Remembering Ông Cậu Phanxicô Xaviê Lê Huề (10/11/1933 - 2/20/2026)

On the afternoon of February 27, my wife and I drove to Oklahoma City for the funeral of Ông Cậu  (great uncle) Phanxicô Xaviê Lê Huề. I first met him and his wife back in June of 2018 when we were in OKC for their 65th wedding anniversary, in which his brother - Archbishop Emeritus Francis Xavier Lê Văn Hồng - was the Mass celebrant.

I was blessed to have Ông Cậu and his family attend my Ordination that following spring in March of 2019. It was so special to see so many of our family members present in loving support and prayer for me and my wife. We visited Oklahoma City again later that year for a wedding. That was the last time that we would visit until this past weekend for his funeral Mass and burial.

Try as we might, we did not make it to OKC in time for the Vigil Service on Friday evening. I had a pretrial hearing that morning in federal court and my wife had testing at her school. However, we were blessed with the opportunity to say our "good-byes" to Ông Cậu the next morning, at the funeral home, before we accompanied him to Giáo xứ Thánh Anrê Dũng Lạc for the funeral Mass. Here is Ông Cậu's obituary: https://www.vondelsmithmortuary.com/obituaries/hue-le.

My first funeral Mass and Vigil as a deacon was for family member, less than 4 months after my Ordination. It was challenging but, by the grace of God, I was able to be of some comfort to our family.

This past weekend, I witnessed this amazing priest be of comfort to his mom, siblings, and other family members as he himself mourned the loss of his dad. He presided at the funeral Mass and gave a beautiful homily, remembering his dad as a man of faith, a loving husband, and a devoted father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He is an order priest based in Chicago and had been traveling back and forth the past few years to be with his dad. And, as he shared in his homily, whenever he left his parents to return to Chicago, he always wondered it that was the last time he would see his dad. I cannot imagine how hard it must be for him to be so far from his parents.

I was blessed and honored to vest and serve at the funeral Mass. At the end of the funeral Mass, one of his eldest sons got in front of the congregation, which I reflected on in my homily for the Monday of the Second Week of Lent. At the graveside, he asked me to assist another priest and deacon so that he could be with his mom and family. I watched as he sprinkled holy water on his dad's coffin and kissed it. My one task was to hold the holy water and, as the coffin was lowered into the ground, I prayed and sprinkled holy water until there was none left.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, pray for our priests. They are sons, brothers, and uncles and they suffer losses in their life just like the rest of us. They often live far from their families and so their parish community and order become part of their family. They give their life to our Lord Jesus Christ in service to the people of God and His Church. Let us pray, love, and support our priests.

There were several moments during the graveside service that moved me to tears but those were just personal and precious moments that I will keep in my heart and ponder them. After the graveside service, we gathered at Hibachi Supreme Buffet for lunch and to enjoy each other's company. I visited with an uncle who left the corporate world behind to manage a farm in Mississippi. The next morning, we at a private Mass for Ông Cậu, followed by brunch. We then said our "good-byes" and departed to return home. We shared another tender moment with Bà Mợ (great aunt) that I will keep in my heart and ponder.

As I drove home, I reflected on how life moves us. We gather to celebrate milestones and occasions, like weddings, birthdays, graduations, and funerals, and then life moves on for each of us. I thought of Bà Mợ and Cha (our uncle the priest) and their family and the emptiness that they now feel in their hearts for Ông Cậu. However, as our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted." Our Lord and our God is the only Person who can fill the hole or emptiness in our hearts. I am confident that they will be okay because their faith and hope in God and the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ will sustain them in their mourning. I pray that they feel the loving presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts. He will turn their mourning into joy. Amen.

Homily for Monday of the Second Week of Lent (Year A - 3/1/2026)

My wife and I were in Oklahoma City over the weekend to attend the funeral Mass and graveside for a beloved great uncle who passed away a week ago. At the end of the funeral Mass, one of his eldest sons got in front of the congregation and expressed his gratitude for families and friends who traveled near and far to show love and support for his mother and their family in their time of mourning the loss of their beloved one. Then, he spoke to his deceased father and begged his forgiveness for the times that he was not the son that he should have been for him.

