Pentecost Fire

Now what?

Pentecost Sunday June 5, 2022

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11~ Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit…

Psalm 104 ~ Lord send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth.

1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13~ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.

Gospel: John 6:51-58 ~ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and who’s sins you retain are retained.”

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Pentecost is the Commencement Exercise (graduation ceremony)… except it is a true receiving of the Gift of the Holy Spirit… the Promise of God that was promised for generations. We are reminded of that promise from Mary, the Mother of Jesus at the Visitation.

We proclaim:

All are welcome

All still learning, to hear, know, learn… The Good News

The Blind of Heart & Soul… See!

Courage

All have the Gifts to carry on… the Armor of Faith, Love, Hope, Family

We all need Father & Mother, Brother & Sister, Friends & Teachers

The whole church gathered:

The Bride & Spouse of Jesus

Proclaims the Good News

We as a Church cure the sick, raise the Dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons…

We are One Church united by the Fire of Love!

We are elders and children, families, singles, and widows. We are conservatives and liberals, in politics and faith. We are casual and formal; converts and cradle Catholics, prisoners and free. We are people of diverse roots and ways of life… On the Way One Way… same Boat… Looking out for each other. Jesus is the Captain of the ship and the servant steward.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because God has anointed me to bring Good News to the Poor. We are called to be love and be loving. To Love is to serve as Jesus.

Where am I?

What am I looking for?

Who do I say Jesus is?

Can I drink the cup of suffering that Jesus drank?

“O Lord close my lips and my mouth will praise.”

Tongues of Fire, not my own tongues.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit when John kicked in her womb. Zechariah, Simeon, Anna and the Mother of Jesus were all filled with the Holy Spirit before proclaiming…

My Soul proclaims the greatness of God and my Spirit exults in God my Savior…. for he has looked with mercy on my lowliness… and the poor will be given good things, rich sent away empty…. the arrogant brought low, but the lowly raised up… for God remembers His Promise….

If God takes away our breath… we perish.

Your Spirit O God breathes life & love into all of us.

Water restores our dried out lives…

Jesus breathes on us… and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This is the Promise and Gift.

Our Gift is: The Spirit of God… the Breath of God… the Fire of God… the Gift of Life & Love itself…

The Way to Eternity…

We become ONE FLESH with God… impossible to separate for all eternity.

Sacrament!

I want to be a Grandfather just like you!

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 11, 2018 ~ St. Monica, Palatka ~ Father Ron

Father’s Day

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Ezekiel 17:22-24 ~ I, God, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree …and make the withered tree bloom.

Psalm 92~ Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10~ We are always courageous…

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34 ~ Jesus said to the crowds, “Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

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            A dad told me that he and his little boy were having a real man-to-man conversation as they were playing in their back yard. The boy said, “Dad, I know what I want to be when I grow up.” My friend, the dad, thinking his son would say, “Spiderman,” or some such thing, asked, “What do you want to be son…a fireman?” The child said, “No daddy, I want to be just like you.” You mean you want to be a doctor?” The boy said, “No, I want to be a father.”

Not all of us have had the best or most pleasant experiences with our fathers. The fruit of fatherhood often takes time to grow… first the blade, then the ear, and then the full grain in the ear. And sometimes fatherhood doesn’t bear fruit until long after the father dies.

The Gospel reminds me of a true story about a young man who left his native Italy and family just about five years after the 1918 flu epidemic. Antonio served in the medical corps back in Italy, during World War I. He came through Ellis Island past the Statue of Liberty on the S/S Bella Italiana with $50 in his pocket. Although he thought he was just visiting America, Antonio, only 27 years old, met a woman in Boston, Teresina, widowed with five children ranging from 14 to 5 years old. Antonio was both moved and pressured to marry her. After all, she spoke Italian and was beautiful.

The two grew as a couple saving up enough money to get all the children back from orphanages within a year. Together they had two daughters and then a son who died at birth.  Then a year later they had one more son, Matthew. Antonio worked with his stepsons and son in construction. Teresina invested the money earned into real estate. You could say that Teresina and Antonio’s family grew, put forth branches and bore much fruit, wealth and grandchildren. Only Matthew and his six sons could carry his father’s name, they had a respectful, sincere but cold relationship.

Teresina and Antonio often argued loudly and dramatically as many Italians do, but they loved each other. No one doubted that love until Teresina died after 55 years of marriage. She managed the money and her will seemed to say to Antonio, “I neva lova you, I only lova my first husband!”

