Happy Twenty-Fourth Sunday! Well, for those who have been in the loop on the latest school news, this past week we launched our new school website, which, after many months of hard work, felt like an exciting relief. If you haven’t seen it yet, maybe take a peek at the fresh new look! It will soon be joined by an updated church website, which is currently in the final stages of completion. We live in a digital-native world, so the gospel often needs to meet people at our virtual doorsteps to invite them to our physical doorsteps. May God bless all the families out there looking for a safe harbor to educate their children.

Speaking of news, I have a personal update on the progress of my hand injury. Two weeks ago, I went to my follow-up appointment at OrthoMichigan. My doc said that the visual inspection of the skin and newly growing nails looks good. The x-rays look generally unchanged from a month prior. So, the bones still “look” broken.  Given the fact that I haven’t experienced any pain or pressure sensitivity, I was a bit surprised (and a little bummed) by that. I’ve been so careful and safe! But the doctor did not seem too concerned.

It turns out that especially in the case of finger bone tuft fractures, the visual evidence of bone healing on x-rays lags far behind the functional healing of the bone.  Unmineralized cartilage and tough fibrous tissue will form at the fracture sites to stabilize the bone initially. But since these connective tissues lack calcium, they do not block x-rays or show up on the film. It routinely takes six to twelve months for the bones to fully re-mineralize and appear healed on film.

It’s also possible that, long term, the bones will retain a fibrous union without mineralizing. This is a common outcome for tuft fractures, and is still considered clinical healing, with no need for surgery. But my hobbies involve a lot of finger dexterity, so I’m hoping and praying for full bone healing! I’ve started taking a daily Calcium+Vitamin D combo supplement to ensure that I’m doing my part to help the cause. I still have some mild skin tightness and discomfort surrounding the scar tissue of my middle finger, and a few localized spots of slight numbness. So, if you ever think of it, keep these digits in your prayers!

All of our Scriptures today link mercy with judgment, and the rules of the gospel are pretty clear about it. If you want eternal mercy for yourself, you can’t keep the receipts of injustice and withhold forgiveness from others.  It can be a truly fearful proposition. But the good news is that the exchange rates are in our favor. Keep uncovering all the moral bills we’ve conveniently thrown away without opening, and eventually we come to terms that we owe far more unjust debt than is owed to us. In light of God’s offer to cancel it all, will we hold up our end of the bargain? That’s up to each of us. Just reverently recall that at the end of life, all debts are rendered. What will Jesus find on your final balance sheet?

From Fr. Brian

Men of the parish are invited to come and enjoy growing in their spiritual walk with others. We will meet in the Knights of Columbus Hall from 6:30—7:30 on Wednesday, September 23 for our next Cor Meeting. We always have snacks and refreshments! Invite a friend or family member. We look forward to seeing you!

See what men are saying about it in the film below:

The mission of the Cor is to refocus Catholic men on Jesus Christ and to form and strengthen them in faith and virtue through a brotherhood committed to prayer, formation and fraternity.  The goal of each Cor gathering is to provide the opportunity for men to encounter Christ, to pray together, to be formed in their faith, and to strengthen their bonds of brotherhood, preparing them for courageous leadership and the mission of Evangelization for their families and communities.

One of the beautiful things about Sacred Scripture is noticing the patterns and words the authors use to draw parallels and highlight themes. For three Sundays, the 15th–17th, we heard Jesus’ parable discourse about the Kingdom of Heaven. God desires us to pay attention to His words because they directly pertain to us and ignoring them carries eternal consequences.  Jesus was clear that even though God sows the seeds of grace and faith, that does not guarantee they will grow and bear fruit:  some seeds are swept away, weeds are burned at the end of the age, and fish are thrown out rather than kept. Jesus asks us if we understand this.

St. Matthew, throughout his gospel, lays out Jesus’ five sermons and follows each one with a narrative of what Jesus did. Over these same three Sundays, we’ve heard the follow-up narratives: Jesus feeding the 5,000 men (not counting women and children), Jesus calming a storm, and Jesus curing the daughter of a Gentile (Canaanite) woman. In each case, Jesus does something so subtle that the drama of the action itself pulls our attention away from the dialogue underneath.

Let’s begin with the feeding of the 5,000. After the disciples ask Jesus to send the crowds away, He tells them, “Give them some food yourselves.” Jesus is not delusional; He understands the situation perfectly well, and yet his response is jarring. It should make us wonder: “Why respond this way? Could He not just snap His fingers and have the greatest dinner appear out of thin air?”

What about the calming of the storm? Before disciples boarded, St. Matthew says, “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side” (Mt 14:22). Why would Jesus put His disciples’ lives in peril? This was no accident; Jesus was the instigator, in complete control, searching for something.

Finally, let’s consider the interaction with the Canaanite woman. Jesus compares her to a dog – rude. Yet if we understand the covenants the Lord set up with His people in the Old Testament, we see that God has always remained faithful to His covenantal people and shown them His merciful love, which is why Jesus establishes this new and eternal covenant with His chosen people and extends it to all of us as well. This episode offers a foretaste of what is to come, when God extends His covenantal mercy to everyone made in His image and likeness.

In each of these three narratives, Jesus is searching for a response from the people He encounters. He desires more from us than mere attention — He wants us to walk with Him: to be a part of His life, His mission, His kingdom. It might seem we have little to offer the world on our own, but with Jesus, we have everything to offer. Five loaves and two fish are enough. When we don’t want to enter storms, He calms them and gives us the power to get out of the boat. When we cry out to the Lord for help, He desires that we cry out even more. The Lord does not want children with little faith but with great faith — children who understand to whom they’re speaking:  the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the one who can do whatever He wills. Our merciful Lord rebukes Peter, who had little faith, and exhorts the Canaanite woman — the one compared to a dog — who had great faith! May we all have great faith so that God can work through us.

The next meeting and breakfast will be held on Saturday, September 12 at the Real Life Church from 6:30—8:00 a.m. Breakfast at 7:00 p.m. All men are welcome to attend.

There will be a Euchre Tournament on Wednesday, September 16 in the Good Shepherd Knights of Columbus Hall at 6:30 pm. Cost is $5.00 per person. All levels of experience. Bring your own snacks and beverages. Pizza is available for purchase. Friends and Family welcome! 

Hope to see you there!!

*They will be held the first and third Wednesday of the month.