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Sunday, July 26, 2026
Hello folks,
The Lord be with you all!
In the first reading, young Solomon is told by the Lord during a dream at night, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” If the Lord were to say the same to you now, for what would you ask? This is of course a form of prayer. Many people struggle to hear or see or even notice God, even when they are praying! Most of us will not usually have an experience like Solomon’s. Perhaps we can be somewhat grateful, for to those to whom much is given, much will also be expected. Yet, how would we be inclined to respond to such a statement from God to us? Solomon’s response shows his focus is on God and on what God asks of him (by being anointed king). Do we have an awareness of God’s Presence and of what God asks of us? Are we committed to the fulfillment of God’s will rather than our own will?
God is pleased with Solomon’s request and even grants it to Solomon. However, years later (not in this week’s reading), Solomon loses his way and no longer seeks to look at things from God’s perspective, and thus he gravely damages the friendship with God. Was there a time when we were almost laser focused on God’s Will, or at least had a good idea of it, but have since let it drop away from our gaze and desire?
In the Gospel, the Lord continues to speak in parables about the immense value of what He offers us, but also the sorry state of what happens should we reject that by the end of our lives. Let’s pray for one another to not be afraid to know God’s Will in our lives (even with the responsibility that will bring), and to joyfully and trustingly embrace His Will.
A reminder that next weekend, we will have Father Selva Raj from the diocese of Kumbakonam in southern India preaching the Missionary Cooperative Appeal at all the Masses (which unfortunately will result in three collections at Saint John’s, the middle one being the normal monthly mortgage collection). Thank you for your support of this missionary work!
Tomorrow/tonight (Sunday) at 6pm in Saint Joseph’s Hall, we will show a movie about Saint Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint. While this is great for young people to view, all are welcome!
Carol will be away on vacation next week, so the office will be a bit limited during that time. We will have volunteers helping out for a few hours in each office day, but some things may have to wait until after her return the following week.
God bless,
Father Maher
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