26th sunday in ordinary time

​God knows each one of us –– our joys, strengths and weaknesses, our successes and failures, our faith, our needs, hopes and dreams.  Not only does God know us; He loves us. 
 
But how much do we know God?  How much do we love God?  We know and love God through prayer, through our ministries, and in our relationships with other people.  We know and love God through our participation in the sacraments, through Scripture and meditation, and through our gathering together as a parish family here at St. Julia.  We know God through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.
 
But how about knowing and loving God with the help of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, whose feast we celebrate this upcoming Wednesday, September 29?  Well, they all point us to God, through Jesus Christ, who is our protector, our strength, our hero and our healer.  But we, too, have these responsibilities –– of protecting each other, of strengthening each other, of healing each other. Loving and supporting one another –– this is our vocation; this is our commitment to each other.
 
We can ask for St. Michael’s prayers for spiritual protection and to help us to protect each other.  We can ask for St. Gabriel’s prayers for strength, for courage and to help us to strengthen one other and announce one others goodness and gifts.  We can also ask for the prayers of St. Raphael to help us to heal each other and comfort each other in times of difficulty and distress.  These are some of the ways in which we can truly know and love God.  Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, please continue to pray for us.
 
May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to seeing you at Mass this weekend.
 
Fr. Greg