Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time at Sacred Heart Church. Recorded at 7:30am Mass. CLICK HERE

Click here for this weekend’s parish bulletin and my column

Prayers of the Faithful

July 21, 2019

16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let us learn to pray as Mary did in the gospel, peering into the life and face of Jesus Christ. May we all bring our needs to the feet of our Savior.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us learn to serve as Martha did, may we not fret or be discouraged as we give of ourselves to people most in need. Let us create communities of hospitality and freedom.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people who struggle with faith and who cannot worship within the Church because of the issues of clerical abuse and cover-ups.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our children and grandchildren, the integrity of our families and the hope of our nation. May our inner lives of prayer become the source of justice and peace.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for all monks, hermits and all contemplatives within the Church. May they learn a genuine prayer for every person on earth. May their hearts be aflame with love for people’s needs.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our dying and for those who have died in these past weeks. In this Mass…

We pray to the Lord.

Sunday Homily from July 14, 2019

Link to this week’s parish bulletin and my column

Prayers of the Faithful

Let us anoint one another with prayer in times that challenge our relationships, that fracture our families, and that create turmoil in our nation. May we experience divine healing in all we do and in all we serve.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us live our commitment in God and the Church with all of our hearts, our minds and our strength. May God’s love reveal peace to all people.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to connect our faith with serving people in our world. May our love for God become manifest among God’s poor, among the stranger in need and for all who seek justice in our world.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pour oil into the wounds we create within our families and in all our relationships. May healing become the mission of the Church for all people.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us carry the burdens of people suffering with mental illness within our lives of prayer. May people experience the emotional healing they long for.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us walk with our neighbors who experience the death of people they love. May grief and loss be overcome with prayer and support. In this Mass…

HOMILY: CLICK HERE for today’s 7:30am homily

July 7, 2019

14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let us pray for missionaries and leaders within our Universal Church, that we may learn from gospel values and from the lives of people we serve.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ with simplicity and integrity. May we live what we proclaim and preach what we practice.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us open new perspectives within our lives so that we may serve people who are ill, those whose lives have not turned out as they had planned, and for all who seem lost in complexities and confusion.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to bandage the feet of people who flee injustice. Let us break the silence of those who weep alone with words of comfort and protection. May we serve people who most need the basics of life.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our families during these summer months of vacations and transitions. May we all find the beauty of life and the tranquility of nature.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our beloved dead. In this Mass…

We pray to the Lord.

Please note: You can find our bulletin now online at our new website: www.sacredheartcos.org   Also, I am taking a break from my art for the bulletin covers for a few months. The covers are provided by LPI, our bulletin publisher. 

Dear Followers of Jesus,

In Luke 10:1-12, 17-20, we hear about the disciples being sent into the world. Jesus tells them that the harvest is abundant and yet the labors are few. We are to carry very little with us, just the essentials. We bring “peace” into every household.

The gospel today reflects the continuing mission of the Eucharist and the Church itself. The Mass gathers people in faith. We come back to the familiar four walls of our church build-ing to celebrate Eucharist and to share stories of our salvation history. However, there is an aspect of our Mass that is extremely important. Even the word, “Mass” comes from the word “dismissal.” Every Sunday we “gather,” but how are we “sent” into the world?

Jesus sends us into an uncertain world today just as he did with his disciples. We are to see with razor sharp vision the needs of other people. We are to hear with the ears of the Shepherd to listen to the needs of people. We are to be swift in action, discerning as a wise man. We are to enter the deep and confusing issues of our day and bring the peace, love and fulfillment of the Kingdom of Heaven.

We often get lost thinking that we need to hoard the truth of Jesus, holding tightly to the Church’s vision and grace for only ourselves, or living in a bubble of self-protection in the Church. The Church is not meant to become a museum. It is not meant for us to think that grace in the Church was just in the good ‘ole days. It cannot be stuck in the Middle Ages or in 1950. The Church is meant to flourish and be given away by us to those most in need.

We are to do what Jesus became for us. We are to comfort people in their sorrow because he rose from the dead. We are to feed people with the basics of life because he feeds us eve-ry Sunday. We are to heal the sick because we are healed in Christ’s love and presence. We are to shelter people because he has prepared a dwelling in heaven for each of us. The Kingdom of God has many facets and each of these under-standings about the Kingdom of Heaven must become how we serve people on this earth.

Jesus even challenges us that life here can really change. We can bring new perspectives about war, violence and threats in our midst. Our peace making can become a way of life if we humble ourselves in his Word and Eucharist. Peace is hard to come by within our hearts and minds. Peace is something that we work for but first we must become instruments of peace. How many Christians do you know who are truly at peace and who reveal peace in all of their encounters? We have work to do now.

Jesus sends us into the world after every Sunday Mass. How do we notice in our world if the Mass is taking action? It might very well be up to us to reveal such love, peace and hope for people here on earth.

Blessings,

Fr. Ron

CLICK HERE TO read my latest article from Pastoral Liturgy Magazine, July 2019 issue from Liturgy Training Publications, Chicago, IL.

I hope you can spend some time with our new website. The website is now hosted by Our Sunday Visitor from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

TO VIEW: CLICK HERE