From the Rector’s Desk…

 

We return to Sundays in Ordinary Time on this 11th Sunday, after celebrating two feasts of our Lord the past two weekends.  In the Gospel account, Jesus encourages his disciples to pray for laborers for the harvest and shepherds for his flock.  Then, in answer to those prayers, he chooses twelve men who will become his Apostles - the foundation of his Church.  We also must pray for laborers for the harvest - priests to help sanctify the people of God and preach the Gospel.  We also need lay people who will take up the mission of the Church - to gather the lost sheep, to evangelize and to heal.  We have been blessed with many lay movements in the Church that have taken up the mission of teaching all nations about Jesus, usually in very specific ways and in particular places.  They are a great gift to the Church.  All the baptized are called to the mission of the Church to be a source of light and hope - to model Christ.  In the first reading from Exodus, God reminds the Israelites that if they keep his covenant, they will become a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.   We are also a kingdom of priests in Jesus’ Church, given this role by our baptism. There is the ministerial priesthood which provides the grace of Christ for the people of God through the sacramental life of the Church.  Yet, there is also the general priesthood of the baptized who are called to sanctify the world around them by the holiness of their lives.  We can be tempted to think that this priesthood is not significant but we would be wrong.  When we conduct ourselves with dignity, modesty, purity and honesty, we provide an example for how to live and a reminder that God is present, working through and in the lives of His people.  Our dedication to Christian living is attractive because it brings peace, joy, strength and balance to our lives and the lives of our families.   Others see this and desire it.  It requires some sacrifice and discipline but that leads to growth, maturity and greater peace.  We need the relationship with Jesus to live this way.  We find him in the Church, particularly at the Mass.   We hear his voice in the Scripture and we come into communion with the life of God in the sacrament of the Eucharist, the new covenant in Christ’s blood.  The Mass is that covenantal celebration that is essential for us to be a kingdom of priests.  We are called to keep this covenant every Sunday.

 

 

Happy Father’s Day

I want to wish our fathers a Happy Father’s Day.  May God bless your vocation.  Know that your role in your family and in the lives of your children is essential.  The vocation of fatherhood, lived out well, can be a blessing for our families, communities and country.  In the ways that you provide for your family and protect them, you give assurance and also an example of God the Father’s providence for all of you.  When you love your children and our merciful, you show forth the compassion of Christ.  May the Lord strengthen you in this task.

 

 

Holy Cross News

This Sunday is our Mission Appeal Weekend.  The Missions Office of the Diocese of Columbus has assigned us to support the Divine Word Missionaries.  They are a religious congregation of priests and brothers that serve in 79 countries around the world.  They serve in areas in which the Gospel has not been preached or where the Church cannot survive without the help of missionary service.  They were founded in 1875 in the Netherlands by Saint Arnold Janssen and number approximately 6,000 members worldwide.  The Divine Word Missionaries will not be sending a representative.  However, they have sent us a written Appeal which will be read at the 9 am Mass.   Checks can be made out to Holy Cross church noting Mission Appeal in the memo line.  I thank you for your generosity.  

Have a blessed week.

 

Fr. Kitsmiller