Happy Eighteenth Sunday! It is now the month of August and I’m relishing the last weeks of summer break before the school year gets underway. Labor Day this year arrives as late as it can (Sept. 7), and thus the first day of school won’t meet us until the 25th. So, soak it up while you can!

A few items of note, for the good of the order. I mentioned at Mass a couple of weeks ago that we have been working to finalize the dates for our summer mission appeal priest. It is now confirmed that St. Robert will host the weekend of August 22-23, and Good Shepherd the following weekend of August 29-30. Next year I will attempt to secure a single priest who can serve both parishes on the same weekend. I am a fan of simplified logistics.

Second item: I’m trying to look ahead / plan ahead, and this month I will be working on the bulletin edition of our year-end financials. My goal is to have the figures and commentary published for us before Labor Day. This part of parish life, as I’ve mentioned before, is one concrete way we can celebrate the blessings that God has granted us and examine our parish-wide stewardship. Preliminary results look stable for the fiscal year ending June 30, so that is good.

Today’s gospel story is the miracle of the loaves and fishes. All told, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John aggregate more than three dozen specific miracles of Jesus. Many of these miracles are shared in several gospels, while some of them are only found in one. But besides the Resurrection, the miracle of the loaves and fishes is the only miracle which all four gospel writers record.

To me, that feels significant. It makes me wonder why this miracle was pressed so deeply into their hearts and memories. Maybe it was because it was the one miracle where Jesus made them direct co-operators. Certainly, the apostles witnessed many signs and wonders of Jesus. Occasionally, they were even its recipients. But here, Jesus requires them to supply something from their own meager resources in order to complete his Father’s will. What an “a-ha” moment for us to contemplate.

It is a blindingly scary and exhilarating thought to imagine that the All-Powerful One would not choose to just snap his fingers and turn rocks into bread, or make food appear out of thin air.  He could have effortlessly done that, after all. Rather, he looks at you and effectively says, “It’s time for you to do the miracle now.” Knowing already how this is going to unfold, Jesus lets you first peer into your own self to ponder the severe limitations you bring to the table and the impossibility of his command. But here you are, unable to escape, standing before five thousand. Jesus looks at you and waits. What are you thinking? How vulnerable do you feel? What do you do next?

I can understand why this particular miracle must have deeply changed their interior lives. It assailed all their expectations about following this Rabbi as his disciple. We, who are also disciples, clearly need to hear this gospel miracle more so than the others. Look at the meager loaves and fishes in your own life and consider how your expectations compare with God’s.

From Fr. Brian

I remember when I was in high school and a young adult—my Wandering Years, as I call them—I never really stood up for my faith. I attended a Catholic high school. Everyone was nominally Catholic, but we were by no means what I would consider “disciples of the Lord.” Almost everyone was Catholic, and all of our families would attend Mass on Sundays, but the faith was not my own. I never claimed it as my own. I knew God existed, and I knew Jesus truly existed, but I was not ready to give my life to Him. When I hear these words from today’s Gospel, “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father,” my mind immediately goes back to my Wandering Years.

There were certain moments I can distinctly remember from high school when other students made fun of the faith—the same faith that I grew up in and loved. I remember my conscience telling me that I should say something and tell them to stop. I also remember that I did not listen to my conscience. I sat there on the edge of the circle laughing, desiring to fit in.  Wanting to be liked by others was much more important to me than standing up for the truth. Hearing this Gospel makes me think of those moments.

I used to look back at my old self with much disappointment, thinking, “How could I ever do such a thing?” There used to be a lot of sadness when I looked back at my younger self, but through God’s grace and gentleness I have learned to be patient with my former self. I did not know what I know now. I was a very broken young person looking for acceptance. As much as I despised my former actions and self, the Lord has helped me to see my old self as He sees me. This has led to a great deal of healing in my life. I have learned to love my younger and dumber self—not because of the sinful lifestyle I was living, but because without my faults and failings I would not be who I am today. The Lord loved me despite my sin, and He desired to save me from it.

Our Lord’s words should serve as a great warning to all of us.  Our Lord desires faithfulness. Our Lord desires devotion. Our Lord desires children. Acknowledging the Lord in the midst of the world has unfortunately become a heroic virtue. I say unfortunately because we used to live in a time when whole neighborhoods were Catholic, but that is not the case anymore. As Catholics, we are becoming the minority. Acknowledging the Risen Lord in public is becoming a heroic virtue. You might be ridiculed, and you might be confronted, but it will be well worth it when the Lord acknowledges you before His Heavenly Father as one of His own.

Utilize God’s gift of Himself in the Holy Spirit and remain faithful. If you fail, as I have in the past, repent and receive mercy. Never try to justify the action, because I cannot imagine that conversation going well before the Lord. God will forgive you just as He forgave Peter. What is amazing is that Peter would not have been the same pope if he had not denied the Lord. Through His loving mercy, the Lord changed Peter’s life forever and made him into a new vessel, confident in God and not in himself. The Lord wants us to trust in Him, not ourselves, for this is the only way in which we can truly stand up for Truth, who is God.

The next meeting and breakfast will be held on Saturday, August 8 at Good Shepherd in the Family Life Center from 6:30—8:00 a.m. Breakfast at 7:00 p.m. All men are welcome to attend.

The Knights of Columbus Men’s Cor Group is presenting “Theology on Tap” on Wednesday, August 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Knights of Columbus Hall. All men and women of the parish are invited to attend. There will be six sessions meeting on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. Hope to see you there!

There will be a Euchre Tournament on Wednesday, August 5 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.