1 August 2021 - 18th Sunday of ORDINARY TIME - John 6: 6:24-35

    The crowd ate the food that Jesus multiplied for them from the several loaves of bread and the two fish that a boy in the crowd had with him.  The crowd ate the food until they were satisfied.  Through this miracle, the crowd saw Jesus as a true prophet in their midst.  Yet, many in the crowd still had doubts and questions.  This is a common theme in the Gospels. The people see a sign, they believe and they grow in their faith, but then their doubts return.  For five weeks in a row, we will hear from the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel, which we started to hear last Sunday. In their curiosity, the crowds follow Jesus throughout the countryside, asking: Who is this man Jesus and what is he all about?  Will he satisfy their earthly needs, symbolized in the miracle of the loaves and the fish?  Or will there be more than this?  Can he satisfy their search for meaning, their search for fulfillment, their search for faith?

       The 6th Chapter of John’s Gospel is called the bread of life discourse. As Catholics, a lot of what we believe in the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Christ is addressed in this Gospel discourse.  Jesus announces to us today:  “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never hunger.  Whoever believes in me will never thirst.”  As we gather as a community of faith for the Eucharist at our Masses this weekend at St Jude, we receive the bread of life that sustains us on our journey.  In the Gospel today, the crowds ask for more signs in their desire to see and believe.  We, too, as disciples of Christ, hunger and thirst just like the crowds in the Gospel.  Through our eyes of faith, we are able to see that what we partake of is not just normal bread and normal wine, but rather the body and blood of Christ.  Thus, the Eucharist is an important sign for us: a sign of Christ’s true presence with us.  As Thomas Aquinas states in his Summa Theologiae - “It is the law of friendship that friends should live together….Christ has not left us without his bodily presence in this our pilgrimage, but he joins us to himself in this sacrament in the reality of his body and blood.”  

         When the crowds ask Jesus how they are to accomplish the works of God, he tells them that they are to believe in the son that God sent. However, it does not end there.  There is to be a connection between the Mass we celebrate together, the Eucharist we receive, and the way we live out our lives of faith.  Pope Francis, in his writings about the Eucharist, states that the Eucharist is an act of Christ because it is Christ.  Christ makes himself present to us, nourishing us with his word and his life.  The mission and identity of all Catholics, the mission and the identity of the Church, must flow from the Eucharist.  Pope Francis goes on to say: our Eucharistic celebrations may be flawless and beautiful on the exterior, but they must always lead us to an encounter with Christ.  Without such an encounter with our Lord and Savior in the Eucharist, our hearts and our lives will not be nourished by him. Pope Francis states, “Through the Eucharist, Christ wishes to enter into our life and permeate it with his grace, so that in every Christian community (and in every Christian soul) there may be coherence between liturgy and life.”

           As I look at my schedule these past several months, most weeks, I have celebrated 10 to 16 Masses a week, writing 6 or 7 or 8 or more homilies or reflections a week as well.  Believe me, some weeks, that is not easy at all, with all else I do as Vicar General and as pastor of St Jude.  But I can honestly say that celebrating the Mass is not a drudgery for me nor is it just an obligation I must fulfill.  For me, Mass is always an encounter with Christ.  It is always a holy time where we gather together as the people of God, as the Body of Christ. It is always an act of faith for me.  Celebrating Mass even when I am tired or when I don’t feel well is a joy and a privilege. Without the Eucharist, I could not be a priest.  And all of us should feel the same way: without the Eucharist, how would we be Catholic?  

          Another thing we need to ask ourselves:  How is the Eucharist influencing the way we look at life and the way we live our lives?  Here is a series of questions Pope Francis proposes we ask ourselves:

1. Does the Eucharist increase my capacity to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and cry with those who are crying?

2. Does the Eucharist urge me reach out to the poor, the marginalized, and the sick?

3. Does the Eucharist help me recognize the face of Christ in others?

4. Does the Eucharist help me love my brothers and sisters who are most in need?  How do I love them in the reality of my life?

5. Does the Eucharist help me reach out to those who are in difficulty in life, or am I indifferent to them?

6. Does the Eucharist motivate me to become involved in my parish, to reach out to my fellow parishioners, to learn, grow, and journey with them in faith?

7. Does the Eucharist motivate me to forgive those who have wronged me, to give hope to the disheartened, to give a welcome to those who feel excluded?

            As we hear Jesus tell us that he is the bread of life, we are called to ask ourselves how we see the Eucharist moving us to transformation and renewal.  But, we are called to do more than to pause and reflect. The Eucharist needs to truly transform us and convert us.  As St Frances de Sales: “When you have received (Christ in the Eucharist), stir up your hearts to do him homage; speak to him about your spiritual life; gaze upon him in your soul where he is present for your happiness; welcome him as warmly as possible; and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of his presence.”

25 July 2021 - MISSION APPEAL - ST GREGORY THE GREAT CATHOLIC CHURCH IN WHITTIER CA - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6:1-15

    In our Gospel readings these past couple of Sundays, we’ve heard how Jesus and his disciples are trying to get away for some rest, but the crowds keep following them.  Wherever they go, Jesus and his disciples have captured the imagination and attention of the crowds. Jesus knows that the people are hungry for many things. He realizes that this goes beyond physical hunger, that feeding their physical appetite will not only satisfy one level of hunger, but it will be a sign that he will be able to feed their other types of hunger as well.  With the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish in today’s Gospel, J and the disciples feed the hungry crowds. The crowds eat as much as they want until they are satisfied, with many baskets of food left over.  Through this miracle, the crowds recognize Jesus as the true prophet of God who has come into their midst.

    As we hear about the crowds who came to Jesus, who hungered for his word and his ministry, I come to you today as a priest from a missionary diocese in our country, the Diocese of Jackson, in the state of Mississippi.  When you hear a mission appeal, you probably think of someone talking about the missions in a far away country, but this mission appeal today comes from right here in the United States.  You probably picture Mississippi as being in the heart of the Bible belt in the Deep South - this is definitely true. The Diocese of Jackson is very large geographically.  It takes up most of the state, all except the area along the MS Gulf Coast.  We are the largest Diocese geographically east of Mississippi River.  However, our Diocese has lowest % of Catholics in any Diocese in the US: 2.3%.  There were priests in our area during the time of the Spanish conquistadors, up until the time the territory of Mississippi was formed prior to it becoming a state.  Our Diocese was established in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI.  Currently we have around 90 parishes and missions, but most are rather small, reflecting the rural nature of our state. Most counties in our Diocese only have only one parish; some don’t have even one parish. 

       I’ve been a Diocesan priest for 13 yrs.  My first assignment as pastor was in the communities of Yazoo City and Belzoni in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the cotton growing region along the Mississippi River. and the region of one of the highest levels of poverty in our country.   While stationed in the Delta, I served as the priest in 3 parishes an 2 prisons. The territory I served in these two counties in the Delta encompassed about 1,400 sq miles. Now, keep in mind that all of Orange county, which is an entire diocese in itself, is about 950 square miles.  However, the population was only about 37,000 people in these two counties combined.  I had a 30 minute drive between two of these parishes.  While serving there, one of those counties, Humpheys county, had the highest child poverty rate and lowest median family income of any county in the US.  For the past 4 years, I have been serving as the pastor of St Jude in Pearl, a working class parish in a very rural county, although not far from the city of Jackson.  For the past two years, I have also served as the Vicar General of the Diocese.    

