January 9, 2022 (Version 1: This is Father Mangini’s first version that he delivered at mass) Today (yesterday) at St. Mary’s Church in Walnut Creek, I baptized Luca Slovik. Thirty years ago, I baptized his mother Veronica. I married his parents a few years ago. I even married his grandparents. When you are a priestContinue reading “The Baptism of the Lord: “The purpose of Baptism is to share with us who we are really and to encourage us”“
Tag Archives: Richard
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
January 1, 2022 Growing up in the early 1940s, we were taught more about Mary and devotions to her than we were taught about Jesus – in my catechism classes at least. Over the centuries, our Catholic Church created a goddess-like cult for Mary. She was much more approachable than Jesus, it seemed, and equallyContinue reading “Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God“
II Sunday Advent: Is everything falling apart, or is God creating something new with our help and his inspiration?
December 5, 2021 What is the liturgical year that Fr. Robert keeps talking about – its ending or its beginning? It is a way for us to help focus our spiritual attention, to focus the time that we give to God, a way to deepen our sense of how God is present to us inContinue reading “II Sunday Advent: Is everything falling apart, or is God creating something new with our help and his inspiration?“
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: What Brings Meaning, Joy and Hope to Our Lives?
eaOctober 31, 2021 Same ole, same ole, love God, love your neighbor! Each one of us has “sort of” figured it out for ourselves. Most of us have put some kind of personal limits as to what it means or how far we are willing to go. So, who is God? Is it as simpleContinue reading “31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: What Brings Meaning, Joy and Hope to Our Lives?“
26th Ordinary Sunday: “There are no exclusive rights to Jesus”
September 26, 2021 The Roman Catholic Church does not have an exclusive contract with God, to talk about God or to let everyone know the secrets of God. At one time, we did teach that we were the one true Church, that we had figured everything out, through specific words describing dogmas, and rituals claimingContinue reading “26th Ordinary Sunday: “There are no exclusive rights to Jesus””
XVIII Sunday, Ordinary Time: Shoulder My Yoke and Learn from Me, for I am Gentle and Humble in Heart
August 1, 2021 We do need a savior. We do need mentors and good examples. The “I” in us is distracted easily, diverted willingly and loves to get lost in its own self. There have been and continue to be many religious or spiritual paths that are meant to help us balance the “I” andContinue reading “XVIII Sunday, Ordinary Time: Shoulder My Yoke and Learn from Me, for I am Gentle and Humble in Heart“
Holy Trinity Sunday: God is not far from any of us
May 30, 2021 Last Sunday, we closed the Easter season, and for the last one thousand years, today we have celebrated the doctrinal feast of the Holy Trinity. So, the first thing that I would like to say is that our loving God is not an abstraction or a philosophical idea, and more than aContinue reading “Holy Trinity Sunday: God is not far from any of us“
The Baptism of Our Lord
January 10, 2021 My dear brothers and sisters, we cannot separate our personal spiritual lives from the rest of our lives. We cannot separate the economic, political, moral dimensions of our lives into boxes of interest and pretend or hope that one does not affect the other. The stock market is not God. Our bankContinue reading “The Baptism of Our Lord”
21st Sunday – August 23, 2020
Today we stand between two political conventions, and I am sure that both candidates would like to know what voters know and think about themselves. Even Jesus was curious about what people thought about his message, what they thought of him, what kind of a following that he had. I am sure that you wouldContinue reading “21st Sunday – August 23, 2020”
Good Friday – A Celebration of Life 4/10/20
In many ways, Good Friday feels like we are coming to a funeral, to a memorial service for a man who died over 2,000 years ago, but actually we are coming to do what many families want to do today, rather than celebrate a funeral, to do a celebration of life. One insight is absolutelyContinue reading “Good Friday – A Celebration of Life 4/10/20”
Harvest and Hope 