Dear Friends,
We are in the liturgical time of the Church referred to as Ordinary Time. When it comes to our faith, beliefs, and the practice of our religion nothing seems “ordinary” to me. We have such a profound reality always before us in choosing to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, Jesus Christ. So often in our following Jesus, we may not always “get it” or understand fully what the Lord fully asks of us.
The Gospel for our Sunday, Mark 4:35 – 41 reflects a sense of what the disciples were thinking and going through that we might identify with. The disciples are with Jesus out in a boat. A violent squall suddenly comes upon them. Jesus is sound asleep and these friends of His are panicking. I would be too.
They wake Him, report what is happening and He responds by calming the sea. He also says to them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” The disciples are in awe of what just occurred. Why were they amazed? They woke Him expecting Him to do something. And He did do something pretty amazing. They had enough faith to call upon Jesus but still had some doubts and questions.
Are there moments in our lives we are like the disciples? We have faith, while also confronting doubts we may have of where the Lord is in our lives. Or, is it more like our doubts question where we are in His life? Like the disciples, we can call out to Jesus anytime, anytime, and He will respond. He is with us. Let us pray we have the resolve to remain with Him who provides all that we possibly need.
I am giving myself an early birthday gift August 9th and 10th!
There is going to be a Men’s Sharing Retreat offered to you and me at Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua. It will lead us in reflection on “The Eucharist In Our Lives.” ather Ed Palumbos who is just a fabulous man of God will lead the 24 hour retreat. I have already registered and pray you might give yourself 24 hours for this spiritual opportunity. Summer is always a time to refresh our lives and what a gift this retreat will be to refresh our spiritual life!
If you have not already registered, check for more details within this bulletin and prayerfully consider giving yourself this gift. Or, maybe someone reading this might consider gifting a man you know who would benefit by this time apart from everyday life. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
Enjoy these days of June that remain. I cannot believe how quickly that national holiday is before us!
Blessings,
Father Rob