July 19, 2026
In the Second Reading for today, St. Paul writes to the Romans (and through them, to us) that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought.” Those words are addressed to all of us, from beginners to those who are the greatest mystics of the Church. We are all truly beginners. And we need the Holy Spirit to help us pray.
   
Call upon the Holy Spirit whenever you pray. Ask Him for His wisdom, for His authenticity, for His truth. Ask Him to show you what you need to pray for and ask Him to guide your prayer.

The primary theme of Jesus’ teaching is the Kingdom of Heaven. He has come to initiate the Kingdom. After the Fall, Satan had become the “Prince of this World.”  These are Jesus’ own words. He has come to do battle with Satan and restore the Kingdom of God in this world.
   
Today, in our Gospel, He tells us three parables of the Kingdom. Parables were Jesus’ greatest method of preaching and teaching. He tells us of the Kingdom as a field in which the owner has sowed good seed, but weeds have grown up on it. He also tells of the Kingdom as a mustard seed that begins small but becomes the largest of the bushes, and as yeast that a woman kneads into the loaf, causing it to rise.
—Fr. Mike Comer

July 12, 2026

In today’s First Reading God says, “Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down, and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to one who sows and bread to one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”
   
God’s Word is effective and powerful. He created the universe by saying, “Let there be light,” and there was light. All the days of creation operate the same way.  God speaks, and it happens. The prophets would say, “Thus says the Lord…” and what they prophesied would come about.
   
In the Gospel, Jesus compares His teaching to a sower sowing seed. He teaches that if His Word (the seed) does not bear fruit, it is not a problem with the seed (word) but with the quality of the soil (us).

There are four kinds of soil that receive the seed very differently. There is the hard path, that does not receive the seed at all, and the birds eat the seed. There is the rocky ground, and the seed began to grow, but it did not have roots, so it was scorched by the sun. Some seed fell among thorns, and the seed began to grow, but the thorns choked it. There is the good soil, which welcomed the seed and produced much fruit.
   
You and I must ask what kind of soil we are. Do we listen to the Word of God? Is the soil of our hearts and minds filled with rocks and thorns that prevent God’s Word from bearing fruit? Have we tilled the soil, cleared the rocks, and weeded out the thorn?
—Fr. Mike Comer 

July 5, 2026

Some of Jesus’ words are challenging, to say the least. But most of them are comforting and healing. That is true in today’s Gospel. It contains some of the kindest and most inviting anywhere in the Gospels.
   
“Come to Me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Who is not burdened in some way, whether by our own or other’s heath concerns, who labor to make a living, to handle kid problems or parent problems, etc.? I do not have to remind you what your burdens and labors are. Jesus is letting us know how much He cares about what we are going through. He wants to be our strength, our comforter, and our healer. “I will give you rest.”
   
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” In those times, a yoke was made from wood, and would harness multiple animals of burden to one another, so they could pull a plow, or some other instrument. This helped the driver to guide them in the same direction. Often the yoke would become heavy and a burden for the animals. It would also rub on their shoulders, making them sore and raw.

Jesus is assuring us that His yoke, His teaching, His laws would not be a burden and load, but would give us peace, and strength, and healing. He tells us, “My yoke is easy, and My burden light.”
   
Jesus always wants to bless us, not to burden us. That is not to say that following Jesus will always be easy. It is not. Elsewhere, He warns us that if we are not willing to take up our crosses, and follow Him, then we cannot be His disciples. But He will help us carry our crosses and help us learn and grow from our struggles.
—Fr. Mike Comer

June 28, 2026

On Saturday, July 4, we celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America. This is an important date as we reflect on the signing of the Declaration of Independence. America became a separate nation on the day we declared ourselves independent and free. We would have to fight a war with Britain to make the world understand that we were our own country, and we did.
   
When we think about the United States, the first thing that comes to mind is, I think, freedom. Our freedoms are what we are most proud of. That freedom was not universal. Native Americans and Blacks were excluded from that freedom, and women and white non-property owners were also denied the right to vote, and other rights. They had to fight to gain the freedom that landowning whites were guaranteed.
   
In our own time, the unborn are also denied the right to be born, so that they can claim the full set of rights guaranteed to us all. As has often been stated, “Freedom is not free.” We must all continue to fight for the rights of all whose rights are denied or are limited.
   
