Ordinary Time 17

What a great time to be a fan of the black and gold! The Pirates are having an incredible season and Steelers training camp has begun!

This week we say goodbye to the Gospel of Mark for five Sundays. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the Gospels so the Lectionary draws from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John for five weeks in summer to fill out the year. In the sixth chapter of John we will hear Jesus talk about bread, about hunger and fulfillment, about becoming bread for the world. In this age of mega-marts and low-carb diets, does the word “bread,” central to today’s Gospel, prompt any associations at all? For those of us of a certain age, there may be the childhood memories of ethnic breads, especially at holiday time, and the memories will typically engage both body and soul: grandmother or mother in charge of the kitchen, children helping out, smells of bread baking, finished loaves warm to the touch, and of course the texture and taste. Just imagine what bread meant to the crowds who came to see Jesus. Baking that staple of survival was a practical necessity, an enterprise at once human, cosmic, divine. This human work relied on elements that are fruits of the earth, but only after nature’s God provided rain for the rich earth, sun to nurture the ripening grain. In those days, in that place, no bread, no life!

Tuesday, July 31 is the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Like him, may we learn “to find God in all things” and do everything “for the greater glory of God.”

Wednesday, August 1 is the Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorists. Like him, may we learn that “all holiness and perfection of soul lies in our love for Jesus Christ."

Saturday, August 4 is the Memorial of Saint John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests. Let us pray for all the priests who serve the many parishes in the Diocese of Greensburg, that they minister with an open heart so that the word of God may enter it, take root in it, and bear fruit there for eternal life.

Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "The Hand of the Lord feeds us," reminds us to trust in God’s providence for what we really need.

Ordinary Time 16

This past week we had a wonderful experience of Vacation Bible School. I would like to thank the children who participated and the following volunteers: Dawn Tedrow, Kathie Brown, John Zombar, Sandy Ferrari, Jane Mondock, Lisa, Julie, Shelby, Hannah, Makayla Kimmick, Sarah, Megan Powell, Angeleena Raimondo, Maria Foschia, Heather Umbel, Jason, Emily Lohr, Janine Petersen, Tyler Tubbs, Vickie Hickle, Carolyn Loucks, and Elizabeth Echard.

A number of years ago, all the talk in the business world was about leadership and the qualities of a good leader. God’s recipe for good leadership of God’s people is straightforward enough: wisdom, justice, caring for people, overcoming division, and bringing peace. You may not be the head of a large organization, but you exercise leadership in one way or another every day. Are you ready to follow God’s management model?

Wednesday is the feast of St. James the Apostle. In 42 A.D. he became the first Apostle to be martyred. The patron saint of Spain and for pilgrims, he is venerated at Santiago de Compostela, a famous medieval pilgrimage destination in Spain. May we imitate his eagerness to follow Jesus and change our lives in order to make this happen.

Thursday is the Memorial of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Grandparents of Jesus. Though not mentioned in the New Testament, their story, found in an early Christian document, sounds a lot like some people who do appear in scripture. Joachim, like Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, had a crucial encounter with God in the Temple. Like John’s mother, Elizabeth, Anne was childless and prayed for a child. Mary was God’s answer to their request. These two saints and their predecessors and descendants asked for what looked to be unlikely or even impossible, and God provided. Don’t be afraid to ask God for what you need to help follow God’s will for you.

Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want," brings us courage and comfort as we face life’s challenges.

Ordinary Time 15

Who would believe that at the All-Star Break the Pirates would be alone in first place. Let’s pray they are there in October!

This week Vacation Bible School returns to Holy Cross. We have a nice group of children registered and a nice group of youth and adult volunteers. A special thanks to Dawn Tedrow for coordinating VBS. You can still register your child through Monday morning! The week will conclude with Mass and a family picnic on the Rectory Lawn on Thursday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The theme for VBS is "SKY, Nothing is Impossible with God!"

