From the Pastor&#039;s Desk: June 18, 2023

From the Pastor’s Desk: June 18, 2023

At last, we have arrived at the end of the many weeks which were taken up with the celebration of and reflection on the ‘Paschal Mystery.’ It began with Ash Wednesday, went through Lent, the celebration of Holy Week and Easter, the weeks following Easter, and culminated in Pentecost and the handing on of Jesus’ mission to His Church. In addition, the church celebrated the Solemnities of the Most Holy Trinity and Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord. With this Sunday’s celebration, we return for the rest of the liturgical year – the ‘Ordinary’ Sundays of the Year – which will bring us right up to Advent and the beginning of another liturgical cycle.

In today's Gospel, Jesus shares His mission to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven with His disciples. The signs of the Kingdom's presence consist of the work that Jesus has already been doing: the sick are cured, lepers are cleansed, demons are driven out, and the dead are raised to life. The Gospel reports that Jesus commissions twelve disciples. He gives us a glimpse of His mission - as God, He could have chosen to fulfill the mission of salvation all alone, to stay on earth forever. He could have wandered around the entire world, throughout all of history, healing the sick and teaching the crowds, just as He did in Galilee and Judea during His three years of public ministry. And yet, He chose not to. When His heart was moved at the suffering crowds, instead of doing all the work of salvation alone, He decided to summon His Twelve Apostles, whom He trained for three years. And through them, He laid the foundation for His Church. This is a moment of transition in Matthew's Gospel. The focus has shifted from the ministry of Jesus to the work of the community that He has inaugurated. More than any other Gospel, Matthew's Gospel elaborates on the work of the Church, which is to continue after Jesus' death and resurrection. And so, the Church has become the extension of His incarnation and mission throughout all ages and in every land. Christ chose to administer His salvation through the cooperation of intentional disciples, of men and women, you and me, who would roll up their sleeves and help Him bring in the abundant harvest. Total team player!

This weekend we celebrate Father’s Day. In a special way, we pray and honor fathers who are the family’s protectors, providers, and spiritual leaders. They are meant to reflect God’s loving care, the identity of our Heavenly Father, in the mission of loving, sacrificing, and sanctifying for their families. Usually, dads are the ones who perform the tough tasks - like disciplining us when we're wrong, teaching us the practical things about daily living (teaching how to use our first iPod, changing the oil, mowing the grass, etc.), and helping us to be courageous when challenges face us (letting go of the bike when the training wheels come off or bucking us up during our first broken bone). In many of these circumstances in our lives they offered us the identity of our spiritual father providing that masculine presence in our life. Today we pray for them and honor them – all who served us as fathers and father figures in our lives - with sincerity and gratitude of our prayers of thanksgiving. Thank you, dads!!!

Summer plans often take us away from home and unfortunately from participation in Mass. For all who travel near or far, I encourage you to visit the website that offers mass schedules, locations, and times worldwide: www.masstimes.org. Please plan your vacations that you will not miss giving God thanks and praise for so many blessings He offers us daily.

“We must teach more by example than by word.”- St. Mary MacKillop

As Jesus sent His disciples to continue His work and mission, we too have an incredible opportunity to advance that mission this week, one holy moment at a time.

Have a blessed and relaxing week everybody!

With prayers,

Fr. Andy