Father Chris Looby

  Celebrating Grace: A Jubilee Reflection on Peter, Paul… and a Hole-in-One Homily of Fr. Tony Childs, 25th Jubilee Mass St. Michael the Archangel Church, South Glens Falls, NY | Saturday, June 28, 2025 One beautiful summer morning, a priest decided to skip church to go play golf. He called his assistant and said he wasn’t feeling well, and asked him to please cover all the Masses. Then, once the first Mass had begun, he snuck out to his car and drove to a golf course more than an hour away—so no one would recognize him. Sure enough, he teed off at the first hole, and miraculously, a huge gust of wind caught the ball, carried it an extra hundred yards, dropped it right on the green, and it rolled into the cup—for a 400-yard hole-in-one! Looking down from heaven, an angel turned to God and asked, “Hey, why did you do that for?” God smiled and said, “What? Who’s he going to tell?” I thought that would fit well for our brief reflection this afternoon. Bishop Parker, Monsignor ...

 If you ever visit St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, take a few quiet moments in the main church to gaze at the sculptures of the apostles. They’re carved from wood—simple, solid, and powerful. But the one that stops you in your tracks is the depiction of St. Peter. He stands behind an upside-down cross—the symbol of his martyrdom. At his feet is a rooster, forever reminding us of his threefold denial of Christ. And then, almost hidden but unmistakably there, is the head of St. Paul peeking over Peter’s shoulder, as if to say, “We stand together.” That image captures the heart of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. These two men couldn’t have been more different. Peter, the fisherman, impulsive and passionate. Paul, the scholar and missionary, brilliant and bold. One denied Jesus; the other persecuted Him. But grace rewrote both their stories. Peter, humbled by failure, became the rock on which Christ built His Church. Paul, blinded by his pride, was given new sight and a new missi...

  Beautiful Lake George from Ticonderoga, NY (Photo taken by Fr. Chris) Did you know that Lake George wasn’t always called Lake George? Back in 1646, the Jesuit missionary St. Isaac Jogues gave it a more sacred name: Lac Saint Sacrement — Lake of the Blessed Sacrament . He saw this vast, sparkling lake as a symbol of the Eucharist—something that nourishes, refreshes, and sustains. The lake was sacred because it reminded him of the Real Presence of Jesus , offered in the Blessed Sacrament. About a century later, British forces renamed it Lake George during the French and Indian War, in honor of King George II. But I have to say… I kind of prefer the first name, don’t you? I thought of that image again this week as I prayed with today’s Gospel. We find ourselves with Jesus and His disciples surrounded by a great crowd—thousands of people, in the middle of nowhere, hungry. They had followed Jesus, listening to Him teach, hoping for healing, craving hope. And now… their stomachs ar...

A father (mine) is delighting in his son (me)! Have you heard that new Lake Street Dive song, “Dance with a Stranger”?   The lyrics begin like this: “Look around the room Find someone's eyes that are new to you... Go say, ‘Hello, how do you do?’ Listen to their answer...commiserate Say, ‘I feel that way sometimes too.’ And, ‘Would you like to dance?’ Dance with a stranger ‘til they’re not a stranger anymore.” (Click here to listen to Lake Street Dive's "Dance with a Stranger) It’s a song about taking a chance—not in romance, but in relationship. It’s about reaching out, being present, being vulnerable. That, believe it or not, is what today— Trinity Sunday —is all about. Because our God is not a solitary being, but a relationship: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit .  And at the heart of that relationship is a divine movement of love—giving, receiving, overflowing.  The early Church had a word for it: perichoresis . It literally means a divine dance . The Father pours Hims...

We’ve all heard someone say, “It looks like that person is rubbing off on you!” Maybe you’ve picked up a friend’s catchphrase… started telling jokes like your dad… or caught yourself reacting just like your mom. It happens. Who we spend time with shapes us. The people we surround ourselves with influence how we speak, how we act, and even how we think. So here’s the question for today: What happens when you start spending time with the Holy Spirit? What happens when the Spirit starts rubbing off on you? That’s the heart of today’s feast. On Pentecost, we celebrate the day the Holy Spirit came down—not just as a symbol, but as power. A mighty wind. Tongues of fire. A group of frightened followers suddenly speaking in every language under heaven. It’s not just a miracle of communication—it’s a miracle of transformation. That’s what happens when the Spirit rubs off on you. In today’s Gospel , Jesus appears to his disciples behind locked doors. They’re afraid. Confused. Still stuck in Goo...