Become Equipped!

Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake,

This weekend, we celebrate the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our Gospel is the parable of the generous landowner, who hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard (Mt 20:1-16a). At the end of the day, the ones who were hired first thought they would receive more money than those who were hired later in the day, but all received the same amount. This is an image of God’s Kingdom, and the rewards of eternal life in the kingdom offered to all – no matter when they turn to the Lord. It is the Lord’s desire and the Church’s prayer that all people be saved, no matter when they come to know Jesus. May we continue our efforts to evangelize our community and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all people.

To that end, we are in the final week of introducing our Pastorate’s major evangelization effort, called “3 in 1.” This weekend, we are asking all of our parishioners to make a commitment to invite 3 people over the next year to join us for Mass, pastorate activities, bible study groups, or to share your faith with them in some other way. It is all in the invitation—they do not need to say “yes.” What is important is that you extend the invitation to them—plant the seed—then let the Holy Spirit take it from there. If you would like help in figuring out how to do this, join Fr. Jim’s “Become Equipped” workshop on either October 9th at 7pm at OLC or Oct 14th at 10am at SJF.

Next weekend, our pastorate will begin offering a monthly marriage anniversary blessing at the Sunday Mass. If you were married in the month of October, be sure to join us at the 8:30am Mass at OLC or the 10:00am Mass at SJF for the marriage blessing.

Our Pastorate is also joining in the National Eucharistic Revival initiative by offering a Holy Hour (Eucharistic Adoration) on the Sundays following 1st Fridays. The Holy Hour will begin at the end of the first Sunday Mass at both parishes and last for one hour. The first event will be held on Sunday, Oct 8th following the 8:00am Mass at SJF and the 8:30am Mass at OLC. Please plan to join us and spend time in prayer and adoration before the Eucharistic presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

There are numerous activities and events coming up in the next few weeks. All of these will be great opportunities for you to invite someone to join us at our pastorate (and fulfill your “3 in 1” commitments). Be sure to check the bulletin or our websites for more information so that you can mark your calendars—and invite your friends!

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

3 IN 1 Is Here!

Dear Friends,

Jesus entrusted His Church with the Great Commission:
“Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matt 28:19)

This month, our Pastorate is launching a major evangelization initiative that can change your life and many others. Called “3 in 1” in honor of the Trinity, it stands for “3 people in 1 year”: a challenge to you and me to evangelize by personally inviting 3 people in 1 year to Mass or a pastorate or ministry event, or to share your faith with them, or to reach out and do something—anything—that you weren’t doing before.

For three weeks in September, prior to the start of Mass, we’re hearing from a variety of parishioners whose lives were forever changed merely because someone they knew cared enough about them to personally invite them to something (Mass, Bible study, etc.) that set in course a series of events that had a profound impact on their lives and, consequently, those they love…FOREVER.

3 in 1 is NOT a “ministry” with regular required meetings. It’s nothing else to add to your busy schedule. It’s a commitment to change the world as an everyday part of your life… to get used to regularly personally inviting people to encounter Jesus in the life of the Church. It’s evangelization as a way of life.

If you’re thinking, “I’m not involved with anything at the parish that I can invite people to,” 3 in 1 is for you. Notice that our bulletins/flocknotes are FILLED with many spiritual and social events and ministry opportunities for you to participate in. Now is the time to step forward in your life of faith. If no one personally invites you, invite yourself! And personally invite someone to come with you.

If you’re thinking, “I’m already involved in parish life,” 3 in 1 is for you! Don’t merely come by yourself to your ministry gatherings or pastorate events—invite someone to join you.

Please pray and consider making a commitment next weekend, September 23 and 24 at Mass, to personally invite 3 people in 1 year to Mass or a pastorate event, or to share your faith with them, or something else. With prayer and the grace of God, you can literally change the future of the world, most importantly for those you love and care about.

How can I do this? Through personal prayer and grace. The Holy Spirit will help you discern and reach out to people.

You’re invited to an optional 3 in 1 Kickoff & Workshop (Oct. 9 and Oct. 14) to help equip yourself and become more comfortable with inviting people, even if you’re shy. See elsewhere in the bulletin for details.

The power of personal invitation… Jesus used it, and He changed the world through it. He wants you to, also. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matthew 9:37). Be a laborer!

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim

From the Desk of Director of Family Faith Formation

Dear Parishioners,

As we step into this brand-new chapter of the calendar, we are filled with excitement for the start of the many ministries and programs that will take place this calendar year. The season of Fall reminds me of all of the gifts that I am grateful for and all that God has blessed me and my family with.

