Hello families!
MEET OUR EXTENDED FAMILY – St. Sharbel Makhluf (Feast Day July 24) May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898 Although this saint never traveled far from the Lebanese village of Beka-Kafra, where he was born, his influence has spread widely. An uncle raised Joseph Zaroun Makhluf because his father died when Joseph was only three. At 23, Joseph joined the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, Lebanon and took the name Sharbel in honor of a second-century martyr. He professed his final vows in 1853 and was ordained six years later. He lived as a hermit from 1875 until his death. His reputation for holiness prompted people to seek him to receive a blessing and to be remembered in his prayers. He followed a strict fast and was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament. When his superiors occasionally asked him to administer the sacraments to nearby villages, Sharbel did so gladly. He died in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Christians and non-Christians soon made his tomb a place of pilgrimage; many healings took place there. Pope Paul VI beatified St. Sharbel in 1965 and canonized him 12 years later.
TAKE TIME TO CHAT – What do you enjoy about going to Mass on Sunday? · In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about wheat and weeds. What does the wheat represent? What do the weeds represent? · Why do you think Jesus doesn’t want to pull up the weeds until the harvest? · St. Sharbel had a reputation for holiness. Do you know anyone who is good, kind, and lives a life of holiness? What do you like about that person?
Family Rosary – Allow someone to pick any mystery of the Rosary they like. Read or retell the story of that mystery. Use your imagination and think about the mystery as you pray one Our Father, the 10 Hail Mary’s. Share what you heard or imagined in your reflection. End with the Glory Be prayer.
FAMILY CHALLENGE – As a family, volunteer at a local
goodwill shop or food bank. Call some friends and
neighbors to join you.
LITURGY LINK – How many hymns did you sing today
that contained the word “wheat”?
Fun Fact – Wheat is the third largest crop produced in the United States, following corn and beans. One bushel of wheat contains approximately one million individual kernels, and it weighs about 60 pounds!
https://www.52sundays.com/sundays/july-23-2023