​Beloved in Christ,

"This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Mk 7:6). Jesus accuses the Pharisees of religious hypocrisy, which occurs when lips and hearts don't align. In this Sunday's Gospel, the pharisees' emphasis on the tradition of their ancestors opposes the heart of the religious rite of hand washing. What is at the heart of the rite of hand washing before a meal? It is more than a healthy hygiene practice; it points to cleansing the heart of the impurities of sin. It is hypocrisy to appear outwardly righteous when the heart is rotten.
 
The word hypocrite is borrowed from the Greek word "hupokrites." The Greek word does not directly mean hypocrite as we know it today. It is a word for an actor. The new meaning we draw from the Greek word came from how stage acting was carried out in ancient Greek drama. At this point in the development of thespian art, the "chorus" says the words while the actor demonstrates the meaning by wearing a mask representing the subject of the action. In other words, the actor puts on a mask and pretends to be someone he is not. Jesus condemns this disconnect between the outward religious piety and the interior.
 
Using the example of a religious dietary act from Leviticus chapters 11 to 15 about clean and unclean food, Jesus shows that it is more important to let the interior disposition, the heart of the person carrying out the religious act, be in tandem with the external manifestation. What is going on in the heart determines the reality or validity of the external religious righteousness on display. We may fool humans, but we cannot fool God, who can see the spirit behind our religious acts, the state of the heart behind the appearance of our religious practice. Jesus stresses the importance of the heart in the worship and deeds of a Christian. Highlighting the necessity of religious action marching with interior disposition is why Jesus found the words of Prophet Isaiah of practical and rhetorical importance: "This people honors me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me." He says their worship and teachings are worthless because they place their human tradition above the commandments of God. The point of Jesus' teaching today is: Don't be a hypocrite. Let us always remember, the heart is the true center of our worship.

Today is designated as a World Day of Prayer for the care of creation. God has entrusted creation in all its beauty to us. Let us take care of it and protect it, Pope Francis implored.
 
Labor Day brings the summer to a close. You are invited to Mass at 9 a.m. in the historic church to celebrate the dignity of human labor and pray for our students and teachers for a safe and successful school year.
 
Remember to attend our monthly Eucharistic Adoration this Monday at 6 p.m. We must follow up the Eucharistic Revival and a four-week catechesis on the Mass by coming together as a parish family to worship the Living Jesus in the Sacred Host.

In His Heart,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 

​Beloved in Christ,
 
"Does this shock you? (Jn 6:61). If I were present when Jesus asked that question of his disciples after his intense and profound teaching on the heavenly bread of life, to be candid, I would be shocked. He just told Jewish listeners that his own body is real flesh, his blood is real drink, and invited them to eat and drink so that they might have life. What he offers them, his body and blood, are not familiar or natural food and drink; he gives them heavenly food, the source of divine life. The shocking teaching of Jesus inviting his disciples to eat his body and drink his blood led to disbelief and betrayal. Many of his disciples parted ways with him after this hard teaching, and others will betray him. The shocking and brutal teaching about eating the real body and drinking the real blood of Jesus did not increase the crowd of his followers; rather, it diminished it. 
 
Yet, Jesus did not tweak or rephrase his words or his teaching. He meant exactly what he said: I will give you heavenly food, my body and blood, without which you will not have eternal life. What is our response to Jesus's teaching today? Are we shocked or unbelieving? Are we going to take Jesus at his word or refuse to believe? We need his grace to come to faith in Jesus' divine pronouncement on the Real Presence. Let's pray for the grace to believe as we continue, in the words of St. Anselm, "Fides quaerens intellectum"-to seek a deeper understanding of the mystery of faith that what we receive at Holy Communion is truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
We come to the end of our four-week journey through the Mass. The concluding rites end with the priest and congregation dialogue: "Ite, missa est. Deo gracias" (Go, you are dismissed. Thanks be to God). Let's reflect further on this consequential end to mass. In this last section of the homily, we consider the implications of being sent into the world by Jesus, whom we just received in Holy Communion. Jesus, in the words of the priest, sends us to bring to the world the Jesus we just received at the Eucharistic sacred meal. How do we put this into practice? In many diverse ways.
 
