Happy Feast Day of St. Matthew, The Apostle! The Calling of Saint Matthew is a masterpiece by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, depicting the moment at which Jesus Christ inspires Matthew to follow him. It was completed in 1599–1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where it remains today. Here is a reflection from St. Bede The Venerable, Priest from the second reading in the Office of Readings today... Enjoy! “And he rose and followed him. There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him. Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words. By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, he instructed him to walk in his footsteps. In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in his gift. As he sat at table in the house, behold many tax collectors [...]

From a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop (Hom. 50:3-4: PG 58, 508-509) Do not adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother Do you want to honor Christ’s body? Then do not scorn him in his nakedness, nor honor him here in the church with silken garments while neglecting him outside where he is cold and naked. For he who said: This is my body, and made it so by his words, also said: You saw me hungry and did not feed me, and inasmuch as you did not do it for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did not do it for me. What we do here in the church requires a pure heart, not special garments; what we do outside requires great dedication. Let us learn, therefore to be men of wisdom and to honor Christ as he desires. For a person being honored finds greatest pleasure in the honor he desires, not in the honor we think best. Peter thought he was honoring Christ when he refused to let him wash his feet; but what Peter wanted was not truly an honor, quite the opposite! Give him the honor [...]

“You inspire us, O Lord, to delight in praising you because you made us for yourself; our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” – St Augustine Feast Day: August 28th

Transition underway! “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” – John 15:16 As I prepare to go to another section of the vineyard of our Lord it has been such a joy to witness Fr. Paul McNulty’s introduction to members of our parish. Little by little I am introducing Fr. Paul to key ministry groups, our staff, and the major benefactors of our parish. Sunday, August 25 and Monday August 26 he was able to meet with our Youth Ministry Adult core team and the Spanish Ministry Coordinators. Let’s continue to pray for Fr. Paul’s Transition. He becomes your pastor Tuesday, October 15 and celebrates his 35th birthday Wednesday, October 16. Jessica Martin and our Teen High School Youth Group, L.I.T. - (Life Involves Teens; Love Involves Transformation) - are planning something special during their teen gathering that night (6:30pm - 8pm). Contact Jessica at [email protected] to express your desire to attend and support the welcoming event. Exciting times for our Parish! Peace and Joy always in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fr Richard Transición en marcha! "No fuiste tú quien me [...]

Three more quotes to brighten your day... – Psalm 121:1-2 – Daniel 3:74-76 – 1 Peter 5:7