St John The Baptist Catholic Church

05/24/2026

Happy Pentecost Sunday 🔥🕊️

Today, the Church joyfully celebrates Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and transformed fear into courage, silence into proclamation, and weakness into bold witness. Pentecost reminds us that the same Spirit who strengthened the early Church is still alive and active today, guiding, renewing, comforting, and setting hearts on fire with the love of God.

As we celebrate this sacred feast, may we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to purify our lives, strengthen our faith, and lead us closer to Christ. May His gifts fill us with courage, wisdom, peace, and holiness, so that we may live our Catholic faith boldly and faithfully in the world.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. 🔥

05/24/2026

The Holy Spirit does not come empty-handed. He brings gifts that strengthen, enlighten and transform the Christian life. 🕊️

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are not abstract ideas, but graces that help us become more docile to God’s will and more faithful witnesses of the Gospel.

The 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

1️⃣ Wisdom
Helps us see life through God’s eyes and value what leads us to Him.

2️⃣ Understanding
Helps us grasp the truths of the faith more deeply and allow God’s Word to enter our hearts.

3️⃣ Counsel
Guides us in our choices and helps us distinguish good from evil, especially in difficult moments.

4️⃣ Fortitude
Gives us courage, perseverance and strength to remain faithful in trials.

5️⃣ Knowledge
Helps us recognize God’s presence in creation, in our lives and in His plan for us.

6️⃣ Piety
Opens our hearts to love God as Father and to live with charity toward others.

7️⃣ Fear of the Lord
Is not terror, but reverence, trust and the desire not to turn away from God.

When we open our hearts to these gifts, the Holy Spirit renews us from within and helps us live as true disciples of Christ.

Come, Holy Spirit.
Fill our hearts and guide us on the path to Heaven. 🙏

04/18/2026

Have you ever considered the priesthood? Do you know a young man that would be a good priest? Here is prayerful opportunity to find out more about serving others through the priesthood.

04/05/2026

Happy Easter!

03/14/2026

Corned beef dinner!

03/13/2026

03/02/2026

The ACTS model helps to guide my prayer

02/28/2026

GOD FIRST THIS MARCH 1

The first day of March falls on a Sunday, giving us a beautiful opportunity to begin the new month by placing God above all things. It is a meaningful reminder to attend the Holy Mass and entrust the days ahead to the Lord with faith and devotion.

Starting the month in God’s presence sets the tone for all that follows. It renews our spirit, strengthens our hearts, and fills us with the grace we need to face every challenge and responsibility. As we begin this new month, let us seek His guidance, trust in His providence, and commit ourselves to living according to His will.

May this first day of March inspire us to put God first in our plans, decisions, and daily lives, allowing His love to lead us and His blessings to sustain us throughout the month.

02/21/2026

FEB 22, 2026 | FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT – The Temptation of Jesus

The First Sunday of Lent in the Catholic Church always proclaims the Gospel of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Whether taken from Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, or Gospel of Luke (depending on the liturgical year), the Church begins Lent by leading us into the wilderness with Christ. This is not accidental. Lent itself is a forty-day journey of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that mirrors the forty days Jesus spent in the desert.

After His baptism in the Jordan, Jesus is “led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” This detail is important: the Spirit leads Him there. The desert is not a mistake, not an accident, but part of God’s saving plan. In Scripture, the desert is a place of testing, purification, and encounter with God. Israel wandered forty years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. Now Jesus, the new and faithful Israel, enters the desert for forty days.

During this time, Jesus fasted. The Gospel tells us He was hungry. The devil then approaches Him with three temptations. Each temptation strikes at the heart of human weakness.

Satan says, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” This temptation appeals to physical hunger and immediate gratification. It suggests using divine power for personal comfort. Jesus responds by quoting Scripture: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Here, Jesus teaches that our deepest hunger is not physical but spiritual. Lent invites us to fast not simply to deny ourselves food, but to remember that God alone satisfies the human heart.

The devil then takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and urges Him to throw Himself down, quoting Scripture to suggest that angels will protect Him. This temptation is about pride and presumption. It invites Jesus to demand a dramatic sign of God’s protection. Jesus again answers with Scripture: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Faith is not about forcing God to prove Himself. True trust does not manipulate God but surrenders to His will.

Finally, the devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and promises them in exchange for worship. This is the temptation of power, ambition, and idolatry. Jesus rebukes Satan: “The Lord your God shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve.” In this moment, Jesus rejects a shortcut to glory. He chooses obedience, even though it will lead to the Cross. The path to true kingship is not domination but self-giving love.

The temptation narrative reveals who Jesus is. Unlike Adam, who fell in the Garden of Eden, Jesus remains faithful in the desert. Unlike Israel, who often failed during their wilderness journey, Jesus perfectly trusts the Father. He conquers Satan not with force but with obedience and the Word of God.

For Catholics, this Gospel is deeply connected to the meaning of Lent. We are reminded that temptation itself is not sin. Jesus was tempted, yet He did not sin. Temptation becomes an opportunity for growth when we resist it with God’s grace. The practices of Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—are spiritual weapons. Prayer strengthens our relationship with God. Fasting disciplines our desires. Almsgiving turns our hearts away from selfishness toward love of neighbor.

The desert experience also teaches us that spiritual battles often happen in hidden places. Jesus was alone, weak from hunger, and far from public acclaim. Yet this hidden struggle prepared Him for His public ministry. In the same way, our quiet acts of sacrifice during Lent shape our hearts in ways unseen by the world.

Moreover, the Gospel assures us that Christ understands our struggles. As the Letter to the Hebrews says, we have a high priest who has been tested in every way, yet without sin. When we face temptation—whether it be greed, pride, anger, impurity, or discouragement—we can turn to Jesus with confidence. He has walked the path before us.

The First Sunday of Lent, therefore, is not only about Jesus’ past victory over Satan. It is about our present journey. Lent calls us into our own desert: a place of honesty about our weaknesses and deeper reliance on God. Just as angels ministered to Jesus after the temptations, God strengthens us when we persevere.

In the end, the temptation story points toward Easter. Jesus’ refusal to choose comfort, spectacle, or power leads Him toward the Cross and Resurrection. The glory He rejected in the desert He receives from the Father after His sacrifice. For Catholics, Lent is the same path: through repentance and discipline, we prepare for the joy of the Resurrection.

On this First Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to stand with Christ in the desert. With Him, we learn that true life is found not in bread alone, not in prideful displays, and not in worldly power—but in faithful obedience to God.