My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

One of the easiest spiritual habits to develop is also one of the most dangerous: watching other people more closely than we watch ourselves. We notice who seems faithful, who seems inconsistent, who belongs, and who does not. We can become very confident that we understand another person’s motives, failures, or spiritual condition. Yet Saint Paul gives us a different instruction: “Keep watch on yourself.” Christian humility begins with the recognition that we rarely know another person’s whole story, and that we ourselves remain dependent upon God’s grace.

An ancient story about Saint Vitalis of Gaza illustrates this beautifully. Vitalis was a monk who became known for visiting women engaged in prostitution in Alexandria. Those who saw him assumed the worst and believed that his behavior was scandalous. According to the tradition, however, Vitalis was actually giving the women the money he had earned during the day so that they would not need to receive clients that night. He would remain with them in prayer and encourage them toward a different life. He allowed others to misunderstand him rather than reveal the private struggles of the women he was trying to help.

The story is unsettling because the respectable people were convinced they knew who the sinner was. They saw enough to form a judgment but not enough to know the truth. We often do the same. We see one action, hear one story, or know one part of someone’s past and believe that we understand the whole person. The Gospel calls us to greater humility. This does not mean pretending that right and wrong do not matter. It means remembering that judgment belongs to God and that our own calling is usually much closer to mercy, restoration, and bearing one another’s burdens.

Perhaps this week we might take Saint Paul’s words as a spiritual practice: “Keep watch on yourself.” Before judging another person, we can ask what we do not know about their story. Before deciding that someone is unworthy of mercy, we can remember how much mercy we ourselves have received. The Christian life is not about proving that we are better than others. It is about learning to receive grace with gratitude and then extending that same grace to those God places before us.
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Peace,
Rev. Ben

13th Sunday after Trinity Sunday

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

The Gospel for this weekend is well-known - the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that love of neighbor begins by seeing the person before us as a person of God-given dignity. The Samaritan does not encounter a problem to be solved or a project to be managed. He encounters a wounded human being. Before he offers oil, wine, transportation, or money, he draws near. Christian mercy begins there: not with what we can do for someone, but with the recognition that the person before us is already worthy of respect, compassion, and love.
Even our desire to help can become distorted when we begin to imagine ourselves as the ones who will “save” another person. We may decide that we know what is best for them, speak for them rather than listen to them, or attempt to rescue them even from choices we do not understand. In doing so, we can unintentionally reduce a person to their wounds, their poverty, their addiction, their mistakes, or their need. Genuine compassion does not place us above another. It stands beside them. It asks what they need, listens to their voice, and respects that they remain a person with agency and dignity even when their life is difficult.
Jesus ends the parable by telling us, “Go and do likewise.” That command calls us not simply to perform acts of charity, but to become neighbors. Sometimes that means giving generously, sometimes advocating for another, and sometimes simply remaining present and listening. Whatever form our service takes, it must never forget that the person we are helping is not beneath us and does not belong to us. Christian service is at its best when it recognizes Christ in the other and seeks not to control or rescue, but to love.

Peace, 
Rev. Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

There is an interesting paradox in this week’s Gospel. Jesus opens the ears and frees the tongue of a man who could not hear or speak clearly—and then tells the crowd not to tell anyone. Yet the more Jesus asks for silence, the more they proclaim what he has done. Perhaps Jesus understood how easily we can become fascinated by the spectacular while missing what the sign is actually pointing toward.

The miracles of Jesus are never simply displays of power. They reveal the Kingdom of God breaking into the world and invite us into a deeper relationship with Christ. It is possible to want what Jesus can do for us without truly wanting to follow him. The Gospel asks us to move beyond simply seeking answers, healing, or help and to ask whether we are willing to let Christ transform our lives.

There is also something wonderfully physical about this healing. Jesus touches the man’s ears and tongue. Throughout the Christian life, God uses ordinary material things—water, oil, bread, wine, human touch—to communicate grace. The sacramental life reminds us that God is not distant from creation but chooses to meet us through it.

Perhaps the word Jesus speaks in the Gospel is also his invitation to us: “Ephphatha”—“Be opened.” May our ears be opened to hear the Gospel, our hearts to recognize God’s grace, our hands to serve those around us, and our voices to proclaim the saving love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
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Peace,
Rev. Ben

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

I apologize that there will not be a recorded liturgy this weekend. Saturday evening, I went to bed early because I was not feeling well, and today I have very little voice. I would be grateful for your prayers for a quick recovery. Please know that you remain in my prayers as well.

