Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 25, 2024

SJE Admin • August 28, 2024

Dear Friends,

The five-week-long reflection on the 6th Chapter of the Gospel of John, known as the Bread of Life Discourse, is coming to an end today. I pray that by now you know why this chapter in the Gospel of John is so vital to us Catholics, who pin the very foundation of our faith on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the hinge pin on which our faith turns. Indeed, in the Eucharist Jesus has left His beating heart, so that we may know how much He desires for us to commune with Him through this foretaste of heaven itself. It is why we call the Eucharist “the source and summit “ of our Christian Faith.

On this 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, we are drawn to the peak of the discussion about how appalling, disgusting, and shocking it was for those listening to Jesus to hear Him offer His own body to be eaten as food and His own blood to be their drink. In these closing verses of John Chapter 6, the crucial moment arrives: will they stay with Jesus or leave Him because of His claim to be the bread from heaven that one must eat in order to gain eternal life?

Jesus does not back down on His claim to be the Son of God whose body we must eat and whose blood we must drink to be saved. The Gospel tells us, “As a result of this, many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, ‘Do you also want to leave?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you the Holy One of God.’ ” (John 6: 66-69). Thus, Peter makes his iconic and most fundamental choice.

One of my favorite passages in the Book of Joshua is presented in the first reading this weekend. The passage gives us a perfect picture of being faced with the option of going this way or that. Joshua posed this challenge to the Israelites: Decide today whom you will serve. He then makes his most decisive choice clear as he says: : “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Have you made your choice? For real? Like the many disciples who returned to their former way of life, many Catholics have left and are still leaving the Faith. Why? Is it because they have not understood the claim of Jesus? If they believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, how could they leave? They seem to have opted instead for places that offer a temporary calm, or a music that thrills, or a talk that gives them an emotional high. But they don’t have what we have: Jesus Himself. This is why the Eucharist is so dear to us. Everything revolves around the Eucharist for us. We have the ultimate food that nourishes us for eternal life.

Talking about the choices we make provides a perfect segue into another choice that we as Floridians have to make. Just as we choose Jesus Christ over any other good in life, we are also called to defend the sanctity of human life above all challenges.

Amendment 4 to the Florida Constitution which proposes to make abortion a right under the state Constitution: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” I believe that the proposed amendment is extreme and written in a manner that is misleading. As I read it, the amendment would:

allow late-term abortions
jeopardize health and safety protections for women and minors
remove doctors from the abortion decision, replacing them with an undefined category called “healthcare provider”
eliminate parental consent for a minor to have an

I ask you to become well informed about Amendment 4. As for me, I will vote NO to Amendment 4.

Also, our bishop John Noonan and all the bishops of Florida have noted that: “This proposal directly contradicts the Gospel of Life and the teachings of the Catholic Church. In response to this critical moment, we are called not only to oppose this amendment but also to actively promote a culture of life rooted in the profound truths of our Catholic faith. The sacredness of life is not, has never been and can never be relegated to a political issue. Thus, it is entirely appropriate to address this as a matter of learning and understanding our Catholic faith.”

Hence, I request you, my dear brothers and sisters, please make every effort to get to know what is at stake. Remaining in Jesus through the Eucharist builds a community of love, unity, and respect for all life. This communion fosters solidarity and justice, creating a society where each person, including one yet to be born, is valued and protected. A civilization of love is built on the foundation of Christ's sacrificial love, which calls us to support life- affirming policies and practices. Just as the Eucharist is central to our spiritual life, so too the recognition of the sanctity of human life is essential to our moral life.

We often forget how scandalous the gospel message truly is, even to modern ears. It challenges us profoundly and places an option before us: trust in the God who has led us thus far or leave Him and His teachings for what feels more comfortable. It is only by and through God’s grace that we can take on the scandal of the gospel and fashion our lives around it.

