12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

My Dear Parishioners,
 
We observe the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time as we assemble to celebrate the Lord’s Day. In the Gospel for today we find Jesus speaking to His Apostles about His identity. Saint Peter says that he is “ The Christ of God.” The Lord replies that indeed He is and that “ The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” The Lord also says that all those who are associated with Him will be expected to sacrifice themselves in a similar way if they wish to have life with Him. We call this sharing in and living the Paschal Mystery. We know that being a follower of Christ requires a commitment which calls for sacrifice and service.
 
This weekend our country is commemorating Father’s Day, the day when we pay tribute to our fathers and tell them of our love and appreciation. This day always reminds me of the crucial role the father has in the Christian family. Unfortunately not all fathers will take their spiritual leadership role in the family seriously. When a father is a weak spiritual model for his wife and children it has devastating consequences for the entire family and erodes the family’s foundation.
 
As head of the family, the father, alongside his wife, should lead his children in their pursuing of the spiritual life. He should be the leader and promoter of prayer within the home, the one who gathers everyone for Sunday Mass. The father shows by example how to fast and abstain during the proper liturgical seasons. He models for his family how one lives a virtuous life in a secular culture. Along with all the responsibilities of providing for his family, he is its spiritual leader. When a husband and father take seriously such a noble role he is indeed blessed. Such a role is difficult in our society and only faith in Christ Jesus will provide a man with strength to fulfill this task.
 
Male spirituality is a topic which will be addressed by the diocese this fall. Bishop Serratelli has announced the first Paterson Diocese Men’s Conference which will be held on Saturday, October 15 ^th  at the Saint Paul Inside the Walls Center from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. The conference is intended to enhance the spirituality of men throughout the Diocese and encourage them to become more involved in their parishes. Several well-known Catholic speakers will make presentations and the conference will conclude with Holy Mass at which the Bishop will be the main celebrant. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the men of our parish to deepen their faith in Our Savior and strengthen the fraternal support which is needed to be good male Christian examples for our families. I am looking forward to this event and I invite every man of our parish to attend.
 
On this weekend a special collection is being taken throughout the diocese to support our seminarians, our future fathers. Please be generous as you always are! Again, welcome to Seminarian Mateusz Darlak who has been assigned to our parish by Bishop Serratelli for the summer and also as his “home parish.”
 
Happy Fathers Day!   Saint Joseph – Pray For Us!
Father Zig