News - July 2021 RSS Feed

When we come together today, as we do each Sunday, we receive the Lord—the Bread of Life—in the Eucharist. As we continue to listen to the Discourse on the Bread of Life from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Saint John, we are reminded that on the journey of Life, no matter its twists and turns, the Lord continues to travel with us and to care for us, nourishing us with heavenly food as He once fed the Israelites in the desert. The Eucharistic Lord satisfies our hunger. When we receive the Lord, in the Eucharist and into our hearts, He brings fullness, mission, God’s grace, and the promise of everlasting life into our lives.

In today’s Gospel we hear the story of the feeding of the five thousand. This story is found in all of the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Beginning this weekend until the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 22) the Gospel will be from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. Chapter Six of John’s Gospel is known as “The Bread of Life” discourse. Saint John devotes an entire chapter on Jesus as the Bread of Life—the Eucharist.

Today, our parish will take up the 137th annual National Black and Indian Mission Collection. Our support of this collection helps build the Church in African American, Native American, and Alaska Native communities from coast to coast. Schools, parish religious education programs, and diocesan ministries depend on your generosity to help them spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

We have responded to the call of the Lord by gathering together in this holy place to worship God, to listen to the Word, and to share in the Eucharist. When we leave, we are asked to go forth as changed persons, nourished by the Lord so that we can witness to our faith outside these four walls. In today’s Gospel, the disciples are set out on their first missionary venture. Jesus sent the disciples out to carry on His mission, empowering them with His authority. Through baptism, we have been empowered by Christ to carry on His mission.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY OR HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! As we celebrate the anniversary of our independence, we come together as a faith community appreciative of our freedom to worship as we desire, while continually aspiring to build a more perfect union. In places of worship across this country, we gather to give praise to God for the blessings that we have received. May we always remember that we belong to “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”