From the Desk of the Pastor CLICK HERE FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------------------- BULLETIN JULY 26, 2020 - 17TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
New guidelines have been released by the Archdiocese regarding Religious Education, check the bulletin and Kathleen Driscoll’s page for registration and FAQ’s. While we will retain the scheduled time for RE on Sunday’s after the 9 am Mass, individual grade/classes will not attend on site every week but more like once a month. We are adapting the schedule and with the help of the Archdiocese, developing more remote learning possibilities for RE. Every three weeks the bulletin will have a newsletter page that includes Frequently Asked Questions posed and answered by the different subcommittee members of the Unification Committee. We will begin planning training for all liturgical ministers from all three merging parishes, with input from the deacons, so everyone that is interested gets the same formation and training and can be scheduled. If you have any interest in being an usher, lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, minister of care, etc… please let Jim Madura know. Fr. McCarthy will still train altar servers in the spring if the Covid guidelines allow for it. Today, in our first reading God was pleased with Solomon’s prayer for wisdom and so gave it to him. We might wonder why our prayers are not always answered… it’s a big question. St. James gives us perhaps the most common reason why our prayers are not answered immediately as we would like, he says “you ask but do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions… whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” God specifically told Solomon that since he didn’t ask for “long life for yourself, nor for riches or defeat of enemies but for understanding… I do as you requested.” Sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayers because we’re not asking for something good or we’re asking for a good thing for the wrong reasons. If our desire for power, pleasure, wealth, or honor is not motivated by a desire for holiness and heaven, then our Heavenly Father won’t give it to us because it isn’t good for us. Another reason, we might think that if the Lord fixed everyone and everything in the world, then we would be at peace. St. Paul says: “Have no anxiety at all, but… by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” There are enemies and problems without, but the Lord wants to heal us from within. We can be like people who say “so and so made me angry.” The reality is, we allow ourselves to get upset and angry. Do we want God to change the world and other people because we think we’ll find peace that way? Even if the Lord doesn’t fix all the problems if we entrust them to Him, Jesus promises us the peace that the world cannot give. One last reason why the Lord might seem slow in answering our prayers is that He wants to build up our desire for the good He wants to give us. Food always tastes better when we are hungry. We savor and appreciate it more. To use a sports image, consider how long Cubs fans persevered waiting for them to win the World Series and when that day came the city was filled with parties, parades and celebrations. God wants us to hunger for Him and His blessings so that we really appreciate what He is giving us. St. John Vianney would say “My little children, your hearts are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God.” Your brother in Christ, |
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Feel free to call with questions or concerns! |
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