Today, our Faith Formation program began, and we welcomed our families back and the kids back in the classrooms. The start of a new school year is not just a time for fresh starts; it’s an opportunity to deepen our connection with faith, knowledge, and each other.

Next Monday, is the beginning of new opportunities for adults in our Pastorate. We will begin RCIA, Walking with Purpose, The Chosen Bible Study, Going Deeper, and then shortly after that Into the Breach will begin. Wow! All great opportunities for Adult Faith formation.

Each first Sunday of every month, parents in the Religious Education program are asked to attend a session with a guest speaker each month. On those Sundays, there is a different presenter as well as a different topic. This time, not only allows us as busy adults time to take time for ourselves but it allows us to focus on your relationship with God and grow more along our spiritual journey.

This year, I would like to personally invite parishioners on the 1st Sunday of the month to join us in the hall from 8:45-9:30am. While the children are in classes, please consider joining us! Here are a few of the topics and speakers that will be presenting in the coming months.

• September: Fr. Jim, Topic, Evangelization
• October: Joanne Calhoon, “Celebrating the Ordinary” with St. Therese
• November: Brother Nick Romero, “The Eucharist”
• December: Joanne Calhoon, “She Made Space” reflecting on Mary during Advent

May our faith continue to deepen as we journey together through the fall months, growing in love and understanding.

Blessings,
Melissa

Moving The Heart Of God

Brothers and Sisters,

The woman in this week’s gospel is a pagan from the region of Canaan, a place full of sinful and idolatrous people (Mt 15:21-28). She was seeking a healing miracle not for herself, but for the sake of her beloved daughter.

Jesus does not mind her when she initially calls out to him using the title “Son of David.” From her seeking, we can imagine that she believed in Christ. Upon the insistence of the apostles, Jesus tells her: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” But she does not give up.

Even if pagans like her do not believe in the teachings of Jesus, she persists: “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” As you know, dogs and swine were common expressions among Jews for Gentiles or pagans. It is hard to imagine how she had come to believe in Jesus. Perhaps her initial faith was quite small, but contact with Jesus increased her faith. Her persistence paid off. The woman had what Christ’s heart yearns for which is love, faith, and humility. She knew that he could heal her daughter. She also knew that he would not do it because she deserved it, but simply because Jesus cared. She was not angry with God for sending this trial. She did not come to Jesus angry or demanding. She accepted her trial and recognized that a miracle would be a gift. This enabled her to take the rejection and come right back with another petition to the Lord.

Are we persistent in our prayers to God just like this woman? Our persistent prayer may not necessarily change God, but it will change us. It increases our faith, because we are putting our faith in action. All things are possible if we let God take control and let His will, His plan, materialize in our lives. Love, faith, and humility: these are the ingredients for prayer that moves the heart of God, even a simple prayer such as, “Lord, help me.”

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Peter’s Bold Move

Peter’s bold move. If there’s one thing to admire in Peter in today’s gospel (Matt 14:22-33), it’s his boldness. In the midst of a terrifying storm at sea, Peter sees Jesus walking on the water and yells out: “Lord, if it is you, command me...” Stop and think what’s happening. Peter here is requesting that Jesus command him to walk on the water, with the implication being that only if it is Jesus’ will. In other words, “It’s up to you Jesus, do with me what you will.” Peter knows that only Jesus has the power to enable him to walk on the water. This is courageous faith.

The sin of presumption. Peter’s bold request is different than committing the sin of presumption: “presum(ing) upon God’s almighty power or his mercy” such as attempting to obtain God’s forgiveness without conversion (Catechism paragraph #2092). One can also presume upon God’s power to achieve something for selfish gain, such as some popular televangelists in the “Word of Faith” movement do who erroneously teach that Christians can get power and financial prosperity through prayer, and that those who believe in Jesus have the right to physical health …“All you have to do is ‘believe’.” Such presumption (expecting with confidence) that God will do something because you ask Him for it “in faith, in Jesus’ name” implies in the Word of Faith movement that if God doesn’t grant it, you must have too little faith. Whereas Peter asks in faith to walk on water if it is Jesus’ will, presumption asks for something believing absolutely that it is God’s will.

Peter is not bold enough! Back to the gospel. After asking Jesus in faith to walk on water, Peter waits… and Jesus responds “Come!” As long as Peter keeps his eyes of faith on Jesus, he walks on water, but when he depends only on his own ability, he sinks. Jesus says, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" not to condemn Peter but to correct and encourage him to have even greater and more courageous and enduring faith. It’s as if Jesus were saying, “You’re asking for too little! …Ask for more! …Do not doubt that I will give to you far more than what you can do on your own!”

