Dear friends in Christ,
                                                                 Is it  Autumn Yet?

 I was told by those who drove recently on scenic Route US 22/322 that the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors-from green to pretty golds, oranges and reds, and I noticed a couple of days ago that the temperature is beginning to dip into the 40s. I am a Fall foliage fan and would not mind driving up to New England just to observe nature's rites of passage from Summer green to Fall bright colors. A change will soon become palpable in flora as we begin to lose daylight. Change is everywhere. Things are changing in the world, in our country, in our lives.
 
We shall see some beautiful changes in our parish life as well. In the weeks ahead, we shall be having the launching of our new Youth Group program under the direction of Shawn Marker. Upcoming Youth activity will be a positive and welcome change for our young boys and girls. In weeks ahead, I shall return to share more details about this event. There will be a change in the utilization of our parish center as our children return to religious education classes in-person and online. That change will also become more evident as Fall leaves start to fall. This Sunday, Catechetical Sunday, we recognize and pray for our catechists, all the dedicated religious education teachers. They give generously of their time in sharing our Catholic faith with our children. Thanks to all of you.
 
There is yet another change- change in the number of years of enjoying God's generosity (Matthew 20:16). Wednesday, September 23, the feast of St. Pius (Padre Pio) is the 20th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood! The years ticked by fast and my hair color is changing fast as well. There is nothing terrible about that, as the Prophet Isaiah says to us, "my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways" (55:8). Change in hair color from black to sprinkles of grey is a sign of wisdom. Wisdom to know that my priesthood is a gift and a privilege, an office not earned by my worthiness. You have all been of immense support along the way. There will be no rewarding and happy priestly life without the love and support of you all, my marvelous parishioners and friends. I hope you can join me for the parish mass on Wednesday as I lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of God in thanksgiving (See Psalm 116:13). Please pray for me to conduct myself "in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27).

In Christ my life,

Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

 Dear Friends,
                                                God is not a Mathematician. He is a Poet

Now, what do I mean by that? Before you rush to a conclusion, I ask that you please place my claim within a theoretical context. In simple terms, I think that God's action and response to human hubris, to our flaws, our sins, are not calculated, abstract and objective in their make-up. Instead, they are spontaneous, subjective, personal, hearty, and compassionate in their revelation. I am looking at this assertion from the theoretical framework of the Enlightenment versus Romanticism. To put it in a rather simplistic way, the former view life from a cold and calculated window while the latter sees it generally from a subjective and spontaneous vista. I think God's approach to human failures, to the enormous debt incurred by our sins, is better understood when we see him in the mold of a poet rather than a mathematician. Only the mind frame and subjective heart of a poet will instruct an offended person to "forgive not seven times, but seventy-seven times" (Matthew 18:22).
Peter wanted Jesus to clarify how far or deep forgiveness should go. Be mindful that Peter is coming from a worldview where revenge, a calculated payback, or counter-punching sensibility held sway. In that world, you hit back when someone hits you. There is no room for turning the other cheek or letting go of the offense, even if the guilty begs for forgiveness. Our modern world is no different from that world. We want to hurt back who hurts us; we want revenge. That is what many of us would do.
Joyfully, there are instances contrary to the norm to inspire us.  I was still studying for my doctorate at the University of South Carolina in 2015 when the news broke that a young man walked into the historic AME Church in Charleston and gunned down nine of her members sharing the Word of God with him.  Reactions from family members of those who lost their lives in the hate crime showed me the possibility of a Christ-like response to those who inflict evil on us. "I forgive you," says Felicia Sanders, a survivor, and mother of one of the victims of the senseless shooting. At the sentencing of the shooter, instead of allowing herself to be eaten up by hate, anger, and vengeful spirit, she chose to forgive the one who brought her a lifetime loss and pain. She adds, "that's the easiest thing I have to do. But you don't want to help somebody who don't want to help themselves (sic). May God have mercy on your soul."
If only we think of God's extravagant mercy in forgiving us the debt of sin against him that we can never pay up and allow our actions to be influenced by his when we confront those who hurt us, the world will look more like the Creator intends it. Jesus says to the unforgiving servant and he says to us too, "I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?" (Matthew 18: 33). Such an act of mercy can only come from a God who is a poet, not a mathematician. So, is forgiving those who offend you the easiest thing you have to do? Is your approach that of a poet or a mathematician towards those who commit crimes against you?
As we celebrate the feasts of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows this week, let us ask for the grace to carry the cross of heartfelt forgiveness and share in the liberating sorrows of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Yours in Jesus of Extravagant Mercy,

Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dear friends in Christ,
                                                              Listen to The Voice of Love

The Psalmist refrain for this Sunday's Mass says, "if today you hear his voice, harden not your heart" (95:8). The import of this admonition is worth reflecting upon today. When I think of the word "today," I do not refer only to this day of the Lord, this Sunday that the divine word is proclaimed to our hearing, I imply as well the age we currently live in, a time of division, distortion, disobedience. Our world is painfully divided based on perceptions and ideologies people choose to embrace and live by. Our world is ruled by distorted truth that informs how people act. Our world is made up of people who made deliberate choices in disobedience to our Lord's Gospel injunctions.
 The timeliness and urgency of the Psalmist's invocation are illustrated in the parallel between the hardened hearts of the people of Israel to Yahweh's voice and the deafness of our modern culture and society to the Lord's voice of charity. The voice of God, as expressed in the commandments of love, is a call to order. Are we listening to that voice? The voice of love dissuades the wicked from their evil ways. We are called to be an extension of that voice of corrective love, bringing our erring brothers and sisters back to the path of divine love and truth. Prophet Ezekiel reminds us to "speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way," or we will be held "responsible for his death" (Ez. 37: 8). If we love our neighbors as the voice of love instructs, we must call them away from the path of division, distortion, and disobedience because true "love does no evil to the neighbor" (Romans 13:10). The voice of love seeks that we reconcile the world to Christ's Gospel (2 Cor 5:19) and strive to make the voice heard and listened to as we heal wounds of division, distortion, and disobedience in our family, community, and world at large. We must pray that our neighbors listen to our voice of love and are won over to love (Matthew 18: 15). The Lord is speaking to us of love and mercy today. Can we pay attention and listen? Can we pray as the body of Christ for the healing of wounds of division, distortion, and disobedience? If today you hear the voice of love, please harden not your hearts.
  The Gospel speaks of praying in common. When two or more members of the body of Christ or in a more specific way, members of a parish come together to pray for a need, God is made present through the Holy Spirit who helps us to pray. We do this as a parish not only at mas but outside of mass. The Knights of Columbus sat around Marian grotto last Sunday after the 10:30 am mass to pray for the unborn. God was present by their prayers, an act of charity, and response to God's voice. I encourage other groups to do the same. If you hear his voice today, harden not your heart.
 
In Christ's love,  
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

 Dear friends in Christ,                       
                                                Jesus Christ, the Church, and the Pope