Just as the disciples had to decide whether to accept Jesus' challenging teachings or walk away, so we too must choose to uphold or walk away from the Church’s teaching on the sacredness of life, to recognize or deny that every human life is a gift from God. We are called to be strong, even when societal pressures push us toward comfort and convenience. So I ask you: please vote NO to Amendment 4, and give this state a chance of being redeemed. Otherwise, Florida will become a place where the merciless killing of helpless children while they are babies in the womb will become commonplace, and we will share in that egregious assault on life.

In closing, are you on board to help the parish reach our goal of offering 2,000 hours of Adoration by 15 September? Let me remind you of the Holy Hour Challenge begun on 6 August, the Feast of the Assumption of our Lady. How many Holy Hours can you give to Jesus by 15 September? If you have not been able to be part of this beautiful way of showing love for our Eucharistic Lord, it is not too late to begin! If your time is tight and you can’t give a full hour, you can break it into smaller segments, such as 15 minutes a day or so until you complete an hour. Once you make an hour, please log in your name, write it in the register kept in front of the Adoration Chapel or call the office. Pope Benedict XVI said it so well: “The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself.”

Have a Blessed Week!

Fr. John

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First Sunday of Lent, March 9, 2025

March 9, 2025

Dear friends, The holy season of Lent has begun with a glorious Ash Wednesday. It was heartwarming to see our children at the 7 a.m. Mass that day. They wore the cross-shaped ashes on their foreheads to school, proud to show their faith and be silent evangelizers. We are very proud of them! Now that it is Lent, we will offer Stations of the Cross at the Grotto each day of the week except Sunday, including the traditional Stations on Fridays. I urge you to look at the bulletin for all the details about special Masses and other spiritual activities that have been created to support you on your lenten journey. I ask that you take the Lenten Schedule on page 8 and post it where you will remember to look at it. In particular, note the information about the Lenten Mission on March 16-18, the special programing for the Tuesdays of Lent, and the many spiritual activities on Fridays. We can approach Lent as the opportunity to do a spiritual “spring cleaning.” As one good priest reminded me: “Lent is a time to re-read the ‘owner’s manual,’ to tune our ‘engines,’ and to refurbish our ‘vehicles’ – not only for the journey of 40 days but also for the journey of life, the right life–and the right eternity.” God has given us an inexhaustible capacity for the transformation needed for becoming holy. Lent is also that special time of year when we walk with our catechumens and candidates as they prepare to become full members of the Catholic faith during the Easter Vigil. We are called to support them through our prayers and examples of faith. Remember to pray for their sponsors and their families as well. During the Vigil Mass on 8 March, the St. John’s family will join with our catechumens in celebration of the ritual called the Rite of Sending. In this rite, they will be recognized for the progress they have made in their spiritual formation. Then we will send them on to the Rite of Election which will be celebrated by Bishop Noonan the next day, 9 March, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. We are very proud of the perseverance and dedication of our sisters and brothers . In this Jubilee Year 2025 themed, “Pilgrims of Hope,” it is good to reflect on the words of St. Teresa of Avila about hope and what it accomplishes: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.” On the First Sunday of Lent, we always revisit the scene of the temptation of Jesus in the desert where he spent 40 days fasting and praying. We also recall our ancestors in faith, the ancient Israelites, who for 40 years trudged their way through the desert to the promised land. Jesus, through his patient acceptance of suffering and his rejection of the allurements of the devil, models the correct response in times of adversity and testing. This is in contrast with the ancient Israelites who murmured and complained bitterly about their ordeal. Jesus never swerved from being obedient to his Father; he completely and utterly depended on Him. Let us, too, place complete confidence in the Father during our times of trial, of which there will be many. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, continues to need our prayers. Let us continue to pray for his healing: “O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Francis, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” I take this opportunity to announce that Beth Lowry has joined our parish staff as the new Business Manager. She held the position of bookkeeper in our office some years ago. Beth is well known to many at St. John’s. She and her devoted husband Steve have long been involved in many of our ministries. Beth brings a rich variety of work experience and abilities to her new position, and we wish her a positive and pleasant experience as she takes on this leadership role at St. John’s. Welcome, Beth! Have an inspiring and enriching LENT! With love, Fr. John