From our Pastor’s Desk

Dear Family:

For the last few weeks, we have been hearing a series of parables from St. Matthew’s gospel: the story of the sower and the seed; the parable of the wheat and the weeds, the stories that have compared the Kingdom of God to a pearl of great price or a treasure in a field. While each parable has conveyed a different message about salvation, the subtext has been the same: God’s extravagant generosity. Each parable in some way has shown how much God wants to give us, how generously He shares Himself and His kingdom. And now, with the parables concluded, St. Matthew brings us to this moment, and a “vast crowd” of believers whose lives are changed not by a story, but by an event – a real encounter with Christ that makes the impossible possible.

A while ago I read a quote about what Evangelization is all about: it is all about one really hungry person telling another hungry person, ‘I found The Food.’ Surely, that was true for the more than five thousand people gathered on that hillside in Galilee in today’s gospel reading. It did not rain down on them from heaven, like manna. It came to them very clearly and concretely and for one reason, and for one reason only: because of Jesus Christ. From that moment on, those thousands would be able to say to every hungry person they met, in wonder and joy: “I found The Food.” And they could point the way to Christ.

But this dramatic episode is about more than eating – and it is about more than just a flashy miracle. It is about the transformative power of Jesus Christ; it is about God’s generosity, the generosity we encountered in the parables, made real.

I would like us to consider three key ideas. First, our God is one who heals. “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.” In His compassion, His mercy, His love, Christ reaches out to bind our wounds and heal our hurts. He cures those who are sick. He makes us whole. He makes us well. He restores us to what we were meant to be.

Second, our God is one who feeds our hungers. And I’m not talking, of course, about just having a ham & cheese sandwich. What do we all hunger for? So many of us crave something we cannot really name. Dignity, Peace of mind, Love. Things that are so often elusive. Yet, Christ sees to it that we are fed. He gives us what we need. In fact, He gives us more than what we need, from things we might never have expected. From scraps and leftovers, he creates a feast. From nothing, He gives us everything.

Third, our God is one who cares about every individual – even every fragment. Nothing, and no one, is wasted. How often have we felt neglected, abandoned, discarded? How often have any of us felt like we were little more than crumbs? But this miracle reminds us: God remembers those who are forgotten. Christ picks up those who are cast aside – the people who fall through the cracks. All people matter; no one is disposable. Today’s gospel reading reassures us that even though many would discard us, God does not.

With that as our hope, and the enduring miracle of God’s extravagant generosity uplifting us, we are filled, and we are healed. We can leave this place today changed by our own encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. We need to share that: the miracle of God’s grace in our lives. Like those loaves and fishes, it is something that cannot help but be multiplied. We need to spread that good news which, in fact, is great news. We have come to know the God who heals, the God who cares about the smallest and weakest, and the God who offers us Himself as the Bread of Life.

To all those who hunger, I proclaim this simple message: “I found The Food.”

Dear family, because Fr. Michele and I will be at our High School Summer Camp in Lake Placid, FL, you will not see us this week during the daily Masses. But do not worry, all Masses will be celebrated. However, our usual Confessions on Wednesday this week are cancelled because of our absence as well as the Holy Hour on Thursday. We ask you to pray for all those teenagers coming with us; may the Lord touch their hearts and enlighten in them the fire of God’s love. Please pray for our Young Adults leaders that will be guiding our teenagers during the Camp; may the Lord give them the wisdom to evangelize, and the understanding to accompany the campers in this journey towards Christ. Please also pray for our Chaperones, men and women that will be with us serving, protecting and keeping together the peace and beauty of the Camp; may the Lord give them compassion and love to handle all teenagers with mercy. And last, pray for Fr. Michele and I; may the Lord give us the endurance to serve everyone wisely and lovingly as Jesus did today in the Gospel for so many.

I invite you all to always meet at the Eucharist. He will always make us One Body, One Spirit, One Family!

Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Michael the Archangel, St. José Gregorio Hernández, Pope Saint Pius X, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Charbel, pray for us.

Yours in Christ!
Fr. Omar