Monday, July 27, 2015

Deacon Steve's Homily - Thankful for our Priests - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B


Good morning!

Today’s readings remind us of God’s great generosity. A generosity that can never be outdone.  In our first reading from 2nd Kings, Elisha tells his servant that 20 barley loaves and fresh grain would be sufficient to feed 100 people. Of course the servant objected but did as he was instructed. It was more than sufficient, more than generous, because there were leftovers. And then in today’s Gospel reading from John, we read the story of Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fishes. Just as he did at the Last Supper, Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them. This is familiar to all of us because it’s the same thing that our priests do at each and every mass. Each mass that is said is a reminder to all of us of God’s great generosity because we are fed at each mass with the body and blood of Christ. Christ himself instituted the priesthood at the Last Supper so that we could feed on his body and blood at each and every mass. The mass and the priesthood are both signs of God’s great generosity. 

Dear friends, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect upon the priesthood today. Last month, on June 4th, at the cathedral, Archbishop Tobin ordained 3 men to the priesthood. Fathers Andy Syberg, Michael Keucher, and Adam Ahern were ordained as our newest priests in the Archdiocese. Our pastor, Father Steve, was ordained on June 5, 1993 and has been a priest for 22 years. Our associate pastor, Fr. Tim, was ordained with Fr. Dave on June 7, 2014 and has been a priest for 1 year. These men and all those men who are priests here and throughout the world have given their lives in service to the Church because of their immense love for Jesus. 

This year is the Year of Grace and 5 years ago was the Year of the Priest. In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI wrote a letter to the clergy announcing the Year of the Priest. Here are of few of his words from that letter:

“ “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”, the saintly CurĂ© of Ars, John Vianney, would often say. This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity itself. I think of all those priests who quietly present Christ’s words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world, striving to be one with the Lord in their thoughts and their will, their sentiments and their style of life.”

We have had some wonderful priests here at SSFC. Our first two pastors Fr. Steve Jarrell and Fr. Vince. And now we have Fr. Steve Giannini as our pastor. Our associates Fr. Mike, Fr. Anto, Fr. Dave and our current associate Fr. Tim. And who could forget Fr. Martin and Fr. Joe Moriarty who served briefly at our parish. Each one of these men unique yet with a common goal – to be Christ to us. To act in persona ChristiWhere would the church be without priests? Where would we at SSFC be without our priests?

Through our baptismal call we all share in the common priesthood of Jesus.  We are all called to spread the Good News and to draw others closer to Christ.  However, Jesus instituted the Sacraments and founded the priesthood to administer the sacraments and to show us God’s great generosity. This special group of men, shaped and formed in the image of Christ, represent Christ on earth. As St. Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians:
“I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received”
They are called to live holy lives and to shepherd the people entrusted to them, to pray with them and for them, and to celebrate the sacraments with them.
Our priests have all been sent to us by God to show us His generosity. And God challenges us to grow in faith through the ministry of a particular priest. Each priest has different charisms and different personalities. Some priests are extroverts, some are introverts.
Some are gifted homilists while others work hard to develop and deliver their homilies. Some can sing beautifully, while others sing not so beautifully. Some are wonderful listeners and gifted counselors. All of them, though, are human and God uses each of them, as they are, with their strengths and with their weaknesses, to extend His generosity to all of us. We appreciate each of them for answering the call to dedicate their lives in ministry to God’s people. We are thankful that we have our priests to minister to us and to represent Christ in our community.

Jesus uses his priests to feed us, the faithful. He uses his priests to forgive our sins, to preach the good news, and to anoint the sick. Without our priests we would have no Mass, no Eucharist, no Reconciliation, and no anointing of the sick. Without our priests, we wouldn’t have these sacraments.  The richness of our Catholic faith would be compromised.  Our church would be so different.

My friends, let’s reflect upon the priesthood and how it is proof of God’s great generosity.
Let’s commit ourselves to praying each day for our priests, asking God to lift them up and to nourish them in their ministry. And let’s pray for vocations to the priesthood. Let’s encourage young men right here at SSFC to consider a call to the priesthood. Our priests, who we love and support, who we depend on, depend on us as well. Let’s keep them in our prayers, and affirm them in their ministry. Thank you Fr. Steve and Fr. Tim for saying ‘yes’ to God’.
Thank you for being a sign to all of us of God’s great generosity!


