A friend once took his young adult son to the casino for his birthday. He handed him $100 and said, "Let's have a great time." The son, a graduate student with limited money, quietly pocketed the money and refused to play. "I don't want to lose it," he said. But he missed the point: the money was not really his to pocket; it was his father's invitation to share an experience together.

Fellow Parishioners of Blessed Sacrament and Dear Visitors,

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Church invites us to reflect on the last things: our ultimate destiny, the coming of Christ, and our readiness to meet the Lord. Today's Gospel, the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), offers us a profound lesson on Christian vigilance, faithfulness, and spiritual preparedness.

Dear Parishioners of Blessed Sacrament,

As we present our financial report for the 2025/2026 fiscal year, I am pleased to share a broader account of our parish life. This year's report is not only financial but also pastoral, reflecting our shared work and service.

First and foremost, I thank every parishioner of Blessed Sacrament-adults, youth, and children-for generously sharing your time, talents, gifts, and resources to sustain our parish ministries in so many ways.

The theme of this week's readings is that God's laws are centered in love and must be interpreted in light of love.¹ Let's see how that plays out in our Readings. Our First Reading [Exodus 22:20-26] comes from what was known as the 'Covenant Code" in the Book of Exodus. These were regarded as ways, derived from the Ten Commandments, to express our love for others. And failure to observe these "laws" was considered inflicting injury on our neighbor which would incur the wrath of God.

A Question with No Right Answer

THE LEADERS of the people of Israel have been trying to catch Jesus in an error or verbal inconsistency for several days. They pose what they think is a radical question, requiring Him to take a side: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? (Mt 22:17). We should remember that the Jewish people were uncomfortable in the Roman empire for political as well as religious reasons: the worship paid to the emperor was an affront to the God of Israel.

Esteemed parishioners of Blessed Sacrament and visitors,

Today's liturgy presents us with a parable that speaks of a wedding banquet to which many were invited. The First Reading, from the Book of Isaiah, prepares us for this theme by speaking of the banquet of God. Throughout Scripture, the banquet is a powerful image of the joy of communion and the abundance of the Lord's gifts.

Esteemed parishioners of Blessed Sacrament and visitors,

In keeping with our diocesan tradition of celebrating creation during October, Bishop John Dolan invites us this weekend to celebrate the Mass for the Care of Creation. The English translation of this Mass was promulgated by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on August 4, 2026.