Regrets

There is nothing I love more than when my whole family is home at the same time. I especially love when we are all sitting at the table for dinner, and I get to listen to my children tell me of their lives and their dreams.  We usually end up staying at the table after dinner is done, joking and telling stories.  It has, at times, turned into a “making fun of Dad session,” which I secretly love. Sometimes we will reminisce about something from when they were growing up.  Every once in a while, they will talk of a family memory I did not know about.  I’ll ask them, “where was I when that happened?”  They will say, “You were probably working.”

When I was a young father, I chased as much overtime work as I could.  I thought at the time that my family needed me to make as much money as I could.  I wish I could go back and tell young Chris Mars, “Yes you need to provide for your family, but they will only be children for a short time.”  This is a major regret I live with, but I have learned from it.  We all have regrets, but our Lord gives us them to learn from.  I learned that making that extra buck couldn’t compare to the time I would push my children on the swings in our back yard for hours, laughing and singing songs.  Past regrets allow us to prioritize what is important.

We have the privilege of knowing what lies ahead for Jesus after His time with Martha and Mary.  He was only going to be with them for a short time. Jesus is saving Martha from having a major regret. He is preventing her from wishing she had stopped and spent that time with Him.  He only walked this earth for a short time. We only walk this earth for a short time, but it is while we are here that we create a relationship with Christ.  It is through prayer, our Sunday obligation, and the sacraments that we can nurture that relationship. Knowing this and learning from our past regrets, we can prevent the creation of the worst regret we could ever have: coming to the end of our lives and never having established a true relationship with our Lord.  Christ is lovingly calling us to spend time with Him while we still can. 

May Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Deacon Chris

Saturday July 16th Our Lady of Mount Carmel
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday July 17th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 & For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday July 18th
8:00 am † Helen Duffy

Tuesday July 19th
8:00 am † Mary Schluckebier

Wednesday July 20th St. Apollinaris
8:00 am † Jean Lombardi

Thursday July 21st St. Lawrence of Brindisi
8:00 am † James W. Rosenbaum

Friday July 22nd St. Mary Magdalene
8:00 am † Katherine Johnson

Saturday July 23rd St. Birgitta
8:00 am † Mary Buccini

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Magdalena Baumeister, George Weatherford, Kathleen Lochner, Imelda Kormos, Mike Dunn, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased… Mark Breitag, Clara Wilson, Sister M. Frances Stevenson, IHM, Sister Angele Regina Healy, IHM, Sister Rosemary Maguire, IHM, Sister M. Ann Coyle, IHM…