      From my accent, you can probable detect that I am not from Mississippi originally.  Hopefully, you can detect a little bit of California accent as well. I was born in Chicago, but when I was 12 yrs old, my family moved to Santa Ana in Orange County with my family. I came into the Catholic Church as a young adult through the RCIA program at St Norbert in the city of Orange.  As a young adult, as I served as a lay missionary in Canada and Ecuador. That brought me to Diocese of Jackson and the state of Mississippi . 

     I recall how five years ago, in summer of 2016, I was staying with family friends out of town, trying to rest and recuperate from a bout of pneumonia. I received a text from a good friend back in Mississippi, telling me that CNN had just reported that two religious sisters who worked in my Diocese had been killed.  Sister Margaret Held of the School Sisters of St Francis from Milwaukee WI & Sr Paula Merrill of Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, KY, had run a medical clinic in Holmes County in central MS, one of the poorest counties in US. Over 1/3 of the residents in rural Holmes county received medical care from their clinic.  They were very beloved members of our Diocese and of the community where they served; all of us were so shocked that they had been murdered by someone who had been suffering from mental illness.  Going to their memorial service at the Cathedral in Jackson the next week with all my fellow priests was a very emotional experience. I thought of these two wonderful religious sisters and their witness of faith to the community as I was preparing for my mission, as they represent the missionary spirit of our Diocese, of bringing the Gospel and love of Christ to the people of Mississippi. 

       I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to share with you our experiences in the Diocese of Jackson.  We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and it is important for us to be in solidarity together in proclaiming God’s kingdom here on earth. Collection. Thank you for your prayers and your support.

prayers of the faithful - 30 JULY 2021 - 17th week in ORDINARY TIME

Lord Jesus - you are the Son of the Father. 

Christ Jesus - you embrace your disciples as your brothers and sisters. 

Lord Jesus - you came as a servant.

Let us present our prayers in the light of God’s love and mercy. 

1. For our governmental leaders and our Church leaders, may they lead our communities to reconciliation, solidarity and healing.   

2. For all Christians: may we be open to God’s generous love and be filled with gratitude for all the ways God has provided for us

3. For a spirit of generosity: may we share our blessings to all who hunger and thirst for a fuller life, as we live out our vocations as single, married, religious, deacons and priests

4. For the courage to serve others: may we be open to opportunities to generously meet the needs of others with our gifts or time

5. For all doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals: may they be permitted to function according to their conscience and may God enrich their hearts

6. For all who are ill: may God give them strength and courage. 

7. For all who have died: may God welcome them into eternal life. 

8. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

As Jesus calls us to be members of his family, we present our prayers through him this morning, for he is our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

30 July 2021 - Friday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time - MATTHEW 13:54-58

 Sometimes, we can feel limited by the expectations placed on us.  Or by the way people know us.  Jesus travels throughout the land in different regions of Israel, with the people recognizing and acknowledging the special way he proclaims the kingdom of God in his preaching and in his actions, such as miracles of healing.  However, when Jesus starts preaching in the synagogue in his own hometown, the people cannot get beyond his identity as the son of a carpenter, as the son of Mary and Joseph.

Sometimes we can place expectations on ourselves as well.  We think we know our limits; we don’t want to push ourselves beyond that point.  We think that some of God’s laws and commandments are too restrictive and beyond what we can do.  Perhaps the values of the world have too much an influence on us.  Perhaps the expectations others have on us place limits on what we think we can do.

Many people of Jesus’ day rejected his teachings, culminating in his violent death on the cross.  Today, we see people defacing religious statues.  We hear them mocking the values of Christianity.  We hear a lot of them calling for social justice, yet we don’t see most them performing actions to bring that about.  We have a choice to follow the values of Christ or not.  Sure, it has been difficult doing a lot of things during the pandemic.  Sure, some of us did not like the choices we had in practicing our faith.  But let us make the choice to follow Jesus without limits and expectations.  It is easy to criticize the decisions of others.  What are we doing in our lives to follow our faith and to see Jesus for who he is?

25 July 2021 - Reflection on the feast of the St James the Greater

As I get ready for my mission appeal trip to the Los Angeles area, I think about the feast of St James this weekend.  As all of you know, I have hiked the pilgrimage trial of St James in northern Spain that ends at the cathedral of St James in the city of Santiago de Compostela.  Pilgrims have been traveling on foot to this holy city since the 9th century where the remains of St James rest in peace. The word “Compostela” is derived from the Latin words for “field of stars,” as legend has it that the milky way guides the pilgrims on the pilgrimage route of St James.  

         I first hiked the pilgrimage route of St James in Spain in 2003 when I was discerning my vocation to the priesthood.  I have since walked this route four additional times as a priest.  The pilgrimage of St James is a holy experience that is near and dear to my heart.  James, the son of Zebedee and one of Jesus’ apostles, went to Spain as a missionary after Christ’s death and resurrection and then returned to the holy land where he was martyred according to the Acts of the Apostles.  Spain later flourished as a very devout Catholic country.  In celebration of St James on his feast day, here is a prayer that is carried in the hearts of pilgrims as they walk to his holy city: 

O God, who brought your servant Abraham out of the land of the Chaldeans, protecting him in his wanderings. You guided the Hebrew people across the desert.  We ask that you watch over us as we walk in the love of your name to the holy city Santiago de Compostela.

Be for us our companion on the walk,

Our guide at the crossroads,

Our breath in our weariness,

Our protection in danger,

Our hostel on the Camino,

Our shade in the heat,

Our light in the darkness,

Our consolation in our discouragements,

And our strength in our intentions.

With your guidance, O Lord, we pray that we arrive safely and sound at the end of the pilgrimage road, enriched with grace and virtue as we return safely to our homes filled with joy. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

23 July 2021 – Friday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time – Exodus 20:1-17

    In our first reading today, we hear God give Moses the commandments he wishes his people to follow.  Let us think about how following God’s laws and commandments are foundational to our Christian faith and to our life of discipleship.  Having said that, we know that it is not always easy to follow these commandments and to apply God’s law to the reality of our lives.  Reading those commandments, they might seem clear-cut and straight-forward, but when seen in the light of our complicated human lives, it is not so easy or straight-forward, is it?