His son’s words moved and struck me because they brought home what I shared in my homily last Monday: “Bishop Robert Barron reminds us that we do not take ‘our money, our social status, or our worldly power into the next world; but we do take the quality of our love.’” The quality of our love starts with our family where, built on the foundation of faith in God, we learn to love, to forgive, and to show each other mercy in the same way that God loves us, forgives us, and shows us mercy. This is what Jesus teaches us in today’s Gospel, saying to us now, as he said to his disciples then: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. . . Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

Moreover, today’s first reading, in which Daniel wrote - “O LORD, we are shamefaced. . . for having sinned against you. But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!” - reminded me of this prayer that is said at the Vigil for the Deceased: “Confident that God always remembers the good we have done and forgives our sins, let us pray, asking God to gather N. to himself” (Order of Christian Funerals). Oftentimes, the death of a loved one moves us to reflect on the brevity of our own life and, in a way, forces us to ask ourselves, “what is the quality of our love?” Like Daniel, in today’s first reading, we reflect on the times we “have sinned, been wicked and done evil; [when] we have rebelled and departed from [God’s] commandments and [His] laws” in our own lives and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, find the courage to turn away from sin and turn to our Lord and our God, who is filled with “compassion and forgiveness,” and ask him to have mercy on us a sinner.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, on Ash Wednesday, we received ashes on our foreheads in the sign of the cross to remind us that we are sinners in need of a Savior and that we are dust and to dust we shall return, and that we are called to repent and believe in the Gospel. And so, as we continue our journey in the desert with our Lord Jesus Christ this penitential season of Lent, let us pray, fast, and give alms with “[confident] that God always remembers the good we have done and forgives our sins” and strive to be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030226.cfm

Reflecting on Fr. Charlie Garza's Chaplain Report (2/23/2026)

After many years of searching, we finally have a Chaplain for the Chapter! I am grateful to Fr. Charlie for saying "yes" to my invitation to be our Chaplain! It is a blessing to serve with him again.

In his Chaplain Report, Fr. Charlie shared a bit about himself. You can read his biography on the Holy Trinity Seminary website. We were certainly blessed to have him as our pastor at Saint Albert the Great  Catholic Church from 2019 to 2025 and really shepherd us through the pandemic with the heart of a pastor after the Good Shepherd.

As a Knight himself, Fr. Charlie thanked the Order for their support of seminarians, especially men like Fr. Kingsley Ohaeri (Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Manor, TX) who came to the U.S. to become a priest for the people of God. He shared that there has been an increase in the number of men applying for the seminary because of the "Leo effect". He encouraged the Knights to continue to support seminarians with their prayers and concrete expression of love however they can at their parishes and councils.

On the topic of being a Knight of Columbus and bringing men into the Order, he encouraged us to be diligent with our recruitment of new members. Particularly, he encouraged us to help men become Catholics in good standing so that they can be on the path of discipleship in the Order to serve the parish and the Universal Church. This suggestion should not be new to us, because our State Deputy Ron Alonzo has been encouraging us to be good mentors to new members.

Then, during the Spiritual Director Report, Fr. Charlie talked about the three pillars of Lent - prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. With prayer, he encouraged us to pray the Stations of the Cross. He shared his gratitude for the Council 10333, at Saint Albert the Great, for their commitment to leading the parish in praying the Stations. For those who have to set up for the Fish Fry and clean up afterwards, Fr. Charlie suggested that they incorporate praying the Stations during prep and clean up time. Perhaps, some person can pray the Stations on the speaker for all to hear as they are preparing for the Fish Fry. With fasting, Fr. Charlie suggested fasting with reason, as in, do not over do it that one might faint. Rather, he suggested fasting to the point of feeling "hunger pains" that will help us hunger for God, especially our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Finally, with almsgiving, we should see the poverty of another person and desire to bring relief to their suffering, most especially within our families. 

Fasting and almsgiving go hand in hand and prayer gives purpose to our Lent observances. For example, Fr. Charlie shared that, because the pace at the seminary is much slower than at a parish, he finds himself falling into the deadly sin of sloth. However, he is hitting that sloth with diligence by praying the litany of diligence, not hitting the snooze button, and he even started writing and thinking about doing a podcast. These are some of the ways that Fr. Charlie is overcoming the vice with virtue.

