A message from Father Pete

For Sunday, July 28, 2024 2 Kings 4:42-44, Ephesians 4:1-6, John 6:1-15   The readings today take me back to my youth, growing up with my four siblings with mom feeding seemingly thousands of our friends … teammates … classmates who gathered at our house, always without notice. There was a custom hand embroidery in the dining room that read: Come in the morning … come in the evening … come when expected … come without warning. It fit well in our family. When my brother's crowd of friends showed up, Mom would slave over the waffle machine that produced only four waffles at a time. She was the waffle queen of the neighborhood. I don’t know what happened when my sisters’ friends came; my brother and I suddenly disappeared. And then there were the evenings when we “raided the fridge” for something to eat, all too often exclaiming, “There’s nothing to eat!” In reality, we didn’t like to eat leftovers. That doesn’t exist in my life these days. The readings have many messages for us ...

For Sunday, July 21, 2024 Jeremiah 23:1-6, Ephesians 2:13-18, Mark 6:30-34 So often we lose sight of the fact that the message that Jesus brought to humanity is not only that God created everyone and everything out of love and redeemed each of us from our sins. We have a tendency to hang on to the sins that we like, but God needs me and you to be His helpers — His disciples in our world. We live and work in this world along with our family, friends, neighbors, those we go to school with, and have a closeness with … this is our world. If we look at it in this way then we must ask ourselves: Does my world know about my God? Does my world learn from me about My God who has brought me here today? Is my God seen in me in the way I act, worship, work and live with those around me? Do I hide my God from those I interact with each day? Do I deliberately not preach, act, or live what Jesus says is the rule of life for His followers; that is, living God’s love each and every day for all so that...

For Sunday, July 14, 2024 Amos 7:12-15, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:7-13 Do you remember what it was like when we were young and in competition with friends and classmates for a specific “job?” It could have been a sports team, club, or leadership position. What did it feel like when we succeeded? Joyful? Being regarded as special? Reality set in when we started our “position.” What was it like for the apostles who were chosen and sent out by Jesus on a special mission? What about those who were not chosen? We never hear about them. The ones chosen had no training and probably no indication that they would be doing this work. How would they preach — perform miracles — control the pull and push of the crowds? How could they answer the countless religious questions about God, Jesus, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the prophets and those chosen before them to be missionaries and disciples of God? Were they excited? Scared? Considering bowing out? Afraid of confrontations with reli...

For Sunday, July 7, 2024 Ezekiel 2:2-5, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Mark 6:1-6 People are attracted to magic tricks — sleight-of-hand maneuvers that captivate. Seeing them, we want to know: How did you do that? I find these “tricks” interesting, and down through the years I have learned just a few that still work … although I have to refresh my memory to repeat them. People are attracted to them, especially our youth. Why? Maybe it's the “skill” factor … or trying to figure them out. Or, possibly, are they a way of surprising others to overcome shyness — making one feel important, needed or wanted? This is common for so many. There is a side of this “trait” that can go overboard, making the presenter feel that accomplishing one makes one an “expert” — more “important” or “better” than others. My Dad had a number of life expressions that have helped me; one was: “You will meet people who live the phrase, ‘I used to be proud but now I don’t have any faults.’” I have met people like thi...