Reflection by: Fr. Alberto Bueno, T.O.R.

On this Sixth Sunday of Easter, Brothers and Sisters, we are continuing to hear from Jesus’ Last Supper Discourse in John’s Gospel. As he was preparing the Apostles for the days ahead of his Passion, death and Resurrection, he prepares us for the coming celebrations of the Ascension and Pentecost. Jesus tells us, in this passage, that, “I will not leave you orphans” (Jn 14:18). The Lord, truly, does not leave any orphaned. He is the embodiment of a motherly God who never forgets his children (Isa 49:15) and a fatherly God who protects orphans and widows (Ps 68:5). Just as parental love at its best is unconditional, so too is God’s love. The divine Love has been made manifest in God’s gift of the Son (Jn 3:16); human love of God is expressed in the keeping of the commandments. And in the Gospel of John, this is expressed by Jesus, “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:12-13). And on this Mother’s Day we are reminded that a mother’s love, rich as it is, is   only a pale reflection of the depth, breadth, and height of God’s love for each of us. May God bless all our mothers, that they may continue to be channels for God’s love to us. And to those mothers that are no longer with us, may they be nestled in God’s heart blessed by that overwhelming love which is the source and summit of all love.

En este Sexto Domingo de Pascua, hermanos y hermanas, continuamos escuchando el discurso de Jesús en la Última Cena, según el Evangelio de San Juan. Así como preparaba a los Apóstoles para los días venideros de su Pasión, muerte y Resurrección, nos prepara también a nosotros para las próximas celebraciones de la Ascensión y de Pentecostés. Jesús nos dice en este pasaje, que, “No los dejaré huérfanos” (Juan 14:18). El Señor, verdaderamente, no deja a nadie huérfano. Él es la encarnación de un Dios maternal que nunca olvida a sus hijos (Isa 49:15) y de un Dios paternal que protege a los huérfanos y a las viudas (Sal 68:5). Así como el amor paterno, en su máxima expresión, es incondicional, también lo es el amor de Dios. El amor divino se ha manifestado en el don que Dios hizo de su Hijo (Juan 3:16); el amor humano hacia Dios se expresa en el cumplimiento de los mandamientos. Y en el evangelio de san Juan, Jesús lo expresa de esta manera, “Este es mi mandamiento: que se amen unos a otros como yo los he amado. No hay amor más grande que dar la vida por sus amigos” (Juan 15:12-13). Y en este Día de las Madres, se nos recuerda que el amor de una madre —rico como es— es tan solo un pálido reflejo de la profundidad, la amplitud y la altura del amor de Dios por cada uno de nosotros. Y a aquellas madres que ya no están con nosotros, que descansen en el corazón de Dios, bendecidas por ese amor abrumador que es la fuente y la cumbre de todo amor.

On the Occasion of the Celebration of the 800^th Celebration of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi 1226-2026

Our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this year we are celebrating the 800^th anniversary of the death, or transitus, of Saint Francis. The ministers General of the whole Franciscan family have called all Franciscans to celebrate what they have called the Easter of Francis of Assisi. Additionally, Pope Leo XIV has invoked a Jubilee Year, often referred to as a holy year, for all believers to share in this commemoration of Saint Francis entering into heaven. What a wonderful gift for the whole Church!

In contemporary society, we rarely think about death, not only because it reminds us that we are limited creatures, but also because it exposes the false security we get from believing that we are masters over time and life. Saint Francis, on the other hand, welcomed Sister Death with song in his Canticle of the Creatures, the Canticle of Brother Sun, because he understood that death is not the termination of everything but the end that allows us to enter into full communion with God. Indeed, life is a gift that must be given back: “Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally!” (Francis of Assisi, Letter to the Entire Order #29)

At the end of his days, Saint Francis contemplated his life and discovered the presence and action of the Lord everywhere. Thus, in his Testament he repeats, like a refrain: “The Lord gave me, Brother Francis… The Lord gave me such faith in churches… The Lord gave me, and gives me still, such faith… And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel” (Testament 1-14).

The celebration of the 800^th anniversary of the Easter of Saint Francis invites us to contemplate our lives, both personally and as Catholics, with the eyes of faith, and by doing so, perceive the divine presence and action in everything, even in the difficult and dramatic situations we have experienced or are experiencing now.

It is an opportunity to thank God for all the gifts he has bestowed on us, particularly (on this occasion) for the gift of Saint Francis of Assisi and his evangelical life, which has become a light to the world reflecting the greater Light who is Christ for the world, and which today still has the strength to call out to women and men of all cultures, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.

And finally, celebrating the passing of the Poverello (the little poor one) is an occasion to remember that we are all called to holiness, and that like Saint Francis, we are invited to reflect the beauty of the gospel, because “holiness is the most attractive face of the Church” (Pope Francis, Gaudete et exsultate 9).

So, in this spirit we welcome all those who come to Saint Patrick in South Tampa to share in the light of the faith of Saint Francis, to experience the rich blessings of this Jubilee and Eighth Centenary of his transitus from this life to life with God. May you be inspired to, as Francis told his brothers at the end of his life: “Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.”

Yours in Christ and Saint Francis,

Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, TOR                                                                                                                             Fr. Alberto F. Bueno, TOR

Pope Leo XIV Declares Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi | Gulf Coast Catholic

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/letters/2026/documents/20260107-lettera-morte-sf.html

https://www.centenarifrancescani.org/index.php/en

BINGO & DINNER

Tuesday

2026 Dates: May12th, June 9th, July 14th, August 11th, September 8th, October 13th, November 10th, December 1st

St. Patrick Catholic Church

Social Hall

Dinner served between 5:30pm- 6:30pm. 

Bingo will start at 6:30pm.

Cost: $25.00

Includes 9 pack of 13 sheets (26 games)

and 4 specials. MUST BE 18 TO PLAY.

TICKETS SOLD AT THE DOOR ONLY.

*Meals subject to Change