One way of thinking about giving to the world the Jesus we receive at Mass is to consider the presence of St. Peter's Church at the Elizabethtown fair this past week. The Catholic Women's Council and the Men's Club represented us well by giving sacrificially of themselves at the Fair. We evangelized at the Fair spiritually by being present there as members of the Church that feeds her members on Christ's sacred body and blood. However, on a human level, the men and women who served and volunteered at our stands were outstanding witnesses to the love of Jesus. I learned more about those I met and discovered so much good in the sacrifices everyone made. We carried on joyful conversations, laughed, and strengthened our fellowship. I am grateful to everyone who made it possible for another great St. Peter Church showing at the Fair this year. May God bless you all and your family.
 
On a liturgical note, let's not miss the opportunity to celebrate the memorials of two notable saints of the Catholic Church this week. Saint Monica's memorial is on Tuesday, and St. Augustine's, her son's, is on Wednesday. They are saints of exceptional importance for our time. Let's learn from their example and seek their intercession for the good of our families. I hope to see you at the daily masses this week.
 
In His Eucharistic Love,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 

​Beloved in Christ,
 
"For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him" ( Jn 6: 55-56). Jesus makes a profound pronouncement in the scripture verses quoted above. The living bread, the sacred meal he feeds his disciples at the Last Supper, is no longer the common or ordinary bread and wine after he offered them in thanksgiving to his Father. What the disciples receive in reality is his real flesh and blood. His sacramental presence in the consecrated bread and wine establishes his presence in all who receive him in faith and state of grace. We must pray for the faith to accept and believe this mystery of the real presence. Several early Fathers of the Church testify to the doctrine of the Real presence; here are a couple:
 
"We call this food Eucharist....for not as common bread nor common drink do we receive this, but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the Word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too...the food which has been made into the Eucharist...is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus" - St. Justin Martyr (100-195).
 
"The bread again is at first common bread; but when the mystery sanctifies it, it is called and actually becomes the Body of Christ"- St. Gregory of Nyssa (335-394).
 
As we delve into the third week of our biblical journey through the Mystery of the Mass, we now embark on the transformative journey of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the second major part of Mass. This powerful celebration, with its preparation and presentation of the gifts, the Eucharistic prayer (1 to 4), the Lord's prayer, the sign of peace, and the Holy Communion, offers us the opportunity for profound spiritual renewal and transformation. It is a journey that inspires hope and renews our faith, enriching our spiritual connection with each other and with God. Let's explore this further in the rest of the homily.
 
Now, turning to some parish matters- we concluded the OCIA summer series last Monday, August 12, with a talk on prayer that I gave. It was my birthday, and the OCIA team decided to mark the occasion with food and drink. I am deeply touched and grateful for all the love, prayers, and presents I received from many of you last week. Your kindness and generosity have made me feel truly appreciated and valued. May God return the same kindness and generosity to you on my behalf.
 
Since we are talking about me, there are still upcoming events about me, from my feast day on Tuesday to the anniversaries of my profession of religious vows and priestly ordination. These future events will be significant milestones in my spiritual journey, and I only ask for your prayers. But of great importance is the parish pilgrimage planned for September 2025, the Jubilee Year; it coincides with the 25th anniversary of my ordination to Priesthood. Please consider joining me on a pilgrimage to Rome in 2025. It involves making sacrifices financially and physically. I hope many of you will do this for Christ and me, his servant. Please give it your attention. Thanks.
 
With thanks,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 

 Beloved in Christ,

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven" (John 6: 51). Living bread! Yes, Jesus likens himself to bread, a living one at that. Like manna of old, bread sustains the life of God's people as they become weak due to the wear and tear of existence. But the bread, in this case, has spiritual life in it because its origin is divine; it is a living bread that came from heaven, from God. It is the source of life since its origin is heaven. Jesus, the living bread, sustains our life on this earth. Spiritual nourishment is what the Lord's Prayer means when we ask God to give us this day. We pray daily to him to provide us with our sustaining bread. This daily need for spiritual nourishment reminds us of the importance of our spiritual practice. Jesus, the living bread is a beautiful truth! Jesus is the bread that nourishes and sustains our spiritual life. Life takes its toll on us; it drains and empties us. We do need the living bread to replenish and renew us.

