Beloved brothers and sisters,  
                                                                        Lord, Increase our Faith  
 
The apostles ask Jesus:" Increase our faith" (Lk 17:5). In the first place, what does it mean to have faith? Asking this question is an excellent place to start our reflections on the request made by the apostles to the Lord in this Sunday's Gospel. To have faith is to have received the grace, the gift of trust in God, and all the truth he has revealed to us about himself. My answer may not be sufficient or fully satisfying, but it derives from the Act of Faith I had to memorize when preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation decades ago. Br. Emmanuel, my catechist, made us learn and understand acts of faith, hope, and love as part of the requirements for fulfilling coursework for confirmation class. So, for me, the act of faith is an answer to the question, what does it mean to have faith? 
 
In the act of faith, we affirm our belief that God is one made of three divine persons, and his Son, Jesus, became incarnate to save us from sin and grant us salvation. The prayerful proclamation also affirms our belief in all truths taught by the Holy Catholic Church because God revealed them, and God by his nature cannot deceive; hence, the truth he revealed is trustworthy. Faith is trust in God's love for us and our response to that love. Only by faith can we make meaning of whatever life throws at us. Faith is a supernatural gift that nevertheless demands the cooperation of our will. We must act on the gift of faith; it is a gift that bears fruit from our corresponding working with the grace it offers. Once we accept the gift of faith, we must nourish it because it can become weak and even die.  
 
How do we keep our faith alive and fruitful? We must confirm our faith daily by prayer and meditation. We must strengthen it through constant study of the word of God and persistent devout reception of the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation. Also, we must nurture our faith through a life of religious piety. Devotion to Mary, the saints, and our Guardian Angels is also very instrumental. We must not forget to confess at mass our belief in the real presence by using the words of Thomas in addressing the consecrated host: "My Lord and my God." We must always act on our faith. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we must be bold to act in faith in the situation of danger and needs. We must pray to the Lord daily the Thomas' act of faith: Lord, please increase my faith. 
 
May our Lord Jesus Christ increase our faith.  
 
In Christ, 
Fr. Bernard, OP 
 

Beloved brothers and sisters,
 
                                                                       I Want you Back!
 
Our Parish Picnic this past Sunday was a huge success! We planned this, and we made it happen! We looked forward to having fantastic weather, and God granted us a day of sunshine. I looked forward to a large gathering. A good number of parishioners and non-parishioners alike graced the occasion. God answered our prayers. We had a lot to eat and drink. Guests formed a long line, and devoted servers ensured everyone had something to eat and drink. We had our young adults provide live music; they were fantastic! Steve, Emily, Elizabeth, Emma, and Shawn, in yellow sunglasses, were phenomenal!! What shall we name this new parish band?
 
The children had time together. They played different sorts of interesting games and got a lot of exciting time jumping up and down on the bouncer. Of course, the youth group also did their thing, playing some entertaining ball games. Also in attendance was a group of students from Elizabethtown College and members of the African Catholic community from Harrisburg and its environs.
 
In addition, we presented the plaques for donors toward the building of the parish hall. Stephen Desjardins did a great job. So did all the picnic planning committee members, Evelyn Weston, Rachel Clark and others; they ensured we had enough desserts in the parish hall; thanks to you all. I am also thankful to the Men's Club, CCW, Knights of Columbus, members of the Parish Council, parish office staff, and many others.
 
The first song played by our young adult band was Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5’s “I want you back.” This is symbolic. While it refers to a guy wanting his estranged lover back, in our case, it indicates that I wish all my beloved parishioners who have been away since the beginning of the pandemic (that is now over) back in church and at Mass. We have seen an increase in attendance in the last couple of weeks. I like that to continue to be the case. I want all of you, my beloved parishioners, back to the pew to continue our faith journey together as one family.
 
