From the Pastor – June 21, 2020

We begin the Sundays of Ordinary Time today. We continue with the Gospel of Matthew, which is Cycle A ofthe Sunday readings.  As we continue through the pandemic, and as things start to loosen and re-open, we have to continue to followthe directives we have been given to remain safe. While the directives may be annoying, especially because wecan’t wait to do what we normally do, we have to use common sense so we protect ourselves and each other asmuch as possible. The same is true with the opening of the churches. While many of us are eager to come back tochurch to worship publicly, we also have to be aware of how the church has been configured for social distancing.We began daily mass this past week, and once the number of people allowed inside increases from 50, we are hoping that we can open for Sunday Mass. Otherwise, it will be difficult to determine who will be allowed to attendMass.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus is reminding us of how important we are to God, so much so that he gave us his Son tolive, die and rise for us. Sometimes though, we may think that we are not worth God’s love. God’s love is notsomething we can earn; it is freely given by the Father through the Son. As a result of this, we are a visible sign ofthe presence of Jesus, and so we are to treat each other with the same love and respect that he shows for us. Jesusalways challenges us to reflect his presence and love in who we are and how we relate to each other. This is howthe kingdom of God is built on earth.  We have seen a lot of negativity during this pandemic. This tends to make us wonder if all our efforts are worth it.They are because we are called to stand for something different. We have to stand as a sign of hope for the present, and while we cannot solve the problems in our society, we can offer one another a glimpse of the love ofGod for us, revealed in Christ Jesus. It is not so much what we say as much as what we do. Our actions have to beconsistent with our faith in God or else they are empty. When we maintain that unique relationship of Father andSon, then we begin to radiate that presence in how we think, and what we say and do. This is not complicated,but sometimes we make it so because we can’t seem to make the connection between the relationships we touchin prayer and the way we live.  On behalf of the entire Parish Staff: FR. TONY, FR. JOHN, DEACON DAN, DEACON JERRY, NANCYCAPUTO,  ANN MARIE GESUALDO, KAREN COCCO, DAN PALKO, OUR SUPPORT STAFFAND MYSELF, I want to wish all our FATHERS, GRAND FATHERS, GOD FATHERS, STEPFATHERS, FOSTER FATHERS & UNCLES our best wishes for a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY. While thismay be a different day for you dads, it is still an opportunity for us to express our gratitude for all you are and dofor us.   HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!  FELICE GIORNO DEI PAPA!!!  FELIZ DIA DE LOS PADRES!!  ~ Fr. Joe