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It’s amazing the number of people that approached Jesus during his time on earth. Today’s Gospel tells of a Canaanite woman who keeps following Jesus, pleading that he do something to help her daughter: “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Even though he tells her that his mission is to the lost sheep of the Israel, it doesn’t stop her. In today’s second reading, Paul speaks to the Gentiles as the apostle to the Gentiles. Thus, we see that the mission of Jesus is for all people. Many had been excluded up to this point; many did not think they were worthy to approach Jesus. The truth that Jesus shows so clearly is that God’s love and concern is offered to all people – not just one group. No one is excluded if they are willing to open their heart to what is offered.

Next Saturday, two of our Friars will make their solemn profession of vows here at St. Francis at 11 AM. Br. Ramon Razon, who is here at St. Francis, and Br. Casey Cole have completed their years in formation and now vow to live the Franciscan way of life for the rest of their lives. Congratulations to Ramon and Casey and thank you!

I would like to welcome Fr. David McBriar to St. Francis Church. Fr. David has been ministering at St. Francis Chapel in Loudonville, NY recently, but previously he has been Pastor of St. Francis Church in Raleigh, NC and Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Durham, NC. He comes with much pastoral experience and we are happy to have him here at St. Francis.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

 

Why did Jesus walk on water to the disciples in the boat? Did he want to scare them? No, his first words to them were “Do not be afraid.”While they were being tossed by wind and waves, he showed them that he was not affected by the storm. If they had had faith, they might have realized that if Jesus was safe, they would be, too. We too must make that leap of faith, especially when we are afraid.

Peter seemed to be willing to take the leap as he stepped into the water. But when his attention was distracted by the strong winds, he began to falter. This is where we can apply the story to ourselves.

Our growth in faith is not a steady progression. For every two steps forward, we may take one step back. For example, we receive God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation and rejoice in God’s loving mercy, but later we fall back into sin. We ask God’s help in prayer and when our prayer is answered, our faith in God grows. Then we become ill or wreck the car, and think that God has abandoned us. But isn’t that a natural reaction?

It is natural to doubt God in times of trouble, but we are choosing to live in the supernatural when we become followers of Christ. Like Peter, we need to keep our attention on the Lord. As long as Peter looked to Jesus, he could walk on water. Only when he focused on the wind did he loose his nerve and begin to sink.

In a similar way, we can lose our focus on the Lord. We see someone we love who is gravely sick. We make a serious mistake that gets us in trouble. We lose our job and have no leads to a new one. We are frightened by news of terrorist activity. These seem more real than faith in an invisible God. That is when we must remember that true faith allows us to believe when it doesn’t seem to make sense. Faith tells us that though apparently invisible, God is more real than anything we can see. Remember Jesus on the cross saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The Father never abandoned his Son and God will never abandon us.

-Tom Schmidt

As we extend a heartfelt welcome to all our visitors, we invite you to take something home with you. We have several beautiful items for sale in the lobby of St. Francis House which you might want to give as a gift or keep for yourself.

In 1957, Viennese sculptor Betti Richard was commissioned to design a bronze statue of St. Francis of Assisi for the entrance courtyard on 32nd Street. The life-size figure shows St. Francis kneeling in prayer before the large stone crucifx over the doors. Through the years, the hands, knee and heel of St. Francis have been worn to a bright shiny finish from being touched by countless passersby. The rest of the statue, however, has taken on a warm dark bronze patina.

Reproductions of the St. Francis statue (7.75 inches high) are $55.00.

We have a beautiful, full-color guide book with dozens of photos of the stained glass windows, mosaics, statues and shrines of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, along with a brief history of the church and archival photos. Want to know who all those  figures are in the Great Mosaic? They’re all identified in our guidebook which is available for just $5.00.

