How do we forge relationship, communicate and stay close to people when it can be difficult at times? Especially when we try to affect the truth of God in others who might not be receptive to the message, this can be a continual struggle and even feel like a challenge. For parents of teenagers, opposing family members, friendships, coworkers, and strangers - communication breakdowns about faith or theology, theopraxy, or morality can stifle connection and relationship.

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus engage with a woman who is not a Jew, (and a woman), by showing genuine interest in her. He is more interested in her and her heart than in the cultural and social barriers of the time. He gets her to open up and be vulnerable and as she continues to speak with him, a trust between the two of them begins. Communicating an essential and candid message of mutual value and honor between one another can be the first pathway to connecting in truth together. This can affirm and strengthen all of our relationships and can help both parties grow in deeper relationship to God in His limitless love and mercy.

Rev. John Ehrich, STL, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Phoenix in 2000. He earned his M.A. from St. Meinrad Seminary in 1998 and his MDiv in 2000. After five years of parish ministry, he studied at the Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome where he earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Moral Theology) in2007. Fr. Ehrich currently serves at St. Thomas More in Glendale.

Thank you to the families who have made a gift to annual Charity and Development Appeal (CDA). Each and every gift is important and provides vital support to the programs and organizations who rely on the CDA. CDA funds allow them to provide critical services and resources to our parishes, diocese and local communities.

Catholic Charities Affordable Housing benefits from your support.

There on the mountain, Moses communed with God for many years and brought back the promises to . This period of time was a well known to the followers of Jesus. So when they witness Christ being raised up, shown with Moses and Elijah, they know he is truly the Messiah. This means He is truly their deliverer and prophetic figure that the hearts of many were waiting for.

What are our hearts waiting for? What future or unfulfilled promises do we carry with us; maybe even ask God to deliver us from? If Jesus is the Son of God, who died and rose and made manifestation our salvation, are we relying on Him during this Lenten time? The three theological virtues (Faith, Hope, and Love) can help us entrust ourselves to Christ’s light for healing, restoration and deliverance. As we hear and reflect more about Christ’s death, we can be reminded of our own mortality, our own suffering and hardship that we can bring the the altar, especially during this season of Lent. We are creatures destined for eternity - we should not forget that, but rather remind ourselves to remain steadfast in the victory of His love.

Rev. John Ehrich, STL, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Phoenix in 2000. He earned his M.A. from St. Meinrad Seminary in 1998 and his MDiv in 2000. After five years of parish ministry, he studied at the Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome where he earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Moral Theology) in2007. Fr. Ehrich currently serves at St. Thomas More in Glendale.

Sin and death came into the world, not simply because these first two human beings are the forbidden fruit. We know this Genisis story along with many others that are allegorical in nature. Without getting caught up in the historical accuracy, we can be attentive to the purposes of these stories and the wisdom they impart to us today.

We are given life by God as He breathes life into us from our birth. He made us male and female. He made us and saw “that it was good.” Satan is a the father of lies, but can successfully entice us with what we are convinced is good. He is a trickster, and with by adding our desires, often motivates us to be do wrong things for the right intentions.

Can we allow God to help us determine truth? Sometimes we struggle to find and choose the truth and reality of ‘good vs. evil.’ We. get ourselves into trouble with sin, we often are trying to take the reigns and commit acts of pride and envy rather than trust and confidence in Gods omnipotence and providence. Let’s look at our lives and ask ourselves where we are off track. Let’s look at the ways we can trust on God and allow Him to convert our hearts to the reality of truth and the effect it can have in our actions.

Rev. John Ehrich, STL, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Phoenix in 2000.He earned his M.A. from St. Meinrad Seminary in 1998 and his MDiv in 2000.After five years of parish ministry, he studied at the Accademia Alfonsiana inRome where he earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Moral Theology) in2007. Fr. Ehrich currently serves at St. Thomas More in Glendale.

We all know friends or people in our own lives who truly struggle. No matter their upbringing, circumstances, issues such as addiction or abuse and their repercussions can be a damaging and lifelong battle for many people we might know intimately. Seeing the humanity of a person and the desperate reality they live in can be a very humbling sight. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to hear confession?

It is a theme among a large number of people that we all are striving to be better despite ourselves. Seeing a priest as a conduit for God's Grace is a way to present themselves honestly and to make real moves to improve and make changes. Though we may struggle with the same sins constantly, it is a comfort to know how universal our human suffering can be. This idea also emphasizes a greater need for consistent compassion and nonjudgement when we interact with one another. When we see each other on a human level, we can see how remarkable each of us are as we acknowledge the many demons that we all face daily. We all carry great burdens. Our Heavenly Father wants us to love our enemies, to be challenged to see one another’s true selves and be kind no matter what.

Rev. John Ehrich, STL, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Phoenix in 2000.He earned his M.A. from St. Meinrad Seminary in 1998 and his MDiv in 2000.After five years of parish ministry, he studied at the Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome where he earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Moral Theology) in2007. Fr. Ehrich currently serves at St. Thomas More in Glendale.

At the beginning of the Lenten journey, the Church makes us reflect on the words of Moses and of Jesus: "You have to choose". It is thus a reflection on the need we all have, to make choices in life. And Moses is clear: 'See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil': choose. Indeed the Lord gave us freedom, the freedom to love, to walk on his streets. We are free and we can choose. However, "it's not easy to choose". It is more comfortable "to live by letting ourselves be carried by the inertia of life, of situations, of habits". This is why today the Church tells us: 'You are responsible; you have to choose'".