            For the next five years, Antonio alienated just about every grandchild. One grandson who was 19 when Teresina died, would visit, but left as soon as his grandfather badmouthed his deceased grandmother in Italian. He usually left within 5 minutes. During the next five years, the visits got longer and longer until the grandson only left because he had to get back to school. He even took walks on the beach with his grandfather.

One day Matthew called his son who was in the seminary. This was before cell phones. “Son, last night, Grandpa was having a great time at his 89^thbirthday party with the great grandkids.  I brought Grandpa back to his apartment and was putting his food in the refrigerator when he insisted I come to him. He was in his chair. ‘Ya Pa, what do you want?’ He said, ‘Mateo, I lova you.’ I told him I loved him too.” A sigh, “But Son, your grandfather had never said those words to me before.” Matthew took a breath and told his son,  “Your grandpa died some time last night. He never left that chair.”

My father helping me to Cross over!

Breathful

We are Called to…

A Father’s Love

Jesus Came Home with his disciples…

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 10, 2018 ~ St. Monica, Palatka ~

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Genesis3:9-15 ~ The woman answered: “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”.

Psalm 130~ Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; hear my voice!

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1~ Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Gospel: Mark 3:20-35 ~ Jesus came home with his disciples. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, “he is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”

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            How many of us have blamed others for causing us to sin? How often have we had expectations of others to do it our way? Adam and Eve are a gift to us if we have done this. Now what? The family of Jesus had expectations for him, and when he didn’t meet those expectations, they blurted out “He is out of his mind!”

           Jesus shares with us that before anyone can plunder a strong man, they have to tie up the strong man first.  Then they can plunder. The scribes were about to tie up Jesus to a cross so that they could plunder and oppress the people even more. They were profiting from the people by confusing them and misleading them. That is how people are tied up.

            Doctors, nurses, lawyers, counselors and ministers take oaths and vows to protect life rather than destroy life. When they go against that oath, like support abortion or go into useless wars… then they do the unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit.

            To profit from war, divorce, abortion, or unneeded hospital stays or selling guns to those who shouldn’t have them or lying in order to get elected, or feeding off of the flock… these are unforgivable. The opposite is life-giving.  

Newspaper columnist George Plagenz once told the story of a young doctor who delivered a baby into a poverty-stricken family in Montana. The child had one cruelly deformed leg. He also had difficulty breathing. “The other children will call him ‘Limpy,’” the doctor thought. “His life will be miserable. If I don’t do anything for his breathing, he will die. Wouldn’t that be better?” he asked himself. Then he remembered his Hippocratic oath and began blowing into the baby’s mouth. Soon the child’s lungs were acting normally and he gave his first cry.

Several years later the doctor’s daughter and son-in-law were killed in an auto accident. The doctor’s ten-year-old granddaughter was left an orphan. He took her in. One day the child was stricken with a crippling and incurable condition. The doctor learned there was a young doctor in the Midwest who had been getting excellent results in the treatment of this particular disease. He took his granddaughter to see the doctor.

The young physician was lame. He was the deformed baby into whose mouth the older doctor had breathed 35 years before. Because of his own infirmity, the young doctor had specialized in this crippling disease. The treatment on the older doctor’s grandchild was successful and the little girl was returned to normal health. *

*Story taken from:

Gerard Fuller, O.M.I., Stories for All Seasons, 1996, Twenty-Third Publications The Columbia Press, page 74 (Jesus Casts Out Devils)

David Redding, The Golden String (Grand Rapids MI: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1988), as quoted in Dynamic Preaching (6):5, July 1991.

World Mission Sunday ~ 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God is Love. God owns everything. God showers us with abundance.

It really is quite simple. It seems that our country recognizes a need for tax reform. But we need to ask ourselves a few questions. What is the problem with our tax code, as it exists? Is it fair? How do our taxes pay for national defense, safe roads, water, food, or disaster relief? Does our nation’s spending of taxes reflect our motto, “In God we Trust”? God is more concerned about how we spend the 90% left over. God gives laws like tithing, to teach us how to give 100% Love! God gives us everything… even Jesus in his mother’s arms. If we are involved in tax loopholes or avoiding paying our fair share of taxes to Our One Nation Under God or to God in the poor, refugee or immigrant, is it possible that we are naively plotting ways to entrap Jesus?

            So if Jesus were to ask us, “Show me what you pay your taxes to Uncle Sam with,” how will that turn out? Our money states clearly, “In God We Trust”. But today we pay bills without cash. If we had no money, credit card or Internet, how would we buy anything? We just don’t realize that sometimes we pay more to our phones, Internet, football tickets, concerts or health insurance than we do for treasures in heaven.