We celebrate in this beautiful land the ways in which we have led the world to see justice, religious liberty, freedom of speech, and all those rights in the Bill of Rights that are a part of our Constitution. We remember the cost of our freedoms and rights and the many men and women who have sacrificed themselves for the sake of their country and its people.

Our nation is in one of its more challenging times in our history. I hear people repeatedly saying that we are more divided than at any other time in that history.  Remembering the Civil War, and having grown up in the 60s, with the war in Vietnam, and the Civil Rights struggle, I would personally disagree. But it is a difficult time.

I hope that in this year of honoring the birth of the United States, that we do some very simple things. First, read the Declaration of Independence. Then read the Constitution of the United States, especially the Bill of Rights. Read the Gettysburg address and President Lincoln’s second inaugural address. And finally, read Martin Luther King’s letter from the Birmingham jail.

And pray, pray, pray for the USA, that it will live up to its highest ideals, guaranteeing every one of us the unalienable rights of equality, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Happy birthday, America!
—Fr. Mike Comer

June 21, 2026

Happy Father’s Day to our dads, to grandads, to foster dads, and to all men who play out a father role in the life of all children. Yours is often a thankless job. Moms get far more attention and expressions of gratitude. But it is so important that you dads are present and active in the lives of your sons and daughters.
   
Our culture does not recognize the significance of dads.  But our prisons are full of men and women who share one very important fact of life. They grew up without a positive, active and present father or father figure.

Children without a father are more likely to grow up in poverty, to become involved in drugs and crime. Dads provide a stability that it is difficult for a single mom to do on their own.
   
This Sunday, we acclaim you, we thank you, and we appreciate you.
—Fr. Mike Comer

June 14, 2026

“The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so, ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Never have these words of Jesus been more relevant to the Church. We see the shortage of priests and religious women and deacons at such a critical point. We look across the river where parishes have been grouped into “families” of three or four or five churches, with a centralized parish office, with one pastor, and perhaps one other assistant priest. At the same time, we are seeing larger classes of OCIA candidates who are entering into the Church through adult conversions.
   
One of the main reasons that the cost of sending one’s children to a Catholic school has gone up is the shortage of sisters and priests to teach and operate the schools.  Tuition has skyrocketed, making it out of reach for many, many families.

Please pray for vocations to these essential ministries. I know that because of the sexual abuse crisis and the shortage of priests, many families are very hesitant to recommend to their sons to consider the priesthood. I get that. But I also realize that when the Church starts having to close parishes and merge parishes that it becomes incredibly painful for everyone involved.
—Fr. Mike Comer

June 7, 2026

Last Sunday we celebrated the Holy Trinity, the doctrine that identifies us as Christian. This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), the doctrine which most identifies us as Catholic.
   
In the Mass, bread and wine are brought forward and are offered by the priest. At that time, the bread and the wine represent us—our lives, our family life, our work, our joys, our struggles and pain, etc. So, what we do is offer our lives to God, imperfect as they are. God then sends His Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine to sanctify them. He then changes them so that they become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
   
Jesus spoke clearly on what happens in these moments. In the Bread of Life Discourse, in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies Himself as the Bread from Heaven, and that we must eat His Body and drink His Blood, or we will not have life within us. He tells us that His Flesh is real food and His Blood is real Drink. In all three of the Institution Accounts, He takes the bread, and says, “This is my Body.” And He takes the cup and says, “This is the cup of my Blood.” And finally, St. Paul tells the Corinthians that those who eat and drink the Eucharist unworthily eat and drink condemnation on themselves, and that is why some are getting sick, and even dying.

The word “communion” combines two Latin words—com (which means “with”) and union (which means to be one). So, communion means to be one with. In the sacrament, we are made one with Christ, as He makes Himself one with us as we eat and drink His Body and Blood. And we become one with each other in Christ as we “commune” together (eat and drink) Jesus Himself.
   
Over the past few years, the Church (led by the American bishops) has become alarmed by surveys that indicate a large percentage of Catholics do not believe the ancient faith of the Catholic Church which states that bread and wine are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the  Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. I actually do not believe these surveys are accurate for a number of reasons. Primarily, they make no distinctions between practicing Catholics and non-practicing Catholics. When that distinction is made, the vast percentage of practicing Catholics do believe what the Church teaches. It is primarily those who do not practice who deny the faith of the Church. If I did not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, why would I regularly attend Mass?
   
