Dear parishioners and friends of St. Julia Parish,
 
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.
  
May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love.
 
Fr. Greg

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Julia Parish,
 
I love the early morning in our church.  When it is still somewhat dark, with minimal lights, and the lights on our beautiful crucifix.  And to simply be still.
 
It has always been, is, and will always be, past, present, and future, my heartfelt 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 simply be still.  It will feel 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,
  
When you and I were baptized, we were anointed with Sacred Chrism while the following prayer was said: “As Christ was anointed priest, prophet, and king, so may you live always as a member of His body, sharing everlasting life.” With these words, we were all given a share in the prophetic mission of Jesus, to proclaim the gospel by our thoughts, words, and deeds.

What does it mean to be prophetic? What is a prophet? A prophet is a person who speaks the truth in God’s name regardless of the consequences. The role of a prophet is not an easy one, filled with only glory and reward. All three figures in this weekends readings are challenged by the task that God has laid before them. Ezekiel is being sent to a rebellious, hard-faced, obstinate people. Saint Paul puts up with mistreatment, distress, persecutions, and difficulties. Jesus is rejected by his own countrymen, neighbourhood, and ultimately by the whole nation. A prophet goes to proclaim God’s agenda setting aside his/her own.

The challenge of the prophet is to speak the truth regardless of the consequences.  The reality is, this is no easy task with family, co-workers, friends, neighours...the very people that are closest to us and that we love and adore. Many of us place heavy stress on “acceptance”. We all want to be popular; we want to be affirmed. We want to be accepted by those around us. At times it seems that we determine our actions, not by how much they conform to what is true, right, and good, but by how much acceptance they will get for us among our peers. Because of this, we often neglect to perform those acts and say those things which are truly prophetic because we don’t want to be rejected. A prophet must learn how to deal with rejection. Ezekiel, St. Paul, and Jesus were rejected.

So what is one to do?  "Come Holy Spirit!"  Pray to the Holy Spirit to help you find the words.  Call upon the saints to intercede.  In our very secular culture we need all the help we can get.  Perhaps most important, and what required no words, is our witness, the way we live and conduct our lives.  Our witness has the power to plant seeds in hearts, seeds of truth

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 when we will fuel up for the week ahead.  Stay cool!

Fr. Greg