I have veteran friends in Puerto Rico who were able to post on social media. “Went to CVS and found a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, found two spoons in the car, turned on the car and sat in parking lot in AC and devoured the pint of ice cream. WOW. What a treat. Takes very little to entertain and make us super happy. … Life is good we have our little routine and are enjoying life as it is now. We have our faith, each other, family and friends and our home. Life is good and the beauty of our Island is shinning through this all. So come on down folks.” How grateful are we today, really?

When Jesus says, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” what could we possibly give to God for our breath in this world? I remember when my mother was being ravished by cancer that metastasized her body as she was literally starving to death. Every day she lived was phenomenal and painful for all of us. For as much pain as she was in, I wouldn’t trade a billion dollars for one of those horribly beautiful 40 days. Although my family was begging for the suffering to end, there was something awesome, something beautiful we couldn’t give to God yet.

One day, less than a week before her death, I sat with my mother and father at the back window of their home as about 70 people from the Cursillo group sang to my mother across the pool. My mother, who had no water in her tear ducts, was upset because she couldn’t share the gift of her tears. She wanted to give something in return for their awesome gift of song and love.

A couple days later, my family gave to God what was God’s, our mother. Yes, God gave her to us, but we trusted God with her. We thank God in the Eucharist for her to this day. Her love is stronger than her death. What we gave to “Caesar” was the hospital bed, the doctor bills, her unused social security check, and her taxes for the first six months of 2000. Caesar seemed to give nothing in return, except more bills and a death certificate.

We will all die one day, and give back our bodies to God. And God will give us eternal life in exchange for our worn out bodies, if, and only if, we love one another and recognize that when we give to the poor, we give to God. We owe God everything. Without God we are nothing. We are called to act with justice and to give to God tender love that we share with one another. Without love we are worth nothing. Wouldn’t it be Great News if we truly gave to God what God most wants from us?

22 October 2017 ~ St. Monica, Palatka & St. John Interlachen~ Father Ron

Isaiah 45:1-6 ~ I have called you by name, giving you a title, though you knew me not.

Psalm 96 ~ Give to the LORD, you families of nations, give to the LORD glory and praise; give to the LORD the glory due his name! Bring gifts, and enter his courts.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 ~ We give thanks to God always for all of you,

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21 ~ Knowing their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax.” Then they handed him the Roman coin, He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” They replied, “Caesar’s.” At that he said to them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

 

St Monica’s Catholic Church living by the St John’s River

We are called to welcome and assist all to become the compassionate love of Jesus in the Eucharist flowing through us.

A Scrap of Love heals

20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

20 August 2017++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28~ At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, A Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” HE said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

How many of us have ever had the need to cry out to Jesus, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My son, my daughter, my relative, my friend is tormented by a demon.”?

What is a demon? Demons come in all shapes and sizes. A demon is what hijacks our ability to think clearly. With the recent epidemic of opiate use, I believe many are possessed by a demon that clouds their ability to see who they are, the sons and daughters of God. There are demons of lust, demons of power, demons of oppression, demons of fear, demons of boredom, demons of mental illness, demons of habit, demons of complaining, and demons profiting from wars and gun sales.

Just like Jesus’ disciples, we ask Jesus to send them away rather than see them with compassion and not judgment. We fail to recognize the Body and Blood of Christ within each of us that can cure them. Some of us believe that sending away (deporting) foreigners; immigrants or refugees will solve our problems. The problem is that we look at them as dogs. Actually we look at them as lower than dogs.

Dogs are actually cared for better in this country than many of the people escaping wars, famine or gang warfare. More than half of the people in this weary world would gladly change places with our pet dogs. Jesus is asking us to see this woman. Jesus has invited us to see many women who have much stronger faith than we ever will. This woman knew who Jesus was. She knew that just a scrap from his table would heal her daughter possessed by a demon. This woman would gladly be called a dog if she knew her daughter would be healed.

If we had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could move mountains.

Jesus still sends us disciples out in twos. He directs us to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons. What prevents us from doing this?

I believe the place to start is to welcome those who are hurting like this woman. Share her pain. Be moved with compassion. See her desperation. Walk with her.

Jesus asks tells us that if two of us come together and ask, it will be granted. The key to my power when I was in the Battle for Fallujah was falling in love with the Marines and soldiers as they were, not how I believed they should be. I simply loved them as if they were my own sons and daughters. Then my prayer became desperate when my child was wounded or bludgeoned in body or soul.

“Lord, help me.”