I encourage all of you to ask Christ to deepen your faith in the Eucharist.
—Fr. Mike Comer

May 31, 2026

We have returned to Ordinary Time, but the two Sundays after Pentecost celebrate two major doctrines of the Church. This Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Trinity, the doctrine which identifies us as Christians. Next Sunday is the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord (formerly Corpus Christi), which honors the doctrine that most identifies us as Catholic.
   
Last Sunday, in the Gospel for Pentecost, we heard Jesus give us the Great Commission, “Go. Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” He gives us this Trinitarian formula. Throughout the Gospels, He speaks of His Father in Heaven, of the Holy Spirit, and of Himself in terms and images that indicate that He is truly human and truly divine. But He never actually sits down with the Twelve and says, “Listen guys, there is one God and He is actually three persons. And I am not only the human being Jesus of Nazareth, but I am also the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.”

The early Church will spend centuries working out the philosophical language to explain how God is both one and three, and who each of these persons is, and how they relate to one another. Jesus is one Person, with two natures—human and divine. And there is only one God who consists of three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is the greatest mystery of our faith. This led to many disagreements, including some very contentious fights, as the Church sought to reconcile some seemingly contradictory truths.
   
There are several religions that profess belief in one God, including Islam and Judaism. There are others that believe in many gods. But only Christianity worships One God, who is Three Persons. Belief in and worship of this Triune God is what makes us Christian.
—Fr. Mike Comer

May 24, 2026

There are many titles that are given to the Holy Spirit. He is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the Soul of the Church. The Spirit is the life-breath of the Church. These are just a few of His titles. But despite these, the Holy Spirit is the anonymous member of the Trinity.

The Spirit came to those in the Upper Room in the form of a strong driving wind and as tongues of flame. We first met the Spirit at Jesus’ baptism. These are not images that we can easily relate to as a “Person,” whereas it is much easier to relate to the Father and the Son. The Spirit, which means “wind” or “breath” in Aramaic (Ruah), must be seen in these images.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Open your hearts to the breath of God,
His life is grafted to the souls that He touches;
May a new people rise from the waters
Over which hovers the spirit of your baptism!
Let us open our hearts to the breath of God
For He breathes in our mouths more than we do ourselves!
—Days of the Lord

May 17, 2026

Forty days after rising from the dead on Easter Sunday, Jesus returned to the right hand of God the Father, taking His seat as Lord of the Universe. We can visualize His earthly mission by imagining a downward arc, beginning with His descent from Heaven to His birth in Bethlehem, traveling rightward representing His earthly life and ministry, His Passion and Death, and then, moving upward beginning with His Resurrection and the 40 days of His risen life, and finally returning to Heaven on Ascension Thursday.
   
He has completed His time on earth and is now in Heaven. We recall that Jesus ascended as both human and divine. He remains both human and divine for all eternity. Mary, too, will be assumed both body and soul, so there are two human beings in Heaven who have completed their earthly life.
   
St. Paul has taught us that we are the Body of Christ and that Jesus is Himself the head. Where the head has gone, the body will follow. United with Christ, His ascension is our ascension.
   
Immediately before His ascension, Jesus gathered with His Apostles on a mountain in Galilee. He spoke to them the words that have come to be known as the Great Commission. “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to carry out all that I have commanded you, and know that I am with you until the end of the age.” They then saw Him lifted up into a cloud, which carried Him away.
   
At His ascension, He gave the Church its marching orders, its mission statement. The purpose of the Church, and its primary mission is to “go!” We are a missionary Church. When He called His first disciples, He told them they would become fishers of men. Fishermen go out, seeking the fish that they will catch. In the same way, the Church goes out to locate those Christ is calling to Himself. This is the task of every Christian and, in particular, of every Catholic. This is the meaning of the words of dismissal at the end of the Mass. “The Mass is ended. Go in peace.”

“Make disciples of all nations.” Jesus’ entire ministry took place in Israel and was directed to the Jewish people.

He told the disciples, when He first sent them forth on mission, that they were to "seek out only the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6). Later, there were Gentiles who came to Jesus. But in the Great Commission, they were sent to the whole world. Very quickly, the Church’s mission would be primarily to the Gentiles.
   
“Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Membership in the Jewish community was accomplished through circumcision. For Christians, membership was through the sacrament of baptism. Baptism is known as the sacrament of salvation, because by baptism, we are forgiven from all sin, united to God in Christ Jesus, and made officially members of the Church.    
   