      This month, in ancient Roman martyrology, we have listed the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.  I thought about them when I thought about the commandment of honoring God and his name and not taking his name in vain.  Supposedly there were seven young men named Maximian, Malchus, Marcian, John, Denis, Serapion, and Constantine.  During the persecutions conducted by the Emperor Decius in the middle of the 3rd century before Christianity became a recognized legal religion, legend hands down that these young men hid in a cave to save their lives because they refused to make pagan sacrifices.  The cave was sealed, and legend has it that they fell into a miraculous sleep and later woke up approximately 300 years later where they were seen by the townsfolk of the city.  This incident was revered by both the Christian and Muslim traditions because it was interpreted as validating the resurrection of the dead that is a part of our belief. Martyrdom was respected and honored in the early Church; it was the true sign of sainthood for the sacrifices and testimony those individuals made for the faith.  Whether the story is true or not is not the point.  The point is: How are we honoring God and his holy name in our lives and what sacrifices and commitment are we making to follow our faith as disciples of Christ.

       Sometimes we think what each of the ten commandment states, but sometimes we may need to look at them through a new lens to see the entirety of what they encompass.  May we honor God in the way we try to follow the Ten Commandments in our lives.  May we honor him and praise him in our words and in our actions. 

prayers of the faithful on the feast of St Mary Magdalene - 22 July 2021

Lord Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us salvation. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to reconciliation.  

In the midst of the challenges of life, the Lord invites us to trust in him and present our needs to him. 

1. That the Church may always proclaim, faithfully and joyfully, the presence of Christ, our hope of glory. 

2. That all public officials may seek to secure the God-given rights of the people, proclaiming a respect for all human life. 

3. That the gift of hospitality may fill our families and communities and may it shape the way we respond to the terminally ill, the unborn, and all people. 

4. That those in the Church dedicated to contemplation and solitude may be faithful to their call and persevere in prayer. 

5. That the sick may find peace in uniting their sufferings with the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body the Church. 

6. That all who have died may have eternal rest and peace. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts. 

 Heavenly Father, we rejoice in how close you are to your people. Hear our prayers and give us the grace to serve you joyfully. We ask this through Christ our Lord forever and ever. Amen. 

Prayers of the faithful - 20 July 2021 - 16th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us salvation. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to reconciliation.  

In the midst of the challenges of life, the Lord invites us to trust in him and present our needs to him. 

1. That the Church may always proclaim, faithfully and joyfully, the presence of Christ, our hope of glory. 

2. That all public officials may seek to secure the God-given rights of the people, proclaiming a respect for all human life. 

3. That the gift of hospitality may fill our families and communities and may it shape the way we respond to the terminally ill, the unborn, and all people. 

4. That those in the Church dedicated to contemplation and solitude may be faithful to their call and persevere in prayer. 

5. That the sick may find peace in uniting their sufferings with the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body the Church. 

6. That all who have died may have eternal rest and peace. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts. 

 Heavenly Father, we rejoice in how close you are to your people. Hear our prayers and give us the grace to serve you joyfully. We ask this through Christ our Lord forever and ever. Amen.  

21 July 2021 - Wednesday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time - Lawrence of Brindisi - Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15

      We heard yesterday of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.  However, in spite of all that God had done for them, the Israelites start complaining.  We know that during their journey in the desert, it seems that they complain about everything.  About the lack of food.  About the lack of water or the water being too bitter.  They remember with nostalgia their life back in Egypt, seemingly remembering all the good things but forgetting the bad.  Our story from Exodus today shown the Israelites that the source of their food in their lives, indeed the source of all that they have, is the God of compassion and love, even in the midst of their constant complaints, in the midst of the help and protection he provided them in the past, even though they fail to remember those things.  Even for us, in our weaknesses, we can easily focus on our sufferings and our grievances, forgetting the blessings we have from God in our lives.  

     Speaking of blessings, the community of saints is truly a blessing in our lives.  And the Doctors of the Church within the community saints represent for us those men and women who have blessed us with teachings and writings that help us on our journey of faith.  Lawrence of Brindisi, who was born in 1559 in Florence, Italy in the midst of the Protestant reformation is the saint of the day.  I love learning about the saints and learning how they followed God’s will for them in their lives.  Lawrence was known for his gift of languages, able to speak and read in his native Italian as well as Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish, and French.  He was ordained a priest in the Franciscan Capuchin order at the age of 23.  With his gift for languages, he studied the Bible in its original texts and languages. At the request of Pope Clement VIII, he preached to the Jews in Italy. His ability to speak Hebrew was so good that many rabbis thought that Lawrence himself was a Jew who had converted to Christianity.  He was a gift diplomat who was dispatched to different foreign diplomatic trips.  In fact, he died on one of those diplomatic trips in Portugal in 1619 on his 60th birthday.  He was also minister general of the Capuchin order, overseeing great growth and expansion of that order.  His sermons and writings on Scripture take up 15 volumes; they are still considered classics today.  He was named a Doctor of the Church in 1959 by Pope John XXIII.  One other interesting fact about him - his remain are found at a Poor Clares’ convent in the village of Villafranca del Bierzo, on the the towns on the Camino pilgrimage trail in Spain.  I am not sure of the circumstances of how his remains came to be there.  Let us unite our prayers with the prayers of St Lawrence Brindisi today.  

 

22 July 2021 - feast of St Mary Magdalene - John 20:1-2, 11-18

        The Church recognizes the role of Mary Magdalene as one of the first witnesses to Christ’s resurrection and as a true and authentic evangelizer of the faith.  In recognition of her important role in the history of the Catholic faith, Pope Francis raised the July 22 memorial of St. Mary Magdalene to a feast on the church's liturgical calendar in 2016. 

          In all the four of the Gospels, Mary Magdalene was a witness to the crucifixion of Jesus.  In the three Synoptic Gospels, she was present at his burial.  Our reading from the Gospel of John today focuses upon her visit to Christ’s tomb.  She arrives at his tomb to find it empty.  She breaks down in tears at the empty tomb.  In her grief, she does not recognize Jesus when he appears to her.  She is blinded by her sorrow and her own failings.  She is overwhelmed by the death of Jesus and by her our struggles.  

          We hear Jesus instruct Mary Magdalene to deliver a message to his disciples about his death and resurrection, that he is going to his father and our father, to his God and our God, instructing us that we have the ability to have a personal relationship with God.  Through those instructions, Christ teaches us that through his suffering and death, he has transcended his earthly death and has opened the gates of heaven to us.  

          We can relate to Mary Magdalene because her journey is so relatable.  We can be blinded by our own fears and our own hardships in life.  However, the faith and courage of Mary Magdalene is an example of faith for all of us to follow.  Mary Magdalene learns to have faith and trust in the presence of Christ’s love and mercy.  She is the apostle to the apostles.  She brings them news of Christ’s resurrection.  Her witness was so important to the Early Church.  We honor Mary Magdalene today.  We unite our prayers with her prayers.  

20 July 2021 - Tuesday of the 16th week in Ordinary Time - Exodus 14:21—15:1

     We have been hearing the story of Moses in the book of Exodus these past two weeks.  Today, we are up to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, a very vivid dramatic Bible story most of us probably member from our childhood.  The lesson all through the book of Exodus and in this story in particular is that God is with his people, constantly protecting them and leading them. Even when they seem to be in deep trouble, God is there with them. The Israelites sometimes can only see darkness and no light in the sufferings they have to endure. Howeer, the light of God with them, even if they fail to recognize that light.  