I am grateful to Fr. Charlie to sharing his wisdom with us. We are blessed to have him as our Chaplain. Next our next meeting, brother Knights. . . 

"May the Holy Spirit walk with us throughout this Lenten season. May we grow closer to Christ and become peacemakers and a light to all people" Amen. (Bishop Garcia, 2/18/2026).

Homily for Monday of the First Week of Lent (Year A - 2/23/2026)

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that a “[scholar of the law] tested him by asking, ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:35-40).

Of the Ten Commandments that the Lord God gave to Moses, the first three commandments cover love of God: “I am the Lord your God: You shall not have strange Gods before me. . . You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. . . Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.” The remaining seven commandments cover love of neighbor: “Honor your father and mother. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”

Then today, as we enter the first week of Lent, we encounter the scene of the Last Judgment in which Jesus teaches us how love is concretely expressed. Bishop Robert Barron reminds us that we do not take “our money, our social status, or our worldly power into the next world; but we do take the quality of our love.” Moreover,  the “absolute love for God is not in competition with a radical commitment in love of our fellow human beings. . . Thomas Aquinas would state it this way: to love God is to love, necessarily, whatever participates in God, and this is to say the entire world.” It is as Jesus tells us in today’s passage, titled the “Judgment of Nations,” saying: “Amen, I say to you, what you did (or did not) do for one of these least ones, you did (or did not) do for me.” 

The Catholic Church codified this passage from the Gospel of Matthew as the “corporal and spiritual works of mercy.” The corporal works of mercy challenge us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the prisoners, bury the dead, and give alms to the poor.  Likewise, the spiritual works of mercy challenge us to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish the sinner, comfort the sorrowful, forgive injuries, bear wrong patiently, and pray for the living and the dead. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy start in the family, the domestic church, where children learn charity and love. From there, charity expands outward to parishes and communities, food pantries, and Mobile Loaves and Fishes.

As we continue our journey in the desert with our Lord Jesus Christ, let us take Bishop Barron up on this suggestion that we consider “doing an examination of conscience at the end of each day, and use as [our] criterion” found in the passage on the Judgment of Nations, today’s Gospel reading, using the Catholic Church’s corporal and spiritual works of mercy to fulfill the Lenten practice of almsgiving. 

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022326.cfm

Homily for the First Sunday of Lent (Year A - 2/22/2026)

On this First Sunday of Lent, we hear in the Gospel that “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” Why would Jesus allow himself to be tempted by the devil? Did he not teach us to pray that the Father does “not subject us to the final test”? (Matthew 6:9-10; Luke 11:2-4) In the Our Father, do we not pray that we are not led “into temptation but deliver us from evil”? Saint James gives us this explanation: “Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death” (1:12-18).

We see this unfold in the garden in Eden where the cunning serpent “lured and enticed” Adam and Eve. Seduced by their desire to have their eyes opened and be “like gods who know what is good and what is evil,” Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Their disordered desire conceived and brought forth sin that gave birth to death. Adam did not persevere in temptation and so, “through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men. . . even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam.” However, “through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous. . . [and] come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.”  

Jesus, the “high priest who. . . [sympathizes] with our weaknesses. . . who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin,” allowed himself to be tempted by the devil so that we, who follow after him, can “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Hebrews 4:15). Saint Matthew tells us that the devil tempted Jesus when he was physically weak from hunger, telling him to “command that these stones become loaves of bread.” However, Jesus did not back away from his fast, showing us that we do not “live on bread alone” but that “every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” provides us with the nourishment we need because Jesus has “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Then, the devil tempted Jesus spiritually so as to make him doubt his faith and trust in God, telling him to “command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you.” However, Jesus was intimately connected to the Father through prayer and, thus, set an example for us of complete obedience and trust in our Father in heaven, saying, “you shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” Finally, the devil tempted Jesus with power, control, and worldly glory when he “showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence.” However, Jesus understood the mission that his Father entrusted to him. Christ “did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28) and, thus, shows us the path of love over pride, to will the good of another over our own desires.

Whereas Adam did not persevere over temptation but succumbed to his desire in the garden in Eden, Jesus went into the desert and defeated the devil with his human will. Recall that during his agony in Gethsemane, “Jesus returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, ‘So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40-41). By going to the desert and overcoming temptations by the devil with his human will, Jesus prepares us for when the devil tests our faithfulness to God. Moreover, he gives us hope that we are not alone in our battles. Christ tells us that “[in] the world [we] will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world. . .” (John 16:33) and “the ruler of this world [Satan] will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (12:31-32).

My sisters and brothers in Christ, Jesus shows us how we, with the help of the Holy Spirit, can overcome temptation and sin, through our Lent observances of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and remain faithful to God and say to the devil: “Get away, Satan!” The devil will tempt us with things of this world. Yet, by faith, we know that no matter how good they are, the things of this world will never satisfy our deepest yearning. [It is as Fr.. Michael told the couples preparing for marriage, who are seated up front here. We have a hole that can only be filed by God. It would be unfair of us to ask our spouse to fill a hole that only God can fill.] Let us listen to Jesus and “seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). 

Finally, as we continue our journey in the desert with our Jeus this Lent, let us also remember that we “became a living being” because the Lord God formed us and blew into us His “breath of life.” In Baptism, we became beloved sons and daughters of the Father, through Jesus Christ, who after he was baptized, “he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (3:16-17). We are beloved sons and beloved daughters of our Father in heaven. That is our identity in Christ Jesus our Lord and it compels us to be kind to one another.

In his Message for Lent, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, invites us to a “very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. . . [striving] to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome” (2/5/2026). The Holy Father encourages us to “strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families. . . and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace. . . [and] contribute to building a civilization of love” (id).

May the Holy Spirit walk with us throughout this Lenten season. May we grow closer to Christ and become peacemakers and a light to all people. Amen. (Bishop Garcia, 2/18/2026).

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022226.cfm

Listen to the #podcast from Saturday 5:00 Mass: https://phucphan.podbean.com/e/homily-for-the-first-sunday-of-lent-year-a-2222026/

Listen to the #podcast from Sunday 5:00 Mass: https://phucphan.podbean.com/e/homily-for-the-first-sunday-of-lent-year-a-2222026-sunday-500-mass/

Reflecting on Ash Wednesday (2/18/2026)

On Ash Wednesday, I had the blessed opportunity to serve at Mass and distribute ashes and Holy Communion at Saint Mary Cathedral and at my home parish of Saint Albert the Great. Because I served at two Masses, I was able to use both "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return" and "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" when I made the cross on people's foreheads with ashes.

As I look out at the sea of people in the pews (as I often do during Mass) with crosses of ash on their foreheads, people who I call my brothers and sisters in Christ and fellow sojourners in the desert during Lent and the journey of life, I cannot help but think to myself: "You being here now means that you are able to find and make time in the busyness of your life (if you wanted to) to come to Mass and spend time with Jesus. If you are not already coming to Mass on Sunday, then please come and join us for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to encounter our Lord Jesus Christ in the Word of God and the Eucharist and know that Jesus loves you. Lent is a blessed to come home to Rome."

There are many Catholics who, for one reason or another, have either stopped practicing their Catholic faith all together or stopped coming to Mass but say that they still believe in God. Some received the gift of their Catholic faith from their parents or grandparents but never took responsibility to cultivate their Catholic faith for themselves. I also know several non-practicing Catholics - from family members to friends to co-workers - some of whom even call themselves "recovering" Catholics. Hearing them call themselves "recovering" Catholics hurts my heart to hear. I wonder to myself, was their lived experience as a Catholic such a "drunken stupor" that they are "recovering" from that experience? I pray for them if that was their experience with the Church and Catholicism early on in their lives.

I also find myself pondering a deeper question, how have they been wounded by Catholics in their lives that they are now projecting the wounds inflicted upon them, by the person(s) in their lives, onto our Lord Jesus Christ and his one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I say this, because I once heard a parishioner say that they did not know the Father's love because they never received that love from their own father. Like a marriage between one man and one woman, two imperfect people that God has brought together and, through the graces of the sacrament they received, called to be witnesses of Jesus' perfect love for his bride, the Catholic Church, the Church is made up of imperfect people - ordained and laity. For many, because of their past experiences with people that make up the many parts of the one Body of Christ, the Church, they do not want anything to do with the Church. However, to them, I say, the Holy Spirit protects the Church as Jesus tells us this in the Gospel of Matthew: "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (16:18). I would encourage them not to let Judas keep them from coming to Jesus.

