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