      Pope Leo XIII died on this day - July 20 - in the year 1903.  He served as pope from 1878 to 1903.  He is so well-known for so many things that I find it hard to believe that he is not yet canonized a saint in the Church.  He wrote the prayer of St Michael the Archangel that we pray at the end of Mass every weekend at St Jude, a prayer that was based on a vision that he had.  He was a great intellect who defended the Catholic Church against the modernist thinking.  He also is responsible for a revival of the Thomism, the philosophical method of St Thomas Aquinas.  He promoted the prayer devotion of the rosary to the faithful and also popularized the view of Mary’s role in the redemption of humanity.  

      Probably the thing I most remember about Leo XIII is the social justice encyclical Rerum Novarum, written in 1891. Coming in the midst of the industrial revolution, of workers moving from working the land to working in factories, of workers moving from rural areas to cities, this encyclical addressed the rights of workers, a fare wage, safe working conditions, and the formation of trade unions.  While he opposed both socialism and capitalism without limits, he affirmed the rights of property ownership and free enterprise. Rerum Novarum is considered a ground breaking document on Catholic Social Teaching, the document on which all other Church documents on Catholic Society Teaching follow.  

       As God was with the people of Israel as he led them through the desert to the promised land, God is with us through the saints and pope who lead his people.  

  

Reflection on the Carmelite Martyrs - feast day of 17 July

     Last Friday, the Bishop, Father Kevin Slattery and I celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Carmelites sisters of Jackson at their monastery on Terry Road in South Jackson.  The Bishop, Father Kevin and I have a very strong friendship with our Carmelite sisters.  I am actually in formation right now to become a secular Carmelite.  That feast day is the central feast day of their religious order.  

      The day after that feast day, on Saturday, July 17, we commemorated the feast day of a group of 16 Carmelite nuns who were martyred for the faith at the end of the French revolution: the Carmelite martyrs of Compiègne, France.  I remember some years ago being introduced to the story of these Carmelite martyrs when I read the book entitled The Song at the Scaffold, written originally in German in 1931 by a convert to Catholicism, Gertrud von Le Fort.  After the French revolution in the late 18th century, many monasteries and convents were ordered shut in France as the new government turned against the Catholic Church.  In 1790, the government ordered the closure of the Carmelite monastery in the town of Compiègne, France. The nuns in that monastery refused to abandon their vocation as Carmelite nuns and refused to leave.  In 1794, those 16 nuns were arrested on charges of living in a religious community, which was against the law in post-revolutionary France.  The nuns were sentenced to death in Paris, where they put to death by the guillotine while they sang the Salve Regina.  They refused to bow down to a government that condemned their Christian way of life.  

       Later, in 1957, French composer Francois Poulenc wrote an opera based on their story entitled Dialogues of the Carmelites.  It is the only major opera that has all female voices. This opera is still performed frequently to this day. Poulenc, a lapsed Catholic at the time, said that composing the opera, both the music and its lyrics, brought him back to the Catholic faith, as he was so inspired by the story of these Carmelite nuns.  

        Below is a link to the Ave Maria that he wrote for the opera, performed by the Metropolitan Opera of New York City.  The song is led by the renowned American opera singer Jessye Norman.   

         Last Sunday at Mass, Deacon John gave a wonderful homily about the challenges that we face in our Catholic faith in our modern world today.  He spoke about how the flock is somewhat scattered right now in a lot of ways. As someone who is trying to serve as a shepherd in the Church right now, I can tell you that thinking about the challenges that face us in the Church today and thinking about the workload that faces me each day, it can all be very overwhelming.  Deacon John mentioned Mother Teresa of Calcutta in his homily, of the inspiration she and her fellow sisters give us, of the way they have given up comfortable lives to serve the poor.  I am inspired and encouraged by many of the saints, including these Carmelite martyrs from France.  In these challenging times, may we feel the prayers of these Carmelite martyrs and the entire community of saints uniting with our prayers. 

18 de julio de 2021 - Decimosexto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario – Marcos 6, 30-34

     El domingo pasado, escuchamos el Evangelio del sexto capitulo de San Marcos, cuando Jesús envió a los discípulos al mundo de dos en dos.  Ellos tenían autoridad sobre los espíritus inmundos y ellos curaban muchos enfermos.  Ellos predicaban la Buena Nueva de Jesucristo al mundo.  Podemos imaginar que esta experiencia era muy intenso para los discípulos.  En el Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos otra lectura del sexto capítulo de San Marcos después del regreso de los discípulos de su viaje misionero.  C. Ellos dieron un reporte de su experiencia misionera.  Ellos estaban muy cansados.  Podemos imaginar su cansancio.  Para nosotros, queremos compartir nuestros experiencias con nuestros amigos y nuestros familiares después de nuestros viajes y vacaciones.  Jesús quería llevar los discípulos a un sitio tranquilo para descansar.  Pero, no encontraron un lugar de paz y de descanso.  La muchedumbre estaba esperando la llegada de Cristo y sus discípulos. 

     Todos de nosotros podemos sentirnos la falta de energía y de amino en nuestra vidas una vez u otras.   Es importante para tener los momentos de retiro y refugio en nuestras vidas.  Yo, como sacerdote de la Iglesia Católica, necesito ir para los ejercicios espirituales para renovar  mi espíritu y mi cuerpo.  Por esta razón, fue a España por un mes para hacer los ejercicios espirituales en el pueblo de Loiola en el País Vasco de España, la patria de San Ignacio y donde hay el castillo de su familia.   Con esta experiencia de peregrinación y con los ejercicios espirituales, tenía un espíritu nuevo.  Podemos darnos cuenta en el Evangelio de hoy y del domingo pasado que Jesús y sus discípulos trabajaron como equipo.  Eso es muy importante en nuestra vida de fe.  Jesucristo es el líder de este grupo, por supuesto, pero Cristo y su grupo de discípulos trabajaban juntos en su misión al mundo en su proclamación del reino de Dios.  En nuestra sociedad, en los Estados Unidos, en Europa, en México, mucha gente piensa que no necesita la Iglesia en su vida, que puede tener una relación uno a uno con Dios directamente, que eso es suficiente.  Pero, eso no es el mensaje de Jesucristo en las Sagradas Escrituras. 

      Podemos decir que estamos en una encrucijada en nuestra sociedad con nuestra fe cristiana.  Me recuerdo que cuando era niño, la comunidad tenía mucho respecto para los sacerdotes y las monjas y los ministros de las iglesias. De los medios de comunicación y del gobierno, nosotros como la Iglesia tenemos muchos ataques.  Estos ataques están creciendo durante la pandemia el año pasado.  Muchos cristianos se preguntan si vamos a tener la libertad religiosa para practicar nuestra fe según los mandamientos de Dios si vamos a seguir en este camino secular.  La respuesta de eso es que no sepamos.  

