St. Mary's By the Sea

10/03/2025

Just wanted to pass this along to anyone wondering why we Catholics are so Sacramentally focused….

04/21/2025

Alleluia! He is risen!

04/19/2025

For he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

If we haven’t taken the time to do so yet, let us give thanks to the Lord for all He’s done and continues to do for us.

04/18/2025

From our Evening Prayer for Holy Thursday, Volume 1: Festal Time, A Book of Daily Prayer of The Communion of International Catholic Communities:

With joy, O God of Salvation, the assembly of your holy people begins the Sacred Triduum, in which Christ manifests the Gospel in his own flesh and blood. Stir our hearts by the example of this Savior, who welcomed to his table even those who would betray, deny, and desert him, the Lord who knew their weakness yet bent down to wash their feet. We ask this through your Son, the Christ, our Passover and Peace, who lives and reigns with you and the Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

So gracious is our Savior. Even knowing the betrayal, denial, and desertion His closest friends would inflict during His most critical hours, He humbly bent down to wash their feet. Sinners they were, and sinners we are.

To these very sinners, Jesus extended not only the humble act of washing their feet but also the profound gift of His most precious Body and Blood, instituting the Holy Eucharist on that same sacred night.

Just as the Lord called them to His holy table then, His infinite goodness, forgiveness, and love extend that same invitation to us today.

Therefore, if sin has kept you away, whether through shame or fear, know that He calls you still, with open arms, urging your return so that He might welcome you back to your place at the table.

If for any reason you have been separated from the Lord and the sacraments and desire to return, let’s talk sometime.

Fr. Tracy

04/13/2025

During the Palm Sunday procession today, Luke recounts the joyful cry, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord (Luke 19:38)!”

We can almost feel the crowd’s anticipation and hope as Jesus, the son of David comes riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.

Many were likely anticipating a political and military restoration of the Davidic kingdom, hoping for liberation from Roman domination.

Yet, during the later Gospel reading appointed for today, we witness a disturbing shift. The initial excitement over Jesus’ arrival quickly fades as many begin to call for His crucifixion.

This stark contrast reveals to us, that in order for the king to take up His glory, He must first experience betrayal, and profound suffering on our behalf - indeed, Jesus’ glory is realized through His taking up His cross.

In this dramatic shift, we see the fickleness of our own hearts and we are faced with a critical question. How often do we enthusiastically welcome Jesus when He and the Gospel align with our desires, and yet, fall silent, or even turn away from Him, when the path demands our own personal sacrifice and difficulty?

My dear brothers and sisters, today’s readings invite us to see that Jesus’ true kingship lies in His selfless love. But, as we wave our palms today, symbols of victory, may we also remember the price paid for that victory, and consider our own willingness to follow Jesus, not only through life's triumphs, but also through its many trials, as we journey towards the glorious promise of Easter.

03/18/2025

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13

03/09/2025

"Daily, we choose: God or the world, obedience or self-will. Choosing God means choosing life, despite our stumbles and falls.

Moses urged, “Choose life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Self-centeredness leads us away from God and life, into darkness and separation from God - ultimately, death.

Jesus asked, “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Luke 9:25).

Blessedly, repentance, turning back to the Lord is possible while we have breath. We must to be willing though, to do our part, if we want union with Him.

Jesus calls us to a life of sacrifice and self-denial (Luke 9:23-24). To this end, we must prioritize love of God, of family and neighbor, and even our enemy, over and above ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-39).

So brothers and sisters, I implore you today, to choose the Lord, who is the Source of your very life.