It’s been said by many scholars of scripture that “Jesus is more about love than the law;” a statement that we can be attentive to. How easy it is for us, as members of nations, societies, religions, and clubs, to use language such this, which often can be dichotomous, dualistic or black/white thinking.

While the lasting and promised mercy of Christ is certainly apart of our salvation, could it not be said that Jesus is “about” both love and the law? The two terms can be intertwined especially in the ways that Jesus expounds upon the law in today’s gospel. For example, Jesus explains that not only is the action of adultery or hate sin, but the very thoughts and mentality that lead up to those actions can also be culpable. Our heart is the very thing Jesus is after, not our good deeds.

It’s important to remember that there is definitely an eternal value to our actions and that confession is an important element to how we treat our humanness. There can be two ways we deal with this internal reality. Sometimes we want to go to confession every day “just to be safe,” or contrastingly, rely too much on the mercy of God without truly accounting for ourselves.

We all struggle with various sins we’ve committed and we can feel guilty. Some may question how merciful God is. “Can His love really be that endless? That good?” As serious and vast as our need for mercy may be, so to is the mercy he gives us. Let us turn to the only person who can truly be the last Word in our eternal standing. To a God who incorporates both love and law to help us be our truest, inherently good and beautiful selves.

Rev. John Ehrich, STL, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Phoenix in 2000.He earned his M.A. from St. Meinrad Seminary in 1998 and his MDiv in 2000.After five years of parish ministry, he studied at the Accademia Alfonsiana inRome where he earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Moral Theology) in2007. Fr. Ehrich currently serves at St. Thomas More in Glendale.

Have you ever been stuck in a room of total darkness? It can be terrifying to be in that disorienting situation, trying to stumble through to find a light switch and not trip over anything. Once the lights are suddenly turned on, we are immediately comforted and can see the reality of our surroundings, feeling much better. The divine revelation of our faith says that the world was in darkness, searching as lost children. When Christ came, He illuminated that darkness and brought deep peace while pointing us in the right direction. We are called to be the hands of feet of God by bringing that light into the world as well. Today’s gospel asks us to consider whether we bring light/dark, positivity/negativity, kindness/resentment, harmony/discord to the our own reality. In being light to others, we allow ourselves to Also bring Christ into the room.

Rev. John Ehrich, STL, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Phoenix in 2000.He earned his M.A. from St. Meinrad Seminary in 1998 and his MDiv in 2000.After five years of parish ministry, he studied at the Accademia Alfonsiana inRome where he earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Moral Theology) in2007. Fr. Ehrich currently serves at St. Thomas More in Glendale.

Dear Parishioners,

Flu season is upon us and Maricopa County reports that infections are at the highest level of "widespread." As many of you know, people with compromised or underdeveloped immune systems are particularly at risk of developing further complications from the flu virus, as well as death. Thus, I think it's important that we do what we can to help contain the spread of the virus in our community. The diocese also has provided us with the suggested measures listed below:

The Church, for many centuries, has evangelized peoples all across the globe. However, in a society that had been already evangelized those efforts naturally would diminish. If everyone is Christian, some might ask "why evangelize?" The reality is that evangelization should never stop as it constitutes the proclaiming of the essential message of Jesus Christ; that he is God and he died for our sins.

St. John Paul II called the Church to a "New Evangelization" some years ago. Unfortunately this effort was either not taken up or it became confused with catechesis. Catechesis (handing on the essential teachings of the faith) has a different objective from evangelization. However, evangelization needs to happen prior to catechesis, otherwise the content received through catechesis has very little meaning. In short, if people don't "know" Jesus, teaching them "about" Jesus becomes a merely intellectual exercise and is deprived of its most important element; a relationship with Christ.

Some wonderful and amazing things are happening at our parish! More and more, each Sunday we are meeting numerous new families who are joining. In the last 3 weeks alone we have had 21 families join our parish and quite a few more join just this past weekend.

I had numerous people tell me they are from the area but are just finding us and coming back to Church. Others have heard about what's happening here and decided to give us a try and are making this their home. Time and time again this is what I am being told every weekend.

If you have not yet registered at St. Thomas More, please either do so via the website or in the parish office.

Dear Parishioners,

As you know, one of the distinctively Catholic beliefs is that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus, Himself, is truly and fully present whenever we receive either the consecrated Host or from the cup. This has been the belief of the Church since the time of the Apostles.

However, it is not uncommon for people to speak errantly about the Eucharist. Far too often I have heard people talk about receiving the "wine" or, receiving the "bread." We need to remember that we never receive wine at Communion, just like we never receive bread. We always receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is, in fact, the point. When the gifts are brought forward they are merely bread and wine. But by virtue of the prayer of the priest and the action of God, they become the Real Presence of Christ. They are no longer bread and wine.

Dear Parishioners,

I would like to thank everyone for our wonderful Christmas celebrations. It takes quite a bit of coordination and numerous volunteers to do everything from decorate the church to ensure that our liturgies are well done.

I would like to thank all of our people who helped with the environment in the church, especially Nancy Kijewski and her team. All of our volunteers for the liturgies; lectors, ushers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and servers.