Sunday, July 10, 2011

Announcements: 16th Sunday Ordinary Year A

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements (for Sunday July 17):

Mission Complete: Here is a picture of the West entrance to Lake Clark Pass as our Cherokee Warrior II was completing its Mission in Bristol Bay. The plane is now parked in Space A5 at the Wasilla airport.


Thank you: Thanx to Brian Venua and Spruce Lynch for sharing their musical talent at the funeral of Olga Marie Ayuluk. The music was wonderful!

Thank you: Thank you to Pat Walsh for welding a part for Pat Durbin and thank you to Pat D. for mowing the cemetery. The grounds were perfect for the funeral of Olga Ayuluk.

My Last Sunday: My last Sunday at Holy Rosary will be the 24th of July. I plan to leave Monday or Tuesday the 25th or 26th to Anchorage to start preparing for my new assignment at Sacred Heart in Wasilla.

Around the Mission: I actually flew our Cherokee through the Lake Clark Pass to Wasilla last week. It was not a great flight. The clouds were low and there was fog and mist. Fortunately the Pass was open but leading up to the pass and leaving the pass, I was Scud running, i.e. around 500 to 600 feet. It started clearing up a few miles west of Wasilla. I did my first daily Mass (pinch hit for Fr. Stan Alley), unloaded some of my belongings in the Wasilla office garage, and flew back on Penair.

Gospel: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a slow growing mustard tree. Please see Homily and Readings below.

Have a wonderful week and see you Sunday!


Homily and Readings:

16 Ord A DLG 2008 Seed, Wisdom 12:13&16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43

The desire to root out evil is a universal temptation for humanity. Look at Hitler’s concentration camps, Stalin’s purges, China’s cultural Revolution, the Spanish Inquisition, and the witch-hunts of medieval Europe. Our human history is littered with the bloody attempts to create by force a pure and uncontaminated society.

Even religion has a desire to create a perfect community of the saved. After all, isn’t the point of faith to strive for perfection and to root out sin?

The gospel tells us that it is not up to us to be the judge of who is evil and who is not. Only God can judge the human heart. Thus, Jesus rejects the witch-hunts, the inquisitions, and the purified races. He says, “Let both weed and wheat grow together, side by side, until the harvest.”

God’s plan is that the Kingdom of God is not to be imposed by force and violence. The parable of the mustard seed helps to explain an important message. Let’s take a look.

Mustard is actually an herb. There seems to be some confusion as to the interpretation of the mustard tree, which came from the mustard seed. There are several different kinds of mustard bushes. The best picture I say was called the Original Mustard tree.

The Kingdom of God grows gradually from small beginnings like a mustard seed.

Such growth needs time and has a rhythm of its own: God’s rhythm!

The effect of the kingdom gradually transforms people from within. In the Gospel of John Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches, if you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”

The seed of the Kingdom of God grows when people respond to it freely, like the leaves soak in the sunlight and the roots take up the water. When there is good soil. When there is a receptive heart. It is then that a person can bring forth a rich harvest of good works.

The seed of the Kingdom of God has great power. It has power to transform both individuals and the world. But never by force and never in a big hurry.

The mustard seed grows slowly. It represents patience. The lord is patient in order to allow us to respond to his love. The seed of God inside of us needs time to ripen and to grow. God has patience in us because he believes in us. He give us time so that our true selves may flourish.

God’s patience allows us to fail a few times. Like the parable of the sower last week, there were three failures, the seed on the path, seed on rocks, and seeds in thorns. Finally, the seed fell on rich soil. God has patience so that we will eventually choose the life-giving wheat, rather than the life-choking weeds.

The way of Jesus and all of us, is not to do violence to ourselves or to others. Our way is to allow God’s gentle and persistent love to bring forth a harvest of good works within us. To grow from a little tiny mustard seed, to a beautiful tree: focus on good. Allow God’s Kingdom to grow within you. Let God transform you.

So, let us rejoice this day because our lord is patient, mild of judgment, and gives us time to grow into beautiful people (561 Words).

Wisdom 12:13&16-19
For neither is there any god besides you who have the care of all, that you need show you have not unjustly condemned; For your might is the source of justice; your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all. For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved; and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity. But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for power, whenever you will, attends you. And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; And you gave your sons good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.

Romans 8:26-27
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will.

Matthew 13:24-43
He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation (of the world)." Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned (up) with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.

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