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  Saturday – 13 th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel – Matthew 9:14-17 Celebrate! Irish Singers at the Jaffa Gate The Pharisees in today’s Gospel are complaining to Jesus that His disciples do not fast like any fine upstanding Jews.   Jesus’ reply is a reminder to us all that, even in the midst of fear and sadness, of troublesome weather and even more troubling times, we should not avoid celebrating those moments of joy, those moments in life that call for laughter and child-like wonder. Happy 4 th of July!   Are you happy?   Do you really feel like celebrating? Is your whole family gathering to celebrate like you’ve done in the past?   We are living in a time of divisive language and rhetoric, a time of unrest and fear, a time of high prices and even higher temperatures! What the heck is there to celebrate?   Jesus reminds us today that there are times when we NEED to celebrate, to remind ourselves of who we are and all that we have – friends, family,...
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  Friday – Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle Gospel – John 20: 24-29 No Doubt! Church of Dormition, Jerusalem I admit it – these past 2 years, while filled with moments of incredible joy and peace, have also been filled with times of deep doubt.   Worries over the health of loved ones, the pain of their loss, separation from dear friends and their visible support, the emptiness of missing my little ‘energizer bunnies.” Throughout our lives, we all have moments where our confidence falters, where our faith just seems to disappear.   It can be our faith in ourselves, in others, even our faith in God.   Moments of doubt and disbelief!   That moment when we have that presentation to give that can make or break our job security.   That moment of riding our bike for the first time without the training wheels.!   That moment as a parent when you have to just sit quietly and watch your daughter take that first bike ride! That moment when we face asking her/...
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  Thursday – 13 th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel – Matthew 9:1-8 A Helping Hand Outside Old City, Jerusalem   A woman came up to me after Mass on Sunday and proceeded to thank me for my sermon from 2 weeks earlier – God is calling (cellphone) – do we answer!   She remarked that she had brought a group of high schoolers with her that Sunday and they apparently got the message loud and clear!   And she wanted to thank me!   And it made my day! That’s how it is!   Sometimes all it takes is just a few words to brighten someone else’s day!   What you think is a simple gesture can be a miracle, a kindness, to someone else! That is what happens with the paralytic in today’s Gospel.   He never would have encountered Jesus without the help of others.   A simple act of kindness - carrying him to Jesus– and look at the results!   Most often when we hear this story, we focus on the paralyzed man.   But let’s change our perspective. The ...
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