A message from Father Pete

Exodus 16:2-4; Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; John  6:24-35 It’s good to take a few moments to reflect on how God has been leading me. If I do this on a regular basis I can glean more deeply on how God’s goodness and graces are helping to form me to His image. Msgr. Chet Michael recommends his Daily Growth Plan, which has three phases: An hour a day, which is the cumulation of all our formal and informal time spent in prayer; a day a month, where we review our progress through notes and journaling; and a week a year, which is time spent on retreat. Some of us can do one of these; others can do all three. Whatever we accomplish is a good indicator of how God is touching each person to continue to move in His direction. Starting last weekend and going through Aug. 29 we listen to the sixth chapter of John's gospel known as the Bread of  Life Discourse. Throughout the Bible, bread is a symbolic representation of God’s life-sustaining provision. In these selections when Jesus tells the hungry

2 Kings 4:42-44; Ephesians 4:1-6; John  6:1-15 How has my image of God formed? It certainly goes back to my family: learning kindness, consideration, sharing and caring. It also goes back to family prayer and the daily recitation of the Rosary and learning at meals. And it goes back to my Catholic School training and learning about Jesus through the Religious sisters who taught me. Has the image I had as a youth of God changed? Has it been “updated” through the years? Have I expanded my vision of God to realize that He has always loved me since before my existence to this point in my life? Are my eyes continually being opened to the God of surprises: the God of the unlikely, the unexpected, the improbable, the impossible, the incredible, the believable? Do I open myself to believe that God just cares about me and every person of all times at every moment of our lives? How do I open my eyes to this God? Today’s readings explore our Creator and Lover. The books of Kings contain several s

Jeremiah 23:1-6, Ephesians 2:13-18, Mark 6:30-34 We have comforting words in today’s readings: “You have scattered My sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them … I Myself will bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply.”  [Jeremiah 6:2-3] “The Lord is  my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” [Psalm 23:1] “He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” [Ephesians 2:18] “‘Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ … When He disembarked and saw the vast crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them, they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.” [Mark 6:31,34] Our past 18 months have been shocking, hurtful, discouraging ... anything but peaceful, and yet God continues to let us know His presence brings peace and love. There have been “across-the-board reactions” which embraced and affe

Amos 7:12-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6, 7:1-13 I like to reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m headed …hopefully in gratitude for God’s help and gifts, whether I’m aware of them or not … kinda attuned to God … or not aware of God at all. I live my daily life with an agenda which is often packed with non-essentials. I focus my attention on them while putting off or disregarding what God needs of me each day. Like many, I make a list of priorities: Take care of the family … make a good living … be kind and respectful … respond in love and try to be considerate of others when I can. Most of all, love my immediate family. But does it ever occur to me that I have to lead all with whom I interact to heaven and a deeper knowledge, appreciation and love for God, our creator, redeemer and friend? The objection is the oft-used and misused “I don’t have the time.” Besides, isn’t this the role of the bishop, priests, diaconate community, religious ... those who do this job for a living? Isn’t

Ezekiel 2:2-5; 2 Corinthians 12:3-2cd; Mark 6:1-6 I think people feel unwelcome at different times in their lives. It could become apparent when returning to your old hometown … and people with whom you were close on a sports team, or neighbors or friends, now seem to brush you off. I look at the situations in my life when I've felt like a failure. What happened that shook me up and left me with a low opinion of myself? It might have been a soured relationship or one that had crashed. Another could have been a trusted institution that had revealed its brokenness. What are we to do with failure? What are we to do when we feel God has abandoned us? What is open to us when we don’t even know where God can be found? Today we are celebrating our Independence. Our ancestors did not like people controlling their lives and their attitudes. So: 227 years ago, on July 4, 1776, This great nation, the United States of America, In a struggle for what was right and free, Was proudly born … May w