        Como una comunidad de fe, como el cuerpo de Cristo en nuestro mundo, como una parte de la Iglesia universal en el mundo, necesitamos responder a lo que vemos en nuestro mundo, a la realidad del mundo. Es importante para alimentar y fortalecer nuestra parroquia, nuestra comunidad de fe.  El presidente John F Kennedy dijo a cada persona en nuestro país: “No te preguntes qué puede hacer tu país por ti, pregúntate que puedes hacer tú por tu país.”  Como eso, todos de nosotros podemos preguntarnos qué podemos hacer por nuestra Iglesia como discípulos de Cristo, no qué puede hacer nuestra Iglesia por nosotros.

      Jesucristo trabajaba en su misión con sus discípulos, y él fui con ellos a un lugar tranquilo para descansar.  Espero que todos de nosotros podamos mirar nuestros corazones para ver las maneras que Jesús nos llama para proclamar el reino de Dios y para servir nuestros hermanos. 

18 July 2018 - 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Mark 6:30-34

      Last Sunday, our Gospel from the sixth chapter of Mark showed Jesus sending his disciples out two by two to bring his Good News to the world, giving them the authority to anoint the sick with oil and to cast out demons. One can imagine that this was a very intense, exciting, and sometimes frightening experience for the disciples.  Today’s Gospel takes place later on in this same chapter of Mark after the disciples have returned. They share their stories with Jesus about what happened on their missionary journey.  Even though Jesus knew that he and his disciples needed some time to rest and relax, that time of renewal didn’t come to fruition due to the tenacious crowds that followed him.  But, rather than trying to flee again, Jesus feels compassion for the crowds that are looking for a shepherd to lead them, so he begins to teach them many things.

       I think all of us have felt burned out or stressed out at one time or another.  In fact, in our modern world, that seems to be the norm for some of us.  That being the case, it is important for us to have times of renewal and retreat in our lives.  We priests are required to spend at least a week each year on retreat or with spiritual exercise in order to renew both our bodies and our spirits. For me, going hiking and going on pilgrimage is what energizes my soul.  

       What strikes me about both today’s and last week’s Gospels is how Jesus and his disciples work as a team.  Jesus is their leader, but he and his disciples work together in ministry and in their proclamation of God’s kingdom. Many people in our society today think that they don’t need a church or organized religion in their lives, that a one-on-one relationship with God is enough.  But that’s not the message we get from Holy Scripture in general, and it’s not the message that we get from the Gospel readings these past two weeks.

         In a lot of ways, we as Christians in modern America have been at a crossroads in the way we live out our faith for the last decade or so.  That is even more the case this past year during the pandemic.  I remember as a child how Christianity was given a lot of respect in our country, how priests, nuns, and ministers were some of the most revered people in society.  Today, organized religion is under attack; there is no other way to describe it.  Some of us wonder if we are going to enjoy the religious liberty to even practice our faith according to the laws and morality of the Church if these same attitudes continue to prevail in our society. 

         As I visit all of you in Newton and Paulding today for Mass, I am thankful for the opportunity to visit all of you and to celebrate Mass with all of you on a regular basis.  It saddens me that you all are not able to have Mass even once a month on some occasions.  With all of our schedules and with things that happen in our lives, it is not easy.  There is going to be a pastor assigned to Forest and Morton and to your communities of Paulding and Newton.  Hopefully, this will ameliorate the situation and provide a more constant presence of a priest in your parish.  We are actually looking at all the situations in our Diocese in the parishes and the missions.  Right now, some parishes are not able to get a priest to cover their weekly Masses.  For some of us who travel for Diocesan obligations and who need to find a priest to cover for us, it is not always even, let alone when travel for vacation or time off.  

        In the past few weeks in our Sunday Gospels, we have heard stories of faith and we have heard of the disciples being sent out to bring the Gospel message to the world.  No matter what our reality is on our journey of faith, may this Gospel message give us encouragement and inspiration. 

prayers of the faithful - Our Lady of Mount Carmel - 16 July 2021

Lord Jesus, you the Prince of Peace: Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are the Son of God and Son of Mary: Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are Word of God made flesh: Lord, have mercy.

Prayers of the faithful:  

PRIEST:  God graciously blesses all of humanity.  We now bring forward our needs to God with confidence:

1. That those who follow Christ may remain faithful throughout the challenges and difficult circumstances of their lives.

2. That God may grant wisdom to our governmental leaders in the difficult and challenging decisions they have to make.

3. For peace in our communities that are torn apart by violence, terrorism, anger, or conflict.

4. That we may all be peacemakers who work for reconciliation, peace and justice in our relationships.  

5. That our Mother Mary, Our Lady of Mt Carmel may be an example to all of us in her patience, compassion, and love.  

6. For all who have been affected by recent bad weather and natural disasters.  For those who died in the condo collapse in Florida.  

7. We pray for the sick and the shut-in.  We pray that perpetual light may shine on all our dearly departed.

8. For those prayers we hold in our hearts.  

PRIEST: Gracious God, you bless your people with peace and justice: accept our prayers and give us your help, through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. Amen.  

Reflection for 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 11 July 2021

      Last Sunday, our Gospel from the sixth chapter of Mark showed Jesus sending his disciples out two by two to bring his Good News to the world.  He gave them authority to anoint the sick with oil and to cast out demons. One can imagine that this was a very intense, exciting, and sometimes frightening experience for the disciples.  Today’s Gospel takes place later on in this same chapter of Mark's Gospel after the disciples have returned from their travels. They share their stories with Jesus about their journey.  Even though Jesus knew that he and his disciples needed some time to rest and relax, that time of renewal didn’t come to fruition due to the tenacious crowds that followed him. Rather than trying to flee again, Jesus feels compassion for the crowds that are looking for a shepherd to lead them, so he begins to teach them many things.

     After not being able to travel for vacation since my retreat in Spain two years ago, I am looking forward to a time of missionary travels and vacation in July and August.  Next Friday, I will be traveling to Southern California.  I will stay with my sister, Heather, in Orange County and will have a mission appeal at the parish of St Gregory the Great in Whittier, a suburb of Los Angeles.  St Jude will have the honor of having Bishop Kopacz celebrating Mass while I am away.  The second weekend in August, I will be traveling to Terre Haute, Indiana for another mission appeal.  Then, later in August, I will travel to Wakefield, Rhode Island for a mission appeal and for a visit with my sister Kimberley and her family in the Boston area.  As all of you know, I became a priest in the Diocese of Jackson with a very joyful missionary spirit, with a love of sharing our faith with people of different cultures, languages, and walks of life. I am looking forward to these mission appeals, visiting three different parts of the country. I also look forward visiting my two sisters as I do not get to see them very often.  Father Nick Adam will be celebrating Mass the two weekends in August I will be away.  I know that you all will enjoy Mass with Bishop Kopacz and Father Nick.  I will enjoy sharing my experiences with these parishes as pastor of St Jude and as Vicar General of the Diocese of Jackson.  Blessings to all of you.  Have a blessed week everyone! 

16 July 2021 – Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Matthew 12:1-8

    The Pharisees were always trying to trap Jesus.  They always tried to find a law that they could accuse him of breaking.  They criticized his words and his actions.  They were always suspicious of his intentions.  They see his disciples picking up discarded grains in a field to eat, and immediately they want to find something wrong with it.  On our journey of faith, we can always try to find fault with something, find something to criticize in our brothers and sisters.  Or, we can look for blessings in our lives, look for creative ways to live out our faith and grow in our faith.  

