As we come to the middle of the summer, we also start to have to renew our registration forms and papers at the parish office. With these renewals, comes a need for new Youth Ministry Registration Forms. If you would like your child (or you) to participate in program sponsored activities (youth group, small groups, trips, or pilgrimages) or to stay on the email lists, you will need to complete and return the form under the Documents to the left. Completed forms can be dropped off at the parish offices, scanned and emailed back, or brought to any youth ministry event.
 

Be sure to join us today at 9:00 AM for the celebration of the .
Mass will be live streamed on Facebook and on YouTube Live.  

We are happy to announce that we have begun Confirmations in our parishes. Please join us as we pray for our newest fully initiated brothers and sisters.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord,
by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
 

Have you ever wanted to go deeper in your walk with Christ? Do you feel called to share your thoughts on Youth Ministry events? Then consider joining the CORE Team. Any student who is in high school is welcome to join us. As part of the CORE team you will provide input on what topics we will cover at youth group, where we go on trips, or even the kinds of events we host. The CORE team also meets together to strengthen your leadership skills and deepen your spiritual life. If you are interested, please reach out to me via email!
 

Pope Francis' Prayer to Mary
 
I also want to share this prayer that Pope Francis has written asking for Mary’s intercession during this time of distress. He has dedicated his pontificate to Our Lady Health of the Roman People, and in this time has entrusted his prayers to her care. I encourage you to print the attached image of Our Lady and join with the Holy Father in asking Mary to pray for us that the Lord bring the sufferings of our time to an end.
 
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. 
Amen.

We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test –
and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
 
Know of my prayers for you, and your family, and stay tuned for more reflections and activities.

Today (Monday September 14th) we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. We celebrate on that day, the finding of Christ's cross on the hill of Golgotha in the fourth century. The legend says that St. Helena, the Mother of Emperor Constantine, came to Jerusalem to make pilgrimages to the significant sites in Christ's life and ministry. Upon arriving in the Holy City, she found that Christ's site of execution and burial was then covered by a temple to the god Aphrodite. She then ordered the temple to Aphrodite to be leveled and a new church to be built on that spot. We know this church today as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. As she oversaw the building of this church, they found a collection of discarded crosses beneath its foundations. St. Helena believed that one of these crosses belonged to the Lord himself. So she began her search asking for the crosses to be brought into her home along with the sick. After a few days of searching a cross was brought in that when touched to a dying woman, she recovered immediately. She proclaimed that she had found it and brought it to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher upon its completion. It was venerated there and small fragments were brought back to Rome to be placed in various churches, so that even the poor who couldn't afford to travel all the way to the Holy Land, could still see and venerate the relics of our Lord's passion.

Today many of these relics can be seen in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The church itself is build on soil that St. Helena had brought back from the Holy Land, and the relics housed in the back chapel include: a nail from the Lord's cross, thorn from the crown of thorns, doubting Thomas' incorrupt finger, the inscription that hung above the Lord's head on the cross, the cross beam from the cross of St. Dismas the good thief, and stones from the cave of the nativity and the wall of the sepulcher itself.
So let us celebrate today as St. Helena did in the 4th century. Let us praise God for his passion and death, let us remember to show reverence for the symbol of that gift. Let us also pray for the graces to unite our moments of suffering to his. Let us ask for the grace to do as he called us to when he said to pick up our cross and follow him.

Prayer For The Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross

Jesus, Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls,
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask for... (mention here)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace, sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us our daily bread,
lighten the burden of our sufferings, bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.

Amen.
 

Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

-First Reading for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Today's first reading offers to us a stern warning about our anger. In short this scripture says, we should be patient with everyone and if we seek mercy we should first be merciful. As Christ tells us in the Gospel of Matthew: "The measure with which you measure, will in turn be measured out to you" (Matthew 7:2). He reinforces this lesson again in the Lord's prayer when he teaches us to pray "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us". 

We know that God is perfectly just. Meaning that if someone owes us something, like an apology for having hurt us, the Lord will bring them to right relationship and ultimately restore to us whatever was taken or broken. He brings everyone and everything to justice in his time. So this Scripture reminds us of the concept of Memento Mori. To live each day remembering that one day our lives will end. Not out of some morbid obsession with death, but as a reminder that we will be judged before the ultimate and just judge. We know that if we repent, we will be forgiven. If we live lives of mercy and love we know that the just judge will have mercy on us.


