Dear Parishioners;

In our second reading this Sunday, St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians writes; “Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Here Paul is addressing the community he founded in Philippi instructing them to put aside excessive worldly concerns and preoccupations and to turn to the Lord in prayer. Then that gift of God which is His peace will be theirs. St. Paul understood that peace springs from harmonious relations between God and His people and then among the people themselves. He goes on to recommend embracing virtues such as graciousness, honor, and purity to elevate their values and to attain the peace of God.

What strikes me most about this passage is the part which states “make your requests known to God”. Now, we frequently say that God already knows what we need before we even ask, but even so, God still wants to hear from us and hopefully we trust that God will give us what we need.

Our society seems to have gotten to a point where we have become very busy about many things which seem to cause us undue anxiety and stress. That is contrary to God’s will for us. God doesn’t want us to be anxious, but trustful and open to His plan for us. St. Francis had this passage in mind as he crafted what is known as Rule of St. Francis in 1223. In it he writes in the 6th paragraph: 

“And wherever brothers meet one another, let them act like members of a common family. And let them securely make their needs known to one another, for if a mother loves and cares for her carnal son, how much more should one love and care for his spiritual son? And if one of them should become ill, let the other brothers serve him as they themselves would like to be served.”

Here, St. Francis is reminding his followers to trust the community they have joined, essentially saying ‘we are all in this together and we need to be attentive to one another.’ That can only take place when we humble ourselves and allow others the opportunity to care for us; Let your needs be known.

This isn’t always easy, but when we allow ourselves that grace, we also allow the peace of God into our lives. Many times, we find ourselves either too shy or even too proud to let others help us, we may find it as a weakness when in reality it is an act of courage. Francis wanted his followers to live fully in the peace of Christ and instinctively knew that that could only take place in authentic care for one another. Both St. Paul and St. Francis knew in their hearts the love God has for his people and reminds, as St. Paul also states. to “keep on doing what we have learned and received.” 

Peace and All Good,
Fr. Zack

Dear Friends,

The Gospel this week may not be one of our favorites…

“It’s not fair!”

It’s a common response from children amongst siblings, but it’s also something we adults often feel. One may think that Jesus isn’t being fair when we hear this parable. It goes against what some of us value, the value of a hard day’s work and receiving proper and just compensation for it.  To think that we worked all day while someone else worked for only one hour and we both received the same pay would drive some of us wild.

“It’s not fair! “

But what the landowner says in response to the workers is correct. “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?”  The landowner made the workers an offer when they took the job and he kept his word.  You work for me today and I’ll pay you “X” amount of money.  Paying someone else more is up to him.

Why do you think the workers got upset that the others got paid the same for less work?  It could be that they were more focused on the pay and not the sense of purpose or pleasure in doing the work. This is something we should ask ourselves.  Why do I do what I do, is it for money, recognition, praise from others or pure sense of purpose?  If you’re doing something that is not self-satisfying and self-fulfilling, you might have some resentment and anger about doing it, and when someone comes along doing the same job and gets paid more, you’re likely to feel resentful like the workers in the parable.

The story is told of Yogi Berra. The New York Yankees were at their peak and were negotiating contracts for the next year. A group of reporters interviewed players as they emerged from the owner’s office, and one of them asked Yogi Berra about the terms of his contract. In his characteristically, plain-spoken style, he said, “I’m gonna get to play baseball again next year for the Yankees, and would you believe it, they’re gonna pay me besides!”  That’s the way to think about gainful employment, doing what you do and doing it well and getting paid for it too.

A second point I’d like to make is with the disgruntled workers in the parable, I feel perhaps they lacked a sense of gratitude. Think about it.  I know, like probably many of you as well, how it feels to be out of work.  It’s not the best of times, it’s a difficult situation.  Can you remember how grateful you were when you got that call with a job offer?  It’s the best feeling! In the parable, some of the workers who showed up to find the positions filled were saddened and stayed around all day and were probably hoping for a different opportunity or vacancy of sorts, so they could work to feed their families.  Then suddenly the landowner shows up and offers them a job.  What a feeling of relief and gratitude. 