      Today’s feast day celebrates a special devotion and apparition of Mary as we commemorate the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  We think of our beloved Carmelite sisters here in Jackson, for which Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a special feast day.  In the Hebrew Scriptures, Mount Carmel was a place of refuge.  In the Christian era, Hermits lived on Mount Carmel in northern Israel beginning in the 12th century, dedicating a chapel there to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  They soon celebrated a special mass and office of readings dedicated to Mary.  Since the 15th century, popular devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has centered on the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as the Brown Scapular. Traditionally, Mary is said to have given the Scapular to an English Carmelite monk named Saint Simon Stock, which is said to have occurred in the middle of the 13th centuries.

        The feast day was officially recognized by the Church in 1726 under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  This group of hermits at Mount Carmel evolved into the religious order of the Carmelites, the religious group that has given our Church the great saints & mystics Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, and John of the Cross, all three doctors of the Church, as well as the Carmelite sisters Teresa of the Andes and Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). 

        In the different ways Mary appears to the faithful, she always points us to her son in a very special way.  May the intercessions of Our Lady of Mount Carmel lead us to her son, Jesus Christ.  May we find meaning and significance in our burdens as we unite them to the sufferings of Jesus.  

prayers of the faithful - 14 July 2021

 Lord Jesus - you call us to be missionary in spirit

Christ Jesus - you call us to holiness

Lord Jesus - you are the Son of the Father 

We know that God answers those who call out to him day and night. Let us call out to God, our Father, for the needs of the Church and the needs of our brothers and sisters. 

1. For the Church on mission in the world, that we may be reminded that each of us has a call to be missionary in spirit. 

2. For missionaries, saints and martyrs, men and women of faith who witness to the Gospel in all areas of the world, that their example of love and mercy will guide the Church in missionary discipleship. 

3. For the first responders and men and women in the military and medical professionals.  For those who keep us safe in society. 

4. For our children and youth, for their vocation to which God calls them.  That God may accompany their thru their summer activities.  And that Holy Spirit may be with the youth in their Homework summer experience this week.  

5. For the sick and shut-ins.  For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.  

“Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” We bring these prayers of petition to you, O Lord. May our faith be strengthened and may we find the courage to proclaim the Word. We ask this through Christ our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

prayers of the faithful - 13 July 2021

 Lord Jesus - you proclaim the word of God. 

Christ Jesus - you are the word of God made flesh. 

Lord Jesus - you speak the truth. 

Priest: Recognizing our ongoing need of God’s grace at work in our lives, let us offer our prayers to our loving Father: 

1. That the Church may preach with compassion the need for repentance, leading all to healing and union with Christ. 

2. For leaders of nations: that they may be prophets of justice and instruments of peace in our world. 

3. For our children and youth, may they see God in their experiences and activities this summer.  

4.  For the sick, the lonely, and the grieving: that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. 

5. For all who have died: that they may dwell in Christ’s abundant love for all eternity.

6. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today.                                                                                                          

Priest:  Loving Father, as you hear and answer our prayers, grant that we may know and accept your loving will in our lives.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Catholic prayer to start a meeting

On Tuesday morning, 13 July 2021, the compliance oversight committee of the Catholic Diocese is meeting.  This is the prayer to start the meeting:  

Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning as your disciples,  asking for your guidance, your wisdom, and your support as we begin this meeting our oversight and compliance committee.  We thank you for the commitment and efforts of all gathered here to help improve the structure, policies, procedures, and internal control of the Diocese of Jackson. We humbly ask that you help us to engage in meaningful discussion in a spirit of unity, charity, and solidarity. Fill us with your grace, O Lord our God, in our meeting today.  Continue to remind us that all that we do here today, all that we accomplish, is for the pursuit of truth for the greater glory of you, and for the service of the people of God of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. We ask these things in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

14 July 2021 – Wednesday of 15th week in ordinary time – Matthew 11:25-27

      As a priest, there are some Bible reading that are part of my life on a very frequent basis, due to the rites and the sacraments that are a part of my duties as a priest.  The Gospel we hear today is a part of the reading that we priests use for the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, so it is a reading that I use very often.  Sometimes, the wise and the learned think they have all the answers in society, yet often the answer is simple and right before our very eyes.  I remember that once one of my parishioners was telling me that their remote entry system for their car went out on them while they were at a college football game.  They tried to use the remote control to open the car, and nothing happened.  The husband and wife looked at each other perplexed and wondered out loud how they would get into the car, that they would have to phone a repair service for help.  Their young granddaughter looked at them and asked: Can’t you just use the key to get into the car?  Everyone burst out laughing.  Yes, we are so used to using the remote control that we forget about the key.  We are so used to using our advanced technology that sometimes the simple solutions escape us.     

        Even though some of the saints we celebrate in our liturgical calendar are the wise and the learned, often it is the simple humble faith of the saints that speak most profoundly to us on our journey.  Kateri Tekakwitha is the saint we celebrate today.  She was born in 1656 in what is now central New York state, a native woman of Algonquin–Mohawk origin.  Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI, Kateri, known affectionately by many of the faithful as the Lily of the Mohawks, was the first saint of native heritage from either Canada or the United States.  She died at the age of 24 near what is now Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  When Kateri was a young girl, her parents and baby brother died in a small pox epidemic, which left her severely disfigured and almost blind.   Despite not having much of a formal education, and despite there not being Christian scriptural and catechetical materials available to the native people in their own language, Kateri became a living Bible and living catechism to her people.  Her story tells us how God can speak to us in different ways, in different cultures and in different languages.  She is seen  as the patron saint of the environment and ecology.   Her national shrine is located near her birthplace in New York State.  We unite our prayers with the prayers of St Kateri today. 

13 July 2021 - Tuesday of the 15th week in Ordinary Time - Exodus 2:1-15

     These past several weeks, we heard stories from the book of Genesis in our first readings in daily mass, of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants, of Abraham’s grandson Jacob founding the house of Israel with his sons, of Jacobs son Joseph bringing the rest of his family to Egypt.  This week we hear from the book of Exodus, continuing the story of the Jewish people in the land of Egypt.  Yesterday, the reading told of us the Egyptians feeling threatened by the strength and number of the Jewish people, with Pharaoh ordering the boys born to the Jewish households be thrown in the river and killed.  Today, we hear the story of Moses, of how he was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised in the Egyptian royal palace, but how he had gotten into trouble as an adult, with Moses fleeing to the land of Midian.   Moses is one of the leading figures in the history of the Jewish people.  Moses is a grown man at the time that he flees for his safety. In the 7th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Stephen, enduring his trial, states that Moses was 40 years old when he fled Egypt to be with his kinfolk.   From this act of violence taken by Moses today, we know that Moses will lead the Hebrew people to liberation and to their promised land, that he will receive laws and commandments from God that the Hebrew people are to obey.   After Moses, there will be many different prophets called by God to bring God’s message to the people and to bring them to repentance.   We know that leading the people in the faith is never any easy task.  I see that close up with my work with Bishop Kopacz in the chancery office.  Our leaders need our prayers, our cooperation, and our allegiance.   