He also told the Apostles to teach all His followers to carry out all that He had commanded. Jesus’ plan for His disciples is that they would live a fully Christian life, according to His commandments to love God and to love one another.
—Fr. Mike Comer

May 10, 2026

Happy Mother’s Day to our mothers, grandmothers, foster mothers, stepmothers, and all women who play any kind of maternal role in someone’s life. And we offer our prayers and congratulations to all expectant mothers, as they await the birth of their child.
   
We all know how important mothers are. Their womb is the pathway by which we enter this world. They nurse us, feed us, clean us, clothe us, protect us, teach and form us, and in so many ways, they love us. Fathers play an important role as well, but that is for a different holiday.
   
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, we honor the family, the most significant institution in our human world. God Himself created the family in an imitation of Himself, who is a family—the Holy Trinity. There is a saying that, “As goes the family, so goes the society. As goes the family, so goes the Church.” The family is the basic unit of society and the Church. It is no accident that the breakdown of the family in our modern times has led to a breakdown of society and the Church.
   
At the heart of the family is the mother. Along with fathers, mothers build up and give stability to the family.  In many ways, her love is the core of the household and the glue that holds it all together.  

We know that our mothers are not perfect. And we know that many mothers (and fathers) are unfortunately wounded by life and fail in some ways to give their children the love that they need. Today, as we pray for all moms, we need to pray for these women who have been wounded and damaged by their own family lives and who struggle to make good decisions, to care for and provide for their children. The vast majority are doing the best they possibly can.
   
Let us pray today for all mothers, living and deceased, and ask God’s blessing upon them all, especially those who are struggling, hurting, and feel lost and afraid.
   
From the Cross, Jesus looked down at His Mother and the Beloved Disciple. He said to them, “Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your Mother.” In this act, Jesus not only gave Mary to be the mother of John, but all of us. We call upon her, and we honor her, too, on this beautiful day.
—Fr. Mike Comer

May 3, 2026

We have moved into the month of May, which the Church celebrates as the month of Mary. October is also the month of the Holy Rosary, so both months are focused on her.
   
The Catholic Church’s beliefs about Mary are distilled into the four Marian Dogmas. These are:

1.  Mary is the Mother of God
2.  She was a perpetual virgin
3.  She was immaculately conceived, and 
4.  She was assumed body and soul into Heaven. 

Each of these, in their own way, tell us far more about Jesus than about her.
 
The doctrine that states that Mary is the Mother of God is the Church’s affirmation that Jesus is truly God and truly man, and that the child she bore in her womb was in fact God. Her perpetual virginity makes sure we know that God is the Father of Jesus, and that He did not have a human father in terms of His conception.    

Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb without Original Sin, so that she could be a pure vessel to bring forth the child of God. And because she had borne the child of God in her womb, she is the Ark of the New Covenant, and God preserved her body from the decay of death for that reason.

In the miracle at Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine, we see Mary coming to Jesus to inform Him of the problem that the family was facing. This reveals Mary as one who intercedes for us with her Son. We should bring all our needs to her, as well as to Jesus, and ask her to pray with and for us to Jesus.
   
In the very dangerous time in which we live, let us ask her to pray with us for peace in our world, especially in the Middle East. As always, I encourage the daily rosary.
—Fr. Mike Comer

April 26, 2026
A few weeks ago, I began writing about the fact that we are all sent out by Christ to bring the message of salvation to all. I believe that the most important evangelizers in the Church are parents and grandparents. Passing on the message of Christ to young people is one of the most significant ways in which the faith of the Church is handed on to new people. The baptism rite stresses that parents are the primary teachers of their children in the ways of faith. Grandparents and others in the family support and assist parents in this responsibility.
   
Many, perhaps most, parents feel very inadequate in fulfilling this role of evangelizing their children. What can they do to feel more comfortable in sharing faith with their young ones? I want to make some suggestions that can empower you.
   
An old saying tells us that, “Faith is caught, not taught.” In handing on the faith of the Church, there are two components. There is the content of the faith, but there is also the act of faith. Someone may know the Catholic faith very well. They may know the Catechism of the Catholic Church front to back. That is great, but it is not faith. Faith is the act of trust that we make in the content of the Church’s teaching, and primarily, it is placing our trust in a person, Jesus Christ. We do not want our children to become very catechized but unbelieving Catholics.