After Peter’s confession of faith in the divinity of Christ, Jesus says to him: “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Mt. 16: 19). We can make a valid claim that Peter’s mission echoes that of Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, of whom the Lord says “I will place the key of the house of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open” 
(Isaiah 22: 22).  Take a moment to study carefully the statue of St. Peter in our parish church’s vestibule; you will notice keys hanging from Peter’s fingers. The keys are symbolic of the sacred privileges and power placed on the shoulders of the vicar of Christ to proclaim with authority teachings about Christ and his Church. When the successors of St. Peter sit on the chair and teache on issues of faith and morals, it is Jesus’ mind that they channel to us, they transmit the will of Jesus, especially in times of crisis of faith.
In the chapter titled “The Crisis of the Church“ from Cardinal Sarah’s book, The Day is not Far Spent, the prince of the church made a commentary on the passage read at mass this Sunday,  "I would like to remind everyone about Jesus' words to St. Peter, 'You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church' (Mt 16:18). We have the assurance that this saying of Jesus is realized in what we call the infallibility of the church. The spouse of Christ, headed by the successor of Peter, can live through crises and storms." The Guinean cardinal’s point of view is in line with scriptures and traditions. We need a voice of clarity in a confusing world. The pope is invested with authority to offer us clarity- he is a sign of unity and order. But does the pope’s message always seem clear to us? It doesn’t seem so, always. One reason for this is that Peter and his successors are human and not perfect. Also, each pope has a unique personality and style. But we are guaranteed that the pope will never succeed in bringing the church down, even if he wills. It is Christ’s church, he is in charge.
I am presently reading an insightful book from the parish office shelves written by Stephen J. Binz and titled Saint Peter: Flawed, Forgiven, and Faithful. The title says a lot about Peter and his successors, they are imperfect, but nevertheless are forgiven and faithful servants of the truth and sign of unity. In a world and church that is highly politicized and divided into left and right, liberal and conservative, let us pray for the vicar of Christ, the successor of St. Peter, the bishop of  Rome, our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Let us pray through the intercession of St. Peter that our pope will continue to be faithful to the proclamation of the Gospel in its fullness and purity.  
A major message from Stephen J. Binz's book is flawed and broken people like St. Peter is capable of being forgiven their mistakes and used by the Lord to do great things for the Church, his spouse. “The difference between a simmer and a saint is forgiveness,” the book’s blurb says. Our sins are never permanent obstacles to our call to bear witness to the Gospel. Do you know your failures or sins are no excuse for not becoming a saint? Think of St. Peter, the first pope. 

Yours, a forgiven sinner,                  

Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 
 
 
 

 Dear Friends,
                                                                A Woman of Great Faith

The Gospel for this Sunday mass, Matthew 15: 21-28, is about the great faith of a Canaanite woman. We reflected on the wobbling faith of the disciples last week but this week, we have a great witness to faith in Jesus by a woman who is considered an outsider, a non-Jewish who had no close contact with Jesus as his close disciples had. The Canaanite woman’s  prayer of faith is an inspiration for us to pray without ceasing and with trust in God’s love for us.
We still have in our time stories of great women and men of faith.  Jessica Schwanger, who was received last week into full communion with the Catholic church is an example of such faith I want to share with the parish this week. Here is Jessica’s amazing account of her faith journey to the Catholic faith:                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 I grew up with religion in my life. My father's side of the family is Mennonite and my mother's side is Catholic. My parents raised us as non-denominational Christians. But I went to all 3 churches over the years. I settled in as a Brethren in 2011, baptized in 2015. I am even a worship leader at a local church. Pause here, back up to 2008. I was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disease that is also cancer due to the way it spreads. It was in my lungs. I needed surgery after surgery and oxygen to stay alive. I needed a miracle. I needed God. My family has always prayed for me and they were asking Mary to help us, they sent me a Miraculous Medal. I wore it every day. Not even really knowing Mary but feeling a closeness to her that I couldn't understand at the time. After almost 50 lung and 3 heart surgeries in May of 2015, I received a double lung transplant. I was in a coma for 5 days. My first memory is my aunt at my bedside with a set of beads and she tells me all about Padre Pio and how they were asking him to help and then BAM! I got the lungs. God blessed me with a miracle. Life was going very well. I went to Philadelphia and saw the Miraculous Shrine for Mary. Oh, it's so beautiful. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend the trip. Then cancer struck again. My brother, who lived in Italy at the time told me if I beat cancer again he would take me anywhere in the world I wanted to go. The plan was for me to fly to Italy and see the Amalfi Coast and then go wherever I wanted to go. First, we had to see the town Padre Pio grew up in. So we went there. I prayed and cried. Then we saw the Vatican. I am not catholic but I have always loved the Pope so, why not..... then we fly to Israel and see all the places Jesus walked. When we got to Mary's grave I walked down the steps and got to a picture of her and cried just like when I went to see Pio. I still didn't understand why these people were touching me so much. After all my pilgrimage was about getting to know Jesus. I spent just over a week in each country and came home. After I got home nothing felt quite right. I was left searching for all the things I had left overseas... I missed Mary, how I didn't even know Mary. And I was having dreams of myself walking with Padre Pio. So I talked to my family and some friends about what it meant to be a catholic. What it could look like for me? My aunt suggested that I take the RCIA class to help me figure it out. It was extremely helpful! As you all see I am now catholic. And loving it!!! If you have any questions feel free to ask me sometime. Just remember with being a transplant patient I have to stay in a bubble. Social distancing is always a good idea. Have a blessed week!!!                                    Jessica  
 
