St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Hello and happy Wednesday! I hope you’ve had an opportunity to enjoy the weather this week!
The Vatican News reports that during his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, “Pope Leo XIV appealed for Iran and the United States to continue along the path of dialogue and cooperation. The two countries are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday, after nearly four months of war. ‘I welcome with satisfaction the reaching of an agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, which will be signed on Friday, as an encouraging result of patient work of dialogue and negotiation,’ said the Pope.

“He thanked the third-party countries that have worked to facilitate peace negotiations. ‘I hope that this agreement may help strengthen mutual trust, security and stability in the Middle East, promoting paths of dialogue and cooperation among peoples,’ he said. The United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28, targeting the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Iran responded with counter-strikes against Israel and US bases and allies in the Gulf region, while disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Pope Leo also lamented the growing number of deaths in Ukraine as Russia intensifies its attacks on the country, especially on Ukrainian cities. ‘There are many innocent victims, rescuers killed, churches, and places of cultural heritage devastated by flames,’ he said. ‘I am close to all those who mourn their loved ones, to the wounded, and to those who, amid violence, continue courageously to serve life.’
Pope Leo XIV invited everyone to pray for an end to the war in Ukraine. ‘I invite everyone to pray that this war may end,’ he said. ‘Let us ask the Lord to open paths of dialogue, to extinguish hatred, and to make a just and lasting peace possible.’”

Please keep praying for peace. I hope you have a blessed day! Take care.

Sincerely,
Fr. Paul

06/16/2026

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus proclaim a challenging command: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

What! How do I do that! Most days, I would rather demolish my enemies and enjoy the pride, thinking that God loves me more than God loves them. But, this is spiritual blindness, for, as C.S. Lewis writes, “The devil will trade you all of your sins for the sin of pride.” Why? Because it corrodes the human heart.

Yet, I am drawn to love my enemies, because it is flows from the heart of God. It is one of the foundational teachings of Jesus. To love my enemies is to love like God, that is, to love in all its fullness, being willing to lay down my life in love for my enemies, not only my friends, just as Jesus did.

This, I suggest, is why Jesus criticizes our only loving those who already love us. He says, “What is unusual about that?” There is nothing heroic in the Gospel about scratching the backs of those who scratch our backs.

Rather, when I pray for those who persecute me, it starts to soften my heart and I can begin to see them as God sees them – as the beloved of God. I begin to see that God provides for and loves them just as much as God provides for and loves me.

St. Therese of Lisieux volunteered to help a crabby sister in the convent who was bound to a wheelchair. One day, as they left Evening Prayer early on their way to dinner, Therese made mistakes pushing the wheelchair and this Carmelite sister criticized her harshly for the bumpy ride.

Then, they passed the pool where Therese washed the habits that the sisters wore. Now, I am thinking that Therese is fed up with this sister criticizing her all day long and may draw a line.

Yet, Therese stops, looks up to heaven, and says, “Thank you for giving me a chance to love.”

Loving our enemies is possible if we heed Jesus’ call to do so and relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit. What happens when we love our enemies? It sets us free to love like God our Father who makes his sun and rain fall on the good and the bad, on the just and the unjust.
In hope,
Jay

06/15/2026

Monday, June 15, 2026
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Hello and Happy Monday! I hope you all had a peaceful weekend! Congratulations to all the graduates from Kalamazoo College this weekend! Blessings on your accomplishment and future endeavors!
The Vatican News reports that Pope Leo XIV, during his Angelus on Sunday, reflected on the Gospel of the Day (Mt. 9:36-10:8). He “recalled the gaze of Jesus, who saw the ‘harassed and helpless crowds’ and had compassion on them.

“‘The Son of God looks at the people; He looks at humanity: He sees the oppression that burdens and the violence that causes strength to fade,’ said the Pope. ‘He sees the wounds of war and the emptiness of consumerism. He sees faces reduced to masks, families torn apart by evil, and young people misled by false ideals.’

“Jesus sees and loves us, said the Pope, noting that His compassion is both fraternal closeness and an expression of His desire to redeem us. As He saw so many people who were like ‘sheep without a shepherd,’ Jesus sent His disciples into the world with the task of offering God’s comfort to everyone who suffers.

“Our task as Christians, said Pope Leo, is to bring ‘charity where there is misery, hope where there is affliction, and faith where there is distrust….the Gospel remains a living and true word that spans the centuries, always staying the same but ever young, fresh, and liberating.’ ‘When the Gospel is proclaimed and lived out,’ he said, ‘evil crumbles like a disease that passes away, like a night giving way to dawn, like death conquered by the risen One.’”

I hope you have a safe day! Take care!
Peace,

Fr. Paul

06/15/2026

The funeral for our parishioner, Holly Walls will be on Friday, June 19 at 11:00 a.m. Eternal Rest grant unto Holly, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her.

06/15/2026

6/13/26 - dcn. joe's homily, 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

06/13/2026

https://youtube.com/live/qt7XMbxG8Pg?feature=share

Saturday Vigil Mass - June 13, 2026This Mass is offered for: †Meli...