Month: November 2020

Messages from the Pastor

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Wisdom Through Love

| Fr. William Smith

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, Wilhelm von Schadow, 1838-1842, Städel Museum

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 6:12–16
November 8, 2020

Today, we read for the first time in many months a passage from the “Wisdom of Solomon.” Let us make a quick review of it. Although it sounds ancient, it is perhaps the more recent book in the Old Testament and could have been written as late as 30 BC. Also, although it takes the name of King Solomon of Jerusalem from about 1000 BC, it was most likely written in Alexandra Egypt for the children of the Jewish elite who were immersed in the Roman world and tempted to give up their faith.

Continue reading “32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Wisdom Through Love” →
Events, Videos

Community Mass – 32nd Sunday Ordinary Time/St. Charles Borromeo

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please join us for Mass for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Sunday, November 8. We will commemorate our patron saint, St. Charles Borromeo.

  • 9 AM EST public Morning Mass celebrated at the Church (not streamed)
  • 11:15 AM EST Community Mass at celebrated at the Church and also streamed online. Instructions to view the Mass are available here. You can also watch the video via YouTube Live in the window below.
  • Today’s readings and hymns are available to download here: November 8. Hymnals, bulletins, and other handouts will not be available at the church. Please download on your phone or tablet, or bring your own missal.
  • Please follow the instructions of the ushers, and observe all of the health precautions so that we can continue to worship together safely.
  • Support our Parish – Please contribute to our General Collection online here.
  • Help us support Catholic Charities Food Pantries in Brooklyn and Queens online
  • Annual Catholic Appeal – Contribute online here. Select “St. Charles Borromeo R.C. Church – Brooklyn” as the parish.
Homilies, Videos

All Saints – Homily (Fr. Smith)

| St. Charles Borromeo

I wish to congratulate our parishioners who have been reading the Pope Francis’ latest encyclical “Fratelli Tutti”. It is a deep work and will be well worth reading several times. With something as profound as this I like to have a key, a phrase or an idea which will put the entire work into perspective. I had trouble finding one until I heard a comment by a Franciscan friar who summed it up with “it doesn’t have to be like this”. This not only helps to interpret Fratelli Tutti, but also today’s gospel reading and feast.

Beatitude is usually translated as “blessing”: something which puts us in a good situation.

Continue reading “All Saints – Homily (Fr. Smith)” →