13th Sunday in Ordinary time -Year A
Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,
I still remember the first homily I ever preached as a new deacon. It was at the seminary, and the Gospel was this one: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37-38) Standing before more than 200 classmates and professors, I stumbled awkwardly through my words and realized how strange — almost insane — this teaching sounded. If anyone else said it, we would call it narcissistic or cultish. And that is the point. I felt the weight of those words in my own heart then, as I still do today. Am I willing to live as though Christ’s claim on my love is absolute? Are you? Over the years, I’ve learned that the more I do, the more everything else makes sense. Family, friendships, vocation, even my very self: all of it falls into place when my love for Jesus comes first. That is why He dares to speak this way. Our Lord is not a cult leader hungry for control. He is the Son of God, the source of life and love itself. To put Him before everything else is not to lose, but to find…everything, and everyone, in Him. This week, name one thing or one person you are tempted to place before the Lord. Then consciously offer it back to Him in prayer. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As many of you know, my mom was just in the hospital for a week. She went in due to problems with her liver, she was itching terribly, she was jaundice and there were a couple of other symptoms. It turned out her bile ducts had closed. The doctors put in stents to open the ducts which solved the problem with her liver, however, when they performed the tests, they also discovered a mass on her pancreas which was determined to be cancer. We do not know the prognosis as I write this article for additional tests need to be performed and doctors’ visits need to take place. When she was diagnosed, she was taken aback and very upset as you can imagine. However, the next day she was very at peace and calm about the situation. I asked her what changed? How did she find peace? She simply stated I trust God for He states in scripture “do not be afraid” a lot. She is correct for God states “do not be afraid” 364 times in scripture. That is once per day for the year – it is God’s way of saying I am with you every day, every moment of every day, in other words I am always with you! My mom realizes this fact and that is how she found peace. She may not know what will happen in the long run but she knows that God is with her every step of the way. My brothers and sisters always remember that fact, that no matter what is going on in our lives, God is with each of us every single day, every single moment, every single second of our lives.
God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael
Blessing for the Summer
Praise God!
Pour Your mercy upon this season, Lord! As the days fill with sun, fill our hearts with the fire of Your love. As we gather to share story and song, campfires and connection, be with us. Bless our work, our rest, and our play in Your goodness. Amen.
SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP
“…whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”
Pope Benedict XVI said “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness”. “Comfort” puts me first. “Picking up your cross and following Jesus” puts God and others first. Why settle for comfort when you can achieve greatness! Pick up your cross, ask Jesus for guidance on using your gifts and live the life God intended for you! be!
PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health.
Please pray for: Kellie Salata, Kelly Chinchar, Jessica, Daniel Breslin, Stanley, Joseph Marrone, Anthony, Michael, Joseph, Jessica Esopo, Steve, Audra, Bernadette, James Weiss, Baby Ford, Rosemary Malangone, Elizabeth Malangone, Sue West, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Cheryl Prinjinski, Stephen West, Bryan Westfall, Cathy Bruno, Anne Trainor.
SIN
Question:
A member of my parish was recently arrested for a white-collar crime. I don’t approve of what he did, but he is a great neighbor and a nice person. How should I treat someone like him?
Answer:
There is a litany of expressions that fit this situation: Everyone makes mistakes. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Judge not, lest you be judged. All of these proverbs and sayings highlight the fact that we are here to help each other on the way to salvation. Our hope and goal is that everyone grows in grace, drawing closer to God and to the promise of eternal life. Part of that process is our struggle, collectively and individually, with sin. And that is the ugly part. Sin is not nice, pretty, or inviting when laid out for all to see. Nor is it easy for the person caught in the spotlight. Kindness and support are not the same thing as approval. We recognize that good people can do bad things and, in their struggle, they need the help of others. Our kindness is often the flicker of hope that allows someone to face the consequences of sin while focusing on the promise of redemption. Your desire to help and support your neighbor is the response of grace to sin, and the same response of Jesus to us.
Holy Name Medical Center is looking for Eucharistic Ministers, volunteers, who are willing to help out in giving out Holy Communion to their patients. If you are interested, you can email them at pokafor@holyname.org or call their office at 201-833-3243 or stop by their Pastoral Care Office, behind the chapel, lobby/ground floor at Holy Name Medical Center.
The gift of Bread & Wine for the month of June has been given by Mr. & Mrs. Phil Iacono. The first two weeks are in memory of Angelina & Sebastian Falato and the second two weeks are in memory of Carmela & Salvatore Iacono.
The gift of Altar Flowers for the month of June has been given in memory of Charles Sylvestri by Linda J. Sylvestri.
The gift of the Sanctuary Lamp for the second two weeks of June has been given in memory of the Deceased Members of the Catral & Camacho Families by Paz & Federico Camacho.
Please consider sponsoring our Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, and the oil for the Sanctuary Lamp.
Opportunities for Parish Support
There are several ways you can help support our parish and honor loved ones at the same time. As you may have noticed on the first Sunday of every month in our bulletin, we thank the donors of our Altar Gifts. You can donate the Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, or the Sanctuary Lamp in a two-week block for $50 in someone’s memory. We have blocks open for this year. We also need to purchase a new Easter candle each year (the tall candle on the altar) for $300-$400 which can also be donated in someone’s memory. You do not have to fund the entire amount, anything you wish to donate towards the purchase of our Easter candle is appreciated. We also have masses available for your intentions. If you wish to honor someone in any of these ways, please call the rectory.
Prayer for our Nation
God our Father, giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people. Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will. Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death.” Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Praying the ROSARY
The Rosary is a meditation, a time to recall and think about the life of Jesus as seen and experienced by Mary. As the model of faith, Mary’s life sets a pattern that we strive to follow: saying ‘yes’ to God’s will in our lives and sharing His love and message with others. The Mysteries of the Rosary form a mini lesson of faith, using the highlights and significant moments of the life of Jesus. Like paging through a family scrapbook, we see in brief the events of salvation history that are the core of our belief and the hope of our eternal life.
WE NEED BULLETIN ADVERTISERS!!
We would like to thank all the advertisers who have supported us throughout the past year. Our parish benefits greatly from the ads you see in the bulletin. The revenue pays for the printing which is an important means of communication for the parish. If we do not have enough advertisers, the cost of our bulletin goes up. We thank the local businesses that advertise with us especially in these tough economic times. We have some spaces on the back of our bulletin that need filling so if you would like to advertise your business as well as benefit your church, please contact John Patrick Publishing at 1-800-333-3166.
Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.