In the first reading for Ash Wednesday, from the Book of the Prophet Joel, we hear the Lord inviting us to return to Him:

Even now, says the LORD,

return to me with your whole heart,

with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;

Rend your hearts, not your garments,

and return to the LORD, your God.

For gracious and merciful is he,

slow to anger, rich in kindness,

and relenting in punishment.

Moreover, we hear Moses say to the people:

“Today I have set before you

life and prosperity, death and doom.

If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,

which I enjoin on you today,

loving him, and walking in his ways,

and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees,

you will live and grow numerous,

and the LORD, your God,

will bless you. . .

If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen,

but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,

I tell you now that you will certainly perish;

you will not have a long life. . .

I have set before you life and death,

the blessing and the curse.

Choose life, then,

that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God,

heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.

For that will mean life for you,

a long life for you to live. . ."

Which brings me to this beautiful message from Fr. Henry Cuellar (2/18/2026):

I know that many people sometimes feel like they are on the outside. Like they aren’t good enough. Like they don’t belong. Like they’ve made too many mistakes. Like the Church is for “better” people.

The truth is this: we all belong.

Every one of us is a beloved son or daughter of God. Every one of us is a sinner who needs grace. The Church is not a museum of saints — it is a hospital for sinners. And none of us walks in perfectly put together. We all come in need of mercy.

I want you to hear this clearly: God loves you. No one is so far removed from His love and mercy that they cannot come back. There is no sin greater than His mercy. There is no distance too far for Him to cross.

Yes, we are a work in progress. We will fall. We will struggle. But the answer is not to stay away. The answer is to keep coming back — back to the fountain of grace, back to the Eucharist, back to Confession, back to His mercy. Let Him keep transforming you.

Whatever is holding you back — shame, fear, a past mistake, a complicated situation — bring it to Him. Don’t carry it alone.

And if you need help, I am here. Not to judge. Not to condemn. But to walk with you and to be an instrument of God’s grace in your life.

Come home.

He’s waiting for you.

Fr. Cuellar's message reminded me of these words from Saint James:

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,

when you encounter various trials,

for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

And let perseverance be perfect,

so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,

for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life 

that he promised to those who love him.

And so, to those who have been away from the Eucharist, come home.

10 Things for a Transformative Lent (UPDATED 2/18/2026)

Homily for Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Year A - 2/16/2026)

We are two days away from Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, a penitential season in the liturgical calendar, “a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter,” in which we “seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting” (USCCCB). Today’s first reading from the Letter of Saint James reminds us of the importance of prayer because prayer is a "vital and personal relationship with the living and true God" (CCC 2558).

St. John Damascene said that "[prayer] is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God" (CCC, no. 2559, citing St. John Damascene, De Fide Orth. 3, 24). The hinge is, we “should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds. . .” Thomas Merton explains what it means to be “a man of two minds” in prayer, saying: “‘double-minded’ (or “of two minds”) [is] hesitating between the world and God. In this hesitation, there is no true faith. . . We are never quite certain, because we never quite give in to the authority of an invisible God. This hesitation is the death of hope. . . This hesitation makes true prayer impossible - it never quite dares to ask for anything, or if it asks, it is so uncertain of being heard. . . What is the use of praying if at the very moment of prayer, we have so little confidence in God that we are busy planning our own kind of answer to our prayers.”

In other words, let us not be like the Pharisees who “[seek] from [Jesus] a sign from heaven to test him” because our lack of confidence in God when we pray will cause Jesus to “[sigh] from the depth of his spirit”.  Rather, let our prayer be a “a surge of the heart. . . a simple look turned toward heaven. . . a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy" (CCC 2558, citing St. Therese of Lisieux, Manuscrits Autobiographiques, C 25rr). As we prepare for Lent, may our personal relationship with God through prayer give us the strength and courage to “encounter various trials” in our lives with hope and respond with faith in God who loves us because we “know [in our hearts] that the testing of [our] faith produces perseverance” that perfects and completes us so that we lack nothing.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021626.cfm