Parents are to pass on the content of the faith, but maybe more importantly, they need to become models of faith themselves. Do your children see you pray? Do you take them to Mass and allow them to see you participating, by singing, by responding to the prayers, focusing your attention on what is going on? Insist that they join in the songs and the prayers. Let them know that as a Catholic parent, you have expectations of them.
 
What about around the house? Are there pictures or statues that make it obvious that yours is a believing household. Especially when they are children, when you buy books for them to read, or to color, do you buy books that tell Bible stories, especially stories about Jesus? Do you do meal prayers and night-time prayers?  These are important moments of spiritual formation for children.
   
All families go through difficult times, and children are usually aware that something is happening, even if they don’t know what it is. Pray with them at those times. Teach them to turn to God when they are having a problem, asking God for guidance, strength and healing.
   
These are just a few suggestions. I will be making more as we go along.
—Fr. Mike Comer

April 19, 2026

In this week’s Gospel we have one of the most compelling of the Easter Resurrection stories, the road to Emmaus. It takes place on that first Easter Sunday. Two of Jesus’ disciples are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a nearby village. One or both of them live there. Like all of the disciples, they are shocked and horrified over the events of the previous days. And they are filled with grief over the death of Jesus.
   
“What shall we do now? We staked everything on Jesus. We have left our jobs. We have alienated many of our family and friends. What do we do?”

At that moment, Jesus joined them, asking what they were discussing. They told him they were talking about the events that just happened in Jerusalem and the execution of Jesus. “We had hoped that He was the Messiah.”

We are told that Jesus explained all the Old Testament passages that explained that the Messiah must suffer and die. How we would love to hear that message ourselves! Their hearts were burning within them as He spoke. Coming to a house, they invited Him to remain with them and eat dinner with them. As they ate, He took bread, broke it, and gave it to them, and did the same with the cup of wine. “They recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.”

The Church has always seen this event as a form of the Mass. Jesus breaking open the Scriptures is the Liturgy of the Word and recognizing Him in the breaking of bread is the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
   
Why did He disappear? Because we, too, are to recognize Him in the breaking of bread and do not see Him in His physical form. He is as truly present in the form of the Blessed Sacrament as if He stood before us.
   
Jesus is Risen. He is with us.
—Fr. Mike Comer

April 12, 2026

This Second Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. Jesus Himself requested that this date be set aside as Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II designated, during the millennial celebrations of 2000 AD, that this feast was to be added to the universal Church calendar.
   
Jesus promised that on that Sunday, for those who participated in the prayers and services, there would be available an “ocean of mercy.” Along with the regular Chaplet of Mercy, which can be prayed at any time throughout the year, a novena of Divine Mercy could be said from Good Friday to Divine Mercy Sunday, in preparation for the feast.

Divine Mercy Church in Bellevue and the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption will be holding special Divine Mercy services. From noon until 3 pm, there will be Eucharistic Adoration and confessions available, and at 3 pm, both parishes will have special prayers, including Benediction.
   
I encourage you to take part in these services.
—Fr. Mike Comer

April 5, 2026

Happy Easter to all of you from the people of Our Savior and Mother of God Churches. This is the most important liturgical day of the year, even more important than Christmas, for we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, through which we are saved from the threats of sin and death.
   
We especially welcome those of you who are visiting today, whether you are visiting family, or if you have been away from the Church for some time. Thank you for joining us. Your presence makes our celebration more complete.
   
Because of Easter, we are victorious over all those things that we will face in life. Our faith in the Risen Lord means that even though we will go through very difficult times, as St. Paul wrote, “We are victorious through Him who loves us.”
   
The major event at this time is the Easter Vigil. Last night 15 men and women were received into the Church. This is the most we have received in the time that I have been at Mother of God. Throughout the Diocese of Covington, we are seeing the same kind of results. There will be over 400 men, women and children who will enter the Church this year at Easter. This trend is happening around the country and the world.
   
One of the most moving parts of the Easter Masses is the renewal of baptismal promises. Catholics throughout the world will stand and recommit themselves to Christ and to the Church as they renew the sacred promises made for them as children, or later when they entered the Church. The priest then goes around the church sprinkling everyone with holy water.
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 29, 2026

Today we begin the most sacred and holy time in the Church’s year—Holy Week, during which we reflect on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. The liturgies of this week are intended to plunge us into the saving events through which Jesus defeated sin and death and won for us eternal life.
   
