17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

My Dear Parishioners,

Today is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time as we come to celebrate the Lord’s Day. For the next four Sundays the Gospel reading will be taken from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel which is called “the Bread of Life Discourse.” Today’s reading begins with the Lord Jesus recognizing the hunger of the people and invites His Apostles to respond to the need. With only five loaves of bread and two fish Jesus performs a miracle by multiplying this insignificant number into a feast which produces leftovers. Since the time of the Apostles this event has been seen as a foreshadowing of the Eucharist which the Lord commands be celebrated in His Name. The insignificant signs of bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Our Savior through the power of the Holy Spirit and the words and actions of the priest.

I look forward to speaking each Sunday on the “Bread of Life Discourse” and see it as a pastoral opportunity to address our Eucharistic reverence and conduct. This is a wonderful time for all of us to reinvigorate our piety and practice regarding the Most Blessed Sacrament. I am considering showing at all Masses a very short and respectful video regarding the Holy Sacrament and our reception of it. I think it would be well received by all ages. I have shown it at meetings with parents whose children are to receive First Holy Communion and always received positive comments. So we will see!

Today’s second lection from the Letter to the Ephesians speaks of the unity that we share with all the members of the “household of the faith” by virtue of our Baptism. In his First Letter to the Corinthians Saint Paul writes of the unity which binds all believers together as a single body. Paul writes in chapter 12, verse 26: “If one member suffers, all suffer together…”

During the month of August Bishop Serratelli has asked all of us, members of the Diocese of Paterson, to unite ourselves in prayer for the well being of our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East and wherever religious persecution occurs. In compliance with the Bishop’s request we will say the prayer the diocese has provided at the conclusion of all daily masses. The prayer will be printed in the August Sunday bulletin so that all may have a copy of the prayer to say at home and with the family. In addition, we are being asked to undertake some personal acts of prayer, sacrifice and charity for our suffering brothers and sisters.

In his July 6, 2015 letter to the diocese Bishop Serratelli wrote: Pope Francis remarked that there are more persecuted Christians in the world today than there were in the first centuries. Each month 180 Christians are being martyred. These sad statistics bear witness to the fact that Christians are among the most persecuted religious groups worldwide. In more than 60 countries, over 200 million Christians are being denied their fundamental rights. In 41 of those countries, Islamic extremists are barbarically beheading, crucifying and killing men, women, young people and children. Tragically, in those areas of the world where Christianity once began, the Christian community is being wiped off the map.

Islamic jihadists do not limit their violence to Christians alone. They spare no religious group, even killing those of their own Muslim faith. As Pope Francis remarked, ‘The dramatic news…about violence, kidnapping…and harassment against Christians and other groups does not stop. We want to assure those involved in these situations that we do not forget them, but we are close to them and pray insistently that, very quickly, the intolerable brutality of which they are victims is put to an end.’”

I bring to your attention the wonderful work of the CATHOLIC NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION and its work of helping Christians living in the Middle East and other areas of the world where the Catholic Church is a minority. I encourage you to visit their website: cnewa.org for information and how you can make a donation to help our brothers and sisters in need.

Let us offer our Holy Communion in the coming weeks for our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of their faith in Jesus, the Bread of Life.

God bless you!
Father Zig