I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! I spent my Fourth of July Evening in my usual way, watching the Boston Pops with fireworks on TV. This was the first time I can remember watching Bloomberg TV. They did a great job. I was pleasantly surprised when they came on the air at 8 PM and they were singing one of our favorites, “There must be a God Somewhere”. I was especially pleased that they did a tribute to immigrants and even had Rita Moreno at 86 reading the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, which calls for other countries to send us their poor. Rita said that she herself came here through Ellis Island. Her rendition of “America” from Westside Story brought to mind Puerto Rico’s situation since Hurricane Maria. Let us continue to pray for the people of Puerto Rico.
As mentioned above, I invited Bishop Rhoades to visit us during our 90thAnniversary. He will be here on July 15 for the 10:30 AM Mass. That is next Sunday! All are invited to come and greet him.
The diocese is upgrading the computer program that all the parishes use here in Fort Wayne-South Bend. This includes our computer list of parishioners as well as our recording of contributions to the parish and diocesan collections. For us to keep track of your contributions, you must be registered. We know and appreciate the many visitors we have each Sunday. Many seem to come very often but have not signed up in the parish. We are not pressuring anyone to sign up, but if you want or need a tax statement at the end of the year, we need you in our computer.
Today we celebrate the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In our first reading we have the call of the Prophet Ezekiel to go and give God’s message to his people. God is sending him to try to bring the people back to God, as all prophets do. The first and last lines are most powerful: “As the Lord spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet”. “And whether they heed or resist – for they are a rebellious people – they shall know that a prophet has been among them.” Even today God still chases the rebellious, trying to bring them back to himself.
In our second reading St. Paul tells us that he had “a thorn in the flesh” and that he asked God to take it away. God’s response is: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Even in our weakness we can and do give glory to God. “For when I am weak, then I am strong” because the power of God is seen at work in the weak. This involves the power of prayer.
In today’s Gospel, even Jesus seems to be weak. In his native place, his neighbors don’t seem to have faith in his power because many of them knew him as a child and as a carpenter. “So he was not able to perform any mighty deeds there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.”
Tomorrow the Church celebrates 120 saints martyred in China between 1648 and 1930. One of them is Saint Augustine Zhao Rong a Chinese priest. He was a Chinese solder who accompanied the prisoner Bishop John Dufresse to his martyrdom in Beijing. Moved by the bishop’s courage, Augustine sought baptism and not long after was ordained a priest. He was martyred in 1815.
On Saturday the Church celebrates Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. She died in 1680 at Caughnawaga, Quebec, at the age of 24. He led a life of great austerity and love in spite of ridicule and abuse, called “Lily of the Mohawks” she is the first native American to be declared “Blessed” (1980) and canonized by Pope Benedict VI October 21, 2012.
Let us continue to pray for peace in the world. Let us also pray for vocations to the church. Let us pray for the sick of the parish. Let us pray that all will come to respect life. Let us pray for one another and for the canonization of Father Tolton.
A Father Tolton Prayer:Father in Heaven, Father Tolton’s suffering service sheds light upon our sorrows; we see them through the prism of your Son’s passion and death. If it be your Will, O God, glorify your servant Father Tolton, by granting the favor I now request through his intercession (mention your request) so that all may know the goodness of this priest whose memory looms large in the Church he loved. Complete what you have begun in us that we might work for the fulfillment of your kingdom. Not to us the glory, but glory to you O God, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are our God, living and reigning forever and ever. Amen.