Palm/Passion Sunday begins outside (weather permitting) with the blessing of palms. This recalls the triumphal entry into Jerusalem by Christ and His Apostles. Riding on the back of a donkey, Jesus is greeted by hundreds of His followers, who proclaim Him to be the Son of David, the Messiah. After proceeding in, carrying our blessed palms, we have the reading of the Passion of St. Matthew.
   
The Chrism Mass, the Diocesan Mass to which all parishes are invited to attend, happens on Tuesday of Holy Week, at the Cathedral, at 7 pm. At that Mass, Bishop Iffert will bless the sacred oils (Oil of Catechumens, Oil of the Infirm, and the Sacred Chrism) that are used throughout the year. At the end of the liturgy, there will be a procession of parishes, during which the oils will be distributed. The bishop will also lead the priests in their annual renewal of their priestly promises.
   
On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, recalling the institution of the Eucharist, and the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles. That Mass will begin at 7:30 pm. It concludes with a procession with the Blessed Sacrament, an hour of adoration, and then the Eucharist is removed from the church. There will be a Holy Thursday dinner at 5:30 pm. All are welcome to attend.

On Good Friday we celebrate the Passion of the Lord. No Mass can be celebrated on Good Friday, but Communion will be distributed at the service. The priests and ministers enter in silence. Then we read the Passion of St. John. There are a long series of intercessions done by the priest and deacon. This is followed by the veneration of the Cross. We then celebrate Communion, followed by a silent, solemn recession.

Saturday is known as Holy Saturday. It continues our honoring of the death of Jesus. At sundown we begin the Easter Vigil, the most solemn Mass of the Church year.  The Jews counted their days from sundown to sundown, so liturgically we do the same. We have the Liturgy of Light with the lighting of the Easter fire, the Paschal candle, the procession with candles, and the singing of the Exultet. After the Liturgy of the Word, we have the Liturgy of Initiation. This year, at Mother of God Church, we have a fairly large group of people who will be baptized, confirmed and receive First Eucharist. All of  us will renew our baptismal promises at this Mass. Then we continue with the Mass.
   
Finally, there is Easter Sunday. Actually, it feels a little anti-climactic after all that has come before. The only special aspect of this morning’s Mass is the renewal of baptismal promises.
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 22, 2026

A few weeks before Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, He was called to the tiny village of Bethany, to the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Martha and Mary had sent a desperate message to Jesus that His dear friend, their brother Lazarus, was gravely ill. Jesus waited for four days before setting off to their home. When He arrived, He was met by Martha who told Him that her brother was dead. She also said, in an almost accusatory tone, “If you had been here my brother would not have died.” Mary comes out to Jesus and speaks almost exactly the same words. “If you had been here my brother would not have died.” In other words, why weren’t you here.
   
Many of us have asked similar questions of Christ. Were you here when we were going through this terrible suffering? Why did you allow this tragic situation to happen? Where is God when we are going through tough times?

Jesus assures both Martha and Mary, and us, that He does care about our struggles, and that He is “the Resurrection and the Life.” He is the victory over suffering, sin and death. St. Paul, after listing many of the struggles that we face, wrote that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.” By raising Lazarus from the dead, He demonstrated that power.
     
Many years ago, I learned a saying that I have leaned on when in situations that seem overwhelming. I invite you to make it your own. “There is nothing that will happen to me today, or tomorrow, or any other day of my life, up to and including the day of my death, that God and I cannot handle together.”
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 15, 2026

Physical blindness is used as a metaphor in the New Testament to understand the reality of spiritual blindness. In today’s Gospel we meet a man who was born blind. Jesus had taken clay, spit on it, and rubbed the man’s eyes with the mud. He then told him to go and to wash in the Pool of Siloam. Having done so, he was able to see.
   
The Pharisees asked the man born blind how it was that he could now see. He responded that the man, Jesus, had rubbed mud on his eyes, sent him to wash, and now he could see. Three times he had to explain how he could see, but the Pharisees could not accept this. They could see physically, but they were blind spiritually. This recalls the words from the song Amazing Grace, in which we hear, “I was blind but now I see.”

