Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church - Arlington, VA
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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our History
    • Staff >
      • Parish Administration & Communication
    • News and Bulletins
    • Just a Thought...or two...
    • Learning Alley
    • Gallery
    • Register with OLQP
    • Contact Us
  • Worship
    • Mass Times and Schedule
    • Live-stream Schedule & Special Mass Programs
    • Liturgical Ministries
    • Sacraments
    • Music Ministry
  • Our Faith
    • Faith Formation >
      • Foundations & Family Circles
      • Children's Liturgy of the Word
      • Sacraments
      • Youth & Young Adult
    • Formacion en la Fe 2023-2024 >
      • Circulos Familiares y Fundamentos 2023-2024
      • Preparacion Sacramental 2022-2023
      • Liturgia para ninos y grupo juvenil 2022-2023
      • Inscripciones
    • Adult Faith Groups
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Resources/Recursos
  • Get Involved
    • Matthew 25
    • Food Pantry
    • ISIDORE’S GARDEN
    • Gabriel Project
    • Social Justice and Outreach >
      • Haiti Ministry
      • Integrity of Creation
    • Pastoral Care/Hospitality >
      • Stephen Ministry
  • Donate
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May 2, 2021

4/30/2021

 
In this section of John’s Gospel, we find Jesus, having just finished the Last Supper, explaining to his closest friends what he expected of them and helping them to understand what he had taught them. He tells them that they are intimately connected to him, like vines to a branch; it is from him that they draw their very sustenance, their life. They have life in and through him. He tells them they have already been pruned and will bear great fruit. He tells them to remain in him as he remains in them! What a wonderful image for us to ponder, this indwelling of Christ.

In the verse that comes immediately following the final verse we heard in today’s reading Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love”. These are amazing images of love and intimacy being shared between Jesus and his disciples, as he knows his life with them is about to change dramatically, he tells them that they will be able to continue on and they are ready to produce great fruit and that they are connected to one another and to him and will always remain so.

In the first reading we heard of some of the fruit born of these relationships and this enduring presence. But we also know that there were great struggles as well in the midst of the presence of the Risen One. The disciples were human -- they argued and disagreed -- and still they produced great fruit. Even in the midst of human weakness and failures Christ’s presence has the power to save us from ourselves!

And now as we find ourselves in a cycle of unbelievable law enforcement shootings of unarmed black and brown people and shocking violence towards Asians and Pacific Islanders, and over fifty mass shootings just since March! We watch in terror as COVID-19 ravages the country of India, setting new world records for new cases and deaths day after day. There is so much discord in our world and even in our lives in general, for many of us, how do we hold it together?

I believe that it is through maintaining a conscious connection and awareness of the presence of the risen Christ within us and with us at all times, even when we can’t seem to feel that divine presence and we run out of hope. Christ is still there, still loving us through our darkest moments. This is at the heart of the Gospel message -- we are never abandoned by God.

How or when have I let the power of Christ’s presence within me shine through, guiding my thoughts and actions? Jesus spoke of pruning…What pruning might I need to do to make my life more Christ centered that I might abide in his love more fully and share it with others?

Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim 

April 25, 2021

4/23/2021

 
The image of Jesus as the good shepherd is one of the oldest images in Christianity. I remember seeing it in the catacombs of Rome...painted on the walls of an ancient cavern by Christian people from long ago. What is it about this image that has captivated the minds and hearts of Christians for centuries? Surely for the postmodern mostly urban culture of the West, this image may well seem a bit arcane and less accessible than it was to our ancestors. Jesus is depicted, through the use of this image, as a shepherd, who was, in that time and in that culture, relatively unimportant and certainly not powerful. The disciples and all those who followed him around experienced Jesus as kind and gentle, like the “good” shepherd who watches over the sheep with great care and concern and even risks his/her own safety for the sake of the sheep. This image of a kind and gentle god was somewhat unique, but then so was the idea of a god who would be will- ing to suffer and die for us. I believe that this image of the Good Shepherd has endured precisely because of its radical departure of the common image of a distant and disinterested and sometimes even vengeful god as found in some passages of the Old Testament.

