This weekend’s Gospel from Luke is the all too familiar telling of the Good Samaritan. The reading opens with Jesus’ reply to a scholar of the law, who inquires what he must do to inherit eternal life:
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
When we think of Jesus’ followers we think of the 12 apostles, but there were more.
Today’s Gospel speaks of the 72 whom Jesus sent out. This was a kind of “internship,” a training time while Jesus was still with them. The mission was the same as Jesus’ own ministry: “cure the sick” and “say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
Mass for Independence Day will be celebrated on Thursday, July 4 at 9:00 a.m. The main office will be closed on July 4 in observance.
I have a church musician friend, about my age, who, when he goes on summer vacation, fills several grocery bags full of new music for church choirs, bell choirs, kids choirs, organ music and music for other instruments, and spends every waking minute of his “away time” pouring over the scores and planning out his year ahead at church. (I have to wonder “away” from what?) His phone and laptop are on continuously and he only comes up for air and a martini in the late evening before going to bed. He says he likes to spend his holiday time getting a jump-start on his work.
Leah Allegretti
Riley Baden
Elena Beenblossom
Avery Bennett
Elizabeth Benvenuto
Harrison Berlin
Clinton Birchard
Thomas Bloss
Aidan Brandfonbrener
John Brookover
Ella Burrier
Anabelle Carpenter
Matthew Cassell
Christopher Chojnacki
Madeline Clohisy
Louis Collazo
Finnegan Doyle
Juju Duarte
Brigid Hattel
Edward Hosty
Erica Keller
Catherine Killackey
Julia Kracik
Madeline Landry
Philip Li
Benjamin Lopez-Scala
Clarisse Lorin
In today’s readings, the Gospel comes from the account by Luke and is about the feeding of the multitudes by Jesus in a deserted place. He had been preaching and healing people all day and according to Luke had attracted around 5,000 men. The number was great, possibly twice that number, counting women and children. As the day wore on the Apostles grew concerned because, being in the wilderness, there was no place to have them obtain food. They went to Jesus and his reply was initially tell them to buy something for the crowd themselves.
Saint Clement stewardship stories have been reformatted to focus on the three Anchors that relate to stewardship: Pray, Serve, and Give—as embodied by Saint Clement parishioners. This new edition of Steward Stories will feature parishioners involved in one of the above Anchors three times a year.
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. Barrels of ink has been spilled, trees destroyed, and an eternity of homilies given discussing the Holy Trinity, but never explaining it. It can’t be explained. As a student in seminary, the joke about anything was, “If you can’t explain it, just say, ‘It’s a mystery!’” We could get away with it among ourselves but it never made the grade on tests. In any case, it’s my turn to spill some ink, destroy some trees, and add to the eternal homilizing about a doctrine we firmly believe as Christians, but we don’t know much about.