Week of NoVEMBER 23, 2025

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
Our most important work as a community is prayer. Last week, I recorded the Sunday liturgy and posted it on our YouTube channel—a humble beginning in learning how to capture the beauty of worship within our chapel. The recording quality, angles, and overall presentation are still a work in progress, but I trust they will improve over time. I also hope to add music to enrich the prayer experience. Looking ahead, I plan to alternate between Rite I, which reflects the Old Catholic and Tridentine heritage in English, and Rite IV, which draws from the richness of the Syriac tradition. God willing, we will continue sharing these liturgies weekly so that all may join us in prayer, wherever they are. 
​Our YouTube page is: https://www.youtube.com/@SaintOscarRomeroMinistries

This weekend we celebrate Christ the Eternal Word, the Living Logos through whom all things were made and in whom all creation finds its meaning. This feast invites us to contemplate the mystery of God who speaks—not only in Scripture, but in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. In Him, God’s wisdom becomes visible, God’s compassion becomes tangible, and God’s truth becomes a presence we can encounter. As we gather for worship, we remember that Christ is not simply a teacher of divine words, but the Word Himself—eternal, creative, and ever-present. May this celebration draw us deeper into that divine presence and renew our desire to listen, to follow, and to allow the Word to take root in our own lives.

In this week’s video, Yves Congar: Faith and the Spiritual Life, Part 2, I continued exploring Congar’s beautiful reflections on what it means to live a truly Christian life. Drawing on voices from across the tradition—from Cyril of Alexandria to Francis of Assisi, from Elizabeth of the Trinity to Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas—the video highlights how the saints reveal the many paths by which Christ draws us back to God. We reflected on communion as a mystical union with Christ, the symbolism of the candle as the soul consumed by divine light, and the saints’ desire to become vessels of God’s love rather than seekers of human praise. The life of St. Francis reminded us of the radical surrender required of discipleship, while Congar’s insight that no human structure can fully contain the Gospel invited us to approach God with humility. Saints like Albert and Aquinas showed how grace perfects nature, uniting intellect and faith, and how true holiness requires letting go of self so that God may act in us. The thread through all these examples is clear: Christianity is not a set of prohibitions, but an encounter with overwhelming divine love—a love that shapes every saint differently, and that invites each of us to manifest Christ in the unique way God desires.

I ask for your prayers this week—prayers that we may remain faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and continue bringing His compassion, truth, and love to those we encounter. I also humbly ask your prayers for a more personal intention: I am working to bring two books to publication, and recent setbacks have slowed that process. I would be grateful for your intercession that these projects may come to completion in God’s time.

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, may we remember that the Eucharist is our truest and highest act of thanksgiving. In every Mass, we come before the Lord with empty hands, receiving from His table the grace, strength, and mercy we could never give ourselves. From that sacred gift flows our call to share generously with others—not only material blessings, but our time, compassion, and presence. The gratitude we express at the altar is meant to overflow into daily life, shaping how we see and serve those around us. May God bless you abundantly in this season and keep you always in His grace.
Peace,
Rev. Ben