Our take-away. Jesus DOES want us to ask in faith and confidence to receive what He wants to give (“Ask and you will receive…”), however the context of His promise is that we are to ask for that which will help us to get to heaven (Luke 11:13), not to stay on earth. Jesus didn’t abandon Peter in the storm, and neither does He abandon us in the storms of our life. He is always near with hand outstretched, ready to save us when we call out to him, to lift us up from any doubt of faith. And He always wants us to ask for more!

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim

Being Transformed In The Presence Of Jesus Christ

The Transfiguration (Carl Bloch, c. 1865)

Dear Parishioners,

Since today’s gospel reading takes us with the 3 apostles to the top of a mountain where Jesus’ face is transfigured like the sun (Mt 17:1-9), we might ask: How can I relate to the Transfiguration of Christ?

First, by realizing that the other people present were like us: Moses and Peter did not initially want to answer God’s call, Elijah fell into despair, Peter was double minded and he denied Christ, and James and John sought their own glory. They were human just like us, with strengths and weaknesses. Also, each of them did not choose God, but God chose them first, just like He calls each of us, regardless of what we’ve done or not done.

The Apostles’ Mountaintop Experience. We also discover how we are like the men present at the Transfiguration by looking at Matthew’s context of the Transfiguration. Just prior to the Transfiguration, Matthew records that Peter’s profession in Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, was revealed to him by the Father; we, too, have received this truth of the Catholic faith handed down to us. During the Transfiguration itself, we can relate to the apostles’ experience of the presence of the Transfigured Christ on the mountain when we receive the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist—a real Communion with the living God in our midst. After the strengthening experience of the Transfiguration, the apostles suffered (living through Christ’s suffering on the cross, and Peter and James suffering martyrdom). Similarly, Jesus in the Eucharist strengthens us in our current and future suffering.

Our Mountaintop Experience. As I mentioned last week, during this Year of Eucharistic Revival, starting in October, all of us in the pastorate are invited to spend a Holy Hour (or part of it) with Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration on the 1st Friday of the month at 7:00 pm in St. Jane’s church. Throughout the year, Eucharistic Adoration occurs at Our Lady of the Chesapeake in the church on the first Friday of the month from 9 to 10 am, and at St. Jane’s in the church 9 am to 2 pm. St. Jane’s also has weekly Eucharistic Adoration every Monday 9 to 3 pm in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. These are precious opportunities to be transformed in Jesus’ Presence similar to the way Peter, James, and John were transformed on the mountaintop. Come and spend time with Jesus “face to face!”

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim

What Is The Kingdom Of God Like?

Dear Parishioners,

What is the Kingdom of God like? Jesus taught a lot about the kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God (kingdom is used 126 times in the gospels). While it may seem that the kingdom is complex—Is it now or in the future? Is it here on earth or in heaven? Does it have to be sought, or is it given automatically—Jesus also seems to make it simple: “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21).

In Matthew’s gospel readings from last weekend and today, Jesus’ six descriptions of what the kingdom of heaven is like have some common characteristics: it’s something discovered (like a buried treasure or a pearl of great price) and it seems to magically grow (like a mustard seed or activated yeast).

Ask. In what ways can we discover the kingdom of heaven and make it grow within us? King Solomon provides a model for us in today’s 1st reading:

God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered, “Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.”
God replied, “I do as you requested.”

Solomon does not ask for “a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies.” Rather, he asks God, in effect, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done… in my heart.”

While we receive the kingdom of heaven at our Baptism, we are called to preserve it in our hearts through prayer and frequently receiving the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, so that God grows His kingdom in our hearts like a mustard seed and we continually discover it like finding a buried treasure. St. Paul describes this transforming effect in Romans 12:2: “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Ask. Wouldn’t it be great if God would say to you and me what He said to Solomon: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you?” He did! Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given you.” (Matthew 7:7). We just need to ask, like Solomon did, for what He wants to give us, which is the kingdom of God in our hearts.

Ask. Discover. Grow. With Jesus. Can you think of a better setting to dialogue with Jesus and discover and grow His Kingdom in your heart than being in His Real Presence? Starting in October, during this Year of Eucharistic Revival, all in our pastorate are invited to spend a Holy Hour (or part of it) with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration on the 1st Friday of the month at 7:00 pm in St. Jane’s church. Jesus longs for us to spend time with Him in this special way, to fill us with His radiant love, so we can carry His Kingdom in our hearts through all our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of each day.

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim