I want to make two points in my post this morning.
First, my children are becoming “fasters”. No, they have not given up any meals or even given up eating between them. I realized what a “faster” is earlier this week. My youngest daughter, Teresa, had joined another daughter, Mary, and myself at the Vigil Mass for the Assumption. The Gospel was read and Teresa reacted with putting her hands straight up and making a fist pump. I thought, wow, she was really moved by the Gospel…here it is for you to read this morning…it is from Luke 11th chapter.
While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied,
“Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Well, Teresa didn’t stop with her raising of the arms and fist pumps, she went on to say that she loves it when the readings are fast — in short, she (and her brothers) are “fasters”. The “faster” the reading, the “faster” the homily, the “faster” the Mass are all good things. They would encourage all of you to spend the 10 seconds it takes to read today’s Gospel too…from Matthew’s 19th chapter – all two verses together…
Children were brought to Jesus
that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said,
“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
After he placed his hands on them, he went away.
They would highly recommend that you stay away from the 1st reading from Joshua this morning. I highly recommend reading it though. One of my favorite lines from the Bible comes out of today’s 1st reading….As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
Which brings me to my second point. Sarah and I have tried to raise our children in much the same way our parents raised us. There were a lot of goods things are parents taught us, but one of the most important was service for others. Take some time out of the busy lives we live and do something good for others who may need help. It is with great pride that I got to go to a Trivia Night last night that my daughter Grace and her husband Chris organized, wrote the questions, gathered all of the auction items, promoted, etc. It was all done for a firefighters family who lost their son, husband, father fighting a fire earlier this year. I don’t know the amount raised but I’m sure it was in excess of $10,000. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of the efforts she and Chris put forth doing this for a family that they didn’t even know; what they did know is that it was the right thing to do. God bless you Grace and Chris. The only downside to the evening was that our table lost to my daughter Mary’s table by 4 points. I’m gonna have to live with that now.
Do something great for our Lord today – live in His love and live in service for others. We are a family – lets behave as one.
God’s will, not mine, be done.
Be not afraid; just have faith.
Jesus, I trust in You.
He must increase; I must decrease.
St. Mary Magdalen Men of God 