11 de julio de 2021 - Amós 6:7-13; Marcos 6:7-13 - XV Domingo Ordinario

     Durante las últimas semanas en las misas dominicales, hemos escuchado a Jesús enseñarnos sobre la fe.  Hemos escuchado sobre la semilla de mostaza: si podemos comenzar con una cantidad de fe tan pequeña como esta semilla, esa fe puede crecer y florecer como esa pequeña semilla que puede convertirse en una planta enorme.  Hemos escuchado que los discípulos fueron animados en su camino de fe cuando estaban en medio de una tormenta, cuando Jesucristo demostró su poder y calmó la tormenta.  También hemos escuchado sobre la fe de la mujer que sufría de hemorragias, que creía que se curaría de su aflicción si tan solo pudiera tocar el manto de Jesús.

      La fe no está destinada a ser guardada para nosotros mismos, por lo que después de escuchar estas historias del Evangelio sobre la fe, escuchamos a Jesús enviando a los discípulos a ser misioneros y evangelizar al mundo.  Podemos mirar unos temas sobre la fe y sobre la vida del discipulado.

     Primero, podríamos preguntarnos: ¿por qué Jesús les diría a sus discípulos que trajeran tan pocas cosas con ellos en su viaje?  Bueno, todos sabemos que diferentes cosas pueden agobiarnos en nuestro viaje.  Eso es más evidente cuando tenemos que llevar todo en nuestra mochila en una caminata.  Llevamos cosas físicas con nosotros, pero también tenemos las cargas emocionales y las preocupaciones que llevamos con nosotros.  Jesús quería que los discípulos se dieran cuenta de que el mensaje del Evangelio era lo más importante.  Ellos no podían tener las distracciones para disminuir el enfoque de comunicar ese mensaje y evangelizar al mundo.

     Hay otro tema: la diferencia entre ser discípulo y ser apóstol.  Cada uno de nosotros, como cristianos, estamos llamados a ser discípulos.  La palabra "discípulo" proviene del verbo latino "discere", que significa aprender.  El discípulo escucha el mensaje de Cristo, aprende de él, acepta sus enseñanzas y vive sus enseñanzas en la vida diaria. El discípulo sigue los pasos de Jesús.

     Sin embargo, el apóstol no solo es un seguidor de Jesús, sino que también es un evangelizador del mensaje de Jesucristo.  Ojalá, ese es un mensaje que todos ustedes escuchen en mis homilías con frecuencia: que TODOS estamos llamados a ser evangelizadores de la Buena Nueva de Cristo.  La palabra "apóstol" tiene orígenes griegos - la palabra griega "apostolos" - que significa "uno que es enviado" por sus superiores, como mensajero o embajador.  A través de nuestro bautismo, cada cristiano tiene la misión de compartir la fe con nuestro prójimo.

     El otro aspecto importante de un apóstol es compartir nuestra propia experiencia de fe de conocer a Jesús con nuestro prójimo.  Como apóstoles, compartimos más que palabras, ideas y doctrinas; también compartimos nuestras experiencias de Dios y de Jesucristo.  Como evangelizadores, estamos llamados a invitar a nuestro prójimo a compartir la experiencia de Jesucristo, tanto cristianos como no bautizados.  Podemos reflexionar sobre esto: todos estamos aquí hoy porque alguien compartió su fe con nosotros. Se espera que hagamos lo mismo.

      Jesucristo nos dice que, como evangelizadores, no siempre seremos bienvenidos, sino que debemos pasar a la siguiente casa y sacudirnos el polvo de los pies si no somos bienvenidos.  En nuestra primera lectura de hoy, se le dice al profeta Amós que se vaya de Betel, que el mensaje que tiene que entregar no está bienvenido allí.  Amós responde: él dice que no fue su idea convertirse en profeta, que él era solo un simple pastor y cuidador de árboles.  Sin embargo, cuando él trabajaba como pastor, Dios lo llamó a ser profeta de Israel.  Podemos simpatizar con Amós.  Podemos decir: soy laico, soy trabajador, no soy sacerdote.  No soy monja.  No soy monje.  ¿Dios me llama a ser evangelizador?  De hecho, como discípulos bautizados en Cristo, TODOS estamos llamados a ser evangelizadores.  Nosotros tenemos la llamada a invitar a otros a conocer a Jesucristo, a compartir nuestra fe con ellos. Por supuesto, no siempre obtendremos una recepción muy buena de nuestro mensaje.   Pero habrá aquellos a los que damos la bienvenida a la Buena Nueva que tenemos que compartir con ellos.  Cristo trabaja en nosotros y a través de nosotros, pero tenemos que permitirle que lo haga. Ser enviado por Jesús no es fácil, eso es seguro. Pensemos en las formas en que podemos hacer esto en nuestra vida diaria. En el lugar de trabajo. En el colegio. En nuestro barrio. En nuestro hogar.  En nuestra vida diaria.

prayers of the faithful - 9 July 2021 - 14th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you are the good Shepherd. 

Christ Jesus - you are the bread of life. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to the true faith. 

Priest: Nourished by the Word of God, we place our prayers and petitions before God, who loves us beyond measure. 

1. That the Church and her leaders may continue to serve the spiritual and physical needs of the people of God. 

2. That public officials may constantly work to protect the welfare of the weak and the dignity of all people. 

3. That we may give thanks for the freedom that we have in our country, including the freedom to practice our faith, and that we may use that freedom in the service of life and of God. 

4. That all of us may work toward reconciliation and healing in our families, our Church, and our community. 

5. That those trapped by poverty or poor health may be strengthened by God's saving love and by caring people who help them. 

6. That those who have died may know the peace of the risen Christ. 

Priest: God of our ancestors, as you answer the prayers we have presented to you today, grant us the strength and courage to answer your call to holiness. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.   

11 July 2021 - 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Amos 6:7-13; Mark 6:7-13

    For the last several weeks in our Sunday Masses, we have been hearing Jesus teach us about faith.  We heard about how, if we can start out of with an amount of faith as small as a mustard seed, that faith can grow and flourish like that small seed that is able to grow into a huge plant. We heard about the disciples being encouraged on their journey of faith when they were in the midst of a terrible storm, when Jesus demonstrated his power and calmed the storm. We also heard about the faith of the woman suffering from hemorrhages, who believed that she would be cured of her affliction if only she could touch Jesus’ cloak.  

     Our faith is not meant to be guarded and kept to ourselves, which is why after hearing these Gospel stories about faith, we hear Jesus sending out the disciples to be missionaries and to evangelize the world.  While thinking about the Gospel today, a few things came to my mind about our faith and about our life of discipleship.  

