Dear parishioners & visitors,

Today’s Gospel is one of the strongest reminders to us that Jesus Christ came into this world to be among us in our humanity, yet to also be with us as the divinity of God Himself. When Jesus heard of the death of his cousin and friend John the Baptist, he withdrew to a deserted place by himself to do what you and I would want to do in that moment of sadness. But the crowds followed him. You can almost feel how Jesus must have felt wanting to withdraw. He very well might have wanted to tell them to go away. Yet, he knew he was called to fulfill his Father’s plan. He moved forward because what was happening was exactly what John the Baptist had prepared the way to begin – to allow the focus on John to decrease and the focus on Jesus’ ministry to increase – to allow the Son of God to be known to the world in his flesh and divinity. In the midst of Jesus’ sorrow, he cured the sick, he preached to the crowd, and he fed the multitude. He dug deeper within himself to move forward carrying out his Father’s plan. Today, let us ask ourselves how can we dig deeper to our calling to continue Jesus’ ministry here on this earth and to feed the multitude God puts in our lives?

A priest gave me a prayer card called the Bookmark of Saint Teresa of Avila. It is a powerful short prayer I pray often. In the busyness of life, this prayer reminds us that God’s presence means everything. I share this prayer with you:

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing affright you. All things are passing. Patience achieves all things. Whoever has God wants for nothing. God alone suffices. Amen.

Yours in Christ,

Father Dan