Once again there are many things happening in the parish, even though we are separated by the virus protocols. The Annual Bishop's Appeal has started. Bishop Rhoades has sent a letter to everyone in the diocese with the details. If you haven't received his letter, please let me know or you can look it up on the diocesan webpage. We have been asked to raise just over $11,500.00. So, if you do the appeal on line make sure you list us as your home parish so we get credit for your donation. There is also a special second collection next week. Bishop Rhoades has contributed $10.000.00 to the hurricane relief fund in Lake Charles, LA., and he has asked all the parishes in the diocese to take up a special collection for the same cause. Please be generous. I want to thank all of those who have been sending in their tithes either by mail directly to the parish or through the Diocesan Website. I am presently working at the request of the diocese to set up our own on line giving set up. At the suggestion of the diocese I am doing this through Our Sunday Visitor and it has been driving me crazy trying to do it all on computer, but we are almost there.
Our Faith in St. Joe County has a zoom presentation at 1 PM, Sunday, Sept.13 on White Privilege. Cheryl Ashe can give you the connections. The 13th is also my 78th birthday. Please keep me in your prayers.
Our readings today for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time deal with sin and forgiveness. "Wrath and anger are hateful things" we are told by Sirach. Sirach goes on to tell us: "Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven." Our Responsorial Psalm tells us "The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger and rich in compassion." We should be the same.
Our second reading is very short but powerful telling us: "For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." In today's Gospel, Jesus tells us how to live. Peter asks him about forgiveness and he presents himself as being generous by forgiving his brother/sister seven whole times. Jesus sets the bar much higher by saying seventy-seven times. That doesn't mean we mark down the times we forgive someone until we reach 77. It means we should always show mercy and love to all our brothers/sisters/neighbors.
The Church celebrates Our Lady of Sorrows on the 15th. Our Lady of Sorrows is the Patroness on my religious community, The Congregation of Holy Cross. Please say a prayer for all the members of Holy Cross, priests, brothers and sisters on Tuesday.
September 16 is the Independence Day of Mexico. Please say a prayer for all our Mexican brothers and sisters. Viva Guadalupe!