Do you believe that just a scrap of Jesus could heal you whom I love?

Let us ask and believe it will be granted.

Someone here today is being healed this very hour.

Is it you? Is it your daughter or son?

Who has the faith of Good News?

 

 

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 ~ For my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

Psalm 67 ~ O God, let all the nations praise you!.

Paul’s letter to the Romans 11:13-32 ~ For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

 

“Rise and do not be afraid!”

Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord

6 August 2017

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. His face shone like the sun and his clothing became white as light. And Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared conversing with Jesus. Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord it is good that we are here. If you wish I can make three tents; one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”   While Peter was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they went prostrate and were very much afraid. Jesus came to them and touched them saying, “Rise and do not be afraid.” When they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus alone. Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9

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Every time we come to the Eucharist, we go up the mountain and experience the transfiguration and the glory of God. Sometimes our clouds of anxiety, depression, fear, addictions or worldly affairs prevent us from seeing the love of God. That is so sad.

I am a licensed mental health counselor and I counsel part time at a psychiatric hospital in Jacksonville. Many of the people have serious addictions that require treatment plans and a commitment to sobriety. It is like some of the things that we fast from during lent. Many of us give up sugar with a secret benefit of losing weight. There is nothing wrong with that, except after Lent we begin to realize that nothing has changed and it sometimes gets worse. We relapse and fail to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

When we listen to Jesus and do a fast that he suggests, we would be foolish to stop that fast after Easter Sunday. God is very clear in saying, “This, rather is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly; setting free the oppressed, sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” In other words, Jesus is taking us up the mountain with Peter, James and John to undergo a reality check. At Queen of Peace in Gainesville they say: “The Mass never ends, we take it with us. Thanks be to God.” After Mass today, we are changed forever. We have heard the Word of God! When an addict quits drugs, alcohol, or internet porn, they can never go back. If they do, we call it relapse. Most addicts go through many relapses before they find total peace and sobriety. We do it one day at a time and humbly admit our weakness.

In order to heal we ask addicts to go to anonymous meetings (90 meetings in 90 days). This is so they can replace a bad habit with a good habit. (Lent and Easter combined can transfigure us, but most of us stop after 40 days and neglect the 50 days of Easter to listen to Jesus for 90 days). It is like seat-belts. Why do we wear seat-belts? Some will say safety, but when I was a kid we didn’t have seat-belts in the car. We knew wearing a seat-belt increased the chances of surviving an accident, but we didn’t take it serious until the introduction of an annoying ding, blue lights in our rear-view mirror, or slogans like, “click it or ticket”. The mountain transfiguration with Jesus is a wake-up call to take this Eucharist seriously, to listen to Jesus. Eternal life depends on it.

When I look at the group of men or women before me, they are detoxed from their destructive behavior. They are balanced. Sometimes I play my flute and ask them to breathe in… and breathe out… After I play, it seems that their anxiety and depression are momentarily balanced and they seem quite normal. I believe they are normal. We all need depression to sleep and we all need anxiety to wake up. It is when they are out of balance that trouble snowballs. They need to take this calm and serenity out into the world even when they are triggered or tempted. We must stay calm when we encounter the Cross.

We are like a little toddler having a temper tantrum because Mom is weaning the child off of breast milk. The key to recovery of any addiction, including getting into bad relationships, is to wean our selves off. Even if an alcoholic misses an AA meeting, he or she will be fine if he simply puts on the seat-belt of sobriety in the morning. All of us need to be weaned off of worldly things and mean it when we say, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We need to go up the mountain and then listen to God asking us to listen to his Beloved Son.

Beloved, this Eucharist must somehow further the mission of Jesus and not our own pursuits. Our partaking of the Body and Blood of Jesus must always be good news for the poor, the oppressed, the homeless and the addicted. Jesus in me tells me to continue to visit those imprisoned by addictions and to be an instrument of God’s peace to console, to understand and to love. In the book, The Imitation of Christ, we hear, “Jesus has many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His Cross. He has many seekers of consolation, but few of tribulation. He finds many companions at His feasting, but few of His fasting. All desire to rejoice with Him; few are willing to endure anything for Him. Many follow Jesus as far as the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the cup of His Passion. Many reverence His miracles, but few will follow the shame of His Cross. Many love Jesus as long as no adversities befall them. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them but for a brief time, they begin to complain or become overly despondent in mind.” (Thomas A Kempis)

Jesus is trying to wean us so that we too hear God’s voice, “You are my Beloved”

We all must wrestle with God from time to time, just like a child being weaned wrestles with its mother.  So when Jesus comes to us and touches us, let’s listen to him…

“Rise and do not be afraid!”

