17th Sunday in Ordinary time -Year A
Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Around the time that the gold rushes ended in the nineteenth-century West, a curious phenomenon arose in New England known as money diggers. These were men who roamed the countryside with shovels, divining rods, and superstitious hope, convinced that treasure lay buried beneath their feet. Surely there must be gold under our feet. But there was not. The craze of these wild goose chases caused many to lose farms, families, and sanity. In this week’s Gospel, Jesus inaugurates a new era of spiritual money digging. He announces, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.” He invites us to become treasure seekers who search in the right place. What is of greatest value is not money beneath our feet, but the infinite treasure hidden deep in the humanity of Jesus himself, God’s own blessed life. The glory of heaven lies veiled in His ordinary life, His teaching, His suffering, His Church.This teaching about the Kingdom changes things. Now we see the Church’s doctrinal and moral teachings are not arbitrary rules. They are a treasure map. Follow them, and we will uncover divine happiness. Ignore them, and we will wander aimlessly, spade in hand, digging in empty fields, discouraged. Where have we wasted energy seeking treasure in the wrong places? How have we given up on seeking the treasure of truly finding God’s love for us? If so, let us repent of both. Then let us dust off our shovels and get back to digging deep into the field of Christ Jesus and His Church. After all, He never ceases seeking His treasure in us. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I was cleaning through my computer and came across an article I wrote in 2017 and thought I would share it with you again:
A few weeks ago I traveled with my parents to North Carolina to visit my Aunt Dot who had moved into a new retirement community which I had yet to visit. I never once thought to ask my mom for details about the trip nor did she volunteer. One week before leaving on the trip I finally did say to my mom that I was surprised that my Aunt’s apartment was big enough that it would have two guest rooms. My mom’s response was it is not that big and there is only one guest room. She proceeded to say how my Aunt would set up an air mattress on the floor of the “florida” room for me to sleep on. Well to be honest I was not happy with the thought of sleeping on the floor on an air mattress but things got even worse when I asked what exactly is a “florida” room? The answer was it is a sun room – lots of windows and no doors! This really did not sit well with me and I honestly thought of not going on the trip. However, instead of getting upset and ruining everyone’s vacation I decided to hand it over to God and pray for patience and peace. Well God not only gave me what I asked for, He took it a step further and sent me an angel. This angel appeared in the form of a neighbor of my Aunt who suggested rather than have me sleep on the floor in a room with no doors that I could use her guest room. She proceeded to point out that I would have my own bathroom as well and she provided me with a key so I could come and go as I pleased during my stay in N.C. It turned out to be a wonderful trip which everyone enjoyed! Next time you find yourself in a position where things seem to be going in a direction that makes you unhappy remember rather than getting upset or angry turn to God and pray and ask for patience and peace and perhaps He will send you an angel.
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
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Do you really trust God? Do you really believe that God will provide all that you need? Faith is a challenge for everyone at times. Putting our trust in God, in everything we do, in good times and in bad, means that God’s plan for our lives may be quite different than what we planned. When one door closes, another one opens. Trust in God, His plan is always better.
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
Choosing Heaven
My children often ask me questions about Heaven. What does Heaven look like? Is there nighttime in Heaven? Do you get hungry in Heaven? Are there oceans in Heaven? Will we feel bored in Heaven? My answer is almost always the same: “I can’t tell you for sure.” I guess I didn’t realize how little we actually know about Heaven until I had kids who were obsessed with hearing the details. But accepting human ignorance is liberating in a way, because it allows me to see clearly — and cling wholeheartedly to — the three things I do know for sure: Heaven is where God is, and Hell is where He isn’t, and it’s completely my decision where I want to be. The choice, you see, is everything. We need to pay attention to how Jesus describes the kingdom of Heaven in His parables. It is, He tells us, a treasure — but a treasure buried in a field owned by someone else. It is a beautiful pearl — and a very expensive pearl. It is a bountiful yield — one which must be carefully, even painstakingly sifted through. It’s so easy to imagine the delight of the man who finds the treasure, who encounters the pearl, who hauls the bursting net aboard, just as it is easy to call ourselves followers of Christ, to hang a Rosary from our windshield and go to Mass. It’s less easy, and a great deal more uncomfortable, to contemplate what comes next: the sacrifice, the commitment, the perseverance through uncertainty. Heaven is an incredible stroke of luck — one that requires a good deal of follow-through. We can never earn it, but we must choose it. Again and again and again, we must choose it.
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.
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.