We hear Peter say the following in today’s Gospel: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus said, “Come.” We remember that even though Peter sounds rather determined when he asks Jesus to have him come on the water, soon he begins to lose his nerve and begins to sink. It’s not easy to walk on water and there are many circumstances in our lives where we may feel that the Lord is asking us “to walk on water.” There is something of St. Peter in all of us – strength at times and fear at other times. Fear is something real and we always have to be aware of what it can do to us. That’s why we must stay close to Jesus who is with us even at the times when we think that we are going to drown. 

This week we have a Holy Day of Obligation: the Assumption of Mary. Remember that the 4:30 and 5:30 Mass on Monday afternoon will fulfill your obligation, in addition to the Masses on Tuesday. This is a day for us to honor the Blessed Mother for being the Mother of the Church and our Mother.

Next week we will have our Week of Prayer in honor of Our Lady, Untier of Knots. This has become a popular devotion at St. Francis and we invite you to participate in these special days. All of us have things that tie us “in knots” and Mary is a wonderful example of one who had to deal with many complicating factors in her life and yet remained a Woman of Faith. Please join us!

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

Today’s feast of the Transfiguration presents the full force of God’s power. In the rare moments when humans are permitted to encounter God’s intense fullness, the human reaction is the same: fear. The prophet Daniel is so frightened by his visions that he falls at on his face in terror. Today’s Gospel reports that Peter, James, and John were “very much afraid” when they saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain. They too fell prostrate in fear. These mighty revelations of God’s brilliant majesty have a paralyzing effect on those who witness them. God does not prefer to terrify us, however. God chooses only rare moments to reveal the divine glory, and then sends witnesses to the rest of us so we can believe without fear. Saint Peter’s letter advises us to be attentive to God’s witnesses. Their testimony is true. Their words renew our hearts and transform our lives.

The Eye of the Beholder

Matthew’s Gospel reveals that Jesus’ face “shone like the sun” during his transfiguration. The evangelist is using a figure of speech, of course, but we can imagine what beholding the Transfiguration might have been like for Peter, James, and John. The brightness of Jesus’ face is compared to the sun. Earth is about ninety-three million miles distant from the sun, yet if we look directly at it, we suffer retinal burns, permanent eye damage, or severe vision loss. What is it like to behold the brightness of Jesus? The disciples were terrified. Perhaps looking at Jesus in his glory feels as dangerous as staring at a solar eclipse. Sure enough, the disciples hid their eyes, falling at on their faces.

God’s Mercy

Although the disciples’ experience on the mountain was frightening, our merciful Lord does not want fear to overshadow the miracle they witnessed. Jesus touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” God’s words from the cloud overhead were similarly encouraging: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” God lovingly reassures us, con rming Jesus’ identity as the Son of Man and inviting us to pay attention to the One who comes to save us.

Saint Peter, an eyewitness to the event, declares that his testimony is “altogether reliable.” We can depend on his word. Peter hopes his words act like a “lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” Thanks be to God, we can rely on the life-changing experiences of others to help transform our own lives. We may not ever have intimidating mountaintop revelations like Peter, James, and John, so we listen to them as witnesses of God’s majesty. All of our readings today remind us that God gives us the Word to believe and live, and sends us the words of Daniel, Peter, and Matthew to encourage us.

© J. S. Paluch Co.

In some places a spiritual ‘desertification’ has evidently come about as the result of attempts by some societies to build without God or to eliminate their Christian roots. In those places “the Christian world is becoming sterile, and it is depleting itself like an overexploited ground, which transforms into a desert.” In other countries, violent opposition to Christianity forces Christians to hide their faith in their own beloved homeland. This is another painful kind of desert. But family and the workplace can also be a parched place where faith nonetheless has to be preserved and communicated. Yet, “it is starting from the experience of the desert…that we can again discover the joy of believing, its vital importance for us men and women. In the desert we discover the value of what is essential for living; thus in today’s world there are innumerable signs, often expressed implicitly or negatively, of the thirst for God, for the ultimate meaning of life.”