St. John Nepomucene

I would like to offer my sincere thanks and congratulations to everyone who helped to make my 40^th Anniversary of Priesthood Ordination a joyful occasion for myself, my family and our parish.  I thank the 40^th Anniversary Committee, the rectory staff and the various individuals who contributed their time and talent to this endeavor.  Since much of it was a happy surprise and I was not directly involved in managing the details, I may not know completely all who were involved and what everyone specifically did.  So I wish to offer a general thank you and extend congratulations to all on a job well done.
 
Our Gospel emphasizes the sending out of the 72 who heal, who set others free from evil and who proclaim the Kingdom of God.  These 72 disciples receive some interesting instructions which we also can follow.
 
First, Our Lord says that He is sending them out as “lambs among wolves.”  We know lambs are defenseless.  Lambs have no claws, no sharp teeth, no hard external protection, no poison fangs, no ability to swim or fly or run away fast when attacked.  Sheep are easy prey and among the predators that would be most feared by the flock are the wolves.  Wolves hunted in packs, they were smart, and they were cruel and heartless.  Wolves have sharp teeth, are fleet of foot and they absolutely love the taste of lamb.
 
Perhaps all the lambs have is a prayer.  The one advantage that the lambs have is that they have a Good Shepherd.  They are called to trust that the Good Shepherd will take care of them.  As Psalm 23 states, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”  This means the Good Shepherd will take care of me and those I love.  All I have to do is listen to His voice.  So as lambs among wolves, we see we are called to have faith and we are called to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.
 
Like these 72 disciples who proclaimed the Kingdom of God, you and I are called to work together to proclaim the Good News of our salvation.  I am grateful for the many ways that this happens in our parish community.  We do have a wonderful community that can come together and do good work.  My 40^th celebration of ordination was a good example.  In the future, we have our parish picnic on August 25th.  Everyone will be invited to come together to celebrate our fellowship, volunteer our time and financially support this endeavor.
 
For our individual lives, the following story may be helpful…
     A father named Rusty Stevens tells a story which probably sounds familiar to many of you who are parents.  Stevens was mowing the yard, rushing to get it done before dinner.  His six-year old son, Mikey, decided to help him.  Mikey stepped in front of his dad and put his hands on the mower handle.  Stevens, like any good father, relaxed his pace and followed behind Mikey.  The work slowed down to a crawl.  Stevens chuckled inwardly as he thought about how much he wanted to get the job done quickly.  But Mikey needed to help his dad.  He needed to learn how to mow a lawn.  And as slow and awkward as it was to share the work, it was an absolutely necessary part of father-son bonding. 
 
Rusty Stevens says, “Suddenly, tears came to my eyes as it hit me.  This is the way my heavenly Father allows me to “help” Him build His Kingdom!  I pictured my Heavenly Father at work, seeking, saving and transforming the lost.  And there I was with my weak hands “helping”.  My Father chooses to stoop gracefully to allow me to co-labor with him.  Why?  For my sake, because He wants me to have the privilege of ministering with Him.”
 
 God wants you to work with Him in proclaiming the Kingdom of God.  You and God are a team.  Think about this story next time you cut the grass.  Your hands are the handle of the lawnmower and the Heavenly Father is walking behind you.  This lesson can be applied to grass cutting but it can be applied to many areas of your life.
 
God wants to help you do something that will make this a better world for someone else.  God wants to work with you to help you brighten someone’s life.  God provides the Sun.  God invites you to distribute the rays of His Love.
 
Let us walk together with Our Heavenly Father and proclaim God’s Love to those we meet.