From Father Carl

 “Hope is free, it comes in unlimited quantities, and is easy to carry around with me.” This line comes from Victor, the main character in a summer theater show called A Taste of Home.  While in the Seminary, one of my summer jobs was with the youth office helping with their summer theater program.  A Taste of Home was an original musical written for the youth office by Rick Sayers, PhD and performed for at least 3 summers.  It was about young people serving at a food shelter making PB&J’s and their interactions with the various people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.  Victor was a person experiencing homelessness, negative judgmental comments, and pain. Hope kept him from cynicism and allowed him to find goodness and God in people, life’s situations, and to love his life.

 

This week on Wednesday, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Jude, often referred to as the Patron Saint of hopeless causes.  The National Shrine of St. Jude reminds us, he is the Patron Saint of Hope.  https://shrineofstjude.org/the-shrine/st-jude/

The Catechism expands upon hope in the section on the Virtues and offers this beautiful insight:  “buoyed up by hope,” a person “is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity”  (CCC1818)  https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a7.htm

Like all virtues, hope always lifts people up.  This week through the intercession of St. Jude, perhaps we can focus on being disciples of hope.

 

Act of Hope

O Lord God,
I hope by Your grace for the pardon of all my sins
and after life here to gain eternal happiness
because You have promised it
Who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind and merciful.
In this hope I intend to live and die.
Amen.

https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/acts-of-faith-hope-and-love

 

Our Pastoral team is here to serve you. We/I are only ever a phone call away at 215-836-2828.

Be assured of my continued prayers and support for you and your loved ones.

 

St. Genevieve pray for us!

God bless,

Carl

(Rev. Carl Janicki)

A Glance at the Daily Mass Readings

 

This week as we listen to Gospels from Luke 13&14, Megan McKenna reminds us to be “Be friends! Forgive, imitate God and be a sacrifice on behalf of others as God has been for us in Jesus.”  Tasting the Word of God vol 2 Commentaries on the Daily Lectionary, 2010, pg. 397