The central theme of today’s readings is that we should courageously live out our religious convictions and principles in our lives, as Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus did, even if doing so should result in our martyrdom and turn society upside down. If no one is ever offended by the quality of our commitment to Christ, then perhaps we are practicing “inoffensive Christianity.”
The Cardinal Avery Dulles in his book Models of the Church, wrote: “Christianity is not healthy unless there is room in it for prophetic protest against abuses of authority.” God continues to send such prophets to every parish community, and it is the duty of the bishop, pastor, and parish council to listen to the well-intended, constructive criticisms of such Jeremiahs.
Are you on fire for Jesus!? On the day of our Baptism, we received the light of Christ and were instructed to keep that torch burning brightly until the return of Christ Jesus. In addition, the Holy Spirit was sent into our hearts at Confirmation to help set us on fire. “One who is on fire cannot sit on a chair.” So, as Christians on fire, we have to inflame people to care, to serve, and to bless one another with all the gifts of Faith. We should allow that fire to burn off the impurities in us and to bring out the purity of the gold and silver within us.
What’s new this week…
On Monday you are all invited to celebrate with us the Assumption of the Blessed Mother into heaven at 9 am morning Mass. This year it is not a holy day of obligation, but to celebrate the feasts of the Blessed Mother for us Catholics should be our desire and happiness, not an obligation. Every time we give honor to Mary, the Mother of God, we honor her son Jesus! She does not receive any honor for herself, she honors God always. In the evening at 7 pm we will gather for the rosary by the grotto of Mary on our campus.
Mary, Queen assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Missionary Cooperation Promotion (MCP) is promoted through the Catholic Foundation World Mission office every summer and is conducted in dioceses across the United States. These collections are a way to centralize the efforts of missionary organizations around the world who wish to appeal to Catholics in the U.S. Next weekend we will host Fr. Dennis O’Brien, the Irish Pallottine, who will share his missionary experiences and his thoughts on the challenges of evangelization. Let us warmly welcome him and support MCP.
May God bless you and your life! Fr. Tom