U.S.S. Allen M. Sumner DD-692
The Chaplain's Corner

December 21, 2011

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed,who was with child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: You will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men of good will.”

May the peace of Christ be with you this Christmas.    Paul Delasco

November 21, 2011

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.

Brothers and sisters: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will
keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. May the Peace of Christ be with You and a Happy Thanksgiving!       Paul Delasco

July 23, 2011

Readings for Ordinary Time

Visible or not, everyone around you is carrying a heavy burden of some sort. Perhaps it is an illness, a financial worry, a broken relationship, or a secret heartache. We each carry a personal cross all our own. Thus, we rejoice in these words of comfort and hope from Jesus.

From Matthew 11: 30: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The past few Sundays we have had the parables of sewing seeds;

From Matthew 13: 4: “Only the seeds that landed on good soil will bear fruit.”

From Matthew 13: 24: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the household came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until the harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them into bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

From Matthew 13: 31: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of the plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”

From the Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible & Seasonal Missalette Worship Resource

May God bless you with a peaceful and safe summer and a bountiful harvest.    Paul Delasco

June 12, 2011

Readings for Pentecost

From the Acts of the Apostles 2: When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.


From the Gospel of John 20:19-23: On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

From the Saint Joseph Edition of The New American Bible & Seasonal Missalette Worship Resource

May the Peace of Christ be with You.    Paul Delasco

January 31, 2011

Learn To Use Your Faith

There is spiritual growth as well as physical growth. we don't start out strong and mature. The Bible, and all creation, teaches gradual growth.
MARK 4:28 NLT
28 The earth produces the crops on its own. Girst a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.

The Bible is full of great promises. We must receive them by faith. Gaith is not trying to believe, but knowing that you believe. So, you must start using faith at the level you are at. If you don't have faith for a new car then believe for a bicycle. Then believe God for a motorcycle. Keep using your faith and feeding it on God's Word and it will continue to grow. Eventually, you will get to where you can believe God for large things as easily as you did for small things. It requires feeding your faith on God's Word as well as excercising your faith to cause it to grow strong. The mistake many make is trying to gelieve God for a jumbo jet when they really don't have enough faith for a bicvycle. Yes, the Word says that all things are possible, but only for those who truly believe. Most people are just trying to believe and hoping something will happen.  What if you have a need now, but don't have enough faith to cover it? Get someone else to agree with you, using their faith on your behalf. But don't expect to go through life depending entirely on someone else's faith. God will require you to eventually grow up and use your own faith. So you might as well get started now. God knows our needs. The Bible is clear that God does not want us to be in lack. Then why dosen't God just meet our needs, without us having to ask? One answer is God wants us to grow in faith. Our faith can only grow strong as we use it. So, every need is a faith opportunity, and thus an opportunity for growth. Don't wait until you have a large crisis in life to start learning to use your faith. Start now! SAY THIS: God will help me to learn to walk in faith.

In His Name,     Earl Taylor