From the
Pastor’s Desk
Sunday, July
30, 2006
JESUS' MIRACULOUS FEEDING AS OUR SUNDAY'S
MIRACULOUS OFFERING IN THE BASKET
Last Sunday those of us present at mass,
experienced Jesus' concerns for the "sheep without shepherd". This
Sunday, Jesus gives us His example of love by miraculously feeding 5000
people. This is a great miracle before a multitude. Jesus'
miraculous feeding shows that God cares that everyone enjoys the
stewardship of creation. No one should go without. We may
regard the incident both as a miracle of divine providence and as
messianic sign in which Jesus multiplied loaves and fish in order to feed
His hungry listeners. How possible was it for Jesus to feed His
hungry listeners? Perhaps, in our minds, we may think that it is
unbelievable to feed 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish
just as we may think it is not possible to feed the world with the
resources we have. I believe that this miracle of Jesus is a
challenge for His listeners. What Jesus was trying to do was
convince this group of selfish listeners to share their personal
provisions.
Consequently for some of us who are
selfish and greedy, feeding 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two
fish is impossible. For it is not enough for everyone to get a
piece. However, those of us who are generous will find out that it
is possible to feed this multitude before Jesus with five loaves of bread
and two fish. That is exactly what we do when we give the 10% of our
fruits to God's church so that this miracle can happen. All of us
can tell that the Catholic Church has made miracles in the world with
people like you who are the listeners of the Gospel every Sunday.
You make miracles at Christ Our Hope when you allow the Church to
miraculously reach out to the needy of the parish.
We make a difference when we share with
others what we have. We are not a Church of one million dollars a
Sunday, but we make miracles every Sunday in our offertory basket.
With sharing, we are blessed and we carry
blessings to others.
Fr. Guy
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Dear Parishioners,
Today's readings explain how God like a Good
Shepherd redeems his people. In the first reading the prophet
Jeremiah consoles the Israelites who were enslaved in Lebanon by assuring
them that God will lead them back to the original pasture in Israel.
The second reading Ephesians 2:13-18 explains how Jesus the Good Shepherd
reconciled us with His Father by offering Himself on the cross.
Likewise the gospel shows Jesus attending to
His weary apostles who have just returned from their first preaching
mission while at the same time expressing His concern for the people who
like sheep without a shepherd have gathered to meet Him in the wilderness.
In real life experience we ought to be like
the apostles leading a life of action and a life of contemplation.
Our Christian life is a continuous passage from the presence of God to the
presence of the people we serve. We need to create a balance of
between letting God talking to us and acts on His behalf. From this
understanding we can discern what to do. As a result of our
contemplating God's presence in our life we can become the good caretaker
and caregiver God wants us to be. We will be more sensitive to the
needs of others and be a Good Shepherd to them.
Fr. Guy
