to spring, from darkness to light. It is a journey ... Read More »
7th Sunday of Easter - May 12, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 5/08/24
Last Thursday, May 9, we marked forty days after the Resurrection. That Holy Day was transferred to this Sunday, the Seventh Sunday of Easter. With our Lord’s mission accomplished, and having appeared to his disciples to show them that he had been raised from the dead, Jesus prepared to ... Read More »
6th Sunday of Easter - May 5, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 5/01/24
We continue to celebrate the Easter season, glorying in the resurrection of our Lord, who has promised to remain with us always. Jesus is with us in our waking and our sleeping, in our joys and our sufferings, in our homes and our communities. In a special way the ... Read More »
5th Sunday of Easter - April 28, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 5/01/24
“I am the vine. You are the branches,” we hear Jesus tell his disciples in today’s Gospel. We are those branches now. Connected to the vine that is the Lord, we are expected to bear fruit.
Visualize your family tree. Perhaps your grandparents or great-grandparents are the trunk of ... Read More »
4th Sunday of Easter - April 21, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 4/18/24
Today we are reminded that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, committed to caring for his sheep through every danger, difficulty, and trauma. He told his disciples that he would lay down his life for his sheep. Indeed, this is really what he did. By laying down his life for ... Read More »
Divine Mercy - April 7, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 4/09/24
Still rejoicing in the glory of Easter, today we celebrate God’s unparalleled mercy. Out of mercy for all of us, Jesus died on the cross, atoning for our sins, past, present, and future. Out of mercy for those whose faith is weak or doubt is strong, Jesus comes to ... Read More »
Easter - March 31, 2024
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 3/25/24
Today we gather in joy to celebrate the holiest and most wonderful of days, Easter. Jesus, who sacrificed his life on behalf of us all, has been raised from the dead. Alleluia! This is the day that gives meaning to Jesus’ suffering and death, and in turn to our ... Read More »