​Beloved in Christ,

Instead of my usual homily on Sunday mass readings, I would like to dwell on the summer of fun with family and friends this Sunday ( I get a chance to not probe into parables this week. Phew!). As we approach mid-summer, we should take stock of how much time we have devoted to family and fun. Is fun time with family and friends not the focus of the summer holidays? When I think of the summer season, I think of extended daytime and shorter nights. This weather condition indicates nature's agreement with our human tendencies for dreams and desires for a longer time for fun and festivities. In thinking about the summer season, I recall William Shakespeare's comedy title, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The play's title references the fantasy, festivity and dreams associated with the eve of the summer solstice- June 23. However, my shout-out to the Shakespearean title has more to do with its syntax and order of words than the focus of the play (the play focuses on themes of love, appearance and reality, and order and disorder in nature-important stuff. Perhaps you can add the play to the list of your summer readings). We are approaching the middle of summer and should plan a fun and relaxing time with family and friends.

Some of us have already done that. I have heard from some families who have gone on cruises, beaches, and resorts. I have heard pleasant feedback on how these summer vacations have helped to ease tensions and recharge energy and love in families. Is that not what we dream and desire? We want opportunities to escape from our routine to relax and enjoy nature with those we love. If we can afford to go to the many beautiful places in and outside the country to wind down, we should do so. Summer is nature's gift to us to fulfill dreams and create joy with the people we love.

I saw that summer dream turned into reality in our parish. I was a partial "participant" in our parish Vacation Bible School from Sunday to Thursday last week. What an adventure with our lovely kids and their families! The theme of wilderness adventure provided an opportunity to learn about the church's sacraments. We had games, quizzes, skits, songs and food in abundance. It was not just about learning; it was about building family, parish family. This is part of our goal in summer, an environment for fulfilling dreams of a family's bond of love, joy, unity and peace. I want everyone who worked hard to make our VBS this year another resounding success- Georgann Azzalina and her team- to know I am filled with gratitude (one of the virtues taught during the period) for their sacrifices. May Jesus bless you and all your loved ones.

What am I doing for summer this year? Some of you have asked me. As many non-American-born priests do in summer, I cannot visit my home country Nigeria this year. Instead of an ideal four-week vacation to Nigeria, I spread my vacation weeks through the summer months of June, July and August. I am thankful to the priests who will fill in for me when I am away. It is tough to get priests coverage in the summer months. I plan during my vacation to drive to visit some family members and friends in the Carolinas, New York, and New Jersey. The anticipated highlights of my summer time are the events planned for August 8 and 12. I plan to host and celebrate the feast of St. Dominic on August 8 with my Dominican brothers in various apostolates across Catholic dioceses in America. On August 12, I will celebrate my double nickel birthday at a family reunion. You are a part of my family, and I invite you to share in my joy.

I wish you all a joyful and safe summer travels. We must never relegate God and worship to the background in all our summer fun. Please, prioritize attending mass, especially on Sundays of your vacations outside our parish. Find a mass near you at masstimes.org. Remember to bring me parish bulletins-I am a bulletin collector!

Love you all,             Fr. Bernard, OP
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

​ 
Beloved in Christ,
 
The seed given to the one who sows is the "Divine Word" that comes forth from the mouth of God. It will achieve its purpose because it is fertile and fruitful (Is. 55:10-11). It will yield a fruitful harvest if it falls on good ground (Ps 65). Meanwhile, we groan as we await the attainment and fulfillment of this fruitful end (Rom 8: 18-23). Christ sows this seed- God's Word. Some fell on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on rich soil. The seed that fell on the rich soil achieved its purpose; it produced fruit "a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold" (Mt. 13: 1-9). What kind of soil are we? How receptive are we to the word of God? Are we the rich soil open and conducive to the word of God? Is the soil of our heart well cultivated for healthy growth of the Word seed Jesus sows in it?
 
As Jesus explains to his disciples, the parable of the sower is a metaphor or analogy for hearing the word of the kingdom. The seeds are of great value, yet the sower throws seeds carelessly into unproductive soil. Is this a reflection of God's abundance and generosity? He sows the seed in unproductive soil. He sows seed into the path (those who hear the word without understanding), rocky ground (those who heard the word with joy, but it lasts only for a short while because it has no root ) and among thorns ( those who hear the word but fail to bear fruits because of worldly anxiety and the lure of riches). God generously gives all his children the divine word of his kingdom, including those who will not put it to productive use. God will go to any length to save and bring us into his kingdom. He continues to sow the seed into productive and unproductive soils.
 
