We shouldn't be surprised to hear Jesus say that the greatest law in the commandments is to love God with all our heart, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as our very self. Even people with little knowledge of the doctrines of Christianity would see in Jesus the model for what it looks like to love God and neighbor. Yet consider how hard it is to follow these two magnificent commandments ourselves! We struggle to pray and put God first just as we find it challenging to love others by making a sincere gift of self for their good. Two short commandments entail a lifetime of commitment on our part!

In our Gospel this weekend we get this interesting parable about the kingdom of heaven being like a king who invited many to the wedding feast of his son, but the invitees declined the invitation. Perhaps the king could use better servants. They are, after all, the ones charged with inviting the guests. I wonder exactly why they were so unsuccessful? Who in their right mind would refuse a great feast with fattened cattle? Maybe the servants should take a 101 class in marketing because they have clearly fumbled the pitch. Maybe if they were able to make some phone calls around to their friends, they would have been more successful. Maybe if they had one of those beautiful AI posters, the guests would have shown up.

When the Pastor is away, the boys will play. At least that is what I told Fr. Scott as he left for retreat this week. He asked me to write the bulletin article, so instead of a message from your Pastor, you get instruction from your Intern.

One of my favorite meditations from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is that of the Two Standards. St. Ignatius has us reflect on the Standard of Satan with demons tempting us to seek worldly riches, honor, and pride, and then on the Standard of Christ with angels and saints encouraging us to seek poverty over riches, insults over honor, and humility over pride. We then must pray for God's grace to help us, and then choose which Kingdom's Standard we will follow.

Our Scriptures last week focused on confronting people who sin against us to seek a pathway of forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation with them. This week, the focus is on the difficulty and failure to forgive. The book of Sirach instructs us that "wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight," and "could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?" The wrath and anger that refuse to forgive are blinders of our own sinfulness and need for forgiveness.

Our Scriptures today show us how to handle offenses against us. The Lord instructs Ezekiel to warn the wicked to try to turn them from evil ways. While the conscience of the wicked already condemns their evil actions, Ezekiel is nonetheless responsible for warning them of the consequences of their wrongdoing as an act of love. Jesus instructs His disciples to go to the offender directly to make peace, to bring in a mediator if necessary, and finally to bring in the Church as an arbiter of justice if all else fails. The goal is to "win over your brother" to help him or her see the effects of their sin and to come to repentance and move forward in peace. The guiding principle in these conversations is to "love one another" for "love does no evil to the neighbor" as St. Paul says to the Romans.

How do you know when God is speaking to you? Even in times of prayer, we can wonder if our thoughts and convictions are coming from the Lord or from somewhere else. I like to think of the "three voices" we can hear: (1) the voice of the Lord, (2) the voice of the Enemy, and (3) our own voice. Discernment is vitally important in prayer when following a voice, conviction, desire, feeling, or thought. The Church's teachings, Scripture, the Sacraments, and a life of prayer help us discern well. Simply put, we are to accept the Lord's voice, reject the Enemy's voice, and bring our own voice to prayer and discernment to clarify whether the movement in our heart comes from the Lord or not.

In his memoir, Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination, St. John Paul II wrote, "There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist." We may think more about the first part of the quote in relation to the need for more priestly vocations to bring us the Eucharist, but the second part of the quote reveals more fundamentally that we would have no priests at all without the priesthood of Jesus Christ and His Eucharistic offering of Himself. Indeed, the Sacramental power of the priesthood comes from Christ who instituted the priesthood with His own authority to bestow grace upon His Church.

We had a professor at the seminary who would always tell us, “Everybody has something to bring to the party.” He was talking about the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in all of us so that each of us always has something to offer.

Everything in our Scriptures today points to staying focused on God amidst suffering, evil, and violence. While Elijah prays on the mountain, there are strong winds, an earthquake, and fire. Finally, he hears the voice of the Lord in a tiny whispering sound. God doesn't speak in the violence of the wind, earth, or fire, but in the quiet of prayer. It is the evil one who speaks through violence as a distraction to get our attention on the mess he is causing rather than on the peaceful and powerful work of God.

It's hard to believe that this week marks the completion of my 5th year at the parish! I was assigned to St. Patrick's and St. Mary's on August 1, 2021, and named Pastor on December 11, 2022. I am incredibly blessed by the vibrancy and love of our communities of faith. Thank you for bringing the love of Jesus with you wherever you go. Let's continue to grow stronger in our relationship with Christ together each day!

A few years ago, I saw someone wearing a shirt that struck me. Perhaps you have seen people in similar shirts. The shirt was all black, and on the front in wavy white type was “Anti Social Social Club”. Absolutely hilarious. A social club for those who consider themselves anti-social. What a genius idea! I can’t say I know much about the organization or have met any of its board members, but the club fascinates me. What do their club outings consist of? Do they celebrate losing members instead of gaining members? Is their mascot a cat?

If one was striving to be the most powerful person in the world, what do you think they would seek? Many would probably pursue wealth, success, reputation, positions of power or influence, or something of that nature. We may be surprised to hear how God shows us in today's Scriptures that what makes Him most powerful is His mercy. Interesting. His might is His mercy, and His mercy is the most powerful force in the world. I like it!

I've never had much of a green thumb myself for gardening, but I recognize the hard work that goes into cultivating a good harvest or beautiful flowers and plants. The Scriptures this Sunday focus on God's Word going forth to bear great fruit, the seed falling on good ground yielding a fruitful harvest, and creation as a whole waiting with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God. These themes remind us of the importance of our human stewardship cooperating with God's grace to make the world around us bear fruit for God's Kingdom.

Our lives in Christ are meant to be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and praise of the Father who raised Christ from the dead. Listen to the joy and praise of God in today's readings even in the midst of life's challenges. Our savior comes to us so that we might live in Him and receive life from Him. Joy and praise aren't the result of never being tested or experiencing difficulties in life, but pour forth naturally from a heart with living faith in God's plan and presence in all circumstances.

Open your hearts to receive Jesus! Jesus is always there to welcome us with open arms, but we also need to make a corresponding move to receive His love, mercy, and grace. We follow Jesus' words in today's Gospel that whoever receives Him receives the Father, and whoever receives the good in others will receive a good reward. Love, serve, and give generously to others as God gives to you, and you will be like Him!

The command from God "Do not be afraid" appears more often in Sacred Scripture than any other instruction. This command shows us that fear is the biggest stumbling block to our relationship with God and others. The crippling fear that often overtakes our good intentions and best efforts truly undermines the work of the Holy Spirit in us. The remedy to fear is courage, trust, and faith in God. With God at our side, of whom should we be afraid? We enter our daily lives with a deep trust, surrender, and serenity knowing that God sees us and all things in their entirety. We have only to be faithful and look to our God to provide our daily bread for all situations, especially for those circumstances beyond our understanding and control.

God loves His people! After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Lord calls His people to be faithful to His commandments and become His special possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. St. Paul reminds the Romans that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Jesus pities the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd, so He appoints the twelve disciples with spiritual authority over the people for their healing and sanctification.

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist is the divine gift of God Himself who pours Himself out for our reconciliation and peace.

"The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all." This is how I start Mass every time. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.