The word of God, the living word of the Bible, also sustains us "for the life of the world" (Jn 6: 51).. This Sunday, in our walk through the mass series, we will focus on the liturgy of the word. We started with the introductory rites, which Gloria concluded. The word of God feeds and nourishes us. Like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, respectively, we, too, are called to eat the word of the Lord (Jer. 15: 16, Ez 3: 1). Like the food that Elijah was given to strengthen him through the journey (1 Kg 19: 7), the liturgy of the word also serves as food for our soul as it traverses through life in the world. The readings at mass are based on a three-year cycle, which echoes the three-year reading cycle in the Jewish religion. A three-year cycle reading consists of the Old Testament text, the Psalms, the New Testament epistles, and the Gospel. These readings span the length and breadth of the Bible, and if a Catholic were to attend mass for three consecutive years, they would have covered almost all of the Bible. Let's take a biblical walk through the liturgy of the word that includes the readings, homily, creed, and intercessory prayers.

Last week, we had an hour of Eucharistic Adoration as reparation for the secular world's blasphemy and indifference toward the Last Supper, the Sacred Mysteries. I am thankful for the attendance of many. For those unable to attend, I encourage you to make your eucharistic reparation at any of our parish's multiple and almost daily expositions of the Blessed Sacrament from Monday to Friday. Jesus awaits you in the Tabernacle as well. Step into church at random times to adore the Living Bread. You will get to know Jesus better by these pious acts.

The solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary highlights liturgical celebration this week. There will be a vigil mass on Wednesday and masses during the day on Thursday. Please see the bulletin for details.

Tomorrow, Monday, August 12, is my birthday. I will celebrate it with a presentation on Prayer in the Parish Hall at 7 p.m. I will share my personal experience of Prayer with you. You are invited! Bring a friend with you, especially someone interested in knowing more about the Catholic faith.
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 

Beloved in Christ,

A lot of commotion was created last week over mocking the Last Supper, a pivotal Christian mystery, at the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris. The sad occurrence has strengthened my appreciation for the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Whether the mockery was a subtle one, as some of us perceived, or, as the secular world and some Christians argued, a misunderstanding of the Greek Dionysius festival by Christians, the fact remains that it generated a lavish response from many Catholic bishops, condemning the despicable display and encouraging Catholics to speak up and offer reparations for the blasphemous act. On the heels of the National Eucharist Congress, a living testimony to a renaissance of our Catholic faith and devotion to the Real Presence, the bizarre Olympic opening ceremony spurred me to an added passion for the Sacred Liturgy. It gingered me to spend additional time this past week adoring the Blessed Sacrament as reparation for the abuses directed at Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
 
I encourage you to do likewise. Let the dishonor displayed against the Sacred Mystery in the secular space and culture increase or inspire greater love and devotion to the Eucharist and an opportunity to pray for the conversion of the ignorant, secular world to Faith. Do attend mass more frequently, approach Jesus in His Sacred presence in the tabernacle in our church with more reverence, and give more time to Eucharistic adoration. We have more and more opportunities provided in our parish to offer frequent devotion to the Eucharistic Lord. I expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration from 7:00 am to 7:55 am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. There is another period of adoration on Thursday from 6:30-7:00 pm. Our monthly hour of Eucharistic adoration in songs and silence comes up tomorrow, Monday, at 7:00 pm. I am pleading again with families to attend this monthly parish adoration. If we want our children to grow up loving Jesus personally in the Eucharist, our monthly Eucharistic adoration provides an opportunity to fulfill that goal. I am impressed with the attendance at daily masses this past week and expect the attendance to keep getting better. Be generous with your time; Jesus awaits you at mass. You cannot outdo Jesus in generosity.

August is a spectacular month, not just because it's the month of my birth but because each of its thirty-one days celebrates a special feast of our Lord, our Lady, or a saint. This month, in particular, is a traditional period to intensify our devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I encourage you to attach additional importance to honoring our Lady by praying the rosary daily and imitating her life of obedience to God.

This weekend, our parish welcomes Fr. John Baptist Opargiw, MCCJ, a Ugandan, as he preaches a mission appeal on behalf of the Comboni Missionary. It's important to remember that all Catholics are called to support mission work worldwide. This is part of our sacred duty to the spreading of the Gospel. I urge you to be generous in supporting Fr. John Baptist's mission appeal. Thank you.

See you next week as we continue our catechesis on the Mystery of the Mass. I will explore the Liturgy of the Word biblically and historically. Ours must remain what St. Anselm of Canterbury describes as faith seeking understanding (Fides quaerens intellectum). The more we understand, the better our approach to Eucharistic worship.

In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP