Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,
Lent is a great season of grace, a time for us to get back to spiritual basics, a time for us to accompany Jesus into the desert, to face temptation with him, and learn how to respond to it.

Jesus felt temptation.  On the desert floor, the devil tempts Jesus (hungry after 40 days fasting) to turn stones into bread, to make the satisfaction of sensual desire the highest good of life.  Many fall into the sensual temptation for food, drink, drugs, sex, etc., or the money to purchase them.  During Lent we take a good long hard look at this tendency.  If sensual pleasure is my greatest desire then I am in sad spiritual shape.  Like kids who want everything.  If we always give in, we never open ourselves to higher goods, like friendship, knowledge, and searching for God. 

Jesus response: man does not live by bread alone.  We need bread, but that isn’t all there is. 

The challenge and opportunity for us this Lent is to move higher, and to not get stuck on the desert floor.

May God bless each of you and those that you love, and know of my prayers for a blessed and grace-filled season of Lent.

Fr. Greg

Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,
This weekend in our Gospel from Matthew 5:38-48 we will hear some of the most difficult teachings of Jesus:  Love your enemies.  This is a tough one.

Sometimes we may ignore, avoid, or downplay the teachings of Jesus.  Too difficult?  We move on.  Yet so many times the difficult teachings have the power to change our lives.  Correction - transform our lives.  That is what I want for each and every one of us - lives that are transformed, all through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus once again speaks the words we need to hear.

In a few short days we will begin the season the Lent, a time of transformation.  May we dig our teeth into the difficult teachings of Jesus.  Remember, with God all things are possible.

I had a very pleasant time away, and I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend for the source and summit of our faith, the Mass.

May God bless each of you and those that you love.

Fr. Greg

 
Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,
When I get up in the morning I pray for a H.P.P.P. day.  Holy. Pleasant. Productive. Peaceful.

First I pray for a Holy Day.  We are all called to holiness, and that is my prayer for myself and all those entrusted to my care.  That is each one of you.  I pray that my words, deeds, and actions are holy and are reflective of the live I want to live.  Think of Jesus right there beside you.  Are the words that I speak appropriate for Jesus to hear?  Do they build others up?  Are my actions appropriate?  Is what I am watching or streaming appropriate and helping me in living a holy life?  Sometimes I succeed, other times I can do better.

Next I pray for a Pleasant day.  A sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment.  To be able to say at the end of the day "that was a pleasant day" is a gift from God.

Next is Productive.  It is said that  people who makes their bed in the morning are more productive.  Google it.  Bed-makers were more than twice as likely to be satisfied with their jobs and almost 20 percent more likely to prioritize responsibilities over their desires and to be more productive in their free time. Even more importantly, people who make the bed get more sleep (over 2.5 hours more per week, on average).  I feel better about myself when I've had a productive day.  I will admit, some time on the couch is nice too.

Last but not least is Peaceful.  Peace is a gift and not to be taken for granted.  It is what I want in my life and in my day, and it is what I want for everyone who walks out of the doors St. Julia.

Praying for a holy, pleasant, productive, and peaceful day has the power to transform your life.  Who can make all this possible?  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Each day is a gift.  May your days be holy, pleasant, productive, and peaceful, and may God bless you.

Fr. Greg

Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.


Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,

Our first reading from the Prophet Isaiah 58:7-10 profoundly speaks of the outreach we have undertaken here at St. Julia to the homeless in our community.  So many of you answered the call for assistance by reading this newsletter and moving into action by bringing in the things most needed.

- sleeping bags
- socks
- mittens and gloves
- jackets
- prepackaged cutlery

The picture below says it all.  The donations on these tables were picked up this past Tuesday morning.  They were sorted over the course of the day by Matthew 25 Ministries, and hand delivered to those living under the Burgoyne Bridge that evening, with the last distrubution made at 11:30 p.m. that night.

These two tables were able to assist 61 people with care packages consisting of warm clothes, socks, underwear, gloves, and utensils.  25 sleeping bags were distributed.  I was told when they can assist 25 people it is good.  This was a big deal.  Thank you.

By Wednesday morning the table was starting to fill in once again.  Thank you.

Having announced our outreach this past weekend at all of our masses, we are prayerfully ready to make another call to be able to provide additional assistance.  Thank you.

An overflowing bin of food was picked up by the St Patricks' St. Vincent de Paul and will be used in their Food distributions on Fridays.  Thank you.

An overflowing basket of "unmentionables" again revealed your generous response to a need, that was again confirmed to me this week of the shortage of men's and women's underwear for distribution to those in need.  Thank you.

Calls come in on a regular basis for assistance from our St. Vincent de Paul, with vouchers hand delivered by our volunteers.  Your donations in the boxes when you exit mass make this possible.  Thank you.

Our outreach to the homeless has just begun here at St. Julia.  Permanent bins will be put in place for donations, similar to our food bin.  For now, the tables will be a visual reminder for all of us of the outpouring of support and the great need in our community, for everything donated will get into the hands of someone in our community.

Isaiah wrote in late 600 B.C. - early 700 B.C.  As the Living Word of God, this message, some 2700 years later, is just as real today as it was then.  It is a call to action for us.

Thank you for responding to that call with a generous heart as we care for our sisters and brothers in need.

May God bless you and those that you love, 

Fr. Greg