Reflection Questions:
How often do you seriously remember and reflect that you will be judged by God?
Do you fear your death and judgement?
How can you be more merciful in your life and relationships?
How deep do you trust in the mercy of God?
 

This week on Tuesday we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An interesting feast when we think about it. Other Marian celebrations make sense, they often celebrate miraculous events. The Assumption when we celebrate Mary being taken up, body and soul, into heaven. The Immaculate Conception, when we celebrate that Mary was conceived without original sin. So why celebrate the simple fact that she was born? I mean when you think of it, all of us reading this reflection were born. We all have birthdays. I mean we could argue that, she was super holy. Okay, but we only celebrate one other saint's birthday in the Church's calendar (The Nativity of John the Baptist, June 24th). So why is Mary's one of two we celebrate?

Easy, we celebrate Mary because everything about her and her life point us directly to Jesus. Her birthday is no exception. In the Gospel reading for the feast we hear the genealogy of Jesus. Do you remember that passage? It is the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. Typically we hear it on Christmas. But it usually leaves us with the same question why this list of names? Why highlight only that specific path of ancestors?

Mary's (and Joseph's) heritage is important because they are both descendents of the line of King David. In the Old Testament, God covenanted to David that his kingdom would be everlasting. That his family's reign would never end. That one of his descendants will always rule over this promised kingdom. Historically, the earthly kingdom that David established flourished and faded, was rebuilt and began to fade again. So if the earthly kingdom of Israel fell, which kingdom was God talking about? He was speaking about the kingdom of God. Jesus showed us this kingdom when he started his ministry. His first recorded public words were: "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand!" (Matthew 4:17). Jesus proclaimed to the world that his kingdom is now here on earth and is open for each of us to live in. To prove this he began to do what was promised of the kingdom of God. He healed the sick those physically and spiritually ill. He set the prisoners of sin free, and even conquered death in the ultimate battle. 

So today, let us pray for the grace to embrace Christ as our king, and his mother as our Mother. Let us ask Jesus to show us how to live most fully in his kingdom.


Reflection Questions:
Do you see Christ as the King of your life?
How does Jesus show you the power of his reign in your life?
How does remembering your spiritual heritage give you a deeper appreciation for who you are?
 

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”

- Gospel for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me". Fr. Ben Huyen in his Good Friday homily once asked the question, what cross are you carrying? It was a good question. After all the world is filled with crosses. Crosses of sickness, crosses of guilt, crosses of regret, the list goes on and on! However, are these really the cross that Jesus calls us to take up to follow him? I would argue yes and no. Each of us is called to embrace whatever God gives us, even if we see it as good or bad. 

The first half of the Gospel passage tells us about this. The father calls Jesus to go to Jerusalem to begin his suffering and ultimately his death. Peter, upon hearing this news that his friend whom he loved so much would have to take on such a cross (especially a literal one) could not fathom that it was a good thing! In fact, he says "God forbid"! The cross Jesus was being called to bear did not look like what Peter thought it should. I think most of us do this in our own life. We see something and don't take the time to think about how it is directing us to the Lord. We see having to wait in the cold to get into the grocery store as pain. We see spending time with our families as a burden. We don't want to wash the dishes for the second night in a row. We often think, this is uncomfortable, burdensome, or annoying so it cannot be from God! While this has some truth to it, God does desire us to experience true comfort, freedom from burdens, and peace, it often does not come in the way we think. 

Many of us grow accustom with the things that actually cause us pain or even enslave us. We take ourselves and make our concerns the center of the world. We start to even identify ourselves with our concerns. I am lazy. I am too busy. I can't stop sinning this is how I am. So when the Lord calls us out of our comfort zone into something a bit scary we say no. When he calls us to leave behind the burden and guilt of our sins, we cling on tighter. When the Lord offers us his peace and asks us to trust in him, we turn and keep walking our own path. We fail to recognize that God has a lesson when we share in his cross. 

Did you catch that last sentence? God has a lesson when we share in his cross. Each of us is called to pick up our cross, but the cross we carry is the same that Jesus did. When we are baptized we become part of the body of Christ. The same body that 2000 years ago carried a physical cross. We share in the carrying of all the crosses of humanity. God became man, so that man could in some small way participate in its own redemption. So we are called to carry those crosses of anxiety, worry, and sickness. But, when we do so, we must remember that Jesus carries them with us. We are not alone in them. We follow where he leads, even through trial. We see this when Jesus calls Peter "Satan".  When Peter rejects what Jesus said about his passion Jesus responds rather harshly by calling him Satan and telling him, " You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." In short, he is reminding Peter, that he does not have all the answers. That humans can't always see the bigger picture. However, if we don't try to take the lead, but rather follow him, we will never be alone as we daily pick up or cross to follow him.