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

We are fascinated by the dramatic falls and failings of people, especially by those who live in the public eye. God, though, is fascinated by their restoration. We tend to want people to get what they deserve. God doesn’t. We tend to shun and are repulsed not just by the sin, but by the sinner too. God never shuns and He is never repulsed. In fact, God gravitates to the sinner much like water rushes to find the lowest place on the ground. God’s mercy rushes to find the person who is in most need.
        These are the lessons I believe are revealed to us in the readings today. In the first two readings, there are two people who would have been written off as ruined if they had been living today in our world, filled with a frenzy of media hype. They would have been seen as people with great potential, who had fallen from grace to a place from which they would never be able to get back up. However, they did get up. God restored them to grace and this is the great news for everyone alive today.
        The two people are Moses and St. Paul. If they had been alive today, when sins are so often played out in the public eye, they would have been considered people beyond hope, beyond repair, and damaged goods. Whenever their names showed up in magazines, newspapers, on TV, or on social media, the commentary would be, “What a shame.” Or, “Can you believe it?” or, “What a tragedy.” or maybe even, “It was all just a smokescreen and they were never really people chosen by God to do His will.”
        Moses was a hero for the Jewish people. He freed them and led them out of Egypt. He was loved by them. He constantly fought for the Israelites time and time again, but before all of this, Moses gravely sinned. He murdered someone and tried to hide the body, described in Exodus 2: “One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.Glancing this way and that seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.”
        If CNN or Fox News got a hold of this, they would have written Moses off and would have told the Israelites that they were following the wrong leader, a murderer who escaped justice. God, however, didn’t punish Moses; instead, we hear that God put Moses to work to do His will.
        Now, Paul was the young star amongst the Jewish Rabbis. He was taught by the greatest Rabbi of his day. He was considered to have a bright and unlimited future. His zeal was so intense that he went about persecuting the first Christians. He was responsible for arresting them, rounding them up, and sending them to jail. God radically broke into Paul’s life, called him to repentance, and commissioned him. He called Paul to be the apostle to all the non-Jewish people – the Gentiles. One of the greatest gifts that God wants to give all of us is His Mercy – a gift to the undeserving. which is giving someone something that is not deserved. God holds Paul up as the model of His mercy.
        We hear about God’s mercy in the Gospel today. We may look down on the Levite and priest for passing by the half dead man on the street, but according to the law and customs of the time, it was sinful and forbidden for the Levite and priest to take care of this man. If they took care of this man, their very livelihood would have been at stake. A Jewish person could have seen and reported them. The Levite knew he shouldn’t come in contact with a dead body because he would then be considered unclean according to the law of Moses. The priest, who was holy, was “particularly told to avoid uncleanness.” Again, anything that was decaying was considered unclean, or sinful, which the half-dead man was in his eyes. It may not seem like a big deal in today’s world, but it was a huge deal then. So, this challenge of who is my neighbor has “levels” of importance beyond the Mosaic Law. Christ challenges us to think and act in a different way. He challenges us to be dispersers and disciples of mercy. Jesus wants the world to experience this: a mercy that is never selfish or self-serving, a mercy that takes real courage to give, for without cost the disciples have received and without cost they are to give.
        The same mercy fueled God’s steadfast love even in the face of the Israelites’ continual sinfulness to God and the Jews’ social mistreatment of others. God’s love for his people is like a parent’s love for a child. Our Father in Heaven continually gives Israel another chance to change, something they did not deserve, something Moses and Paul did not deserve. As any parent knows, that is true mercy. For us today, there are many challenging moments in life, like getting cut off while driving, or people who gossip about us, overly criticize us, and complain about us. Maybe the moments have to do with a loved one who continually makes bad decisions in life and it breaks our hearts when they do sinful things.
        There are countless things people do not deserve from us, our patience, our kindness, our understanding, our vulnerability. They do not deserve our time our talent, our forgiveness, or our love. When we choose to give these things, however, we share God’s mercy with the stranger, our family, or the “unclean” one in our lives. In that moment we take God’s saving power of mercy and place it before them. We become the Good Samaritan by bringing the experience of God’s love first hand to the person. Do people deserve this from us? Probably not, but neither do we. We don’t deserve the gift of God’s mercy given through the blood of Christ on the cross and in the saving power of the sacraments. Without cost we have received, and without cost we are to give merciful love to our neighbor.

Saturday July 9th Ss. Augustine Zhao Rong & companions
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday July 10th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 & For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday July 11th St. Benedict
8:00 am † Deceased Members of the Link & Simpson Families

Tuesday July 12th
8:00 am † Mary Carpino

Wednesday July 13th St. Henry
8:00 am † Florence Kaputa

Thursday July 14th St. Camillus de Lellis
8:00 am † Jane Marie Minnich

Friday July 15th St. Bonaventure
8:00 am † Dolores Duross

Saturday July 16th Our Lady of Mount Carmel
8:00 am Secular Discalced Carmelites

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Magdalena Baumeister, George Weatherford, Kathleen Lochner, Imelda Kormos, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased…

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Ambassador of His Peace

       Helen Keller became a great public speaker, even though she could neither see nor hear. On one occasion she was asked this question: “Helen, if you could have one wish granted, what would it be?” She replied: “I wish for world peace.” Jesus would have applauded Helen’s beautiful response, for that is what He told His followers they were to be, ambassadors of His peace in the world: “Happy are they who work for peace, God will call them His children” (Matthew 5:9). In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus empowered and sent His seventy-two disciples out to proclaim this Good News. Through the graces and gifts bestowed on us at our Baptism, each of us is called to be an ambassador of the peace which God has given to us in Christ.

God’s plan and design has always been for the peace of all His creatures. At different points of our journey with God, we have all sinned and thus rejected God’s priceless gift of peace. Every sin is a disruption of the peace of the individual, the community and the world. In spite of our weakness, our Savior never abandons us and is always ready to forgive us, if we open our hearts to His endless mercy and love. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are commissioned to go forth and courageously share this Good News of Christ’s gracious forgiveness and the gift of peace it brings.

How can we prepare to be fruitful Ambassadors of Christ’s Peace in our world? First and foremost, we must be obedient to God and to His commands. The second step is to be attentive to the message of Christ and to follow His example at all times. The third step is to always respond positively to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who is the principle agent that leads us to peace. The fourth step is to listen to the Church as she continues to guide us, in God’s name, through the path of salvation. By so doing we connect ourselves to the Triune God, who is the fount and source of peace. This is very essential because at the end of our journey here on earth, when we come face to face with our God, the deciding factor will be how much we are at peace with Him, with our brothers and sisters, with ourselves and how much we have contributed to the consolidation of peace in the world.