Even without our recorded liturgy, the Gospel appointed for this Sunday gives us much to reflect upon. In Luke 18:9–14, Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector who go to the Temple to pray.

The Pharisee lists all that he has done correctly. The tax collector offers no impressive spiritual résumé. He simply prays, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”  Jesus tells us that it is the tax collector who goes home justified.

The Pharisee’s problem is not that he fasts, gives, or seeks to live faithfully. Those are good things. The danger is that his faith has become a reason to compare himself with someone else.  The tax collector comes with empty hands. He has nothing to prove. He simply asks for mercy.

Perhaps that is where prayer most truly begins.  We do not need to impress God or pretend that we have everything together. We come before God as we are—with our faith and failures, our gratitude and regrets, our strength and weakness—and entrust ourselves to divine mercy.

May we have the grace this week to stop measuring ourselves against others and instead stand together before the God whose mercy is greater than anything we can earn.
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Please keep me in your prayers as I recover, and know that I am praying for each of you.
Peace and every blessing,
Rev. Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem because the people did not recognize “the time of their visitation.” God had come among them, yet life appeared to continue as usual. People were working, buying, selling, worshiping, and attending to the routines of daily life. The presence of Christ was in their midst, but many did not see him.

It is easy for us to look back and wonder how they could have failed to recognize Jesus. Yet the Gospel asks us a more difficult question: Do we recognize Christ when he comes among us today?

Christ often comes quietly and without spectacle. We encounter him in the Scriptures, in prayer, and in the sacraments. We also meet him in the sick, the lonely, the grieving, the hungry, the immigrant, and those who feel forgotten. Sometimes we wait for God to do something dramatic while overlooking the holy presence already standing before us.

Saint Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people “for the common good.” Some are called to offer wisdom, others encouragement, healing, service, prayer, or compassionate presence. None of us possesses every gift, but together we can become a community that recognizes Christ and responds to the needs of others.

We especially want those who are sick or homebound to know that they remain an important part of our community. We are happy to provide the sacraments to those who are unable to attend in person, including Holy Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick. Please contact us when you or someone you love would benefit from a pastoral or sacramental visit.

We also continue to pray for everyone who watches our liturgy from home, for the intentions entrusted to us, and for the needs of our entire community. Physical distance does not place anyone beyond the reach of our common prayer or outside the life of the Church. Whether gathered together or joining us from home, we remain united in Christ.
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May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to recognize the day of visitation. May we receive Christ in Word and Sacrament, recognize him in one another, and use the gifts we have been given for the good of all.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

Divine Liturgy for the Nineth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
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My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
The Scriptures are honest about the failures of God’s people. Ancient Israel often struggled to trust God, even after receiving signs of God’s care and provision. Saint Paul reminds us that their failures were recorded so that we might learn from them. At the same time, faithfulness is often hidden. Even when Elijah believed he was alone, God reminded him that many others had quietly remained faithful.

In the Gospel, Jesus uses the surprising example of a dishonest manager—not to praise dishonesty, but to teach us to use wisely what has been entrusted to us. Our time, possessions, abilities, and opportunities are temporary, but they can be used for eternal purposes: serving others, showing mercy, and building God’s kingdom.

In the Eucharist, God receives the ordinary gifts of bread and wine—the fruits of the earth and human labor—and uses them to reveal the extraordinary gift of Christ’s presence. God can also take our ordinary lives, including our weaknesses and failures, and make them instruments of grace.

Prayer is an important part of our ministry. We are always honored to raise your needs, concerns, and thanksgivings before God. Please feel welcome to send us your prayer intentions so that we may pray with you and for you.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

As Christians, we rightly proclaim who Jesus is: the Son of God, our Savior, crucified and risen. Yet it is possible to speak so often about Jesus that we fail to listen carefully to Jesus.

