February 22nd, 2026 -First Sunday of Lent
In his novel Brighton Rock, Graham Greene wrote, “You can’t conceive, my child, nor can I or anyone, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God.” Lent is the time when the Church pauses to reflect on the reality of that mercy. And, when weighed against human standards, God’s mercy is appallingly strange because it costs us so little: God asks only that we surrender to his love and mercy.
For most of us, this process of “surrender” is one which unfolds gradually over the course of a life of prayer,
service, struggle, and even setbacks. However, the temptation to choose our own way and will over God’s is never far away. And we can see the results—the consequences—of these selfish or self-centered choices all around us.
The call to surrender to God’s mercy is at the core of the Christian life and, in a particular way, the season of Lent. And yet, we also realize that there is a struggle that takes place in every human heart: “Lent would indeed be a futile liturgical farce,” writes Edna Hong, “if the redeemed were henceforth sinless and if the tides of human nature were not always moving even the twice-born [i.e. the baptized], who have not shed their human nature, in the direction of complacency and taking it all for granted… As long as the conscience of the born-again are housed in human flesh and bone, they are prone to the sleep of death and need continual rescuing.”
The Season of Lent ultimately reminds us that holiness is possible for us only when we enter into the struggle, remembering that whatever darkness we may encounter will not overtake us as long as we refuse to accept anything less than God’s love and mercy.
In the Divine Savior,
Fr. Silas, SDS
February 15th, 2026 -Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear friends in Christ,
I’m Fr. Edward Sanchez, the new pastor and rector of the Cathedral, and I’m happy to be able to address members of all the five East Side parishes in this bulletin! As we prepare to enter Lent with Ash Wednesday this week, I want to offer you a suggestion for spiritual reading: The Hobbit.
Friends, our life is The Hobbit. The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, is the story of a small person. He is comfortable, pleasure-seeking, and afraid of risks. But a Wizard sees more in the hobbit than he sees in himself. This Wizard sets the hobbit on an adventure, where he grows – not physically, but spiritually. He learns to trust himself, to form deep friendships, and to take risks to achieve his goals and help his friends. The adventure leads to “the lonely mountain,” where the hobbit and his dwarven friends must face the dragon and recover an inheritance.
I want to share three moments of the hobbit’s journey with you:
First, Rivendell. The hobbit finds rest and hope in a place called “The Last Homely House,” hidden in the secret valley of Rivendell. There the lore of wise Elrond helps the hobbit and his friends recover their strength and understand the map that guides their journey. This Lent, I pray that you find the Eucharist – in Mass and in quiet Adoration – to be a place of rest and hope, renewing you, restoring your strength, and clarifying the next step ahead.
Second, the house of Beorn. The hobbit finds unexpected hospitality in the home of Beorn – a shapeshifting Bear-Man who typically doesn’t like guests. I pray that this Lent you are surprised at some point by the hospitality of a fellow parishioner, perhaps one who initially seems gruff or unwelcoming, but who unexpectedly provides exactly what you need.
Third, the sword. The hobbit finds himself and his friends stuck in the webs of spiders. To extricate them, he must use his sword for the first time, a sword which he then names “Sting.” I pray that this Lent, when you find yourself stuck or powerless, the Lord helps you recognize, name, and use some strength of character that up till then has lain dormant.
This Lent may Christ be the “wizard” who sees you and sets you on an unexpected journey. May your fellow parishioners and friends walk with you to the Mountain of Calvary, facing life, death, and suffering together. May God show you his victory over sin and death, and may the Lord Jesus, who gives us companionship, rest and strength, be with you this Lent and always.
God bless you,
Fr. Edward
February 8th, 2026 – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I am writing to you six days after ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti was killed by federal border patrol agents in Minneapolis. I am still feeling sadness and anger that this could have happened.
Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said this week that “the recent killing of two people by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis and that of a detained man in Texas are just a few of the tragic examples of the violence that represent failures in our society to respect the dignity of every human life. We mourn this loss of life and deplore the indifference and injustice it represents. The current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded, does not meet the standard set by Christ in the Gospel.”
Many people bristle when clergy speak about issues that they consider political, as if our Catholic Faith is somehow separate from the political and social order of our world. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
2246: It is a part of the Church’s mission “to pass moral judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it. The means, the only means, she may use are those which are in accord with the Gospel and the welfare of all men according to the diversity of times and circumstances.”
So, how can we, who are the Church, oppose unjust and immoral matters that endanger the fundamental rights of
human beings? I draw your attention to the first reading from this Sunday’s Mass from the prophet Isaiah:
Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation, and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday. (Isaiah 58:7-10)
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, and that our light must shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our heavenly Father. We cannot follow Jesus and let his light shine through us if we look away and ignore situations of moral evil in our world and focus only on ourselves.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will give all of us the courage to reject and stand against every injustice that threatens the dignity and fundamental rights of any human being.
With my love
Fr. Brian
February 1st, 2026 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
PLANTING SEEDS,
HARVESTING HOPE
Dear Friends,
As we launch the 2026 Catholic Stewardship Appeal next week, we are grateful for your continued generosity to the ministries the Archdiocese coordinates so we can flourish as parishes in the mission of Jesus Christ.
A nice image which helps us understand why making a pledge to the Archdiocese is important is that we in parishes at the frontline need back-up support to do our job of planting the seeds of God’s presence more effectively. The support the Archdiocese provides is fertilizer and sharpened plows and sturdy tools and irrigation – all to help our local planting and the Lord’s harvest.
So please be generous! All registered parishioners will receive a pledge card. Please check the Archdiocesan
website and our parishes’ websites for more information and to see a video message from our Archbishop.
As always, thanks!
