Dear friends,
As we celebrate the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the church calls us to reflect of the quintessential question: whom do we place our trust? Jeremiah the prophet suggests in 17: 5-8 “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seek his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.”
It is an absolutely fabulous passage for our reflection. Where do you place your trust? Our responsorial psalm (1: 1-4) will say, “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” Do you fear the heat when it comes? Do you show distress in the year of drought? Does your root stretch out to the stream, the source of our lives? If you are a person who trusts in the Lord, then the answers to these questions are clear.
This is the week in which we celebrate our Catholic Faith by generously participating in the mission of the Diocese of Orlando. . The theme of this year’s Our Catholic Appeal (OCA 2022) is “As One Faith Family, We TRUST in the LORD.” What is uniquely Catholic is that we are not alone. We are universal in our reach. We are not focused on our own selves. We are together in Mission. We cannot exist without the diocese: from the diocese have come many benefits for our parish. I was very proud of the 39.9% of our parishioners who generously shouldered the load for the entire parish and made it one of the most generous parishes in Brevard County. Kudos to you all! I look forward to greater participation this year.
This weekend we take time to thank Fr. John Patrick for his service to our parish since he joined our parish over 3 years ago. His reassignment might come as a surprise to most ofus, but it was not a surprise to Fr. John Patrick nor me. Having completed his term last June, Fr. John Patrick was due for a transfer. However, his fall and the subsequent surgery and rehab kept the bouncing around until now. I was unable to let the community know without having a specific departure date. Fr. John Patrick has been given a 4 month sabbatical before he takes up a new assignment. We wish him a great sabbatical and many graces and blessings in his new assignment, as we assure him of our prayers. We will miss you, Fr. John Patrick!
Have a blessed week!
With love,
Fr. John