15th Sunday in Ordinary time -Year A
Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Sometimes I feel capable of absorbing almost anything except God’s Word. My mind soaks up song lyrics, sports trivia, and endless online content. But what was the reading at Mass this morning? I struggle to recall. That realization discourages me, and it leads to an uncomfortable question. What is my heart really for? Is it shaped for constant information and distraction, or is it truly designed for God? Am I capable of deeply receiving His Word? Jesus speaks directly to this today with a simple image. “The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it.” By comparing the Word of the Kingdom to a seed, Jesus reveals something hopeful about us. The human heart is made for that seed. Soil and seed belong together. No matter how compacted, rocky, or overgrown the ground has become, the Sower never stops sowing. God loves our hearts. He sees them as a farmer sees his fields, full of potential. Human hearts can indeed “understand the Word.” Understanding does not mean mastering information. It means letting the Word sink in, interacting with it, and giving it a home. It means trusting that, beneath the surface, God is at work in quiet and hidden ways. When we allow the Holy Spirit to loosen the soil of our hearts through prayer, repentance, and simplicity, the same Word that created the universe begins to bear fruit in us, 30, 60, even a hundredfold.
Lord Jesus, Sower of life, soften the soil of my heart. Let Your Word take root in me again, and bring forth the fruit You desire. Amen. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
While I was visiting N.H. a few weeks ago I attended mass at the parish I belonged to when I lived up there. When I left mass, I was feeling a bit perturbed but at first was not sure what was bothering me so much. I realized it was due to some changes the priest made to the mass or subtractions he made to the mass. He did not have intercessions and there was no sign of peace. This bothered me for two reasons: First, I was trained as a master of ceremonies while in seminary which basically means I am an expert on the liturgy and the priest does not have the right/authorization to add or subtract from the mass. The priest must follow the mass as outlined by the Roman Catholic Church. Second, was because the parts he removed are the parts where we pray for others! The intercessions, more times than not, are for the needs of others. The sign of peace is where we wish each other the peace of Christ in our lives. Though the consecration is the pinnacle of the mass and the Word of God is a close second, it is still important that we remember others, that we pray for others and each other, after all,that is what it means to be a Christian; to love one another as God has loved us. My brothers and sisters let us always remember that, we are called to be Christ like, which means loving the way God loves.
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
“The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word but then the cares of the world and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.”
Does the lure of riches and material goods choke God out of your life? Are you so caught up in earthly activities that you have no time for God? Gratitude and generosity are virtues that we should strive to do on a daily basis. Every decision we make either takes us one step closer to God or one step further away. What we receive at Mass every Sunday should be shared with others all the other days of the week as well.
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.
PRACTICING CATHOLIC
RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman
The Gardener and the Soil
I began writing this piece by googling “how do you make soil fertile?” which should tell you everything you need to know about my own abilities as a gardener. I remember seeing a packet of seeds in the store one summer as a child and convincing my mother to buy them. They were delphiniums, which bloom into a beautiful cone shape if you know what you’re doing. Alas, I didn’t. I chose for my garden a particularly dry spot of earth right next to my backyard playset, scattered the seeds, congratulated myself, and went on my merry way. I returned occasionally to water the area, but only when I remembered to. Nothing grew, not even a little sprout. I was more than heartbroken — my faith was shaken. I had planted these seeds! I had watered them! (A little.) There was sunlight! All my childhood books and rhymes said this was all you needed. Was it all a lie? Of course it wasn’t a lie. Seeds need soil, sunlight, water, and oxygen — good soil, adequate sunlight for whatever the plant is, and consistent water. So what seeds need more than anything is a gardener. (At least, delphiniums do.) When I hear the parable of the rich soil and the rocky ground in the Gospel of Matthew, I often miss the point. I think Jesus is trying to give me a message about how I should be. “Be better.” That’s what I think he’s telling me. I forget that I am only the soil. I cannot enrich myself; all my efforts to do so will come to nothing. What He is telling me is to ask the gardener: “Make me what I need to be.”
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.
