Pastor's Note from Fr. Szparagowski 📝 - [October 25th Bulletin]

Dear St. Philip Neri Family and Friends,

We give praise and thanks to God for His graces and blessings!

One of the most beautiful things we learn about God throughout Sacred Scripture is that our God is compassionate, loving, and merciful. He is not a God who abandons us when we struggle or turns away when we cry out to Him. Rather, He is a loving Father who hears our prayers, knows our hearts, and desires to draw us closer to Himself.

In the first reading, God reminds His people that He hears the cries of those who suffer and calls us to treat others with compassion, especially the poor, the vulnerable, and those who are in need. We cannot claim to love God while ignoring the needs of our brothers and sisters. The love we receive from the Lord must become the love we share with others.

Psalm 18 gives us a beautiful prayer:

“I love you, Lord, my strength.”

The Lord is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. He is the One in whom we can place our trust, especially during the difficult moments of life.

There are times when we feel overwhelmed by our worries, our burdens, or the challenges we face. We may wonder how we will get through another day. Yet the Lord reminds us that we do not have to face these struggles alone. He is our strength when we are weak, our hope when we are discouraged, and our refuge when we need His peace.

How important it is for us to turn to the Lord in prayer, not only when things are difficult, but every day of our lives. He desires a personal relationship with each of us. He wants us to know His love, trust in His mercy, and recognize the many blessings He continues to give us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the two greatest commandments: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. These commandments remind us that our Catholic faith is not simply about following rules or coming to church on Sunday. It is about a relationship of love with God and with one another.

If we truly love God, that love must be reflected in the way we treat others. It means being patient when someone tests our patience, offering forgiveness when we have been hurt, reaching out to someone who feels forgotten, and showing kindness even when it is not easy. Sometimes the person who needs our love the most is the person we find most difficult to love.

As a parish family, we are called to be people who reflect the compassion and mercy of Jesus Christ. In our homes, our school, our prep, our parish, and our daily encounters, may they recognize something of God’s goodness through our words and actions. A simple act of kindness, a listening ear, a word of encouragement, or a prayer offered for someone in need can make a tremendous difference.

Let us never forget how deeply God loves us. He hears our cries, forgives our sins, strengthens us in our struggles, and continually invites us to trust in Him. May we always be able to pray with confidence,

“I love you, Lord, my strength.”

Because we have received so much love and mercy from our heavenly Father, may we strive to share that same love and mercy with everyone we meet. Let us love God with our whole heart and love one another as Christ has loved us. In doing so, we will become the people God calls us to be and bring His life, love, hope, and compassion into our world.

I pray for you every day, especially at Mass. Please pray for me.

Please invite someone to Mass today.

St. Philip Neri, pray for us. Have a blessed week,

Fr. Szparagowski