May the peace of Christ dwell in your heart!
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM

Saturday July 2nd
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday July 3rd
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 & For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday July 4th St. Elizabeth of Portugal
8:00 am † Mary D’Alonzo

Tuesday July 5th St. Anthony Zaccaria
8:00 am † Robert J. Burke

Wednesday July 6th St. Maria Goretti
8:00 am † Alice Miller

Thursday July 7th
8:00 am † Robert C. Kriezek

Friday July 8th
8:00 am † The Kroupa and Ippi Families

Saturday July 9th Ss. Augustine Zhao Rong & companions
8:00 am † John & Patricia Stayt

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Magdalena Baumeister, George Weatherford, Kathleen Lochner, Imelda Kormos, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased… Emily Schmidt…

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

+Dear Saint David Parishioners,

        As the school year has ended, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your prayerful and financial support of Queen of Angels Regional Catholic School. Your belief in Catholic education continues to be an inspiration, and the school community is most grateful.  Jesus’ grace and your support is what makes QOA the place to be.

Our theme for the 2021-2022 school year was “dream to be all that God is calling you to be.” At QOA, we teach that following the 10 Commandments is not a choice, but a way that God has given us to live peaceful and productive lives. In addition, living the Beatitudes, praying, participating in the sacraments, and loving one another are all blessings for life. Some may think this may be old-fashioned, but we believe and teach, to the best of our ability, the teachings and traditions of our Catholic faith.

It is our mission, as it is parents’ mission, to create future good and outstanding citizens for this world and to prepare them one day for Heaven. This is the reason why we do what we do, day in and day out, year after year, for the glory of God, to make Him known and loved so that our students can pass on the faith to their children. Let us adhere to Jesus’ exhortation today, “Follow Me!”

May God bless you and your families in a special way this summer and always!

In Mary’s Immaculate Heart, I am,
Sister Mary

Saturday June 25th The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday June 26th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 & For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday June 27th St. Cyril of Alexandria
8:00 am † Herbert Geotz

Tuesday June 28th St. Irenaeus
8:00 am Intentions of Fr. Steven Kiernan

Wednesday June 29th Ss. Peter & Paul
8:00 am † Lois Evelyn Seeler

Thursday June 30th First Martyrs of the Church of Rome
8:00 am † Robert Buccini

Friday July 1st
8:00 am † Deceased members of the McMahon & Reilly Families

Saturday July 2nd
8:00 am † Alfred Messina

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Magdalena Baumeister, George Weatherford, Mike Dunn, Mark Breitag, Kathleen Lochner, Imelda Kormos, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased…

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Where Does God Dwell?

Where does God live, or better said, where does God dwell? The Jews believed that God dwelt in their Temple. This is where they made sacrifices to Him. It is where the Holy of Holies was. Jesus must have believed that also or he would not have been so upset with the merchants and money changers. We can tell He was very passionate by his reaction of going as far as driving them out with a whip. “My Father’s house is not a house of trade!”

But then Jesus adds a twist to the story with His answer to the Jews when asked by what authority He does this. We hear Jesus say he will destroy the Temple and in three days he will rebuild it. You and I have the benefit of knowing that He was talking about His own Death and Resurrection, but to the Jews, it would have been ridiculous. This raises the question again, where does God dwell? If Jesus is our new Temple, God must dwell in Him. It’s almost as if the old way of thinking had to be destroyed for us to be given a new way. Our relationship with God is not through a Temple anymore; it is through His Son, Jesus. Jesus drives out the worldly characteristics of the Temple as a foreshadowing of how the bindings of the world must be driven out for us to have a relationship with Him. Our relationship Him with begins and ends in His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Our salvation is found there.

We can celebrate and receive this relationship with Christ through the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we participate in His Passion, Death and Resurrection. It is where we truly find Christ: Body, Soul and Divinity.

As Catholics, we truly believe Christ is present in the Eucharist. If Christ dwells in the Eucharist, then God also dwells there. As we consume the Eucharist, His Body and Blood then becomes part of us. Just by this action, God can dwell in each one of us.

On Corpus Christi we celebrate the Eucharist itself and the true presence of Christ in it. Let us prepare our personal temples to allow God to dwell in each of us.

May Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Deacon Chris

Saturday June 18th
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday June 19th Corpus Christi
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 & For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday June 20th
8:00 am † Albina & Daniele DeSantis

Tuesday June 21st St. Aloysius Gonzaga
8:00 am † Daniel Ciampitti

Wednesday June 22nd St. Paulinus of Nola, Ss. John Fisher, & Thomas More
8:00 am † Patricia Kensey

Thursday June 23rd The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
8:00 am † Edward Duross

Friday June 24th The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
8:00 am † Amadio Buccini

Saturday June 25th The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
8:00 am † Mary Garofalo

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Magdalena Baumeister, George Weatherford, Mike Dunn, Mark Breitag, Kathleen Lochner, Imelda Kormos, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased…

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Blessed Holy Trinity. This is one of the hardest feast days to preach or write about. It is difficult because we can’t fully grasp that our God never had a beginning and never has an end. No one created Him. He always was and always will be.  It’s difficult because this God of ours is one God in three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.  They are one God, and no Divine Person is greater than the other.

It is so hard to wrap our minds around why God created us. He doesn’t need us for anything. He wasn’t one day bored and lonely and said, “I need company, so I am going to create angels and humans.” He lacks nothing, and yet, He still created us.  We can never fully understand the Trinity, but it is so important that we try. It is so important to understand why our God wants us to come to know Him and love Him.  It is so important because we are made in the image and likeness of this Triune God. To learn about the Trinity and ourselves is a process.  St. Francis de Sales said, “You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving.” God is Love, so we learn about Him by loving. Love is the only way we can come to know God and ourselves. In this love, it is always about going beyond oneself.  In this love, it is always more about concern of others.

When thinking about God’s Love, a story that comes to my mind is one I heard from a man named Mark.  He talked about his experience of learning about God as a boy. As a small boy, he was always late for dinner. One day, his parents had warned him not to be late or there would be consequences; and yet, he arrived later than ever.  When he entered the house, he was starving and could smell the food. He went into the dining room and saw his parents already seated at the table about to start to eat.  Set in front of his Mom and Dad was his favorite meal: steak, a baked potato, and asparagus. In the kitchen, he smelled his favorite desert that his mom made excitedly, which was chocolate cake. He sat at his place ready for this great meal, and then noticed what was set before him — just a slice of bread and a glass of water. 

Mark sat there in silence staring at his plate, sad and starving. All of a sudden, his father’s hand reached, picked up Mark’s slice of bread and glass of water, and set it before himself. Then his dad gave Mark his plate of steak, baked potato, and asparagus, smiling as he made the exchange. As an adult, Mark realizes that His father took on the punishment that he deserved. Mark often says that, “All my life, I’ve known what God was like by what my father did that night.” God is so concerned about us that he took on the punishment that we deserved through His Son’s death on the cross. Again, God’s Love is self-giving not because He needs it, but because that is who He is. Is that who we are? Is that who we are striving to be?

We are called to participate in this same self-giving love. Would we be willing to take on the punishment of someone? Would we be willing to take on the punishment of a loved one who doesn’t want anything to do with God anymore? There is great power in this act of love. The more we come to know about this great power, the greater the responsibility we have to share this love in our lives.

This self-giving love gives us the power to become God-like in our sacrifices and offerings for others.  We can share in this saving, life-giving power that God gave to us.  We can offer things up for others as saving actions for their souls. We can offer our real sufferings and pains for others; however, to really offer self-giving love and sustain it, we must see God’s Love at work in our own lives. We must see how God loves us first and we can find God’s messages all around us. There is a love story that is going on in the world right now. God invites all of us to participate in this love story.  So please, fall in love and stay in love with God, because it will make all the difference in the world.

Saturday June 11th St. Barnabas the Apostle
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday June 12th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 & For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday June 13th St. Anthony of Padua
8:00 am † John Gehris

Tuesday June 14th
8:00 am † Edward and Dolores Duross

Wednesday June 15th
8:00 am † Dolores Duross

Thursday June 16th
8:00 am † Helen Ramsden

Friday June 17th
8:00 am † Jennifer Lyons

Saturday June 18th
8:00 am † Joan Garofalo

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Magdalena Baumeister, George Weatherford, Mike Dunn, Mark Breitag, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased…

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

A Birthday Celebration

Birthdays are occasions of joy and hope! Pentecost Sunday, which we celebrate today, is the birthday of the Church. It is the celebration of the gifts of the Holy Spirit infused in us in Baptism, strengthened in Confirmation, and renewed within us today. Pentecost marks the beginning of the new covenant and the birth of the public life of the Church.

