Christ Our Light & St. Anne Mother of Mary Parishes, Pulaski/Mexico, NY

06/09/2026

⚓ DAILY ANCHOR: EVANGELIZATION IN THREE WORDS

Hi Friend,

I was honored to speak at one of the largest gatherings of Catholics in the Pacific Northwest in over a century—a Eucharistic Congress in the greater Seattle area. For those who know the area well, there are some great things happening in the Church, but the broader culture is one of the least Church-friendly in the country. I’ve met many Catholic parents from there who did their best to raise their children in the Faith, only to have the culture, and their kids’ peers, not only turn them into “non-Catholics,” but virulent “anti-Catholics.” Of course that’s not always the case…but it’s far too common to ignore the trend.

During the congress there was a Eucharistic procession. We brought Jesus into the streets, followed by over 3,000 of his closest friends. :) Incense and songs rose to heaven in the midst of a modern, VERY secularized space. Thankfully, for the most part, people we passed looked dumbstruck, a little confused, and reverent, all at the same time. They didn’t know what they were seeing, but they knew it was holy.

That said, I think I can speak for all 3,000+ of us that, when I exited the building behind Jesus, I did so with a strong conviction that even if this goes poorly, literally nothing is going to stop me from following HIM in this moment. I feel zero fear when I’m walking behind my King so overtly…so directly.

And it struck me: a Eucharistic procession sums up all of evangelization in the most tangible terms, doesn’t it? We’re all just part of the crowd that’s been walking behind Him for 2,000 years, and even when we might encounter hostility from a culture that doesn’t want Him…we keep walking…and our response is simply, “I’m with Him.”

When I love and serve, I want the world to know it’s because “I’m with Him.”
When I’m faithful to my Church and family even when it’s hard, it’s because “I’m with Him.”
And when I find myself in a culture that’s forgotten God…and I’m pressured to compromise, or find myself canceled, “I’m still with him.”
Remembering how he puts himself out there gives me courage to do the same.

…Lord Jesus, we’re with you…

God bless you,



Chris Stefanick

Real Life Catholic

Credit: ⚓ Daily Anchor, Real Life Catholic
Photo credit: Omar Camacho Photography

06/09/2026

FIRST READING
1 KINGS17:7-16
But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

PSALM 4:2-3, 4-5, 7b-8
How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame?
How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

When you are disturbed, do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.

I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

✝️TODAY'S GOSPEL
✝️MATTHEW 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

🤔 REFLECTION BY BISHOP ROBERT BARRON
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus asks, “If salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?” That question ought to bother us as much today as it did Jesus’s audience long ago. What he means is that a weak Christianity is a disaster for the world, for it depends upon the Christian Church in order to become what it was meant to be.

Consider the truly awful gun violence in the streets of Chicago and other large American cities. A vibrant Christianity would actively get in the way of this affront to human dignity; vibrant Christian churches would rub salt into the earth of this violence; vibrant Christian witness would be a city set on a hill.

Consider the tens of millions of unborn eliminated since Roe v. Wade. I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of the mothers and fathers of these murdered children came from a Christian background. Why wasn’t their Christianity strong enough to function as salt and light? Why wasn’t their faith illuminating enough to shine a light into the darkness of what they were doing?

The clear implication is that, without vibrant Christians, the world is a much worse place.

06/09/2026

"It is not an empty flattery to bestow on Mary the title of Queen of the Apostles. Just as she assisted the Apostles, the teachers of the infant church with the support and advice of a mother, so we must affirm that at all times and in all ways she accords her assistance to all those who inherit the office of the Apostles."

-Pope Benedict XV

REFLECTION:

Mary's role as Queen of Apostles did not end with the coming of the Holy Spirit. In fact, it was only beginning. Just as she interceded for the Apostles and the early Church, she desires to intercede for us in our task of conquering the world for Christ, through the power of her spouse, the Holy Spirit.

Credit: Daily Gracelines, Women of Grace

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

IDEAS FOR A CATHOLIC SUMMER FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS

06/09/2026

On June 9, the Roman Catholic Church honors Saint Ephrem of Syria, a deacon, hermit, and Doctor of the Church who made important contributions to the spirituality and theology of the Christian East during the fourth century.

Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christian celebrate his feast on January 28. Ephrem is especially beloved in the Syriac Orthodox Church, and counted as a Venerable Father (i.e., a sainted Monk) in the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feast day is celebrated on 28 January and on the Saturday of the Venerable Fathers. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in the Catholic Church in 1920.