Love you all,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

 Beloved brothers and sisters,
 
                                                      Act Prudently with an Eye to the Future
 
In the Gospel reading of this Sunday’s Mass, Luke 17: 1-13, Jesus teaches his disciples to be prudent and to act shrewdly in striving for eternal reward. Jesus tells a parable of the unfaithful steward whose master asks him to give an account of his stewardship. Finding himself wanting and wary of what will become of his status in the future, he offers a favorable settlement with his master’s debtors. The steward goes about his business in a dishonest but intelligent way. Jesus calls his disciple’s attention to what extent the steward went in the present to win favors of people in the future when he eventually loses his job. Jesus is not condoning his cunning way but showing the “children of light” the necessity to act smart with things of this world to gain eternal reward.
 
The example of the deceitful steward may not appeal to the moral sensitivity of Christians. Still, Jesus used it nevertheless to highlight the importance of wise and prudent behavior or attitude in the race to make heaven. St. Augustine, in his Sermon 359 on this parable, made the following helpful commentary that helps us make sense of it:
 
“Why did the Lord propose this parable? Not because that servant was a model for us to imitate. Nonetheless, the worldly-wise steward had an eye to the future. So too should the Christian have this determination to secure his eternal reward. If not, the steward puts him to shame.”
 
How carefully and zealously do we plan for our spiritual future? How devoted are we to finding intelligent and practical ways to obtain graces to validate us for heavenly citizenship? The Master in the parable praised the steward for his street smartness, decisiveness, shrewdness, and prudence in navigating his way out of a messy and challenging situation. Like the steward, like “the children of this world,” we should turn difficult and discouraging situations into positive ones. We should use the things of this world, including money, in the service of the poor to gain access to heaven. We are not encouraged to be dishonest like the steward, but we can imitate his undaunted attitude and tactfulness in overcoming obstacles in the path to eternal reward. We must put in the effort and never flag the zeal to work out our salvation. If we don’t act astutely in the face of dangers to our faith, then, as St. Augustine says in his sermon, the steward would have put us to shame. Are we using all our natural and supernatural resources to gain eternal rewards in heaven? Think about this.
 
Please note- I will preach a mission appeal for my religious order, the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), Province of Nigeria and Ghana, at Our Lady of Grace Parish, Greensboro, NC, next weekend. Please keep me in your prayers for a successful mission.
 
Also, please say a prayer for me as I celebrate the 22nd anniversary of my priestly ordination on September 23, the feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina.

In Christ,
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

​ 
Beloved brothers and sisters,
 
                                                    Repentance, Return, and Restoration
 
On this 9/11 anniversary, Jesus speaks to us in parables in Luke 15: 1-32 about the Father of mercy who searches for the lost. One theme that runs across the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son is the display of reckless love of God for sinners. I am wary of the use of the adjective reckless to describe God’s act of love and mercy, but it is an apt description of the mercy of God which he shows by throwing caution to the wind in going out to retrieve the lost and restoring their dignity. In a song by Cory Asbury that was played by our Young Adult music group during our monthly Eucharistic Adoration this past Monday, two lines from the lyrics stood out for me: ”Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found leaves the ninety-nine.”
 
This Sunday’s readings highlight and celebrate the limitless mercy of God. It is clear from the Sacred Scripture that God does not want the spiritual death of any of his sons and daughters. Sin is a stiffness of the neck that insists on substituting the love for God with love for idols, that is, things that appear to the senses as good and pleasurable when, in fact, they are not. It breaks our friendship with God and His Kingdom. While we were yet in sin, cut off from God, He goes out of his way to retrieve us from the mires of sin. Before we begin our journey back to grace, before we return to our senses and return to the embrace of the Father who is always on the lookout for us, He has already set the grace of repentance into motion. It is left to us to detest sin, repent, and return home to the love and joy of the Father.
 