As always in Ordinary Time, the first reading from the Old Testament prepares us for the Gospel. In today’s first reading the Lord calls Amos and “missions” him to bear prophetic witness. Jesus gives instructions to the Twelve and to us about the “mission.” Some of the instructions are easily grasped; we “get” them. For instance “walking stick” and “sandals” keep us moving along, but “no food, no sack, no money? These we translate figuratively as a reminder not to let possessions weigh us down, to remember our dependence on God’s providence. May our worship here at Holy Cross both conform us in faith and prepare us for mission.

Monday is the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Carmelites have celebrated their patronal feast on this day since the 14th century, for according to tradition Saint Simon Stock was given the brown scapular by the Blessed Virgin Mary on this day in 1251. The Order of Carmel dates back to a group of Western hermits, who in the 12th century settled on Mount Carmel, overlooking the plain of Galilee, in imitation of the Prophet Elijah (see 1 Kings 18:19-46 and 2 Kings 2:25). They grouped themselves around a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady. In the 13th century, the Order of Carmel as we know it was formed, retaining the twin devotions of the early hermits: to Elijah and his solitary prayer, and to Our Lady under the title of Mount Carmel.

Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "Lord, let us see your kindness and grant us your salvation, reminds us to look for the hidden blessings of each day!"

Ordinary Time 14

I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July!

Prophets can be annoying, always harping about change, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Jesus’ message – “Repent! Change your heart!” – was not popular. In our own day, we are bombarded by messages of all kinds by those who claim to have unique insights into what constitutes a good and successful life. As a member of a thinking and holy people, your responsibility is twofold: first, to have a healthy skepticism unafraid to challenge cultural assumptions; and second, to be open – you could be wrong! Most of all, pray about these messages in the quiet presence of the Holy Spirit who helps you to discern the true prophets of your time. They may not be the ones you expect. In today’s first reading from Ezekiel, we heard “As the Lord spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet.” This reminds us that we are all called to share in the life of the prophets.

Saturday, July 14 is the Memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. She will be canonized a Saint by Pope Benedict on October 21, 2012. She was born at Osserneon (Auriesville, New York), her mother was a Christian Algonquin from Quebec, and her father was a non-Christian Mohawk Turtle chief. At age 4, a smallpox epidemic killed her parents and brother and left her with impaired eyesight and a disfigured face. Inspired by Jesuit missionaries, Tekakwitha was baptized on Easter Sunday in 1676 and assumed the name Kateri, probably in honor of Saint Catherine of Siena. Soon after, amidst growing persecution in her community, Kateri escaped to Kahnawake, near Montreal. She is called the “Lily of the Mohawks” and is the patroness of ecology and the environment. May we follow her example of courageous dedication to faith: "I am not my own: I have given myself to Jesus.”

Vacation Bible School begins on July 16 and concludes on July 19 with a family Mass and picnic on the rectory lawn! If you have not registered your child please do so. It is going to be a very exciting week!

Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy," reminds us to turn to God to fulfill our needs.

Ordinary Time 13

Wow, it is already July, which means we are getting closer to Steelers Training Camp! During this month of July, may the beautiful days and joyful Fourth of July celebrations help us all to fill our lives with thankfulness and praise!

In today’s first reading from the Old Testament Book of Wisdom, we hear “God fashioned all things that they might have being.” “God is love,” Scripture famously says (1 John 4:16), but you could also say with equal truth, “God is life.” Just as love reveals God, so does life itself witness to God. Creation was an act of pure life-giving love. God did not have to make the world: God wanted to make the world. God wanted to share the divine life with creation. Though brokenness and obstacles may lie in their paths, God always desires God’s creatures to return to the source of their lives. Every breath, every thought, every step, sight, sound and taste testifies to your being alive – and to God’s life in you. Be aware and be thankful!

Tuesday, July 3 is the Feast of Saint Thomas. He is famous for his skepticism toward initial reports of Jesus’ Resurrection. Meanwhile, you may wonder if you’d believe in such fabulous goings-on if they were reported to you in real-time today. Good news often seems feeble compared with the magnitude of the bad news that comes to you daily. Thomas is the patron saint when the reasons for hope appear frail indeed. Early traditions say he died as a martyr in India, pierced by a sword. The one whose faith was bolstered by the wounds of Jesus proved his faith with his own torn body. What has faith cost you, and do you have the scars to prove it.

