Author: St. Charles Borromeo

Messages from the Pastor

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading

| St. Charles Borromeo

Photo by Srinivasan Venkataraman on Unsplash

Palm Sunday
Isaiah 50:4–7
April 5, 2020

Readers of these reflections with a good memory will note that this is the usual Old Testament reading for the Mass for Palm Sunday. It is considered so important that it is used other times of the year as well (24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B). We read it this year during the coronavirus pandemic and its message is even stronger and more pertinent.

As with so many of the passages we have examined, we must return to the mindset of the people who rebuilt Jerusalem around 520 BC. A miracle had occurred. Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed and the leaders brought into exile in Babylon. This should have been the end of the Jewish people. Yet God through the unlikely intermediary of Cyrus, Prince of Persia, has given them a chance to start again. Enough decided to return to the ruins of Jerusalem that they could contemplate reconstruction. Yet they needed a second miracle to know why they were there. Continue reading “Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading” →

Bulletin

Holy Week and Easter Schedule

| St. Charles Borromeo

Below is our Holy Week and Easter parish schedule:

April 5 – Palm Sunday
9 AM – Faith sharing group
11:15 AM – Mass 

April 8 – “Spy” Wed
Noon – Rosary  

April 9 – Holy Thursday 
9 AM – Morning prayer
7:30 PM – Vespers

April 10 – Good Friday 
9 AM – Morning prayer
3 PM – Stations of the Cross
7:30 PM – Stations of the Cross
St. Charles at Home (episode posted during the day) 

April 11 – Holy Saturday 
9 AM – Morning prayer
7:30 PM – Vespers

April 12 – Easter Sunday
9 AM – Faith sharing group
11:15 AM – Easter Mass  

Join our live public online events on Zoom [Zoom meeting details removed from website for security reasons]. Recordings will be available at our website. We ask that you continue to read our parish emails and check the website for the most up-to-date information. If you do not get the emails, you can sign up on our website https://www.stcharlesbklyn.org

Homilies

5th Sunday of Lent – Fr. Smith Homily

| St. Charles Borromeo

When I was growing up in Jackson Heights, many of my friends and neighbors were from India. They were slightly older and certainly more mature than I was, and I tried to keep up with them. Yet sometimes I did not understand what they were saying. They constantly used words like bowler – which I thought was a hat – wicket – which I thought was a kind of small bush, and popping crease which totally mystified me. I finally realized that they lived and breathe that most inscrutable sport, Cricket, and these were all technical terms. After I read an article from Encyclopedia Britannica – for younger people, this is what we had before Wikipedia – I could at least navigate the  conversation. 

This is the case with today’s Gospel passage. Unless we realize that everyone speaking about the resurrection is a Pharisee we will be, at very least, very confused and possibly miss what Jesus is proclaiming.   Continue reading “5th Sunday of Lent – Fr. Smith Homily” →