In this week’s Gospel, Christ reminds us that faith must bear fruit. Religious words and outward appearances are not enough. Our lives should gradually reveal mercy, patience, truthfulness, generosity, and love. We do not obey God out of fear, however. Saint Paul tells us that we have received the Spirit of adoption and may call God “Abba, Father.” We seek to do God’s will because we are beloved children learning to reflect the character of our Father.
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May our worship not end when the liturgy is over. May the Christ we receive in the Eucharist transform the way we speak, serve, forgive, and care for others. May the world recognize that we belong to Jesus not only because we call him “Lord,” but because his love is bearing fruit in us.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

Peace be upon you!
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This week, we have released a new faith formation video exploring why the Anointing of the Sick may be considered the sacrament par excellence of Christ’s healing ministry. This may be surprising, especially because the sacrament is sometimes treated as something reserved only for the final moments of life. Yet the Gospels repeatedly show Jesus drawing near to those who suffer, healing the sick, restoring dignity, and revealing the compassion of God through both word and touch.

At Saint Oscar Romero Ministries, we want to participate in this healing ministry of Christ. We are committed to praying with and for those who are sick, suffering, preparing for surgery, living with chronic illness, or carrying emotional and spiritual burdens. We also offer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to those who request it. Through prayer, the laying on of hands, and anointing with oil, the Church asks Christ to bring strength, peace, forgiveness, healing, and hope.

This Sunday’s homily reflects on the demanding message found in Romans 6:3–11 and Matthew 5:20–26. Baptism is a beautiful entrance into the life of the Church, but Saint Paul reminds us that it is also a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. In baptism, the old self is called to die so that a new life may begin. The Christian life is therefore not simply a matter of “praying, paying, and obeying,” nor can the kingdom of God be fully identified with any earthly church or institution. Our communities may point toward the kingdom, but the kingdom always transcends them.

Jesus also warns us not to dismiss the seemingly small sins of anger, contempt, and judgment. When we call another person a fool in our hearts, nurture resentment, or refuse communion, we wound both the other person and ourselves. Our own righteousness will never be enough, and we cannot save ourselves. Only God saves. Yet through grace, we can forgive as we have been forgiven and allow Christ to form within us a new pattern of patience, love, gratitude, mercy, and hope. As we celebrate the Eucharist, may we be transformed by what we receive and drawn more deeply into the healing and reconciling life of Christ.

Peace,
Rev. Ben

My sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ,
I must admit that I am not the biggest fan of fictional books or movies. For a long time, I saw them as somehow lesser. They tell the truth in an indirect way. And yet, now I find myself telling stories in my own head. These stories are perhaps far more real than what any non-fiction book can offer. I have had characters forming in my mind, characters who help me imagine what a church could be.

I rarely watch movies, but today I came across one I felt I had to watch: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It made me think about the sadness and burdens we all carry. It made me think about how deeply we long for reconciliation, even though reconciliation often means facing the darkest parts of our own story.

I think of Peter in today’s Gospel, recognizing his own unworthiness. He had happily accepted the healing Jesus provided to his mother-in-law, but now, in the boat, Peter realizes that Jesus is asking something of him. Peter is afraid. He is unsure if he can let go. Many times in our own lives, we allow our failures, disappointments, anger, and sin to define us.

Jesus sees all of that. Reconciliation and forgiveness do not mean pretending those things did not happen. They mean that love sees everything and still calls us into relationship. Just as Jesus called Peter, who would later betray him, Jesus calls us too. We are imperfect, but the final end of the story is not about us. It is about what God does.

God reconciles us to himself.
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Peace,
Rev. Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

When we hear the parable of the lost sheep, many of us may wonder whether a shepherd would really leave ninety-nine sheep to search for one. At first, it sounds irresponsible. It sounds like bad math. But Jesus is not giving us a lesson in livestock management. He is revealing the heart of God.

The point is not that the shepherd stops caring for the ninety-nine. The point is that the shepherd refuses to accept the loss of the one. That is the scandal of mercy. God notices who is missing. God notices the one who has wandered, the one who is ashamed, the one whose life has become tangled in brambles, the one who no longer knows how to come home.

And then God goes searching.

This is good news for anyone who feels lost, forgotten, abandoned, or too far gone. The Good Shepherd does not wait until we have everything figured out before he comes after us. He restores. He supports. He strengthens. He carries home what cannot get home by itself.

If you feel lost, the Gospel’s message is simple: you are not invisible to God. You have not been forgotten. The Shepherd is still searching, still calling, still carrying, and still rejoicing when the lost are found.
Peace,
Rev. Ben