As our nation celebrates its 236th birthday this Wednesday, this text from a prayer by Archbishop John Carroll is most appropriate:

Lord, we commend to your unbounded mercy all citizens of the United States, that we may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your holy law. May we be preserved in union and that peace which the world cannot give; and, after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Amen.

A special thanks to all who attended the Parish Picnic last Sunday! It was a beautiful day and a good time was had by all. Thanks to all who volunteered at the picnic.

Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy," reminds us to turn to God to fulfill our needs.

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Today we celebrate the Nativity of John the Baptist. John, the cousin of Jesus is a miracle baby born to elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth, who thought they were too old to have a child. Sometimes new life surprises us and we can only respond with awe and gratitude. Let us pray this day for new life for the world, our community, our church and ourselves.

John the Baptist was a prophet. What is a prophet? Well, the only thing that prophets have in common is that they have been sent, and the mission on which they are sent is not theirs, nor is the power theirs that gives them strength and patience and courage and makes them indifferent to the opinions of other people – not because they are sure they are right, but because only the message matters and rightness and wrongness, as the world judges these things, are irrelevant. They do not require the vindication of being heard or of visible results. The success of the mission, even, is less important than carrying it out, though they grieve because others cannot hear the voice that they hear.

Friday is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. It is on this day that the Pope and a few other high church officials receive the pallium. The pallium is an ancient liturgical vestment worn only by the Pope and a very few other high church officials on whom the Pope bestows it as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them. In honor of Saints Peter and Paul, today is the day of the liturgical year on which these officials receive this symbol of their office. In its current form it is a narrow band of white lamb’s wool from sheep raised by Trappist monks, looped and draped over other liturgical vestments. The pallium is a reminder of the serious duty placed on the shoulders of the highest church leaders. Pray today they that may fulfill their offices wisely, faithfully, and with compassion.

We are hosting the regional Fourth of July Mass here at Holy Cross at 9:00 AM. Patriotic prelude music will begin at 8:45 AM. There will be a special recognition of all the branches of the military. There will be a reception following the Mass. All are welcome to join us for a wonderful celebration in honor of our country’s 236th birthday!

Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "I praise you, for I am wonderfully made," reminds us to offer thanks to God for bringing each us into being.

Ordinary Time 11

Our gathering on this Lord’s Day marks the resumption of the numbered Sundays in Ordinary Time. All through summer and fall, from now until next Advent, we will hear successive passages from the Gospel of Mark, together with Jesus’ teaching on the Bread of Life from the Gospel of John. Week by week, the word of God and Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist will provide us with comfort and challenge, wisdom and strength to bear witness day by day to the kingdom of God. We listen and work as that kingdom grows, like a seed sown in the earth, invisibly but surely and steadily while God’s saving plan is brought to fulfillment through the ordinary events of our daily lives.

This weekend, we celebrate Father’s Day. This day celebrates the contribution that fathers and father figures make to their children’s lives. Its origin may lie in a memorial service held for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monogah, West Virginia in 1907. The day became official in 1972 by President Nixon. Happy Father's Day!

This Wednesday, June 20, is the first day of summer! Here is a summer blessing:

May our loving God watch over you and keep alive in your heart all that you have learned this year. Keep your mind on God. Remember to pray often and to celebrate your faith, at home with your family and at Mass with your faith family. Keep your faith in God. Let a ll the joys of summer remind you of God’s goodness. Never forget that God is always with you, no matter what. May the God of all creation who comes to us in Jesus, and lives among us in the Holy Spirit, keep you safe, happy and holy this summer and always. Amen.

A special thanks to the few and mighty who prepared for the Yard Sale and to all who donated items. It was a nice, hot day!

Plan on attending our Parish Picnic next Sunday, June 24. Bishop Brandt gave us permission to celebrate an outdoor Mass at 11:00 AM. Therefore, we will not have the regular 10:00 AM Mass here that day. Come and experience Mass outdoors and don’t forget the pie contest!

Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "Lord, it is good to give thanks to you," reminds us of the many blessings for which we give God our thanks and praise.