So today, let us pray for the grace to see as God sees. Let us resolve to follow Jesus more closely letting him lead us even through the toughest of storms. Let us respond to this call in the way that Mary our Mother did when she said "Let it be done unto me according to thy word". 


Reflection Questions:
What crosses are you being called to carry with Jesus right now?
Do you often grumble when you are called to carry your cross?
What is one concrete way you can resolve to follow Jesus more closely this week?
 

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

-Gospel for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

I think that since I have started writing these reflections I find I keep coming back to one thing;  how is your relationship with Jesus? Not in some strange or obscure way, but in a tangible and practical way I have invited you to reflect on what his voice sounds like, the things that hold you back from hearing him, or even acting on what he has told you. However, none of this is important if we cannot answer the question Jesus asks the disciples in today's gospel. "Who do you say that I am"? 

How we define Jesus is ultimately going to define our relationship with him. Just like when we  see our friends, a teacher, your boss, or a stranger, we change how we speak, what we wear, or even how we act, our "picture" of Jesus will affect how we speak and relate to him. That is why it is important that Matthew includes the fact that this story takes place in Caesarea Philippi. This town was home to many small temples to the various Native, Roman, Greek, and other pagan gods. It housed images of angry gods, playful gods, gods full of mischief, and even some old and forgotten ones. In the same way many people see God as angry, or mischievous, or old and out of date. A common "picture" of God today is to see Jesus as a friend. Which is good, he did come to earth so we could relate to him as someone who understands us and can relate to us. However, if we only see him as a friend we forget that he is also our almighty, righteous and fear inducing judge. However, if we only see Jesus as the fearsome and glorious judge, we may not come to him with our weaknesses and struggles. We may even try to hide those things from him! 

So where am I going with this? I am trying to say the only correct answer to Jesus' question is the one that Simon Peter gives. " You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter does not see Jesus in only one way. He does not try to put God or Jesus into a box. To Peter, Jesus is not just the healer, the judge, or his closest friend. He sees Jesus truly as God. Jesus is not defined by any label other than the one that contains literally everything except evil.

So let us pray today to see God differently. Let us ask for the grace to see God as he truly is and not as we want him to be.  Let us be bold to seek God's face, however it looks, or makes us feel?

Reflection Questions:
Who do you say that Jesus is?
What image of Jesus is hard for you to accept?
Spend some time reading the Gospels and let God show you more fully who he truly is.
 

Brothers and sisters: I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you they too may now receive mercy. For God delivered all to disobedience,that he might have mercy upon all.

-2nd Reading for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today's second reading Paul is speaking directly to us. The Christians who are not of Jewish heritage. Paul reminds us that even though our families are not part of God's chosen people, we are still called to a life of holiness. He reminds us that by our sanctity and response to the mercy of God can be a source of inspiration for other people. 

Paul tells us that "the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable". In other words God's primary vocation for each of us to become holy as our Heavenly Father is holy, no matter who we are, what we have done, or how much we have believed or rejected him. God still calls each of us to holiness. Paul reminds us that we have all made mistakes, as he said in his letter to the Romans, all men "have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). He says each of us has chosen at one point or another to turn our back on God to follow something else. However, this does not change the fact that God still calls us to himself, to respond starting now, to a life of holiness. We know that our God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). That he loves and pursues us with fiery passion. He will always call us back to himself by offering us his mercy. 

This process of coming back to God causes us to grow in holiness. When we grow in holiness, we experience a conversion or a change of our hearts and minds. As Romans 12:2 says we should not "conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". When we respond to the will of God, we become different. We stand out. Many of us are not called to preach with our words, but rather to preach with our lives Like the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. When our action speak to those around us, they will tell of the love God has for them and begin to call them back to him. This is what happened in the second part of this reading. God's chosen people started to become jealous of the mercy and love shown to the Gentiles. However, instead of remaining in that bitterness, they decided to come back to God themselves and in that experienced that same love.

So this is the challenge. To live like Christ called us to, as a city on a hill or a light in the darkness. To let our actions show that we are God's beloved children. To humbly allow our lives to inspire others to come follow Jesus. Let us continue to pray that we may continue to find beautiful examples of living like we are loved.