Sunday, July 26, 2015

God's love in abundance and thanking God for gift's given to us - 17th Sunday Ordinary Time

This past week I had the opportunity to go to Northern Canada on a fishing trip.   Now I’m not greatest fisherman.  Usually I spend a lot of time fishing and don’t do a lot of catching.   Most of the time I have a story to tell about the one that got away and the fish the family gets to eat is from the seafood counter at Meijer.   But this trip was a little different.  It was on a lake in a remote area of Canada and the only one in Ontario that requires a special fishing permit.   Very few people are able to fish the lake so it has very little pressure on it.  Our group of 9 guys was able to catch over 700 fish.  This was truly a fishing trip that produced fish in abundance.



Today’s Gospel on miracle of the multiplication of the loaves is one that is very familiar.  I’d like to focus on how a small gift of the five loaves and two fish was able to produce an abundance to feed many by giving thanks to God and through the divine power of Jesus.



In the story the people follow Jesus because they’ve heard about the miraculous healings, and they wanted to see it for themselves.   Some probably longed for a healing themselves. In his compassion Jesus anticipates the needs of the people.  He knows they’ve come out to see him in a remote area away from their homes and marketplace, and they will surely be hungry.



Jesus wanted to teach his disciples by testing them to solve the problem of feeding all the people. Philip answers in his limited human viewpoint:  It would be over a half years worth of wages to feed them all. Andrew offers a small token to solve the problem: a boy with five loaves and two fishes and states, “but what good are these to feed so many”.  The disciples find little hope in being able to feed so many.



Don’t we all feel at some times like the disciples?   We can be totally overwhelmed by a problem that seems impossible to handle on our own.  We may have problems that cause us grief such as:



Being able to pay the monthly mortgage payment due to a job less or medical expenses;



Being on a fixed income and have to cut back on medications in order to buy food;  



Struggling with a severely broken relationship with a spouse or friend that seems unable to be reconciled;



Facing life threatening medical issue;



Grieving a loss of a loved one;



Concerns about all the people suffering from persecution, hunger, and homelessness may distress us as well.



When we’re faced with problems like these on our own it can be overwhelming. 



Jesus’ response to the disciple’s problem was to have the people recline so they could be served a meal.  He was going to use his divine power to feed all the people who came to see him. He uses the gifts from the boy of the five loaves and two fish to perform the miracle of the multiplication to feed the multitude.



Jesus does something very important with these gifts that may have been easily overlooked in hearing this Gospel.  He gives thanks to God.  What seems to be a limited amount is multiplied into an abundance to feed the multitudes through God’s grace. After the people were fed there was so much left over that twelve baskets were filled.  This is truly a symbol of the abundance of God’s love and mercy. 



When we’re faced with our own problems we have the comfort to know that Jesus has compassion for our needs and wants to help us.  We’re not alone in our struggles.   If we turn to Jesus in prayer and through the church we’ll have the love and support to help us through our struggles.  



Jesus offers us a good example to follow by giving thanks to God for the gifts he has given us.    Many times when faced with a problem it can be all consuming and it’s easy to get discouraged.   But if we take the time to assess the gifts in our lives and then give thanks to God it can help make the problem seem like less of an issue.  



What are the gifts we have to be thankful for? 



Our faith, family, friends;



Our talents, education, and job;



Our health care provides and caregivers who help us;



Our health, a free country to live in, and a planet with resources to supply our needs;  



Our church, the ability to practice or faith, and receive Jesus in the Eucharist.



I’m sure you may have others to add and may be lacking in some things I mentioned.  But if you take some time to think about the things in your life to be thankful for it can sure help.  



The fishing trip I went on was a great experience and a lot of fun, but there was one very important thing missing.  Due to the remoteness of the area there were no church within a 100 miles.  I was not able to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist.  It was something I longed for and missed.  I did take some time on Sunday in prayer to dedicate to God.  In doing so I was able to thank God for my family, job, and safety, and most of all for the gift of the Eucharist.  I’m glad to be back and receive the Eucharist with you all today.



As Mass continues we’ll have an opportunity to offer thanks for the gifts God has given us.  Many of us will offer financial gifts to support the needs of our church, food for our food pantry, or school supplies for fast track.  As these gifts are offered also think about the blessings that God has given us and offer them up in gratitude to God.  It doesn’t have to be anything grand.   It can be as simple as thanking God for the meal you’ll have tonight, which may be just bread and fish. The offerings of bread and wine represent the gifts we’ve offered to God, which will be turned into the greatest gift of all: The Eucharist.   The Eucharist, which means thanksgiving, is our Lord Jesus present in his flesh and blood.  It’s the spiritual food that’s offered to us in abundance each and every week.  It’s the source to give us strength we need to help us through our struggles in our daily lives.  God bless you.