03/06/2025

A prayer for Lent:

O gracious Master, infuse in our hearts the spotless light of Your Divine Wisdom and open the eyes of our mind that we may understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, so that having curbed all carnal desires, we may lead a spiritual life, both thinking and doing everything to please You. For You, O Christ, our God, are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies; and to You we render glory, together with Your eternal Father, and with Your all holy, life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

01/20/2025

https://www.facebook.com/100064278955917/posts/1011624227656866/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

O Lord, You are my Lord and my God,
yet I have never seen You.
You have created and redeemed me,
and have conferred on me all my goods,
yet I know You not.
I was created in order that I might know You,
but I have not yet attained the goal of my creation.
I confess, O Lord, and give You thanks,
that You have created me in Your image,
so that I might be mindful of You
and contemplate You and love You.
I seek not to understand in order that I may believe;
rather, I believe in order that I may understand.
I am desperate for Your love,
Lord. My heart is aflame with fervent passion.
When I remember the good things You have done,
my heart burns with desire to embrace You.
I thirst for You;
I hunger for You;
I long for You;
I sigh for You.
I am jealous of Your love.
The joy of my heart turns to dust.
My happy laughter is reduced to ashes.
I want You.
I hope for You.
My soul is like a widow,
bereft of You.
Turn to me,
and see my tears.
Come now, Lord, and I will be comforted.
Show me Your face,
and I shall be saved.
Enter my room, and I shall be satisfied.
Reveal Your beauty,
and my joy will be complete.

12/29/2024

During this Christmastide:

Almighty God, you have given your only begotten Son to take our nature upon Himself, and to be born of a pure virgin. Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed through the indwelling of your Spirit. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

12/23/2024

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

Realizing he was in the very presence of God, the yet unborn John the Baptist leaped for joy in his mother’s womb.

Elizabeth, herself filled with the Holy Spirit, declared to her cousin Mary, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:41-43).

Conversely, Jerusalem and by extension, many of the rest of the people of Israel failed to recognize that in Jesus, as promised, God literally walked among them.

Weeping, and lamenting the tragedy of their spiritual blindness, Jesus declared, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:42).

This rejection of the Messiah had dire consequences. As had been prophesied, Jerusalem fell in 70 AD: "For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation." (Luke 19:43-44).

We too face this choice: to accept Jesus’ coming to us and to follow Him, or like Jerusalem, choose a path apart from His.

Walking without God however, leads to a life devoid of any deep, lasting peace. Our world, plagued by deceit, betrayal, constant violence and war, reflects this sad rejection of Christ.

During the remainder of this Advent, let us not be like so many, seeking our own way, but may we follow the call of God's voice in our lives.

May our hearts, like John, leap for joy as we recognize the voice of Jesus our Good Shepherd.

May we continue to deepen our relationship with Him through prayer, the Scriptures, divine worship, the sacraments, and service to others.

12/16/2024

The Third Sunday in Advent

Gaudete is Latin for Rejoice, and today, this Third Sunday in Advent is Gaudete Sunday or Rejoicing Sunday. Accordingly, in our Second Reading today from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the Apostle exhorts us to, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

Today, we continue to await, to keep watch, and to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Yet, as we know, we also await His coming at the end of time, but let us not forget that even so, He also desires to come to us in the here and now, in this very moment, amid our current, day to day life, where we often find ourselves overwhelmed, stressed, and even lost.

The weight of unmet expectations, the longing for loved ones who have been long absent, added to the troubles and struggles of daily life, and of course the crushing memory of past sins and mistakes, can take a toll, and weigh heavily upon our souls.

Into all the storms of this life Christ steps and commands that they be, “Quiet! Be still!” (Matthew 4:39) In Jesus, the One who is the fulfillment of all God’s promises to us, we’ll find a way forward though the stormy darkness.

The prophet Isaiah, speaking of this exact truth proclaimed, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep shadow, on them has light dawned." (Isaiah 9:2)

This light, the light of Christ, pierces through our gloom and brings hope, solace, and peace to all who with open, trusting hearts, come to Him: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

St. Paul, who endured much, always found joy in Christ despite what he suffered. Like him, it’s this relationship of ours with Christ that is our solace, our peace, our hope, and our promise of resurrection. It’s this relationship with God, that is the source of all true and lasting joy.

As we journey through Advent, let us embrace the invitation to draw closer to Christ. Through prayer, meditation, repentance, and acts of service, we can open the way in our hearts for His coming, the way for cultivating a deeper connection with God and experiencing more and more, the joyful light of Christ in our lives.

May this Advent season be a time of profound spiritual renewal for us all. Let us embrace the joy of the season, the hope of the future, and the love of God manifested in Christ Jesus.