Reflection Questions:
Which people have inspired you to be holier or a better person?
Reflect on a time that you experienced the mercy of God in an intense way.
How can you live your life more intentionally to show forth the love and mercy God has shown you?
 

At the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter. Then the LORD said to him, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD— but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire—but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

-First Reading for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

How familiar is the voice of God to you? The Lord speaks to all of us,but do we know how to listen for him? Learning to listen for the voice of God is difficult because he speaks to each of us in a unique way. This glimpse into the prophet Elijah's ministry shows that he knew exactly how the Lord spoke to him. Today's reading comes from the middle of Elijah's ministry to the people of Israel. It comes after the famous story of Elijah challenging the prophets of Ba'al to see whose god is truly God. They both received wood and a bull to sacrifice one to Ba'al and the other to the LORD. The prophets of Ba'al called out to him and even began to cut and whip themselves asking him to send fire to consume the sacrifice, but to now avail. Elijah told those standing by to dig a trench and cover all the wood and sacrifice with water, enough that the runoff filled the trench around it. After Elijah had offered a prayer fire came down and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and the water in the trench. Elijah then ordered the crowd to gather the prophets of Ba'al and to bring them to the river. At the river he killed them all. The Queen at this time heard and sent out men to hunt Elijah and kill him. He then fled to the desert. He fell asleep under a tree and in the quiet of his nap the Lord spoke to him again, telling him to get up and keep running. The Lord did this several times, until Elijah arrived at God's mountain (Mount Horeb). This is when today's scripture takes place.

Elijah was well acquainted with the voice of God. He had trusted in the power of God as he faced the small army of prophets. He trusted that the Lord would protect him and as he ran, in the stillness and quiet of his attempts to rest, God spoke to him. So when the time came for the Lord to speak to him on Horeb, he knew that the Lord's voice would not be in the noise. The voice of the Lord would come in the same silence it came before. He would speak to him when he was still. So when the familiar sound of the Lords voice came, "Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave".

Let take some time this week to think back to how the Lord has spoken to you in the past. Let us ask God to speak louder and more clearly to us.

Reflection Questions:
How has the Lord spoke to you in the past?
Do you recognize the voice of the Lord even when it is quiet?
What is the Lord trying to tell you right now?
How can you act on what the Lord is asking you to do now?
 

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.
 
-Gospel for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
 
Do you ever read the gospels and feel sorry for Jesus? I know I do. This passage is one of them. When the Gospel starts, Jesus hears about his cousin being put to death by the king. So he does what I think most of us would, takes some time to process what had happened. More specifically the scripture says he "withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself." Jesus is trying to be alone with his Father, but what happens? People follow him into the place he was going to be alone. As an introvert this is my worst nightmare. On top of all of that, when they meet Christ, they ask him to perform miracles. They ask him to leave behind what he planned to help them. I know if I was Jesus, and let's be happy I am not, I would have turned everyone away. However, this image does ask us to reflect on something. Mainly, what limits your service to God and your brothers and sisters? 
 
Jesus was seeking something in a way for himself, time to process what had been going on in his life. This is good and healthy! But the need of others moved his heart to pity them. So he put himself aside for the moment to be at the service of those who are in need. He looks upon the sick and cures them. He then continues to serve and care the crowds by feeding them. I imagine it went a bit like this. The disciples walk over to Jesus and say, Lord we are in the middle of nowhere and it is hot and late in the day. You wanted to be alone for a bit, let's get rid of this crowd. Jesus however, looks at them and tells them to have everyone sit down and to see if there is any food. I think it is worth noting that Jesus doesn't in this moment just do something human, like collect and distribute food, like a social service. He doesn't strategically place people so that some people eat first or last. But rather he performs a miracle, he uses the power that comes from God, to serve people where they are. Jesus models to us that we need to serve people right where they are. In this encounter he uses not just his human knowledge, but the power of his divinity to invite those people into something better. Jesus serves when his Father called, knowing and trusting that the Father would give him what he needed to accomplish it. 
 
So today let us ask for a true servant's heart. Let us ask for the grace to serve others where they are and call them to growth. Let us pray for the ability to trust that the Lord will give us the power and strength to serve as he calls us to today, and for the rest of our lives.
 
 
Reflection Questions:
What are the limits on your service, do they push you to be available to those in need even when inconvenient?
When you serve, do you go to meet the other person where they are, or do you demand they do something or look a certain way before serving them?
How often do you ask the Father to bless the service he calls you to do?
When in your life did you experience the strength and power of God allowing you to work in a special way for his kingdom?