Author: St. Charles Borromeo

Messages from the Pastor

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading

| St. Charles Borromeo

Fifth Sunday of Easter
1 Peter 2:4–9
May 10, 2020

In today’s reading St Peter says “let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Pt. 2:5). We, who are accustomed to using Priest only for those ordained, may find this curious to say the least. The original hearers would have as well and for the same reason. We are all gentiles and to understand this passage we need to first comprehend the Jewish idea of covenant.

A covenant is an agreement that is more than a contract. It is a pledge to share life. A tribe would make a covenant with a King for protection or a nomadic chieftain with a landowner for grazing land. These were both life and death issues and the covenant was sealed by a meal to show its seriousness. An animal was sacrificed, and the parties ate it to share that life. Covenants require priests and the person who offered the sacrifice and recited the terms of the agreement acted as a priest. The nature of the priesthood depends upon the covenant. Uniquely, the Hebrews showed their fidelity to their covenant not only or even principally by offering sacrifices and gifts, but rather by adopting a way of life. Thus, obeying the law was the principal sacrifice. Continue reading “Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading” →

Bulletin

Sunday Online Community Mass – 5/10 11:15 EDT

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please join us online for our weekly Online Community Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Easter on May 10 at 11:15 AM EDT. [Zoom dial-in info removed from website for security reasons] We will be honoring all our mothers for Mother’s Day.

News

Donate to Support Catholic Charities Food Banks

| St. Charles Borromeo

Tomorrow, May 5, is Giving Tuesday at Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.

Gifts made on May 5 to Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens will be matched up to $400K.

In the past 3 ½ weeks, Catholic Charities has distributed over 40,000 meals worth of food in Corona and Elmhurst Queens and East New York, Brooklyn, which have been the hardest-hit communities during this crisis. Families there are in dire need of essentials. Moreover, Catholic Charities has seen a 100% percent increase in demand for food at our existing food pantries throughout Brooklyn and Queens.

St. Charles Borromeo continues to support Catholic Charities in its important ministry and we will be making a contribution to Catholic Charities tomorrow. Please join us by contributing through our website.

Homilies

Good Shepherd Sunday – May 3, 2020 – Homily (Fr. Smith)

| St. Charles Borromeo

The 4th Sunday of Easter is called Good Shepherd Sunday – the Gospel reading is always about the Good Shepherd. It has been an opportunity for priests to speak about their own vocations. My story is very boring. I wanted to be a priest since 2nd grade, went the usual route through all the stages of seminary life in due order and without any real doubt. I was ordained and have been a priest for over 40 years. I have been very happy; indeed, I think happier than I would have been doing anything else. No drama, no trauma, and no real hook for the homily until we look at the full meaning of today’s Gospel. Here, there is certainly drama, and if I hook you in, perhaps some trauma.

It begins after the story of the Man born blind that we read this Lent.  The leaders, shepherds, of the people did not behave well. Rather than being open to the experience of Jesus, they ejected the formerly blind man from the synagogue and sought to persecute Jesus. Jesus was not intimidated and told them “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.”(Jn 9:9) Continue reading “Good Shepherd Sunday – May 3, 2020 – Homily (Fr. Smith)” →