         Our First Reading relates the events of the coming of the Holy Spirit as the great manifestation of God’s power. The speaking in different tongues that were understood by all the Jews that came to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, was a miracle. It was a clear manifestation of the mission of the universal Church; a call for the Church to be a sign of unity, irrespective of race, color, or language.

          In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds us that by virtue of our “Pentecostal experience,” which was renewed in us today, we have been specially configured for God’s mission. It is the Holy Spirit that gives life and directs our mission, and through today’s outpouring, we are fully marked as God’s adopted children and fully heirs to God’s throne and heritage.

         The principal roles of the Holy Spirit are highlighted in today’s Gospel. These include: advocating, teaching, and reminding us of the things we ought to know. However, for this to be possible, we must be ready to cooperate with Him. He can only advocate for us if we trust Him and allow Him to be in charge. He can only teach us if we pay attention to His counsels. He can only remind us of the things we ought to know if we pray constantly: “Help me because I am ignorant. Enlighten the eyes of my mind. O Holy Spirit.”

          What will the Holy Spirit who has been renewed in us today help us to accomplish? First, the Holy Spirit is not a spirit of fear and timidity but rather a spirit of courage and hope. The Spirit empowers us to go forth with confidence and strength to proclaim God’s love in word and deed. The Holy Spirit has been given to us that we might bear good fruit that will last (Gal. 5:22). The Spirit was also bestowed on us that we may empower others to spread the Kingdom of God here on earth.

            As we celebrate the birthday of the Church today, let us implore the Holy Spirit to instill His joy and hope in all our hearts, especially those of our suffering brothers and sisters here at home and throughout the world. Let us reflect on the words of God captured in this magnificent poem entitled “HOPE” by Charles Péguy.

God speaks:
The dream you dream is my dream,
The house you are building is my house,
And the love with which you love each other is my love,
And that is the heart of the matter.

May the Holy Spirit fill us with joy and hope!
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM

Saturday June 4th
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday June 5th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday June 6th Mary, Mother of the Church
6:30 am † Phyllis Talese

Tuesday June 7th
6:30 am † Robert Degnan

Wednesday June 8th
6:30 am † Phyllis Talese

Thursday June 9th St. Ephrem
6:30 am † Frank Woelfel

Friday June 10th
6:30 am † Robert Degnan

Saturday June 11th St. Barnabas the Apostle
8:00 am † Alfred Messina

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Magdalena Baumeister, George Weatherford, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased… Beth Yanci.

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

+Dear Saint David Parishioners,

              Happy Seventh Sunday of Easter! In today’s first reading, we notice that some of the crowd did not want to hear what Saint Stephen had to say. The most likely reason was that Saint Stephen was reproaching them for their lack of faith. Sometimes we too close our ears and hearts to Jesus and decide not to follow His will, thinking we know better. One sign that we know we are doing Jesus’ will is that we experience peace of mind and heart. Conversely, when we are not following His inspiration – anxiety and uncertainty can settle in.

            If we have a decision or major event coming up in our lives, we can quiet ourselves and talk to Jesus about the situation and then sit and listen to what He has to say. Unfortunately, we will not receive a text or a post as in the TV show God Friended Me, but He will speak to our hearts if we are willing to listen. As a reminder, good listeners give the person speaking 100%  attention. They do not interrupt while the other is talking, and they have an open mind and heart to hear what the speaker has to say.

            In Revelation today, John shares what he heard from Jesus, “I will give to each according to his deeds.” On this Memorial Day weekend, we give thanks to God for all the selfless deeds of men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice of their lives so that we may live in peace and freedom in this beautiful country that we call home.

One important deed that Jesus reminds us to practice is that of unity. Oneness and respect for one another are essential if there is to be a peaceful coexistence among people. It seems that we could use more unity in our homes, our neighborhoods, our country, and our world. May we pray together to Mary, Queen of Peace, for greater unity among all. United with Jesus and one another, all things are possible!

Happy summer blessings to all!

