As we gather on this Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time and celebrate the 4th of July weekend with family and friends, we reflect on the gentle yoke of discipleship that Christ offers us. St. Paul in the reading this week, shares his ardent prayer to the Lord to take away some cross in his life, however the Lord refuses and assures him that “his grace is sufficient.” That sounds great, but in reality, it is hard to hear as sometimes our crosses can be heavy and bearing them is difficult. The Lord assures us that he is always with us and to trust in his grace to get us through all our trials. Some of our parishioners are going through some very tough times and they ask for our prayers. If we can be open to the sufferings of others and be prepared to minister to them in their time of need, we can help with their burdens.
This Sunday’s readings encourage us to find strength in our weaknesses and to rely on God’s grace in every aspect of our lives. If we do that together in community, we will not feel alone. I am so grateful to so many of you who reach out to others in need to help carry their crosses. Sometimes that is a simple phone call, a knock on their door, serving in a ministry in the parish; working with St. Vincent de Paul and other local homeless ministries with their collections and for others it is going on a mission trip to Tijuana to build homes. Whatever it is, or whatever way you serve, thank you for the witness of your love in our community. Please keep believing in the grace of God that gets us all through the tough times together.
At our Vacation Bible School, our middle school counselors and young adult CORE team spread this message to the children. “Whenever I am afraid, I put my trust in God”. Psalm 56:3. Again, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Vacation Bible School (VBS) leadership team for their dedication and hard work in making this year’s program a resounding success. Your efforts have not only brought joy and faith to our children but have also strengthened the bonds within our parish community. At the 9:00 am Mass last Sunday, the children sang and danced to the theme song, and it was wonderful to see. You can watch it on the livestream recording at 1:05 mins here.
We are blessed to welcome Father Dat to our parish family. Father Dat brings an enthusiasm for pastoral experience and a deep love for the people and the Church. We had a great week giving him a preview of the year ahead and handing him the reins from Fr. Thuc. We look forward to growing together in faith and community. You can read more about Fr. Dat here.
Many of you have asked me about the “Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Living” program based on the 19th annotations of St. Ignatius. This program that is starting here in October at St. Simon offers a unique opportunity to deepen your prayer life and discern God’s will in your daily living. Join us for an information night on Sunday, July 14th at 6:00pm in the Church to learn more about this transformative experience. It is not as daunting as it seems, all you need is a willing heart eager to learn and pray in new and deeper ways. Read more about on our website here or email Clare D’Agostino, Pastoral Associate for Faith & Spiritual Formation seel@stsimon.org
It is with sadness and deep gratitude that we bid farewell to Robbie Ocampo, who has graced our 7:30 am and 9:00 am Masses with his exceptional piano playing for the past 4 years. Robbie will be joining the Word on Fire ministry in Minnesota with Bishop Barron, and we pray for his continued success and spiritual growth in this new chapter of his life. Thank you, Robbie, for all your gifts and for sharing them so selflessly with us at St. Simon. You will be dearly missed.
We have struggled through the extreme heat of this week, and we pray for some cooler weather for all of us but most especially for our missionaries in Tijuana as they build four new homes there in heat of 100F+. The advance team left on Thursday and have arrived and are cleaning and preparing the accommodations and meals for the rest of the team that arrive on Saturday and Sunday. May God keep them cool and safe in their ministry. I will join them tomorrow after the Sunday Masses. We pray that their work brings hope and shelter to those in need and a renewed sense of God’s love in their own lives.
As we continue our journey of faith, let us carry the spirit of service and humility shown by Christ. Let us also pray for each other and help each other carry each other’s crosses, so that we may always be guided by the love and wisdom of Christ. Stay cool!
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan