Beloved brothers and sisters,
 
                                                          Who Do You Invite to the Banquet?
 
A leading Pharisee invited Jesus to dine at his home, and he told his host and other guests a parable about an invitation to a wedding banquet. Jesus took a moment to throw light on the virtue of humility and charity as essential to Christian living and contrary to the egoism on display by other invitees to the dinner seeking to occupy places of honor at the table. At the same time, Jesus told his host to "invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind" to his banquet (Lk 14:13). The "unworthy" ones should receive more attention than family and friends who are in a position to repay the host quickly. Inviting the "unworthy" to the banquet will invite divine reward (Lk 14:14).
 
One way of understanding the wedding banquet is to see it as symbolic of the church gathered around the Eucharistic table of the Lord. Who do we invite to the Eucharistic banquet? Who do we invite to church? Who do we ask to "approach Mount Zion and the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countess angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven" (Heb 12: 22-23)? We should invite all and any "unworthy" to the community gathered for the sacred banquet. Asking others to come to mass and church is evangelization's work. Jesus wants us to step out of our familiar comfort zone to extend an invitation to those we may consider "unclean" or "unworthy." For example, according to the old covenant law, the disabled, the lame, and the blind are considered ritually impure and unfit to fellowship at the table (Lev 21:18). However, Jesus is changing this demand of the Old Law. In the new covenant, Jesus establishes the priority of love and grace. He wants us to reach out to those outside the body, inviting them to receive nourishment and grace from the sacred table.
 
Jesus invites the spiritually lame or blind to come to join the banquet. We have to see this in light of evangelization. Have we asked someone not considered liturgically "worthy" to go with us to mass? Even if they are not yet in the proper state to share the sacred meal with us, they can sit around the table with us and still experience divine nourishment from the table of the Word.
 
I want to say a big thank you to all members of our parish who put in a significant shift at the CCW and Men's Club pavilions at the Elizabethtown Fair this past week. In some regard, you were doing the work of evangelization on behalf of our parish, and only God can reward you adequately. Let's continue to display the attitude of sacrifice and giving as we prepare for our parish picnic in September. We should invite someone, especially parish members, to attend this massive banquet of love and unity.
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Beloved brothers and sisters,
 
                                                        Go and Tell the Good News to All
 
The antiphon to the responsorial Psalm this Sunday is a mandate from Jesus to all his followers to “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News” (Mk 16: 15). This instruction from Jesus is addressed to all of us his followers. We are to carry with us the message of redemption through Jesus Christ. There are those called specifically to share this good news of God’s glory (Is. 66: 19) with others, especially those far beyond their boundaries. In the church, we have missionaries who go to other places away from their homes to invite them to “recline at table in the Kingdom of God” ( Lk. 13: 30).
 
We have the privilege of welcoming to our parish this weekend Fr. Andrew Torma, MSC, to preach a mission on behalf of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Fr. Torma shares the apostolate of his religious society with us this weekend, so we too can be co-sharers in welcoming others to the Kingdom of God. I encourage you to support the mission of the MSC this weekend through your contributions, material and spiritual. Thank you.
 
Let me take this opportunity to also address the need in our parish to support the renewal of our faith and fellowship. Please keep walking the faith journey with your parish brothers and sisters. Remind your friends and family of the importance of attending masses regularly, especially on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Encourage those discouraged, scared, disappointed, or tired to return to the gathering of their brothers and sisters. Our fellowship as a parish, as members of the body of Christ, pleases God and strengthens our faith.
 
Please consider seriously participating in our forthcoming Parish Picnic. Mark September 18 on your calendar. We want to celebrate our accomplishment with the Parish Hall and other projects. These are signs of our commitment to the faith and the Church. We build up the parish when we support each other in the life of Grace. And grace builds on nature, so we can start by coming together to eat, drink and dance on Sunday, September 18, 2022.
 
All are welcome to the party.
 
In the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Beloved in Christ,
 
                                                   Enkindle in Us the Fire of your Love
 
Jesus says in this Sunday’s Gospel, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” ( Lk 12 49). I invite you to join me in pondering on this powerful statement made by Jesus to his disciples and, by extension, to us who are members of his body, the Church. Fire is often symbolic of purifying fire of love in the Bible. Think of the fire of tongues that fell on the disciples on Pentecost. It is a fire of Divine Love. It is a fire that burns and purifies our hearts to expand in love. Think also of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus who felt the fire of Jesus’ words and love burning in their hearts as he spoke and opened the Scriptures to them (Lk 24:13). In the last couple of weeks, we have reflected on the greatest treasure we should seek, Jesus Christ, our friend who loves us. This week, the teaching on discipleship is developed further as Jesus goes on his journey to Jerusalem to offer the new Passover. The love for Jesus and his Kingdom, our followership, and our commitment to Jesus and His truth are greater than any other commitment, even the noble and holy commitment to the family. Love for Jesus and his truth must always be the most significant goal aimed at by his followers.
 
