Dear parishioners & visitors,

I am now at the Saint John XXIII residence for priests in Hyattsville continuing my recovery from surgery. Thank you for all your prayers! I feel them every day supporting me as I work towards my return to you.

Jesus says in this Sunday’s Gospel, “…you know neither the day nor the hour.” Our time here on earth is precious. The Gospel is a reminder to live every day striving to fulfill God’s will and live out the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor. Laying in the hospital bed after surgery is always miserable. Your medical team can make all the difference, especially when they are living out the Great Commandment. I witnessed this in my post-op medical team. One person in particular, my day nurse, was a beautiful witness living the faith. When he helped me with my first post-op walk, we swapped stories from working in the NYC financial markets. He had been a very successful real estate broker in Manhattan at the same time I worked on Wall Street. When his career took a downturn during the 2008 housing crash, he felt it was time to discern what God is calling him to do next. He knew he wanted to find a bigger purpose in life in living his Catholic faith. This led him to return to school and become a nurse. I witnessed his faith in his genuine care for me and his other patients and his care for his fellow staff. Even with his heavy caseload, when I was laying in pain, he spent quality time with me lifting my spirits.

Our readings this weekend remind us that our activity here on earth must be of the highest value, especially in our purpose to love God and neighbor. We “know neither the day nor the hour.” We only know where we are at this very moment in time. Let us seize this moment God has given to us. Let us challenge ourselves to be the person He created us to be. If we manifest God’s motives in our hearts and in who we are, then as Saint Paul tells us, we will receive the ultimate gift of praise from our God – the gift to be with our Lord – to be with him here, and to be with him in the life to come.

Yours in Christ,

Father Dan