Saint + Elizabeth + Ann + Seton + Parish

(May 10, 2020) "On this Mother's Day, we're very conscious of the many mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who are often in this very situation regularly in their days. Perhaps because of health or because of disability that comes from age, they are unable to move about or to go out as they once did. Perhaps in these days, when we're confined to our homes, when we're limited in our movement or our contacts, we now can sense what life is like for those who are limited by age or by disability or by illness."

(May 3, 2020) The more we look for things to fill the void within us, the more we realize it's not working. We're not meant to be filled with temporary things; we're meant to be filled with things of eternity, and grace, and glory, and goodness.

(April 26, 2020) "It is in the suffering Jesus, the Jesus who serves and suffers in our midst, that we find redemption, that we find hope, that we find the true God, and that is what distinguishes Christianity from any other religion."

(April 19, 2020) Thomas doubted at the Resurrection of Jesus and the appearance of the Lord because he wasn't with the other disciples. They had seen the Lord together; they could strengthen one another by their testimony. But Thomas stood apart; he stood alone. And in that aloneness, doubt arose.

(April 12, 2020) "Peace be with you." When He had said this, we're told, He showed them His hands and His side, His wounds. Not the glorious all-perfect Risen Christ, but the Suffering Messiah. In His brokenness, we find our peace. 

(April 5, 2020) Reverend Monsignor William J. King, JCD, KCHS, pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, compares the situation of those who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with palms and singing to the situation we are facing today, and reminds us that God always has the last word.

(March 29, 2020) Monsignor King invites us to think about the persons in the story of the raising of Lazarus, and to consider which person we resemble most closely in our relationship to Jesus in these troubling times.

(March 22, 2020)  Reverend Monsignor William J. King, JCD, KCHS, pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Mechanicsburg, PA, celebrates a private Mass on Laetare Sunday, the halfway point of Lent. Download the Order of Mass HERE. 

(March 15, 2020) MONSTERS AND GIANTS frighten the human psyche, and always have, even if — as for the woman at the well — those monsters are the creation of her own soul, her own guilt, her own shame. Jesus, however, speaks gently into the monsters that frighten us, as He did at the well, melting the shame, quenching the terror. Allow Him to speak His grace gently into your heart now, bringing living water to refresh, console, heal, and transform. No monster or giant can seize you from the loving arms of God.

(February 16, 2020) When Jesus says, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees, the words that are used describe movement from one place to the next. He says, unless you move beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you can't enter the kingdom of God. You have to move from where you are to enter the kingdom of God.

(January 5, 2020) Maybe that's the revealing that is Epiphany: the revelation that you and I have no gifts that Christ needs. Rather, every gift we have comes from Him. You and I have nothing we can offer the Lord that He needs. Rather, He has everything that we need. We think we do great things for the Lord, but even the capacity to do the smallest things is a gift from Him.

(December 29, 2019) We call them the Holy Family not because everything went just right for them -- the sort of thing we write Christmas carols about -- but because when things went wrong, they never failed to turn to God for strength.

(December 25, 2019) Here's the mystery, the majesty, the wonder, and the awe of God's grace: Had God come in the power of a mighty earthquake, had the mountains shaken in terror, had there been a mighty sign in the skies, all might have understood the power of God. But here, the head of the household . . . here, the Father of all . . . crossed the battle lines and came into our world as a tiny infant.

(December 15, 2019) In the middle of this Gospel, Jesus seems to be saying, "I'm sorry if I'm offending you. The blind see, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the Good News preached to them. But I'm sorry; don't be offended by any of this."

(November 10, 2019) We often hear, “Life is short; better enjoy it.” How about, “Eternity is long; better prepare for it!” That is how to keep a true perspective on life and death.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(November 9, 2019) In the promise of the Resurrection, we have not only the undoing of death, but the reintegration of the whole person, body and soul. But in the Gospel today, in the words of Jesus, we have even this better assertion: that the risen can no longer die.

(November 3, 2019) Jesus gave himself to anyone who would receive him. Jesus gave all kinds of people an opportunity. He ate with tax collectors, yes, but he also ate with Pharisees. The issue was not one of relative wealth, occupation or handicap. The issue was then what it is today, one of love and grace on Jesus' part, and one of acceptance or rejection on the part of others.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(October 6, 2019) The truth is that, even with all the ups and downs of life, you and I can find peace, we can find joy, we can find happiness in Christ Jesus. That is the crux of our readings today: how can you sustain your spiritual well-being even in the midst of all of the struggles and challenges of life.

(September 23, 2019) People consumed with this world know what they want and they know what they have to do to get it. That is how they can be a model to us for how to live with passion for the kingdom of God. The dedication it takes to achieve advancement and pleasure in the here-and-now is the kind of dedication Jesus calls his disciples to have for following him.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(September 21, 2019) Our preparation for the end of life must start now. How we live our life here, and what we place our trust in, will determine the outcome of our life, which is only begun here on Earth. Our Lord helps us to think about this.