In a 2007 General Audience on St. Ephrem’s life, Pope Benedict XVI noted that St. Ephrem became known as the “Harp of the Holy Spirit,” for the hymns and writings that sang the praises of God “in an unparalleled way” and “with rare skill.”

Ephrem was born in the city of Nisibis in approximately 306. Traditions differ on the question of his family background, with some sources attesting that his father was at one time a pagan priest. Other sources suggest that his family either was, or later became, entirely Christian.

Ephrem received baptism and began to consider the salvation of his soul more seriously. He embraced an ascetic lifestyle under the direction of an elder, who gave him permission to live as a hermit. Ephrem supported himself with manual labor, making sails for ships, while living in a remarkably austere manner with few comforts and little food.

Ephrem’s spiritual director and friend, Bishop James of Nisibis, died in 338. Soon after, Ephrem left his solitude and moved to Edessa in present-day Turkey. Ordained as a deacon in Edessa, he was known for sermons which combined articulate expressions of Catholic orthodoxy with urgent and fruitful calls to repentance.

The deacon was also a voluminous author, producing commentaries on the entire Bible as well as the theological poetry for which he is best known. Ephrem used Syriac-language verse as a means to explain and popularize theological truths, a technique he appropriated from others who had used poetry to promote religious error.

Late in his life, the deacon made a pilgrimage to the city of Caesarea, where God had directed him to seek the guidance of the archbishop later canonized as Saint Basil the Great. Basil helped Ephrem to resolve some of his own spiritual troubles, giving him advice which he would follow as he spent his final years in solitary prayer and writing.

Near the end of his life, Ephrem briefly left his hermitage to serve the poor and sick during a famine. His last illness came in 373, most likely from a disease he contracted through this service.
When his own death approached, he told his friends: “Sing no funeral hymns at Ephrem’s burial … Wrap not my carcass in any costly shroud: erect no monument to my memory. Allow me only the portion and place of a pilgrim; for I am a pilgrim and a stranger as all my fathers were on earth.”

St. Ephrem of Syria died in June of 373. Soon after his death, he was remembered in a public address by his contemporary Saint Gregory of Nyssa, who closed his remarks by asking Ephrem’s intercession.

“You are now assisting at the divine altar, and before the Prince of life, with the angels, praising the most holy Trinity,” said Gregory. “Remember us all, and obtain for us the pardon of our sins.”

06/08/2026

⚓ DAILY ANCHOR: A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART

Hi Friend,

Yesterday was the feast of Corpus Christi, which we’ll spend most of this week diving into with you. That is the day when Catholics give thanks for the gift of the Eucharist, which literally means “thanks.” That’s right, the heart of Christian life and worship is thanksgiving.

I was speaking at a Eucharistic congress in Seattle recently with my friend, Tim Gray (more on that experience tomorrow). He gave an incredible reflection on all that means…through the lens of King David.

David was of the tribe of Judah. Judah means “praise God.” He must have taken the name of his tribe seriously. He wrote about half of the Psalms…most of which are songs of praise.

Actually, even the psalms of heart-wrenching complaint to God are interwoven with genuine praise. Psalm 22, the most striking of them, is prophetically written about Jesus on the Cross, and even includes details about enemies casting lots to divide his garments (Psalm 22:19, John 19:24). The lowest line of that psalm is “I am a worm, not a man” (Psalm 22:7). Jesus quoted that psalm when he lamented “My God, why have you abandoned me” (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46) from the Cross. But from there, the psalm, which Jesus knew well, pivots to, “But you, Lord, do not stay far off; my strength, come quickly to help me…” (Psalm 22:20) and then it ramps up to full blown praise. From the Cross, he quoted a psalm about praise in the midst of agony!

When David was called “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), that wasn’t about his lust, rage, or unbridled passion. Jesus reveals what, in the heart of David, is in the center of the heart of God, and it’s praise. In some mystical sense, the inner life of the Trinity is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, lifting up their hearts, each to the other.

The Eucharist IS the heart of God, and he invites us in…not just to adoring Him, but into His way of LIFE…the way of praise and thanksgiving, in ALL circumstances.

God bless you,



Chris Stefanick

Real Life Catholic

Credit: ⚓ Daily Anchor, Real Life Catholic

06/08/2026

🤣CATHOLIC HUMOR🤣