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Daniel 7:9-14 ~ As the visions during the night continued, I saw:

Psalm 97 ~ The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory

2 Peter 1:16-19 ~ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.

 

 

 

“My Son, you are the sacrifice!” God

14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

9 July 2017  ~ St. Monica & St. John the Evangelist Catholic Communities

Zechariah 9:9-10 ~ “See, your king shall come to you, a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.

Psalm 145 ~ I will praise your name forever, my king and my God..

St. Paul to Romans 8:9-13 ~ You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Gospel according to Matthew 10:37-42 ~ At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

                  Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

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2000 years before Jesus, Abraham was asked to carry a pretty heavy cross even before he knew what crucifixion was. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac who was just about 12 years old. Isaac was more than willing to go with his Father alone, like any child would love to go on an adventure with their Dad. He just didn’t know he would be the one who would be killed!

When they got to the place of sacrifice after three exciting days, Isaac was confused. His father said very little and there was something missing. The “little one” was beginning to understand hidden things. Abraham told the servants that he and the boy were going up the mountain to pray and that they would come back to them.

So Abraham put the wood for the fire on Isaac’s shoulders while he carried the fire and the knife. Isaac labored and was burdened with his yoke. Abraham also labored and was burdened with an emotional and spiritual yoke. Have you ever felt burdened like this?

As the wood shifted on Isaac’s shoulders and he nearly fell over, he called out, “Father!” Abraham answered, “Yes my son.” Thinking that his father might be forgetful in his old age, Isaac asked, “Dad, here is the wood on my shoulders and you have the fire. Where is the sacrifice?”

Abraham answered, “My son, God will provide.”

Isaac trusted his father, but must have been paralyzed with fear when his father started to tie his hands and feet and place him on the wood he carried. This was terrifying, but at the last second, his father lowered the knife to plunge into his son’s heart.

He unties Isaac. And then grabs a ram caught in the thicket.

Fast forward 2000 years. It is the Passover feast when all Jews sacrifice and feast on a lamb. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is caught in the thicket in the Garden of Gethsemane. The burden of his emotional cross is crushing. Many of his disciples have abandoned him, one has betrayed him, and his closest friend is about to deny him three times. His physical cross would be horrifying.

Jesus cries out on that very dark night, “Father!” God answers, “Yes my beloved son.” Jesus questions God, “Father, here is the wood of the Cross I am about to carry and here is the fire of the people’s anger… Where is the sacrifice?”

God, the Father answered, “My beloved Son, you ARE the sacrifice.”

Jesus answered, “Okay. Not my will, but your will be done.”

Let us ask ourselves if our burdens and weariness come from anxieties and worries over worldly attachments. God does provide a lighter load in the shape of a cross, but Mercy and love for others lightens the load.

St. Monica & St. John the Evangelist

I am so excited to be called to minister to the beautiful people of St. Monica in Palatka and St. John the Evangelist in Interlachen. I begin this Saturday, July 1st. It will be the 13th week in Ordinary Time. Here are the readings:

13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Kings 4:8-16 ~ “I know that Elisha is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there.”

Psalm 89 ~ Forever I will sing, the goodness of the Lord.

St. Paul to Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 ~ Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? …If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

Gospel according to Matthew 10:37-42 ~ Jesus said to his Apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds one’s life will lose it and whoever loses one’s life for my sake will find it.

     “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple—amen, I say to you, that one will surely not lose one’s reward.”

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If you are in the neighborhood, come join us. I will be preaching at all the Masses.

St. Monica Masses:  Saturday Vigil @ 4:30 pm, Sunday at 9 am

St. John the Evangelist: Sunday @ 11:30 am and 2 pm (Spanish)

 

It has been a whirlwind since I left Queen of Peace Catholic Community in Gainesville.

~Wedding of Clay and Alicia at the Cathedral of St. Augustine

Graduation of my niece Rachael from my Alma Mater in Daytona Beach

~ Faith and sharing with the theme of BLESSED< BEAUTIFUL< BROKEN<BELOVED

Ordination to Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle of our classmate at St. Meinrad pre-theolgy class…

~ Ordination of a fellow Coast Guar officer to Richmond diocese ~ Father Miguel

 

Funeral of my beloved classmate and priest… Greg Ryan

And then a trip to Aix-en-Provence FRance and Paris… Normandy, Mont St. Michel, and Liseaux

having fun

Fr Jeff’s 25th song

 

This is was fun on my 24th anniversary week.