Jesus tells us in the Gospel last Sunday how to welcome the weakest members of the community. Whoever welcomes one child such as this in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me - welcomes not me but the One who sent me. The Gospel this Sunday picks up on this: John sees someone expelling an unclean spirit using the name of Jesus. The man is an outsider, and the disciples try to stop him, but Jesus says: Anyone who is not against us is with us.

A week after the scene of the famous confession of Peter and the first passion prediction, Jesus reiterated His coming suffering, death, and resurrect. As they return to Capernaum, Jesus asks them what they are arguing along the way. They argued among themselves who was the greatest? Since Peter seems to be the unofficial leader, they expect him to give them an answer. Instead, Jesus gives them an unexpected answer: If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last and the servant of all. The greatest does not think of himself; to be the first in the eyes of God is not the goal. He is a leader who serves the least and the last.

1st of September 2024, twenty (20) years after the creation of St. Rose as a parish, we commemorate this occasion with the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a New Church.

Today is a grace-filled moment for all parishioners of St. Rose. Our hearts are full of gratitude for all who were part of Our Faith, Our Future, and Our Parish journey. We appreciate all Pastors who served here, the present team of Priests, and all parishioners, both the past and the present. This groundbreaking is more than just moving dirt, as Bp. Dolan said in his homily.

Isaiah describes the people of Israel rejoicing because the Lord came to their aid and saved them. The Lord vindicated them from the eyes of their enemies. Israel experiences transformation as they acknowledge the saving power of God. He removes their ills a spiritual freedom people experience when the Messiah comes. Signs that characterized the Messianic time: the deaf can hear, and the mute can speak. The coming of Jesus fulfilled all these Messianic prophesies, Lk. 7:22, Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind see, cripple walked, lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead resurrected to life, and the good news proclaimed to the poor.

The first reading tells us to observe the letter of the law, while the Gospel emphasizes the spirit of the law. Jesus cites the hypocrisy of the Pharisees for insisting on human tradition while neglecting the more important demands of the spirit of the law. The letter of St. James appeals to the spirit of the law as God’s perfect gift: be doers of the word, not hearers only, to be doers of God’s Will, to walk our talk.

The Gospel reminds me of a story about an uncle, a physician who stopped coming to Church for fifteen years. Then, one day, while his younger brother, Fr. Basil Colasito, was vacationing with them, the older brother announced that he would shower and would like Fr. Basil to hear his confession. Everyone was surprised, and Fr. Basil, probably praying for this moment, candidly said: That’s what I am a priest for.

When Jesus spoke of the food that endures for eternal life, the crowd challenged Him to do something better than the manna their ancestors received in the exodus. In response, Jesus identifies himself as the bread of God that came down from heaven. He is the new bread from heaven, the Bread of Life. I am the BREAD of Life; whoever eats this bread will have eternal life. The bread that Jesus gives is His flesh, His crucified and glorious flesh. And now, He gives the same flesh in the Eucharist, the sacrament of His Body and Blood.

Jesus became the Bread of Life by dying for us on the cross. He is the Bread God provided in our journey, much like the one provided for Elijah as he journeyed to Mt. Horeb, the miraculous bread. For forty days, Elijah lived with only this bread at Mt Horeb. The hearth cake that sustained Elijah was like the Holy Eucharist God provided food to sustain him in his journey. Is this not what Jesus said in the Gospel: He is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven, the source and sustenance of life until we reach our final destiny, eternal life?

Many of the Jews of the Exodus were stubborn, grumbling, and complaining people. They grumbled and complained to Moses, and God performed several miracles to show His providential care for the people of Israel in their wilderness journey. He sent them manna, a word derived from the Hebrew expression: What is it? (manhu) (Ex. 16:15).There were attempts to reduce the symbolism of the manna as a congealed sap of a desert shrub. But the Scriptures clearly say that the manna was a supernatural phenomenon. Its appearance is limited to the forty years when Israel was in the wilderness (Ex. 16:35). Thus, there is only one possible explanation: God performs the miracle (Hebrew niphloth) in the deliverance of the people of Israel.

I just returned from the 10th National Eucharistic Congress NEC in Indianapolis, IN. Every day of the NEC was a moment of grace; the experiences, testimonies, and teachings about the Eucharist could transform the world if taken with great love, devotion, and adoration of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bishop Robert Baron said that if there is one commandment we Catholics have consistently followed: Do this in memory of Me. Jesus says: This is my Body This is my Blood; He is God from God, light from light, true God from true God, is the theology of the Church, the theology of the Real Presence. Jesus says: This is my BODY given up for us. And this is my BLOOD shed for us. What becomes truly present is His Body given, and His Blood poured out, and we consumed the Eucharist and become what we eat confirmed unto love unto death.

The Gospel shows us the compassionate heart of Jesus as a Shepherd. Jesus sees the vast crowds of people waiting for Him on the other side of the lake. His heart moved with pity for them; they were like sheep without a shepherd. He sees through their heart, recognizes their needs, and pities them. Meanwhile, the disciples are also tired, have little time to rest, and cannot even find time to eat as people flock to them wherever they go. While working for the vineyard of the Lord, we also need to take care of ourselves. That is the message Jesus wanted to convey to His disciples. They need time to rest, recharge, and reconnect with the FATHER in prayer (in a deserted place).

Discipleship entails being a missionary, for mission is essential to being a disciple. The Father sent the Son, Jesus, to proclaim His Kingdom here and now. Peace be with you. As the FATHER has sent me, so I also send you. (Jn. 20:21) As the Father sent Jesus, Jesus sent His disciples, the twelve (12), to be witnesses. And now, we are also sent by Jesus to be a witness to the whole world. The same is true with the Church. Every disciple is a missionary by their baptism. Disciples sent to continue the Church’s apostolic mission in a communion of faith and life with Jesus. The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a call to the mission. (CCC. 863)

Jesus visited His native place and went to the Synagogue on the day of the Sabbath. Since they heard good things about Him, they asked if He could say something; He took the opportunity to teach them. At first, they loved every word He preached and were astonished at His wisdom. But after a moment, they questioned His credibility and credentials. They could not believe that someone they knew could attain such wisdom and perform mighty deeds, and they took offense at Him. Familiarity breeds contempt. What started as an innocent question turned into contempt, doubt, rejection, and refusal to believe and have faith in Jesus.