In Christ,

Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 
 
 

 Dear Friends in Christ,             
                                                                 A Tiny Whispering Sound
 
Following the dismissal at the memorial Mass of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Wednesday, August 5, there was a sudden eruption of voices of happy worshipers as they make their exit from the historical church. I have noticed similar occurrences at Sunday masses at the main parish church. Movement and sound in the church have always engaged my attention. As a trained actor, I think of the stage in terms of proper movement of actors and props; the effective utilization of stage space is dependent on the appropriate movement and actions of actors. I bring this imagination to bear upon the sacred space of the church from time to time. I feel like doing so this week. What is the proper mode of behavior in the church space? Maybe the right place to begin is to seek an understanding of what the church space is all about.
 
 The church is a dwelling place for the Lord, a sacred place filled with his presence, a holy place where his words are proclaimed and the sacraments are celebrated. It is true, God dwells in all places and people, yet the Sacred Scriptures show times without number that there are places dedicated especially to God's service and designed for his worship (see the preface of Dedication of a Church). The Lord says in 2 Chronicles 7: 16 concerning the mystery of God's temple: "I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever." Hence, the church is a consecrated house where God's name is exalted. It is where his divine presence subsists for all time, a place of prayer, an image on earth of new Jerusalem, his heavenly city, its "Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22-24).
 
 If, therefore, the church is a sacred place where God's people gather to celebrate the holy mysteries of salvation and the sacraments, if indeed it is where the Gospel of peace is proclaimed, what sorts of movement and voice are proper to it? My answer comes in the following related attributive words: silence, reverence, awe, joy, solemnity, grace, dignity, and beauty. As "members of the household of God” ( Eph. 2: 20), are we conscious of what and who we approach when we enter the church? Do we carry ourselves properly and present ourselves accordingly when we enter the sacred space, the church? Elijah heard the voice of God and felt his presence on the mountain of God in Horeb in "a tiny whispering sound (1 Kg. 19:12).
 How do we present ourselves in the church to hear better God's "tiny whispering sound"? The Psalmist says, "I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for his word" (130: 5).  As we enter his dwelling place, our church, to wait for his saving word, can we all strive to do so by following the decorum and modesty of the sacred space?

 In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
​
 Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP

Congratulations to Elizabeth Gober and Chad Shank who received the Sacraments of Initiation and Jessica Schwanger who is received into full communion with the Catholic Church this Sunday. May they continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ.

 
Dear Friends in Christ,                                     Feed Us, Jesus

​
Jesus knows about our hunger, and he wants to feed us. In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus, the compassionate Lord, feeds the hungry crowd.  In the miracle of the loaves and fish, Jesus demonstrates his power to satisfy any deep hunger in human life (cf. Mt. 14: 13-21). We are hungry and thirsty people, and it is Jesus alone who meets our needs through the divine bread from his hands and the sacred word from his mouth (Mt. 4:4).
 
Life is sometimes like a desert where we find ourselves isolated, thirsty, hungry, and exhausted. Jesus, in his deep love, comes to us to nourish us with his bread and word. Jesus never leaves us unprovided for spiritually. Even in our most difficult moments, in our neediness and weakness, Jesus in his providence reaches out to satisfy our needs; "the hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs," the Psalmist says ( Ps. 145).
 
The eucharistic figure in this Sunday's Gospel is apparent. At every Mass, Jesus nourishes our body and soul from the tables of word and bread, and he says, "Heed me, and you shall eat well" (Is.55:1-3). As we begin the feast-full month of August, we must avail ourselves of its many servings of liturgical feasts. I, in particular, look forward to being divinely fed, especially at the celebration of the memorial of St. John Vianney, the feast of the Transfiguration, and the feast of St. Dominic during this week. I hope all of you, too, will look up to Jesus to feed you from his abundance this week and the coming weeks in the month. Feed us, Jesus. And having been satisfied by the Lord, we, too, must, in turn, strive to feed others in material and spiritual ways.
 
