16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 21, 2019

I.  Are you a Martha or a Mary? Read and reflect upon Luke 10:38-42. Martha is consumed with work and necessities of living and surviving in 2019. There are careers to establish, mortgages to meet, food and clothing to buy, college tuition payments to cover, bills to pay, meals to prepare, children to taxi, meetings to attend, and so on. The “Martha” within us is busy, busy, busy. The “to do” list is never completed, the calendar is always full, and deadlines forever hang over us!

     Mary seeks something “better,” something more meaningful and purposeful for our lives. The “Mary” within us longs to spend more time with our children or parents, longs to give more of ourselves to causes we believe in, longs to turn off the world to spend more time listening, reflecting, meditating, and praying, longs to be at peace with God, ourselves, and others. 

    The truth is, Martha and Mary CAN BE and often ARE the same person! There is something of both, Martha and Mary, within each of us, and the conflict between the two is real. At this time in your life, are you more of a “Martha” or “Mary?” What do I need to do in my life to create BALANCE between work & reflecting/listening/prayer?

II.  Mary Magdalene—Not the Prostitute or Public Sinner! The new preface for the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene has the potential, not only to refute any leftover past impressions that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute or a public sinner, but to re-educate Catholics about who she really was. It accents her prominent and powerful place in the life of Jesus, her role as an apostle, and her mission, selected by none other than Jesus himself, to spread the Good News of Easter. 

  Of the thousands of saints, Mary Magdalene is one of the few honored with a feast day, and the only woman, other than Mary, mother of Jesus.  The new preface for her feast proclaims: “In the garden Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, who loved him in life, who witnessed His death on the cross, who sought Him as He lay in the tomb, who was the first to adore Him when He rose from the dead, and whose apostolic duty was honored by the apostles so that the Good News of life might reach to the ends of the earth.”  I invite you to participate in Mass on Monday, July 22. St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us! 

III. The Influence of Grandparents: Over the past almost 44 years of priesthood, I cannot tell you the number of times grandchildren have shared that their grandparents’ love and example of faith has made a difference in their choices of faith. Grandparents, never under estimate the influence you have over your grandchild spiritually. On Friday, July 26, we celebrate the feast of Anne and Joachim, grandparents of Jesus, parents of Mary. The Scriptures portray Anne and Joachim as an older and barren couple who long to bring life into the world. Through an angelic messenger, they are told that they will bear a child, not just any child, but one who will be revered for all time. “Hats off” to grandparents who are raising their grandchildren; in the USA there are 2.7 million who are doing so, and this number is growing.

IV.  Have You Introduced Anyone to Christ lately? Does someone you know have questions about a life of faith? Could God be prompting you to help him/her to explore the Catholic way of life?  Opportunities to explore questions are open for you and your “someone” to have a brief view of what is entailed in a closer look at the Catholic faith through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process. The RCIA process will begin again on Wednesday, July 31st 6:00pm in the Community Center (church basement). Contact myself, Fr. Sinoj, or Rick Rhodes anytime for an appointment, 270/683-6525.

V.  A Free App: Laudate App is not only free, but also contains everything a Catholic would hope for in an app, and more. It has daily and Sunday Scripture readings, a daily Scripture verse, Saints of the day, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Mysteries of the Rosary and how to pray it, a very thorough Examination of Conscience for adults and youth, and much more! Laudate is Latin for “let us praise” [God]. If you download this app, you just might use it!