At that point the worker would accept any amount of money to help feed his family. It was more than what he had started with!  At the end of the day the landowner pays them all the same because he knows that it takes “X” amount of money to feed their families, so he is generous enough to do so.  We, too, need to consider those less fortunate in our daily lives. You probably heard this before: “I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” The same holds true for every level of work. Are you able to clean your house or mow the lawn? Are you able to buy your groceries and pay your bills? There are those who are not able to do any of these things. The more we consider how blessed we are, the more we’re able to look upon those less fortunate with compassion instead of resentment. 

So let us be open to recognizing our blessings and recognizing the needs of others by reaching out to our sisters and brothers.  May we always remember that our God is never outdone in generosity. May we strive to be more like Him!

Peace of Christ,
Deacon Ray Ferreris

Dear Parishioners,

Saints of God, the Lord be with you!

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of being a Catholic Christian is the call to be a forgiving person. This his highlighted in all the readings this weekend and even the Psalm (103) which states, “the Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger and rich in compassion.” Today’s first reading from the Book of Sirach (27:30-28:7) states, “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice, then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” This reminds me of the Lord’s prayer which states, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The phrase “as we” contains within it both a sense of time and a sense of manner.

Today’s Gospel according to Matthew (18:21-35) raises the question of how many times must we forgive. As much as seven times, Peter responds suggesting this is a generous amount by any standard. Perhaps. But Jesus answers, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times!” This is God’s standard, forgive without counting and without limit. Even the second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans (14:7-9), while not mentioning forgiveness, reminds that that we are called not to live for oneself, but for the Lord. A way to show that we are living for the Lord is to be a person of forgiveness. Even as he was dying on the cross, Jesus not only forgave those who crucified him, but even more astonishing made excuses for them: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34).

The dilemma is that most of us think that forgiveness is a feeling. It’s not. Forgiveness is a choice we make to treat with kindness and respect the person who wronged us. Forgiveness has nothing to do with forgetting how we were hurt or who has hurt us. Forgiveness is about remembering who hurt us, or how we have been hurt, but choosing to live our lives imitating our Lord who is kind, merciful, and rich in compassion. Forgiveness is choosing to live in the freedom of the present and the future Christ calls us to, and to not be shackled to past injustices done to us.

All of us have been hurt, and all of us have hurt others. We are a people, a community of disciples, both called to forgive and be forgiven. Asking for forgiveness is a hard pill for some of us to swallow, or, given the circumstances, impossible to ask from others. If this is the case, and we cannot “make amends,” then the least we can do is to ask God to bless those we have hurt. Let us remember, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has God put our transgressions from us.” Let’s put the transgressions against us as least as far.

Peace and All Good,
Fr. Steve

Dear Parishioners,

Last Sunday, we heard Jesus telling us we must take up our cross and follow him. That’s always difficult to hear. When we have the courage to do so, we are showing our willingness to follow Him. By taking up our cross, we show we are joined to Him. We show our trust in Him.

This Sunday, Jesus points towards a very common, real, and unfortunately uncomfortable experience in the task of offering forgiveness and reconciliation to an offending brother or sister. It is in this process of healing broken relationships that discipleship shows its very real and practical meaning. Life in common, even life in common among Christians, is not easy. We can rub each other the wrong way. Our speech can easily offend. Our anger can cause us to lash out. We are prone to gossip or tell stories about others that do not reflect the best in them, or ourselves.

Jesus outlines for us a three-step process for attempting to gain reconciliation in approaching a person who has offended us, but I would just like to address the what I feel is the first and most important step. While this process might not work for every case, we must engage in the process regardless.

That step we must take is to ensure the reconciliation is done face to face, one on one.

We must attempt to dialogue with one another in a deeply interpersonal manner. The process of coming together is not conducted by text message or email. The personal element preserves honor and dignity. You are carrying your cross and not forcing others to carry it for you.

Isn’t that where healing begins?

While we may not get through to the offending party, we can at least begin to come to terms with the hurt. Though Jesus says that the entire community may need to be brought in to resolve the situation, it is also true that reconciliation may happen prior to going that far.

Saint Paul sums it all up today when speaking about the Commandments that involve interpersonal behavior and responsibility. He says that, in the end, we owe no one anything except to love. For to love means that our lives are at peace with others and with the world.

Loving here is the most profound form of respect and caring. May the Lord give us that peace.

Peace and All Good,
Fr. Zack