Christ wants to heal us from our own spiritual blindness. This is the meaning of St. Paul’s words, “You must put on the mind of Christ,” so that we can see as Christ sees, as God sees, so that we can see things as they truly are. This is part of the conversion of Lent.
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 8, 2026

Lent is about preparing for baptism for our catechumens, and for those of us who are already baptized, Lent is preparation for renewing our baptisms. At all the Easter Masses, we will stand and renew our baptismal promises and will be sprinkled with holy water.
   
Today’s Gospel is especially pertinent to this theme of baptism, with the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, in which water is such a significant symbol of new life. As Jesus passes through Samaria, He comes to a well outside of a Samaritan village. He sends the Twelve into town to purchase supplies. After they have left, a woman from town comes to the well to fetch water to take home.

Jesus asked her for a drink of water, which shocked her, as a Jew will not use anything that has been touched by a Samaritan. When she objected, He said to her, “If you knew who is saying to you ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked me for a drink, and I would have given you water that would spring up within you living water.” He is, of course speaking of the living water of the Holy Spirit, which is poured out on us when we are baptized.

Water not only cleanses us but refreshes and fills us. So does the Holy Spirit cleanse us of all sin and fills us with grace and new life.
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 1, 2026

The Gospel for this Sunday is the Transfiguration of the Lord, one of the strangest and most mysterious events in the life of Jesus and His Apostles. Jesus takes Peter, James and John (His inner circle) up onto Mount Tabor. While there, He was transfigured before them, glowing with a bright light. They saw Him conversing with Moses, the Law Giver, and the prophet Elijah, each of whom had been dead for hundreds of years. Then there was the cloud of God’s glory, from which came God’s voice proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.”
   
Was this a vision given to the Apostles, or was it an historical event that occurred in space in time? It is hard to know for sure. But its meaning is very significant. Jesus had begun speaking of His Passion and Death in Jerusalem, and the Twelve were deeply shaken by this. They were losing faith in Him. The Transfiguration gave them the assurance that Jesus’ words were in line with the Old Testament (which the Jews called the Law and the Prophets) and with God Himself.

The Apostles would go through the terrible events of the Passion and Death of Jesus. Even though they had witnessed the Transfiguration, their faith in Him was damaged, but it was not destroyed. We go through things in our own life when we do not understand why God allows certain things to happen. May we reflect on the Transfiguration as God speaking to us, asking us to trust Him and His Son when we are hurting and confused.
—Fr. Mike Comer 

Feb. 22, 2026

Each year, the First Sunday of Lent is from one of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and tells the story of the temptations of Jesus in the desert. This year we read from the Gospel of Matthew. Obviously, Jesus’ 40 days in the desert is the model for our 40 days of Lent. We too go into the desert to pray and fast, and to draw closer to God. We see that Jesus is also tempted by the devil during this time. Jesus rejects these temptations.
   
The story of the temptations of Christ is paired with our first reading, from the Book of Genesis, telling the story of the Fall. Adam and Eve accept the temptation of the serpent and eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They say yes to Satan, and Jesus says no. Adam and Eve represent all of us, as we, like them, have all fallen for the lies and false promises of the Evil One. Each one of us, like our first parents, have rejected God’s will and plan for us and followed the Great Liar. We are not victims of the Fall—we are volunteers.

In our second reading, St. Paul says that as all have fallen because of the sin of Adam, so all may be saved because of the obedience of Christ. Adam said no to God. Jesus said yes. We who follow Jesus want to learn how to say yes as He did and to reject, with Him, the lies of Satan.

The three disciplines of Lent (prayer, fasting and almsgiving), which I wrote about last week, are spiritual exercises that we do to strengthen our ‘Yes.’ Thinking in terms of physical exercise, as we lift weights or walk or run, we strengthen our muscles and our bodies. The same principle applies when we do these spiritual exercises. Our souls become stronger, more capable of resisting temptation and of choosing the path that God lays out for us.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Feb. 15, 2026

Lent begins this Wednesday. This is a season when we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter and the Sacraments of Initiation. All too often, I think people look at Lent as just a burden laid upon us by the Church, rather than as a time to grow in our relationship with Christ and to open ourselves to the graces of God in a fuller and more wondrous way than ever before. I hope that we can experience this Lent as a time of blessing and joy.
   
Certainly, there is a penitential aspect to the season of Lent. That is why the priest wears purple during this time. It is a call to conversion, to deepen our love for Christ and for His Gospel. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is highly encouraged during Lent, especially for anyone who has been away from that sacrament for some time. Jesus Himself gave us this sacrament on that first Easter night when He appeared to the Apostles, breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive are forgiven them. Whose sins you shall retain are retained.” Please plan to go to Confession sometime during this Lent.
   