Let me conclude this message on a thankful note. Your generous contribution toward the Dominican Fathers and Brothers of the Province of Nigeria this past week did not go unnoticed. I am grateful to all who contributed to our mission appeal. The brothers will remember you all at our Dominican conventual masses. E seun gan (Thank you so much in the Yoruba language).
 
In Christ, the Living Bread,
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
Pastor
 

Dear friends,
                                                                  Faith Seeks Understanding
 
By the time you pick up this hard copy of the bulletin to read this Saturday/Sunday, fifteen of our parish youths must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. They must have heard a version of my homily for the seventeenth Sunday of the ordinary time. The topic of my homily at confirmation this Saturday morning is the gifts of the Holy Spirit with emphasis on understanding, knowledge and wisdom. I made a case for the necessity of these gifts to the confirmandi. They will need them as they embark on lifelong efforts to make sense of the mystery of the Kingdom of God, the mystery of faith.
I told them they would have a lot of questions regarding the faith they have embraced totally in freedom. They would sometimes have doubts about God and the Church along the way, and they would ask pertinent and intelligent questions about the experience of evil and struggle with sin. But I made it clear to them that the Bible, Catholic Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church are a sure guarantee that our Catholic faith is a gift and a reasonable way to navigate the questions regarding mysteries of life. There will be questions, but the Holy Spirit will strengthen them in the moments of weakness and enlighten them when they are in the dark. The spiritual gifts of understanding, knowledge and wisdom are vital to responding meaningfully to questions related to Christian faith; ours is a faith seeking understanding.
The 11th-century Christian philosopher and theologian, St. Anselm of Canterbury taught us the principle of strengthening our faith by continually seeking a more profound knowledge of God who loves us. He penned the famous quote, "fides quaerens intellectum/faith seeking understanding". The gifts of the Holy Spirit would help us respond to questions about the kingdom of heaven, questions about Christian faith; it will help us make sense of the vicissitudes of life and answer the question of what is morally right or wrong. Just like Solomon, let us ask God for the gift of wisdom and understanding so that we "may know what is right" and what his commandments mean (1 Kg 3:10; Ps.119:130). Gifts of wisdom, knowledge and understanding help us to see and accept the gift of faith as a path to eternal happiness and the willingness to give up all other life-pursuits to have this "pearl of great price" ( Mathew 13:46).
Join me in congratulating and praying for our parish's newly confirmed boys and girls who received these gifts of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them to bear witness boldly to the kingdom of heaven, the greatest treasure they would ever possess. May the Holy Spirit always lead and guide you: Bailey Elizabeth, Maximilian Patrick, Trevor Adjutor, Gillia Cosmos, Emma Cecilia, Annabelle Cecilia, Reagan Elizabeth, Liana Cecilia, Mason Michael, Morgan Dymphna, Samuel Bernard, Rose Agnes, Joseph Sebastian, Mary Therese, Gabriel Blaise and Kendall Mary.
 In Christ,                          
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

Dear friends in Christ,
                                                          The Church of Weed and Wheat
 
