What is it that you hunger for? This is a simple question and yet one that is so profound. What is the first thing that comes to your mind? Was it something of this world? This is the question and essence of this Sunday’s Gospel from John. We may answer this question with a different answer at different points in our life on this our earthly journey. The challenge is, there are so many things here on earth that we are told will satisfy our hunger – the things of this world. That is what the marketers will say. Yet the divine marketer, our Lord, will tell us something different.
“I am the bread of life” says our Lord. There is only one thing that can satisfy the deepest hungers and longings in our hearts. That is God. It is God alone who can satisfy us, with the true bread from heaven, His son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the bread of life. The sooner we come to that realization and truly commit our lives to God, the sooner we will experience the fullness of life that God wants for each of us, and experience true joy. That is what I want for each of us here at St. Julia as well (and friends of St. Julia too!). May we all hunger for this same thing. That is my prayer. May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend. Fr. Greg This Sunday we celebrate the First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The theme of this first World Day is “I am with you always” (cf. Mt 28:20). The theme’s purpose is to convey the closeness of God and the Church to the elderly and also to emphasize the intergenerational closeness between the young and the elderly.
This World Day that we are celebrating today can help us to understand that all of us, young and old, grandparents and grandchildren, whether or not we belong to the same family, are “one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call”. This awareness comforts us and shapes us as a people as we gather around the altar on which the Lord multiplies the bread of life and the Word of our salvation. The elderly (or the young at heart) − like the young − are important. Without them the body of the Church lacks something. That is why it is necessary for them to have their rightful place within each of our communities. It is crucial that we share in the lives of older people in the same way that the Lord, in giving us his Body and Blood, has made us sharers in his own. As the themes of “Love of God” and “Love of Neighbour” continue to resonate in the back of our minds, consider calling that grandparent or “young at heart” person in your life, to let them know that they are loved. Reassure them that we are united together at the celebration of the Mass, and that in a special way they will be prayed for at our Masses this weekend at St. Julia. And if that someone special has gone before us, remember that they continue to hear our prayers, and that they are praying for us. Click here to read Pope Francis’ Message YOUTUBE Pope Francis’ Message for the 1st World Day of Prayer for Grandparent and the Elderly May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend. Fr. Greg It is so very good to see more and more of our parish family returning in person to the celebration of Mass. This is great cause to rejoice and offer prayers of thanksgiving. Not to jump the gun on the celebration of thanksgiving as time goes by fast enough on its own, recently I have been thinking more and more about the need to offer prayers of thanksgiving. This sounds nice, yet so many times it is over looked. How important it is, at the end of day, along with an examination of conscience, to simply count our blessings. To list off ten things that I am thankful for. The simple idea of opening my heart to God in thanksgiving has the power to transform my life and remind myself, ourselves, that we are truly blessed. If there is something weighing on our heart, the blessings outweigh that something.
In our Gospel from Mark 6:30-34 this Sunday, Jesus reminds us of the need to pause, to take a break from the routine, and to enter more fully in placing ourselves in the presence of the Lord. Some spiritual authors have referred to this “pause that refreshes” or as I learned in the seminary “living in the present moment.” By placing ourselves in the presence of our Lord and turning to our Lord in prayer, we have the opportunity to encounter our Lord, to pause, and to simply allow the love of Christ to pour over us. Counting our blessings is just one example. As more and more things begin to open up, may we always be people of thanksgiving, taking the time to pause, and allow our Lord to refresh us. May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend. Fr. Greg Dear parishioners and friends of St. Julia Parish,
Yesterday I had the blessed opportunity to be able to attend a funeral, in person, at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish in Niagara Falls. This church holds a special place in my heart for it was there where I spent my pastoral year in my formation for the priesthood. At that time Msgr. Leo was the pastor, and he was a strong witness for me in his love for the people and his dedication to prayer. I will never forget that. While I was invited to concelebrate, all I wanted was to simply be in the pew, to be in that sacred place, to get on my knees in prayer, and to simply be still. It felt good. My desire is to lead each of us and those entrusted to my care to God, His son Jesus Christ, and to get us to heaven. It is in the stillness where we come to know God, and through prayer communicate with Him. There is no better place to do so than in church, our church of St. Julia. Consider joining us for Mass a little earlier to offer your prayers of thanksgiving and blessings, and to offer and make known your petitions. And to get on your knees in prayer, and to simply be still. It will feel good. Perhaps you have not been with us for some time, for the obvious, and perhaps not so obvious reasons. I warmly welcome you home. While we will continue to live stream our Masses, as we know there this no substitute for being in a sacred space, and to be fed by the Word of God and the Body of Christ, and to be together, as a community of believers. Again, it feels good. May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend. Fr. Greg My dear friends in Christ,
Yesterday, Friday July 2 marked two years for me as your Pastor here at St. Julia. These two years have been like nothing one could ever have expected or prepared for. On one hand, 8 months into my time here everything stopped, as the people I have been called to serve were not able to join me in person for the celebration of Mass – the Mass being the “source and summit” of our faith. And yet, God put remarkable people into my path to be able to continue to serve each of you, only now virtually. Without missing a beat, we were able to launch the live streaming of our Mass on a YouTube channel…who would have ever thought. In the midst of a pandemic, we were able to upgrade our sound system, replace windows, and undertake a brick repointing project. Paint rollers were put into action, and the parish office, lower entrance, upper and lower restrooms, the parish hall and kitchen too were all freshened. Perhaps the greatest transformation was that of our new crucifix in the sanctuary that redefines our worship space and gives us the much-needed focus of why we are here and remind us of what Christ did for each of us – all in love. The gardens were beautified, and so much more, all in order to welcome all, and to make all feel welcome in this church dedicated to St. Julia. Now, with our new logo and electronic sign coming in the future, the theme of welcome continues as we look to the future and the next chapter of St. Julia. The generosity of so many with their time, talents, and treasures has made all of this possible. For this I am most grateful. I pray that you too are pleased with all of the enhancements both inside and out. With each passing week I see more and more faces of those who I have missed seeing these past 16 months. Please help me in reaching out to our parish family in letting that someone know that we are open and ready to welcome them back to the celebration of Mass. The live stream has been wonderful, and yet in our hearts we know that there is no substitute for joining us in person for Mass and to be fed with the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. With many now having received their second vaccination and waiting the two weeks to be considered fully vaccinated, the time has come to welcome all back to St. Julia. That being said, all of the protocols that we have had in place since day one and have enforced continue to be in place, including: mandatory masks, sanitizer at multiple points in the church, social distancing in the pews, distribution of communion at the end of Mass to assist with the flow of people to prevent congestion, and the sanitizing of pews and touchpoints at the end of our celebrations. Thank you so very much for continuing to keep this worship space safe for the safety and benefit of all, and now, for peace of mind as we continue to do our part to bring this pandemic to an end while being able to worship as a community. It is with love that I warmly welcome more and more back to Mass, and it is with that same love that I look forward to continuing to serve our community, now with a focus on mission. May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend. Fr. Greg |
AuthorFrom Our Pastor Archives
July 2024
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