Father Carey’s Pastor’s Corner

(Week of 07/28/24)

My Dear Friends,

This weekend, we celebrate the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. We suspend our hearing of Mark’s Gospel and now turn to the Gospel of John with the familiar story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. With this weekend’s Gospel and in the subsequent weeks ahead, we will have an opportunity to reflect upon the gift and mystery of the Eucharist.

The people who were present for the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish had to journey to be there. First, they followed Jesus to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and then they followed Him up a mountain in a remote area. This is significant because it tells us that a miracle of such magnitude could only take place for those who had faith and acted on that faith. Jesus could have easily performed this miracle in the Temple in Jerusalem or in a synagogue where people doubted Him. If He did that, then many of His skeptics and critics would have seen His almighty power with their own eyes. Jesus could have also done this miracle in Nazareth, His hometown, in the presence of His extended family and friends. Perhaps if He had done this, then they would have come to believe in Him. But Jesus did not do this incredible miracle in places where faith was lacking. Instead, He went to a remote area where only those who truly wanted to be with Him were present. We also note that, the actions by which Jesus performed this miracle, are similar to the way He instituted the Holy Eucharist during the Last Supper. We hear that Jesus “took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them…” Though this miracle is recorded in all four Gospels, in John’s Gospel it is a prelude to Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse in which Jesus teaches, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Therefore, this miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish should be seen as a teaching about the Eucharist. It is in the Eucharist that Jesus feeds us to superabundance. The Eucharist is the gift of His very life and the food that will bring us to Eternal life. The only way we will discover the superabundant life given to us through the Eucharist is by working to imitate the faith of the people whom Jesus fed on that mountain. Again, the people who received this miracle had to journey either around or across the sea and climb a mountain. So also with us, the only way to come to a fruitful participation in the Eucharist is to make a concerted effort to do so. The journey we make is one of faith, and the mountain we climb is one of prayer. Unless we believe deeply in our Lord, believe in the superabundant and transforming power of the Eucharist, seek it out faithfully every week and do so prayerfully, we will never be fed in this superabundant way. And so, over these next few weeks let us listen to our Lord’s “Bread of Life” discourse with faith as we contemplate so great a gift and mystery and our own commitment to never take It for granted in our lives.

The summer continues to move along and just as a reminder, our Festival Mass will take place on Aug. 11th at 1:30 PM. Afterwards, the Festival will run from 3 PM – 7 PM with food, live music, and fun & games. The Assumption Triduum of Prayer leading up to that day will be held on Aug. 7th, 8th, and 9th. Fr. Anthony Albanese, Parochial Vicar at St. Laurence Parish in Upper Darby, will be our guest homilist each night. We hope that you will join us not only for the Assumption Triduum Prayer Services, but also for the planned entertainment immediately following each night. We will enjoy the talents of parishioners at the OLA Talent Night on Wed., Aug. 7th with a selection of both religious and secular music. On Thurs., Aug. 8th, the talented & personable “Vic Rubino” will entertain us with some favorite American standards which include the sounds of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darrin and more. On Fri., Aug. 9th, we are thrilled to bring back the Jazz Sanctuary with Jim Dell’Orefice & his popular band whose mission is to maintain America’s great music invention: JAZZ. Refreshments will be served each evening as we enjoy this eclectic selection of music for our entertainment!

Finally, we are happy to report that so far, we have raised $ 6,980 towards our goal of $ 7,500 for our Festival Thermometer. Any money collected over & above our goal will help defray the costs for the Festival expenses that have unexpectedly gone up this year. I sincerely thank all those who have donated thus far as we look forward to reaching our final goal soon!

Thank you again for the many sacrifices that you make of your time, talent, and treasure for our parish. Be assured of my prayers for all of you and your families. I hope that you are enjoying these relaxing summer months.

Love and Prayers,
Father Carey