It is our choice to return to the Father, who always wills to restore us to our dignity. God is after our restoration. He wants our salvation, not our condemnation. St. Paul reminds us, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinner” (1 Tim. 1: 15) . Yes, we have all sinned.  At different times, we have left the sight of God and found ourselves lost in sin. Whether we have “acted out of ignorance” or knowingly turned to sin because of the false and temporary pleasure it gives us, we fall into sin. God is not only merciful and loving, but he is patient with us. It is now on us to make the movement back home, to respond to the grace that restores us to holiness. If you identify yourself as a sinner- Paul describes himself as the foremost sinner, now is the time to rise and return to the Father of mercy. Like the prodigal son, it is time to examine our conscience, come to our senses, repent and return to the father whose reckless love is constantly displayed in the sacraments.
 
Our reflection on God’s unrelenting search for us and his generous and unending mercy has resulted in my decision to add to confession time here at St. Peter. I will start hearing confession on Thursday from 5 pm to 5:45 pm. Mass on Thursday begins at 6 pm flowing seamlessly into Eucharistic Adoration which wraps up at 7 pm. Examine your conscience frequently, and you probably would find a need to go to confession more often. The reckless love of the Father of mercy awaits you in the confessional.
 
If you check your calendar for the week, you will notice that we have exciting memorials and feasts scheduled for Monday through Saturday. Avail yourselves of these means of graces.
 
-Fr. Bernard, OP,  a beneficiary of the Father’s mercy.

Beloved brothers and sisters,
 
                                                                Qualities of Jesus’ Disciple
 
Discipleship comes at a high cost—us following Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and Life demands of us deep-rooted love for Him. Jesus expresses in a seemingly harsh language the burden of discipleship when he turned to the multitudes following him and said to them:” If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:26). What appears to be an inappropriate language for describing the condition for following Jesus is a Semitic idiomatic expression which means that the option for Jesus and his Gospel must always take priority over our love for ourselves and those close to us, including members of our immediate family. An essential quality for anyone who wants to be a disciple of Jesus is their readiness always to prioritize loyalty to Jesus over others. Discipleship costs much.
 
To follow Jesus and proclaim His kingdom entails calculating the cost. Becoming Jesus' disciple demands everything we are, especially our trust and faith in God's will for us.  And always, God’s plan for us is to carry our cross and come after Jesus willingly. Therefore, we must continually discern our ability and will to offer sufficient sacrifices as the Lord demands. He requires us to practice detachment from material comfort and trust in his love and providence. The conditions for following Jesus are challenging. Yet, we must admit that God’s wisdom is more significant than our wisdom and worth our trust (Wisdom 9: 17-18). Like St. Paul, we must love God above all other things to become prisoners for Christ and his Gospel (Philemon 9: 10, 12).
 
Carrying our cross and following in the path of Jesus is a burdensome task. Yet, it is the only way to fulfill the demands of discipleship. We are often at moral crossroads on where to go or what choice to make in our day-to-day living. We live in circumstances where we must choose Jesus and His Gospel over other competing interests. Our option may cost us the love and friendship of people dear to our hearts. The suffering that we go through in the process of loving Jesus above self and loved ones is not tragic or useless suffering. Jesus has transformed the agony of bearing crosses into channels of grace. Jesus has sanctified our sorrows in His name. We need the grace of God and our own will to carry our cross as faithful disciples of Jesus. God’s grace is sufficient for us. Let’s pray daily for His grace.
 
Happy Labor Day! As we celebrate Labor Day this week, let us thank God for the gift of labor-the ability and opportunity to work. Work often calls for sacrifice, but it also points to the dignity of the human person. We pray for all who work hard to be rewarded and those without a job to get one soon.
 
I invite you all to our monthly Eucharistic Adoration on Monday. Come with your family to pray for the grace of discipleship. Also, do not forget to attend our Thursday evening mass as we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our parish offers many means of graces we need to strengthen our capacity to bear the cost of discipleship generously and joyfully. I invite you to the banquet of love; please come.
 
In the Cross of Christ,