The Love for Jesus and his Gospel was poured into our heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5) at baptism and confirmation. The light lit from the paschal candle and handed to our parents and godparents at baptism should be kept burning until Jesus returns. Our baptism calls for a continuous life of love and prayer. We must continue to fan the flame of the fire of love planted in our life. As followers of Jesus, we must make our hearts be set alight with the fire of Divine Love if we want to endure as faithful followers of Jesus. Jesus himself has demonstrated his love for us. He gave his life freely to us just as the Father gave him, his only begotten, so that we may be saved. Jesus also adds that he had a baptism to be baptized and longed so much to accomplish it. Jesus was referring to the baptism of the passion and the Cross, the shedding of his blood out of love for our redemption.
 
Jesus’ fire of love and baptism demands our sacrifice of love for his name and his Kingdom. Nothing must supersede our commitment to the ultimate love for Jesus and his truth. Jesus calls us to live his life and truth even if it brings us into conflict with the ones we love, including our beloved family. We must be willing to sacrifice the affection or friendship of those we love if they are obstacles to living for Jesus and his Gospel truth. With our focus on Jesus, “the leader and perfecter of faith” (Heb 122), we must be willing to go through the suffering that entails being a follower and preacher of the Way of Truth and Life, just like Prophet Jeremiah endured suffering on account of witnessing to prophetic truth (Jer. 38: 4-6).
 
Let’s seek strength in Jesus our Lord and friend. In the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, we are empowered in grace to spread the fire of Divine Love. In our devotion to the Holy Spirit, He will enkindle the fire of Christ’s love in our hearts. In our imitation of Blessed Mother Mary and the saints whose witnesses are mentioned in the letter to the Hebrews 12: 1-4, we can set the world on fire of love. Jesus came to cast the fire of love on the earth and longs to see the world as a whole go up in a conflagration of this divine fire of love. Can we say Jesus’ wish is fulfilled when we look into our hearts and the earth? Each person should ponder on that question.
 
Let us not forget to celebrate the saints of love this week. On Monday, we will celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with two masses at 7 am in the historic Church and 6 pm in the Church on the hill. On Saturday, the Church will celebrate the memorial of St. Bernard, a beloved disciple of love. Therefore, let us find time to study the examples of the saints who spoke eloquently about the fire of love and bore witness to it.
 
With pure and divine love,
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

 
 
Beloved brothers and sisters,

                                                               Be Always Prepared

Be always prepared. In the middle of the Ordinary Time of the liturgical year, note,  not at the end of the year, the church tells us to be always ready—reminding us of the necessity of vigilance in the Christian life. Be always prepared for Jesus. When I look at the state of my preparedness in different facets of life, whether secular or sacred, I find myself wanting. I am not proud of it, but I got hit by a few home truths each time in the recent past when I thoroughly examined my conscience and got a revelation that I was not prepared. Yet, Jesus, who called us to follow him, has given us enough time and room to get ready for what could be his surprise or unexpected visit and examination of how we have lived our life as followers of the way. We must keep working at it; we must constantly be on the watch.

The excerpt from the book of Wisdom read at Mass this Sunday gives an account of the people of Israel keeping vigil (Wisdom 18:7). Israelites were vigilant in secretly keeping the Passover feast as the angel of death was visiting the Egyptians. The vigilance in worship through the night of darkness is an example for us to imitate. We must always focus on the Lord through the tragedies and the vagaries of life. In the letter to Hebrews, we read about our ancestors in faith who prepared patiently for the fulfillment of God's promise. Abraham, for example, lived a heroic life of faithful waiting on God's promises throughout his life (Hebrew 11: 9). In the Gospel according to Luke (12: 35,40), Jesus instructs his disciples to "be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

In my ministry to the sick and dying, I have had privileged opportunities to prepare souls for the end of their earthly life. Therefore, it is always my prayer that as the dying face Jesus in their last days, they do so with a clear conscience that they have used their entire lifetime and gifts bestowed on them to prepare for the divine encounter. If they're short of expectations, I always assure them of God's mercy if they ask for it. So likewise, we must live our faith wholly in preparation for the face-to-face meeting with Jesus on the last day of our life. So much grace has been given to help us prepare adequately for the last day. But are we using those graces and talents effectively? This Sunday is another opportunity for us to make a sincere examination of conscience regarding our state of preparedness for the Lord. In doing so, we will always be prepared.

Please Note: This is a week of feasts. May I suggest you prepare to join me in celebrating the feast of St. Dominic tomorrow, August 8? As a member of the Order of Preachers, known as Dominicans, I cherish celebrating my religious order's founder feast day. I plan to join my brothers in Maryland for community mass in the afternoon and a fraternal soiree.

And may I add, be prepared for Friday. Something special will be remembered and celebrated on a joyful Friday! Lol!

In Christ,

Fr. Bernard, OP