This image tells us that our God loves us and cares for us and journeys with us as we travel through the valleys and hills of our lives. But too, it may well speak to us of what we are called to be...in Christ’s image...”good shepherds” of the lost and vulnerable, the poor and the forsaken. That we are called to go after them, to reach out to the marginalized and the ones our society dismisses or demeans or outright abuses. Good shepherds actively work for true racial justice and an end to white supremacy. Good shepherds seek to be allies to the oppressed and the marginalized, to all people of color and the immigrant and the refugee.

I think we should all be writing all the members of the senate demanding they pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act... this is one way we can live out our discipleship of the Good Shepherd, crying out for a more just society by more just policing!

And as we celebrated Earth Day this past week we recognize that truly “good shepherds” also recognize the importance of creation and our environment, for their sheep depend on a healthy ecosystem. So as “good shepherds” we are also called to care for creation, to be aware of how our lives impact the earth and the lives of others, especially the poor.
​

How am I being called to be a “good shepherd” in my family, in my school or place of work, in my community, in my nation, in the wider world? What am I willing to risk “as a good shepherd” for the sake of the flock...for the sake of creation...for the sake of building up of the Reign of God?
​

Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim 


April 18, 2021

4/16/2021

 
In today’s Gospel Jesus ask the disciples “why are you troubled?”....WHY ARE THEY TROUBLED? Because they are not accustomed to seeing someone who has died raised from the dead! They are trying to wrap their hearts and minds around what it all means for them and for their future! And Jesus knows this and lays out their future, he sends them forth into the world, to preach to all nations that He is the Christ who suffered, died and rose from the dead on the third. And the repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all nations and that they are the witnesses of these things! And filled with the Holy Spirit they are sent forth to tell the world of its salvation!

It is through this Easter miracle that all of us have been raised to new life in Christ, that we gain with Christ immortality because of the love of God, who so deeply and passionately loves us, even in the midst of our brokenness and sinfulness! We are the beloved, and this is what we celebrate each Sunday but especially during the Easter Season and we too are sent to spread the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and our salvation!

How do we do that, how do we share God’s amazing and passionate love for each of us with others in our lives, in our families, with our friends, at school, at work, in our neighborhood, our county, our nation and the world? In the face of war and famine, in the midst of political and racial injustice and the immigration and refugee crisis, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, in the midst of family disputes or conflict how can or do I share or show forth God’s amazing and passionate love for each one of us and for all of creation?

What gestures or actions can I make this week that in some way will help someone else discover or feel God’s love for them? This is central to our discipleship, that we — each one of us — that we preach the “Good News” that we are the “beloved of God”! That we are never abandoned, no matter how sad or lonely we feel, we are never left alone, our God is with us whether or not we feel that Divine presence. God is within us and surrounds us with love!
​

Regardless of our sinfulness and our brokenness we are deeply and passionately loved by God, each and every one of us, without exception! That my sisters and brothers is the “Good News” of Jesus Christ, so let us not be troubled!
​

Easter Blessings,
Fr Tim 


April 11, 2021

4/9/2021

 
So often when I hear this Gospel I focus on how Thomas gets a bad rap for doubting what we know to be true...even though it was all so totally preposterous...remember, he was among the first human beings to hear of the resurrection. This scene, in of itself, is so unbelievably powerful...remember the last time they saw him, he was being tortured, nailed to a cross, stabbed with a lance and died! So would you believe he was alive without seeing him...without touching his wounds? It’s kind of easy to understand Thomas’ disbelief. But again this year I decided to take a look at Jesus’ greeting... ”peace be with you”! Jesus’ disciples had witnessed that terrible first “Good Friday”, and now there were those who were saying he was alive! How could that be possible? In the midst of death, sorrow and immense disappointment, from the midst of a sense of total loss and failure...there Jesus was; the one upon whom they had pinned their hopes. There he was in their midst...speaking of peace after such violence had had been done to him! And yet there is no hint of revenge or “settling of scores” ...no accusations of betrayal and denial...only the offer of peace of the Risen Christ!