      First, we might ask ourselves: why would Jesus tell his disciples to bring so few things with them on their journey?  Well, we all know that different things can weigh us down on our journey.  That is most evident when we going backpacking and have to carry everything with in our backpack.  Everything little matters when we carry things with us.  Not just physical things, but the emotional burdens and worries we carry with us as well.  Jesus wanted the disciples to realize that the message of the Gospel was the most important thing.  He did not want anything else to distract them or take them away from their focus of communicating that message and evangelizing the world.  

     Another thing that came to mind: the difference in being a disciple and in being an apostle.  Each of us as Christians are called to be disciples.  The word "disciple" comes from the Latin verb “discere” - which means to learn.  A disciple hears Christ’s message, learns from him, accepts his teachings, and lives out his teachings in his daily life.   A disciple follows in the footsteps of Jesus.  

    However, an apostle is not only a follower of Jesus, but he is an evangelizer of Jesus' message as well.  Hopefully, that is a message that you all hear from us priests preach about frequently: that we ALL are called to be evangelizers of Christ’s Good News.  The word "apostle" has Greek origins - "apostolos" - meaning “one who is sent” by his superiors, an envoy or messenger or ambassador.  Through our baptism, each one of us had a mission to share our faith with others.    

     The other important aspect of an apostle - is sharing our own faith experience of knowing Jesus with others.  As apostles, we share more than words, ideas, and doctrines; we also share our experiences of God and of Jesus.  As evangelizers, we are called to invite others to share in the experience of Jesus - Christians and the non-baptized alike.  Think about this: we are all here today because someone shared their faith with us.  We are expected to do the same. 

      Jesus tells us that as evangelizers that we are not always going to be welcome, but that we should just move on to the next household and to shake the dust off our feet if we are not welcome.  In our first reading today, the prophet Amos is told to leave Bethel, that the message he has to deliver is not welcome there.  Amos responds by saying that it was not his idea to become a prophet, that he was just a simple shepherd and caretaker of trees.  However, while working as a shepherd, God called him to be a prophet to Israel.  We may sympathize with Amos.  We may say: I am just a nurse, or a school teacher, or an accountant, or a salesperson, or a truck driver.  God is calling me to be an evangelizer?  Indeed, as a baptized disciples of Christ, we are ALL called to be evangelizers.  We are all called to invite others to come to know Jesus, to share our faith with them.  For sure, we will not always get a warm reception.  But there will be those who we welcome the Good News we have to share with them.  Christ works in us and through us, but we have to allow him to do so.  

     Being sent out by Jesus is not easy, that is for sure.  Let us think of ways we can do this in our daily lives.  In the workplace.  In school.  In our neighborhood.  In our everyday lives.  

9 July 2021 - Friday of the 14th week of Ordinary Time - Genesis 46:1-7 and 28-30

      These past three weeks, we have been hearing readings from the book of Genesis in our first readings at our daily Masses.  These readings started out telling us the story of Abraham and his covenant with God.  This week, we have been hearing the story of Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, and for the past two days, about Jacob’s sons and the story of how they moved to Egypt.  After Jacob’s son Joseph had been abused and sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph is reunited with his family in the midst of a terrible famine.  Joseph now is in a position of power in Egypt, but rather than seek revenge and vengeance against his brothers for the terrible injustice they did to him, he reconciles with his family and brings them to Egypt.  This culminates with the emotional meeting between Joseph and his beloved father, as they both weep at seeing each other, having been separated for such a long time.  Later in the book of Genesis, we hear how Jacob and some of his sons are introduced to Pharaoh, who invites them to settle in Goshen at the northeast portion of the Nile Delta, where Jacob and his sons will be able to settle with their sheep and continue their lives as shepherds. These stories are part of the story of the Jewish people, of their covenant with God, of the promises God made to Abraham and his descendants.  This is the culture and the people in which Jesus is born, in which God gives us a new covenant with his son.  We hear in the Bible stories of the many ways God has interacted with his people throughout history.  This is important to us because this is a part of our story and our history as well.  

Reflection for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time - St Jude Catholic Church - 11 July 2021 - Mark 6:7-13

    This Sunday, our Gospel reading tells us of Jesus sending out his disciples on a missionary journey.  He tells them to travel light, as he does not want them to be burdened down on their journey.  He does not want their focus to be distracted by extraneous things on their journey.  He sends them out to bring his Good News to the world and to cure the sick.  Today’s short Gospel reading inspires us on our own missionary journey as we ourselves proclaim Christ’s Good News through our own words and our own actions.

     As I write this reflection today, my heart is heavy with the news we received of our beloved staff member of St Jude, Stacy Wolf, entering into eternal life on Wednesday evening.  As I thought about Jesus sending out his disciples into the world, I thought of the example of faith and the joy of our faith that Stacy embodied in his words and her actions, of her ministry here at St Jude.  We just finished up our Wednesday evenings of Vacation Bible School in the month of June.  That event so represented Stacy and the joy she brought to everything she did as a disciples of Christ. The Bible lessons, the stories, the activities, the arts and crafts, the games, and the lovingly prepared meals were all a part of that Vacation Bible School experience. She so loved our children and youth.  She loved bringing the message of faith to our children, our youth, and our families.  It is such a shock knowing that Stacy is no longer with us here on earth, but the joy of her faith touched so many lives and will live in so many people.  I thought of the Good Shepherd pillar that we have at the beginning of our stations of the cross in front of the rosary garden at the edge of the parking lot at St Jude.  The Good Shepherd who takes cares of his sheep is the symbol of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program that we have at St Jude.  That Good Shepherd pillar also has the vine and the branches carved into the side, which is another symbol of our catechesis program that speaks so strongly to our children and youth. Those symbols of the Good Shepherd and the vine and the branches symbolize how Stacy lived here life of faith, of the characteristics of the goodness and connectedness of our faith that she taught our children and youth.

      In the community of saints that we celebrate in our Church, we have so many examples of the men and women who passed down the faith to us and whose prayers and intercessions accompany us our own journeys.  As we lift us Stacy and her family in our prayers, we can be reassured that she is with us as a member of the community of saints.

7 July 2021 - Wednesday of the 14th week in Ordinary Time - Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a and 17-24a

     We had been hearing the story of Jacob from the book of Genesis for the past couple days in our daily Masses.  Today, we hear about Jacob’s son, Joseph, having been sold into slavery by his brothers, but now in a position of power in Egypt, a position that puts him face-to-face with his brothers in the midst of a terrible famine.  Joseph could have used that position of power to get vengeance and retribution from what his brothers did to him.  At the end of today’s reading, Joseph weeps, knowing the tragedy in his life and in his family’s life as to what his brothers did to him.  We can just begin to image the loss and the anger and the other emotions that Joseph could be feeling at this moment.  According to the values of many in our secular world today, many in our society would choose revenge and violence if they were in Joseph’s place.  Joseph was the victim of abuse, violence, and injustice at the hands of his brothers.  When we are faced with such a grim reality, reconciliation and healing may seem to be an impossible choice to make with the anger and hard feelings we may have in our hearts.  In his humanity, Joseph had a choice to make. As disciples of Christ, we are called to make the choice of compassion and love, no matter how hard that may be.