July 16, 2023
On this mid-July weekend, we celebrate the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Throughout this year, we have been reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew in our Sunday Gospel readings. This week, we begin a new section in this Gospel – Jesus’ discourse of parables. Over the next three weeks, we will hear some of Jesus’ most familiar parables. These stories were Jesus’ way of teaching the people who gathered around him.
A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.
Pope Francis
A word from Pope Francis ~ “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”
On this mid-July weekend, we celebrate the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Throughout this year, we have been reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew in our Sunday Gospel readings. This week, we begin a new section in this Gospel – Jesus’ discourse of parables. Over the next three weeks, we will hear some of Jesus’ most familiar parables. These stories were Jesus’ way of teaching the people who gathered around him.
We are very happy to welcome Father Ramon Sida and Father Benzes Thomas, O.Praem. to our parish as our new Parochial Vicars. Thank you for the good wishes and prayers that you extended to them last weekend as they celebrated their first weekend with us at St. Isidore. They both had the opportunity to introduce themselves at each of our Masses last weekend. We pray that it will not be long before they feel truly at home here with us.
One of the blessings of our Catholic faith tradition is our practice of interceding and supporting each other through our prayer. We do that every time we gather for the Eucharist, especially during the Prayer of the Faithful. Since we are connected to each other in faith, it is important that we support those in need with our prayers. While we regularly remember those who are sick and those who have died, we have additional opportunities to request the prayers of our community. Our Parish Book of Prayer, which was removed from the Narthex in March 2020 with the COVID precautions, has now been restored and is located in the Narthex near the south doors entering the Church. All are welcome to indicate your prayer requests and intentions in our Parish Book of Prayer. We also have our prayer list for those who are engaged and preparing for Marriage. This list is always printed in our bulletin. And since we are a people who value life, our Respect Life Expecting Parents Prayer List is also printed in the bulletin. If you wish to have a loved one added to a particular prayer list, please call the Parish Office. This can also include a son or daughter who may be celebrating their marriage at another parish or an out-of-town family member expecting a child. It is good for us to remember all of these intentions in our prayer.
July is a very welcome month in the life of a parish. It is a chance for many of us to catch our breath. It has felt like we ran a marathon from Ash Wednesday to the last day of school and even over the past few weeks until now. Committees, boards and councils normally do not meet during July. The Administrative staff of our parish school is off during July and the school office is closed. Parish staff have the opportunity to get away for some well-earned vacation time. We are continuing our practice of closing the parish offices on Fridays during July. One of our staff members will be on duty for telephone calls and deliveries.
July is a good time for all of us to catch up on things that may have worked their way to the bottom of the pile or been pushed to the back burner. It is a good opportunity to step back and look at the “big picture.” Often, we surround ourselves with such constant activity that we can easily lose sight of the forest for the trees. It is time to catch our breath and get back in touch with our roots.
We remember those who are away on vacation and all those who are traveling. And we thank God for the opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
– Father Jim Murphy