There are also three disciplines of Lent—prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These are practices that we should be engaged in throughout the year, but we focus on them especially during this time.

Prayer—To grow in relationship with Christ we must spend time with Him. In prayer we listen to Christ (especially if we are praying with Scripture) and sharing our own hearts with Him. One saint defined prayer as, “Heart speaks to Heart.” I suggest at least 15 minutes a day in prayer. It does not matter what prayer it is (Scripture, the rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, etc.). But pray, pray, pray. If you are already spending time in prayer, consider adding time to what you are already doing and try to focus on praying better, with greater attention and devotion.

A traditional Lenten prayer is the Stations of the Cross, when we reflect on the 14 moments of Jesus’ journey to Calvary. Deacon Brian will offer the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent, immediately after the 12:05 pm Mass.

Fasting—The discipline of fasting includes those specific acts of fasting and abstinence that the Church requires of us and the tradition of giving something up during Lent. Catholics who are 14 years old or older are asked to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent. Catholics, ages 14 to 59, are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, eating only one full meal and two smaller meals that do not add up to a full meal. When we catch ourselves feeling hunger or wanting meat, we are reminded of the deeper hunger for God. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
   
Almsgiving—Traditionally, almsgiving is about giving money to the poor. But it also includes all acts of charity that we provide to those who are needy. This can include visits or calls to the sick and shut-ins, helping the elder neighbor, dropping off food for a family that is going through a health situation. The possibilities are endless.  Remember last week when Jesus told us that we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Feb. 8, 2026

In the 8th chapter of the Gospel of St. John, Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world.” But in this week’s Gospel, from the Sermon on the Mount, we hear Him proclaim to the motley crew of disciples, “You are the light of the world.” This is immediately after He has told His listeners, “You are the salt of the earth.” These are very strange words to say to such a gathering.
   
When we think of Church, we usually envision a group of well-groomed people in a beautiful building. That is not what we would have seen on that mountainside. Jesus’ followers tended to be made up of former tax collectors, prostitutes, those who have been healed of leprosy, blindness, deafness, lameness, and other infirmities. They would have been what the Pharisees and Scribes and Roman officials would have considered the dregs of society. They would have been those who do not count in the eyes of those who truly matter, as the world sees things.

And yet Jesus says that they do matter to God, and they do matter to the world, even though the world does not know it. These are the poor in spirit whom we heard about last week, who will inherit the Kingdom of God. Pope John Paul II taught that God has made a preferential option for the poor. Psalm 34 tells us that “God hears the cry of the poor.” And now He tells us that the poor are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “God must love the poor. He made so many of them.”

In the poor we see the face of Jesus Christ Himself. We are offered the opportunity to serve Him in them. What a blessing, what an honor that we are given. As we look into the eyes of the poor, however they present themselves, we encounter Jesus Himself. The poor remind us that we are all poor, no matter our material possessions, if we do not know Christ. The greatest poverty that we can know is to be without God in our lives.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Feb. 1, 2026

We begin reading the Sermon on the Mount this Sunday. It will go on for several weeks but will be interrupted by the Lenten and Easter Seasons. We resume those readings after Pentecost.
   
The Sermon of the Mount is chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew and contain some of the most important spiritual teaching of Jesus in the New Testament. Our Gospel reading today introduces the sermon as we see Jesus go up onto the mountain and sit down. This reminds us of Moses, the great lawgiver, who went up onto Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and brought them down to the Hebrews waiting at the base of the mountain.
   
Jesus goes up the mountain and sits down. In that time, a teacher would sit, and the students would stand. Sitting was a sign of his authority. We still see this in our own time, as the head of a committee is referred to as the chairperson. In universities, the head of a particular school of education is the “chair.” So, Jesus begins to teach.

His first teachings in the sermon are the beatitudes (blessings). He begins, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” The further beatitudes identify groups of people who are materially or spiritually poor, and how they are blessed. The rest of the sermon flows from this idea of the poor in spirit.
   
Get out your bible and go to Matthew 6. Read the sermon. Read it again. And then read it section by section.
   
Then go back and read it over and over again for the rest of your life!
—Fr. Mike Comer