St John Paul the Great Parish, Torrington, CT Blog - Weekly Reflection

A Love that Surpasses Logic

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700

My most boring job was working at an insurance company as a college student. My main task? Filing. Now imagine if I had told my supervisor, “I just want you to know, I’m willing to die for these files.” She would have called a psychiatrist — or at least security.

There is something absurd in Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel: “I am the good shepherd… I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) It sounds noble, until you think about it. No one dies for sheep. Not a hired hand. Not even a good shepherd. Sheep are important, sure, but not worth a human life.

Fully Present, Yet Hidden

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700

When I first read Homer’s Odyssey as a teenager, one scene captured my imagination: Odysseus finally returning home after 20 years, yet no one recognized him. Disguised as a beggar, he speaks with his wife, his son, and even his enemies. He is fully present, yet hidden. Only at the right moment does he reveal himself, and everyone realizes he has been with them all along. I was struck by the mystery that he could be so close to his loved ones, and yet they simply could not identify him.

His Mercy Breaks Through

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.’” (John 20:27)

In my early 20s, I volunteered at a parish youth group. I witnessed teens encountering Jesus with a fresh, romantic wonder that reminded me of my own teenage conversion. But something had changed in me. I was quietly jaded and cynical. When teens shared stories of encountering Christ, I’d want to sarcastically murmur, “Well, good for you.” I had grown suspicious of the zeal I once knew.

From the Tomb to Hope: God Is Still Writing Your Story

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb expecting death. Instead, she found it empty—confusing, unsettling, and yet full of possibility. “They did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (John 20:9). Hope did not arrive as clarity—it arrived as a question.