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Sunday, July 20, 2025
Hello folks,
The Lord be with you all!
“There is need of only one thing,” the Lord tells Martha in the Gospel today, when she is “anxious and worried about many things.” To be with the Lord, to listen to Him, to put Him first is not just the most important among many things, but is its own category of importance! We get a hint of that in Abraham’s reception of the Lord in the first reading as he greets the three mysterious men by running out to them, bowing down to them and asking the favor that they might stay with him and accept his hospitality. There is perhaps a faint echo of this in the disciples on the way to Emmaus who ask the Lord (although they don’t know it is Him) to “stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
We sometimes view the greatness of a parish by the number and diversity of its activities, but it is important to remember that there is need of only thing: for us to take the time to lovingly sit at the Lord’s feet like Mary and learn from Him. To this end, even good activities can become a distraction from the most important! Again, let’s strive for a consistent time of prayer on a daily basis. This can include recalling what the Lord has done and praising Him for it, acknowledging our weakness and our sins (and seeking pardon for them), and giving the Lord a time of silence to LISTEN to Him. Try not to let a day go by without this! Over time, you might find yourself happily rushing to be with Him when you get the chance!
Having said that, I want to acknowledge how encouraging and even beautiful it was to see so many people involved in moving “the church” from Saint John’s Church to Saint John’s Hall this past Sunday. From the very young diligently clearing out the confessionals and bringing over the bells one at a time to the elderly using walkers all chipping in somehow! And as you who are at Saint John’s can see, a very tasteful job was done to prepare a place where the Lord is welcome and where people might have a sense that the Lord is present here! Thank you all so much for your help on Sunday (and before when a lot of preparatory work was done) and for your continued support as the major work gets underway (continuing until the end of August).
Perhaps it is a bit early to mention this, but I want to give you a quick heads up that the next Holy Day of Obligation will be on Friday, August 15. Full schedule to follow closer to the day.
God bless,
Father Maher
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