Fr. David Hogan

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time The vineyard referenced in our first reading and Gospel is representative of Israel, the chosen people. As decedents of Israel we do not own our own vineyards, but are simply stewards. We are responsible for caring for our own. We may understand the value of time, but do we understand the value of value? Going forward, how do we protect, sustain, and nurture...

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is heaven boring? Though we do not have exact evidence what heaven truly is—but we can also look at heaven from what it is not. Heaven is not simply escaping hell, receiving a reward, or looking down upon those who are lost. Heaven is perfect communion with God: the fulfillment of our deepest desires for love, joy, peace, and belonging. Because God is infinite,...

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Life is not fair! We work hard, make sacrifices, and try to do what is right. Yet, others receive blessings, opportunities, and forgiveness for which we believe they have not earned. Hence comparison is the stealer of joy. In today's Gospel Jesus challenges the status quo. His generosity and fairness cannot be measured by human standards.  Scripture Readings fo...

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus calls us to love one another enough to speak the truth, listen with humility, and seek reconciliation. Christian correction is not about proving who is right, but about caring for one another and restoring relationships. When difficult conversations arise, Christ calls us to begin with love. Real love doesn't walk away, it fights for reconciliation. Scrip...

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time We often think happiness will come when our circumstances finally change. But Jesus never promises us a life without suffering. He calls us to trust Him in the midst of it. Following Christ means letting go of control, turning away from sin, and allowing God to change our hearts. We cannot avoid every cross. But we never carry the cross without Christ. Scriptu...

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time In today's Gospel, we see a wonderful interaction between Jesus and Peter. Once Peter recognizes Jesus for who He truly is, his own identity and mission are revealed as well by Jesus.  It is amazing to feel seen and known by God at the most intimate of levels. God sees spiritual greatness in all. Let us make the same testament of faith as well, "You are the Chr...

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Everyone knows what physical hunger feels like. But there is another hunger that is much harder to satisfy: the hunger to feel loved, accepted, safe, forgiven, and at peace.  Many people spend their lives trying to fill that hunger with success, entertainment, possessions, relationships, food, pornography, alcohol, social media, or constant busyness. Yet the hung...

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Garage sales epitomize the expression, "one man's junk is another man's treasure." Hence, how do we determine the real value of something? King Solomon provides guidance in our first reading for today.  In order to determine the value of something King Solomon wants to know on a deeper level the heart of God. In making his desire known to God, Solomon found the...

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Our modern culture glorifies being busy, productive, and in control. Additionally, many people carry invisible burdens such as stress, anxiety, grief, family struggles, financial pressures, addictions, and exhaustion. In our Gospel for today Jesus offers us a deeper meaning for the word rest. We are all invited to rest in knowing that we are loved, forgiven, and...

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time   Today we celebrate The Lord's Day and Father's day. Children can learn many things from their fathers such as how to ride a bike, throw a football, work hard, and persevere through difficult times. Unfortunately, father's day can also be a painful reminder of the brokenness of humanity.   Nonetheless, all fathers reflect to some degree the heart of a good father....

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Receiving Holy Communion is not a reward for good people, but food for pilgrims on the journey. Why does it seem like some people are changed and others are not at Mass? One word...receptivity.  When people come to Mass, we can come out of sheer obligation, habit, we can come with distractions, and closed hearts. Yet, in celebrating the great...

Holy Trinity Sunday Pope Leo XIV's prophetic encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, writes about the gift of the human person and the spiritual battles of the interior life and relationships that will continue to arise as a result of the influence of artificial intelligence.  The more artificial the world becomes, the more radiant authentic holiness may appear. Every human heart longs for three things: t...

Pentecost Sunday There are two themes we see in the accounts of the Resurrected Lord: He shows us His wounds while also offering us peace. Depending on how we view our ungodly self-reliance, we have the opportunity to not only experience God's mercy and love, but we are also able to offer the same to others. Shalom...Shalom. Scripture Readings for Sunday May 24 ,2026 Acts 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 2...

The Ascension of the Lord In today's Gospel, we hear Jesus' final words before His glorious Ascension into heaven: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations."  Though this was part of God's plan, there is a tempting belief that Jesus has now abandoned us. Think about our prayer lives. The times we are most distracted and experience deafening silence for long periods of time, this lie is re...

Fifth Sunday in Easter God does not work with finished projects. Rather, He builds them. Like a construction site, which is messy, loud, unfinished, yet purposeful. So too, is the Church in the world today. St. Peter reminds you and I that we are living stones being built up into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.  The only place we find real life is in Jesus Christ. Where are you in this...

Fourth Sunday in Easter As the Church celebrates Good Shepherd Sunday, it is important to take the time to reflect upon your calling or vocation. Vocation (Vocare) means a call or summons. In John 10, Jesus says, " My sheep hear my voice...and they follow me." Life in Christ is not an escape from suffering. It is a transformation of suffering. The easy road avoids suffering whereas the Shepherd le...

Third Sunday in Easter Have you ever walked away from something thinking, "I didn't get anything out of that." Unfortunately, that is how many people experience Mass. "I go...but I do not feel anything." In our Gospel for today, the two disciples leaving Jerusalem felt the same way. They just witnessed the greatest event in history...and walked away empty. The problem is not the Mass. The problem...

The Resurrection of the Lord The Mass of Easter Day On Easter Sunday, we proclaim with joy that Jesus Christ is risen, and death no longer has the final word. The empty tomb is not just an event of the past, but a living invitation to new life here and now. In every place of darkness, sin, or despair, the Resurrection declares that hope is real and victory is possible.  As disciples, we are called...

Palm Sunday When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” The crowd answered correctly that Jesus is a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. The crowd, like much of humanity, also got the answer woefully wrong.  The question, who is He, resides in every human heart. In fact, we are still learning how to answer this question today. Ask yourself: not in theory, not in...

Fifth Sunday in Lent Today's Gospel seems to touch on a delicate part of humanity which is that when things get bad God seems to abandons us. Instead, Jesus intentionally waits to visit Martha and Mary at the news of Lazarus' sickness and death so that something greater can take place.  Some of us are not waiting for a miracle...we're hiding in our tombs. Today, Jesus stands before that place in y...

4th Sunday in Lent As a person matures in their faith, one realizes how blind they were prior to seeing more clearly. This is exactly what today's Gospel is about. Many people think they can see clearly. But Jesus shows us that the deepest blindness is spiritual blindness. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8). Scripture Readings...

Second Sunday in Lent Leading up to the Transfiguration, Jesus predicts his own passion and death. Given the traumatic events that will eventually take place, Jesus knew his most faithful followers' faith will be shaken. St. Leo the Great states, "Christ revealed His glory to strengthen the disciples against the scandal of the Cross." One of the great lessons we learn from our fathers in faith lik...

1st Sunday of Lent The three temptations Christ experienced in the desert by Satan are of similar origin we as human beings face on a daily basis: comfort, spiritual pride, and power.  Temptations do not imply sin as the struggle is part of growing in faith. Remember we are all saints in training. Jesus having passed the test in the desert teaches all people that there is hope in the midst of our...

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Information, knowledge, and wisdom are three ways of knowing. Given what our senses tell us, everything we experience in this life has an expiration date. Yet, "we speak of God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew, for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the...

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Often times the word blessed means successful, comfortable, and secure. In Jesus' sermon on the eight Beatitudes it seems Jesus speaks of “blessed,” as those who seem… unlucky. It may come as a surprise but Jesus equates blessed to be poor, meek, mourning, and persecuted.  To desire suffering or glory for its own sake is not the point rather faithfulness in following...