God's word will bear fruit because God says so. There will be those who refuse the word. There will be those who have yet to listen to and understand the word. There will be those who reject it. Nevertheless, there will also be those who work hard to understand and accept the word of the kingdom. We are the soil for the divine seed. What is the condition of our soil? Is our soil well prepared to receive and support the growth of the divine seed? Our responsibility is to prepare our soil to respond positively to the grace of the divine seed, the grace of God's word. In human form, we are to avoid letting our body and soul become empty and distracted; they are not to be allowed to become hardened or clogged by worldly concerns, they are not to be closed but be opened to the access of God's grace, we must be willing to practice detachment and embrace sacrifice for the word of grace to find a home in our soul. Our utmost goal must be to see that the grace we receive yields multiple fruits by corresponding to the grace God constantly dispenses on our souls. In other words, the degree to which we open up to God's grace will determine how fruitful we become.
 
Have we chosen to be the good soil that will receive God's grace and bear fruit? As St. John Chrysostom says, "The only thing that matters is that we should not be a beaten-down thoroughfare, or rocky ground, or thorns, but that we should be good soil." Let us do the one thing that truly matters: be the good soil. We get to make that choice.
 
One way to ensure we choose to be good soil is to begin the art of preparing our hearts for the seed at the early beginning of our lives. Our parish Vacation Bible School (VBS) starts this Sunday at 6 p.m. I ask for your support for our children's adventure into the wilderness of God's word. I am thankful to Georgann Azzalina, our religious education coordinator, and her team of volunteers for their labor in this vital ministry to our little ones.
 
Enjoy your summer vacation. Attend mass when out of town, and bring me bulletins from the churches you attended for mass.
 
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

​Beloved in Christ,
 
"Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give your rest" (Mt 11:29). He, our king and our God, invites us to come to him to help us face our trials and troubles. We need the support of our meek and just savior (Zec. 9:9) in our times of worries, fears, and anxiety. Whatever forms or shapes our burdens come in, we must trust that our Lord and King Jesus cares for us and should turn over those troubling conditions to him. St. Peter offered similar words of persuasion to take our worries to our compassionate Saviour when he wrote: "Cast all your worries upon him for he cares for you" (1 Pt 5:7; see Ps. 55: 23). 
 
What are the burdens we bear? Is it the heavy burden of sin, as St. Jerome said? Is it the burden of poor health? Is it the burden of doubt about God's love for us? Is it a burden of a complicated relationship? Is it a burden concerning children who have left the faith? Is it a burden of financial strain? There are many more of them you can add to the list. What do we do with these burdens,  the difficulties stressing and tearing us apart? We must act in faith, trusting Jesus' invitation, casting them upon Jesus who cares for our wellbeing. He will grant us rest, that is, shalom-peace. That is the promise he made. Peace means he will grant us calmness of heart, wholeness and wellness in our interior life so as not to be drowned by our difficulties. He does not promise they will be taken away; those burdens often remain. But he assures us that he will strengthen us and see us through those struggles if he does not remove them.
 
Jesus adds to his invitation, "Take my yoke upon you...for my yoke is easy and my burden light" (Mt. 11:29'30). Jesus' Gospel replaces the burden of the law presented by the Pharisees and Scribes. Jesus' yoke and burden are constituted in his teachings and the Sacraments he instituted. They are still demanding and do not necessarily get rid of life hardships. For instance, Jesus' message and wisdom assure us we shall still face difficulties in the world (Jn 16:33) and must be willing to carry our crosses daily and follow him (Lk 9: 23; Mt 10: 38) if we want to be worthy of him. 
 
So what do we do with the troubles life throws at us? What do we do with difficulties that accompany following Jesus and doing his will? We must constantly pray for faith. Without faith, we cannot do God's will nor please him. We must pray for a living faith and nourish that faith daily. We must believe that God loves and cares for us, no matter the hardship we face as Christians. This is hard, but we must strive to do this. We must imitate our Lord and be meek and humble to accept his will for us, including brutal truths about our existence and how to order our life based on his wisdom and Gospel.
 
One of the four invitations of the Year of Parish Revival from the USCCB National Eucharistic Mission is a call to Personal Encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist:  "This is a specific call for monthly 'Encounter Nights' that help parishioners encounter Jesus in the Eucharist personally." We are responding to this invitation through our parish's monthly Eucharistic Adoration. We had one this past Monday, the third of July. Did you have any exciting and inspiring experience you would like to share about how worshiping Jesus in Adoration helped you deal effectively with your burden? I'll like to hear from you. I know Jesus is a promise keeper. If you present your burden to him, he will keep his part of the bargain and give you rest.
 
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard, OP