How do we, as disciples of this Christ; as individuals, as a church and as a country react when we are assaulted and have violence done to us...do we speak words of peace? Are we open to having words of peace spoken to us after having been hurt? Jesus offers us, not just any peace but, “his” peace...the peace of Christ! It is the peace of the One who was struck, beaten and crucified...a peace that knows so well, pain and suffering. His peace is a peace that brings forth forgiveness and ultimately leads us to new life! This peace of Christ is transformative. It holds the power to change us and to change how we see and understand the world around us and how we see each and every one of our sisters and brothers, especially those who are different from us. This peace of Christ can transform our communities, our nation, and the very world itself! We must however be willing to accept the peace that Christ offers to us and be brave enough to allow it to transform our very selves, then we can share it with others and build up the Reign of God in the here and now. The Reign of God in which all peoples are equally valued, loved and appreciated for who they are and for whose they are.

Just as the scared and confused disciples gathered in that up- per room, we too need this peace of Christ more than ever in the wake of all of trials and tribulations we find ourselves liv- ing through. In these most difficult times may we open our hearts to that transformative peace of Christ and share it with all the lonely, depressed, the despised and targeted, those seeking racial justice and equality. May this peace of Christ embolden us to stand with and stand up for all those whose voices are silenced or not listened to, to stand with and for all those who are threatened and harassed each day. May this peace of Christ bring us together to help build up the Reign of God where all peoples are equally valued, loved and appreciated for who they are and for whose they are.


What kind of peace do I offer when I am hurt by others? To whom do I need to offer
“the peace of Christ”? How can I make “the peace of Christ” show forth in my daily life...within my family, my workplace, my community...and my country? The peace of the Risen Christ is with you always!

​Easter Blessings,
Fr Tim 


April 4, 2021

4/2/2021

 
On that first day of the week, while it was still dark...Mary went to the tomb only to discover it empty....then she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple.” She was in a hurry to share what she had found; and by her sharing, a small community took up the search for Jesus...only to eventually discover “The Christ”... “The Risen One”.  

Though we know well the Easter story, do we ever fully grasp its meaning? The stone has been rolled away...the tomb is empty for resurrected life cannot be contained! Like the first believers, we so often must continue to live even with our dashed hopes, our suffer- ing and our misunderstanding of God’s mysterious power.

Like the first believers, we do not always realize that all of history has been broken open and is now filled with the resurrected presence of the Risen One! Even in the midst of war and famine, even in the midst of suffering and loss, the presence of the Risen One is with us, and never leaves us, even if our pain and suffering causes us to be blind to that Risen Presence. It is this presence that gives us the strength to carry on and speak truth to power, to stand up for the poor and the marginalized and fight against evil in all its ugly forms, that we know so well.

Christ has Risen...this is the day the Lord has made...let us rejoice and be glad!!!

Like Mary Magdalene and the other disciples let us actively seek the risen One in our midst...in the ordinary of our daily lives...for as surely as Christ appeared to the disciples, Christ now appears to us in our lives! Let us keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to the presence of the Risen One. Let us, like Mary, run forth to share the good new of Jesus Christ with all the world!

I pray you all, God’s Most abundant Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim 




​

    Author

    Fr. Tim Hickey, C.S.Sp.

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Our Lady Queen of Peace
2700 South 19th Street
Arlington, Virginia, 22204, USA
703-979-5580 Office
703-979-5590 Fax
[email protected]
Office hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm (closed on federal holidays)
  • ​Inclement Weather Policy
Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday: Vigil Mass at 5:30 pm
Sunday: 8 am, 9:30 am, 11:15 am, 1 pm (Spanish),
​6 pm (young adult)

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