Using a series of parables, Jesus speaks about the kingdom of heaven in this Sunday's Gospel according to Matthew. What is the kingdom of heaven? It is called the kingdom of God in Mark and Luke; it is the same thing as the kingdom of heaven. In simple terms, it means the reign of God. We can get an understanding of the kingdom of heaven by referring to the parallelism that Jesus used in describing it in the prayer he taught his disciples: "…thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  The kingdom of heaven is where God's will is done, where God rules or reigns. That is what the Church, the assembly of Christians should be, people among whom God's will reigns supreme. But this is not always the case. As the first of the parables illustrates, the Church, as we know it, is made up of the wheat and the weed, the good and evil ones. The two are intertwined to the extent that we don't usually recognize the presence of the good, the reign of God in the Church and the world.
Is it possible then to see a visible presence of God in the Church despite the mixing of evil with good?  Yes, if we look deeply. Like the mustard seed and the yeast mentioned in the other two short parables, there is a hidden and quiet presence and growth of good seed in the Church and human world often exposed for its scandals, hypocrisy, greed, lies, falsehood, racism, hate and other sins. Think of the presence and growth of the good seed in terms of the excellence and budding faith in the children of our parish. This week, I concelebrated the 8th-grade graduation Mass at Seven Sorrows, Middletown, and had the honor of presenting awards to deserving children from our church: Mary Bolesky, Joseph  Barb, Benjamin Heckman and Brynne McDevitt. Thanks to the Men's Club for sponsoring a scholarship given to our children at Seven Sorrows who continue on to Catholic High Schools. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I concelebrated baccalaureate Mass and attended graduation at Lancaster Catholic High School, respectively. Our children again distinguished themselves by their excellent performance. I congratulate Hope, Nicholas, Jillian, Gabrielle, Kathryn, Aaron, Zygmunt, Tyla and Ian.  God is generous in spreading the good seeds in our parish by giving the body of his Son, Jesus Christ, the Holy Eucharist, to Celia, Gabriella, Helen, Kate, Sophia, Alyssa, Ella, Kara, Gage, Aubrey, Malina, Juliana, Nora and Arria. It was a privilege to give them their first Holy Communion. These are some of the good seeds growing in our imperfect Church and world.
Indeed, the kingdom of God, the Church that exists in the human world, is a mixed collection of saints and sinners, and it will remain that way until judgment time. God is the ultimate judge. We are called to respond to all the evil present within the Church with patience, tolerance, forbearance, and Spirit-led prayers of intercession (Romans 8:26 ).  That is not to say we should resign ourselves to passive indifference to the presence of evil, to assume nothing can be done. We must still strive to keep evil at bay even if we cannot completely exterminate it at this age. If we don't work to tame the growth of evil, it will end up choking the good. Yes, we have to resist the growth of evil, but we are not to sit in judgment over others, that is to be left to God, the ultimate judgment at the end of time, we surrender that role to God who will "judge with clemency" and govern with "much leniency" (Wisdom 12: 18).
 
In Christ, the Merciful Judge,
 
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

                                                                         When Words Work

          As a preacher of the word of God, I sometimes wonder if the Sacred Word I proclaim every day from the pulpit fall on good ground, that is, if they are received and responded to by those I address them to. I am always confident in the authority of the words of the Sacred Scripture. I hold it to be true that as Prophet Isaiah says, God's word shall not return to Him void but shall achieve the end for which it was sent (55:11). I have an absolute belief that the words of The kingdom that Jesus commands us to proclaim will fall on different grounds but surely will fall on good soil, on receptive ears and hearts, and ultimately yield abundant fruits. God has always been faithful to his promises. Yet, sometimes I wonder if the word of redemption I proclaim is appropriately channeled and received with clear understanding and responded to by those who hear them. Do the Words proclaimed every day from our church pulpit work? Yes, they do.
 Many factors must be in place for the generously given Word of God to work and to produce fruits. The word must be heard, understood, and appropriately acted upon. Our disposition and response must match the intent of the word, as William Shakespeare Hamlet's monologue suggests to actors' interpretation of their roles in stage plays, "Suit the action to the word, the word to the action" (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2). God intends that the word yield fruit. We hear the word proclaimed, we listen with understanding as much as the Holy Spirit opens our minds and hearts, and we act in response to the word, through the movement of God's grace in us. The response must match the proclamation.
 Last Sunday, I proclaimed the word of Christ concerning the burden of sin that we all carry and the need to unburden ourselves of them and so find rest for our soul by frequent reception of the Sacrament of Confession. It made my day as a preacher and pastor that some responded to God's word by making an appointment for confession. The Boleskys family is an example of a good disposition and fruitful response to the Word of Jesus that I proclaimed last Sunday. The Word indeed works! Praise God!! The Word proclaimed from the pulpit and in the Sacraments work. The word will bear fruits in "a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold," Jesus promised in the Gospel according to Matthew.
                           What is our response to the Word of God spoken to us this Sunday?
Responding to the demands of the Word will set us free, but are we willing to make the appropriate response? May the Boleskys' exemplar response to the spoken Word of Christ inspire all of us to let proper action flow from God's Word spoken to us today. 
In Christ's Healing Words,