In Mary’s Immaculate Heart, I am,
Sister Mary

Saturday May 28th
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday May 29th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday May 30th
8:00 am † Sister Jeanne Patricia Crowe

Tuesday May 31st Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
6:30 am Intentions of the McGoldrick Family

Wednesday June 1st St. Justin Martyr
6:30 am † William Adelsburger

Thursday June 2nd Ss. Marcellinus & Peter
6:30 am † Phyllis Talese

Friday June 3rd Ss. Charles Lwanga & companions
6:30 am † Dolores Purtell

Saturday June 4th
8:00 am † Mary and Joseph Garofalo

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Karen McGettigan, Magdalena Baumeister, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased…

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

       Jesus spent such a short time on earth with us.  Thirty-three years seems to be not enough time to do all the work we all wanted Him to do.  In fact, Revelation itself ends when the death of the last apostle takes place.  We have been told everything we need to know about Jesus, who He is, who the Father is, and what He calls us to do.  Our human nature wants everything easy; we always want more. Jesus knew this about us; He created us.  This is why He sends us the Holy Spirit: the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Third Person of the Trinity, who stands beside us and in us to guide us through this part of our eternal lives.

The Holy Spirit is always in motion in our lives.  All of the graces and gifts from God are brought to us by the Holy Spirit.  The authority of our Church and the work of its ministers from the Pope down to the deacon flows through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit inspired the Word of God we read in Scripture.  It is through the Holy Spirit the sacraments are brought to us, where our relationship with Christ flourishes.  And most of all, it is the Holy Spirit we are sealed with to become full children of God and to spread and proclaim His Word. The Holy Spirit draws our interior spirit close to Jesus. We are called to be closer to Him and to the Father than even the apostles were!

Teilhard Chardin once said that the law of gravity and the law of love ultimately have the same source and are both driven by the same spirit, the Holy Spirit.  We can not deny the power and working of the Holy Spirit in our lives just as much as we cannot ignore the laws of gravity.  What we need to do is embrace the Holy Spirit and let Him guide us through our lives.

May Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Deacon Chris

Saturday May 21st St. Christopher Magallanes & companions
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday May 22nd
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday May 23rd
6:30 am † Elaine Schemm

Tuesday May 24th
6:30 am † Robert Degnan

Wednesday May 25th St. Bede the Venerable; St. Gregory VII; St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
6:30 am † Sr. Judith Moeller, IHM

Thursday May 26th The Ascension
6:30 am † Kevin McGoldrick
9:00 am Intentions of the Parishioners
7:00 pm † Claire Mansfield

Friday May 27th St. Augustine of Canterbury
6:30 am † Deceased members of the McMahon & Reilly Family

Saturday May 28th
8:00 am † Alfred Messina

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Karen McGettigan, Magdalena Baumeister, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased… Stephen Plum.

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

What Do We Expect From Love?

 We hear about love all the time, and all of Jesus’ commands have to do with love: “Do this in memory of me”; “Go and make disciples of all nations;” “Love one another;” “Love your enemies;” and so on. Love is so important, but sometimes we expect so much from it that we are blinded from seeing it in our lives. We don’t give love a chance to show us what it truly is. We put conditions on it by saying to ourselves — I expect love to be this or that and if this or that doesn’t happen, then it must not be love. Or, even worse, if this or that doesn’t happen, then I must not be loved by God!!

God’s love for us and how He shows us has nothing to do with conditions. God’s love is unconditional. Can we accept love from Him without conditions or expectations?  Can we choose to love Him and others without conditions or expectations like He does? God’s love is a choice. He freely loves us.  “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” God loves us first!!! And His love is shown all throughout creation.

Today, take some time and pray and really reflect on: What do I expect from love? Are my expectations blinding me from seeing how God loves me? The more we can stop expecting how we should be loved, the more we will truly see His love in the world.

Saturday May 14th St. Matthias the Apostle
4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday May 15th
7:00 am Intentions of the Presider
9:00 am For Peace in Eastern Europe
11:00 am Intentions of the Presider

Monday May 16th
6:30 am Intentions of Fr. Steven Kiernan

Tuesday May 17th
6:30 am † Donato Buccini

Wednesday May 18th St. John I
6:30 am † Dolores Purtell

Thursday May 19th
6:30 am † Kathleen Barrett

Friday May 20th St. Bernardine of Siena
6:30 am † Betty and Bill Power

Saturday May 21st St. Christopher Magallanes & companions
8:00 am † Francis and Louise Lindgren

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Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Karen Dale, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Maria Pinto, Ernestine Spinello, Andrew Wolford, Bryce Cassidy, Marta Gomeztor, Marion Price, Ed Bergan, Evelyn Griffin, Ray Wilson, Teresa Riegal, Betty Rufe, Bob Bohrer, Loretta Ceniviva, Regina Poskus, Delbert Wallace, Joe Rosales, Pedro Flores, Thomas McLaughlin, Laverne McPhail, Karen McGettigan, Magdalena Baumeister, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased…Karen Dorland…

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.