Bulletins by St. Clare Parish (Page 9)
August 13th – Solemnity of Saint Clare of Assisi
Therefore, dearly beloved, may you too always rejoice in the Lord (Phil 4:4).
And may neither bitterness nor a cloud of sadness overwhelm you, O dearly
beloved Lady in Christ, joy of the angels and crown of your sisters! Place
your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of
glory! Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance! And transform
your whole being into the image of the Godhead itself through contemplation! So that you too may feel what His friends feel as they taste the hidden
sweetness which God Himself has reserved from the beginning for those
who love Him. (Saint Clare of Assisi)
These words of Saint Clare are an invitation to each of us toward unit (“communion”)
with the Lord. As we observe the Feast of our Patroness this weekend, we focus at the
Eucharist on her great devotion to the Eucharistic Mystery. Remembering that
“Eucharist” means “thanksgiving,” we consider these words of Saint John Paul II:
Her whole life was a Eucharist because. . . from her cloister she raised up a
continual “thanksgiving” to God in her prayer, praise, supplication, intercession, weeping, offering and sacrifice. She accepted everything from the Father
in union with the infinite “thanks” of the only begotten Son.
May our celebration this weekend of our Patroness, Saint Clare, lead each of us – and
all of us together – to a deeper appreciation of the gifts that God gives us. May this
help us to join our lives with hers in giving thanks to God in all that we are.
August 6th – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
When August 6 falls on a Sunday, the whole Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the
Lord. Otherwise, it receives little more fanfare than a weekday at the beginning of August. We also hear the gospel of the Transfiguration each year on the Second
Sunday of Lent.
The Transfiguration is more than an historical accounting of an event in the life of Jesus
and Peter, James and John. As it was a sign of hope to them, so it is for us; in facing His
darkest days, Jesus remained faithful, not taking the easy way out. In the same way, we
can find encouragement in the glory that we will share one day. An old Latin expression,
quoted sometimes during Lent, comes to mind: Per crucem ad lucem – Through the cross
to light. We live in the hope that no matter how things turn out in our lives and the life of
our world, they will turn out well. If despair gives way to hope, then we have undergone
a transfiguration to the depths of our being.
Like Peter, we try to capture those moments, to hold on to them for ever, but they will
pass, but not totally if we allow those “mountaintop” moments to change us.
July 30th – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus presents the Reign of God in terms of a treasure
buried in a field and a pearl of great price. People are willing to sell everything to
possess the treasure and the pearl.
As in recent previous weekends, Jesus was not teaching about searching and finding
things that are of monetary value any more than He was teaching farmers how to
plant their crops or to pull weeds. He was using images familiar to his hearers; in so
many ways these images continue to resonate with us 2000 years later.
In another place (Matthew 6:21), Jesus taught that “wherever your treasure is, there
will your heart be.” It is for us to discern what is so important in our lives that we
would be willing to do anything to pursue it, no matter the cost. Perhaps, the way to
God’s Reign is to discover for ourselves what things are most important in our lives,
for which we would be willing to give up everything else.
So a question for each of us is this: “Where is your heart on this last weekend of
July?
July 23rd – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the parables of this Sunday’s gospel reading from the thirteenth chapter of Saint
Matthew (Weeds among the Wheat, Mustard Seed, and Yeast and Dough), Jesus
teaches about the coming Reign of God and about God’s patience with what it takes
to bring about that Reign.
The Kingdom of Heaven will not be imposed on humanity from above. Rather, its
coming is a slow and gradual process, the work in which we are engaged, according
to the gifts given to each of us. And God remains patient with our efforts.
Some people have declared that God’s Reign is here on earth. I do not think so!
While the seeds of the Reign of God have been planted here, there is still much to be
done to foster the values of justice, love, peace and life, but it must begin in our lives,
in the ways we treat one another, the ways we vote, the ways we allow our beliefs to
influence the direction of the common life we share as members of society.
July 16th – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A sower went out to sow [some seed]. That is what sowers did, as found in the
dictionary: “One who scatters seed on the ground to be grown for food.” And it was
the seed that germinated, extended its roots and grew. The sower in Jesus’ parable is
indiscriminate. Some seed falls on the path, or on rocky ground, or among the thorns.
Some, though, fell on rich soil. It is this that produced abundant fruit.
Relating this parable about God’s word to the first reading from the prophet Isaiah,
we hear that the word of the Lord is like the rain and snow that make the earth fertile:
“So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me
void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
God is as indiscriminate as the sower of the seed, broadcasting His word to all of
creation, “groaning in labor pains even until now” (Romans 8:22).
It is for us to be that fertile soil that accepts and nurtures the word we have heard.
We do so in the lives we lead, lives of love and care for one another and for all
creation
July 9th – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Some might think that being “meek and humble of heart” is the same as being weak. Jesus did not. Meekness and humility are demonstrations of love and gentleness, of the care God has for us through Jesus. The easy yoke and light burden refer to the rigid demands of the former law, which, in Jesus, gave way to the law that is
characterized primarily by love.
Meekness/gentleness and humility of heart do make us prone to vulnerability, but that is one of the marks of Christians who are willing to follow a crucified Savior. Should we not emulate the Lord in the ways we relate to one another?
July 2nd – Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Hospitality can be underrated. Being welcoming is a virtue that is often
overlooked. At the same time, when we are recipients of hospitality, we feel valued and inspired to be just as welcoming of others.
When asked what makes for good liturgy, Catholics repeatedly mention these three qualities: Good Music, Good Preaching and Real Hospitality.
Perhaps hospitality should be first on the list, because it is what we experience the moment we arrive at church for Mass, or even when we drive into the
parking lot. Whether we are visitors or long-time parishioners, are we ever greeted or made to feel welcome? The ministry of hospitality was a victim of the pandemic, but it is time for a renewal at Saint Clare.
In this way, we can respond to the words of the Lord in today’s gospel reading: “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
Bulletin 6.25.23
“Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”
Using imagery of God’s love and care for all creation (“Yet not one [sparrow] falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.”), Jesus urges his listen-ers to have faith in the God whose love has no limits.
It is difficult for us to live without fear. In fact, fear is an important compo-nent in steering us away from dangerous or reckless behavior. Fear of failure encourages preparation and study; we try to avoid accidents by following the rules of safe driving or walking.
But Jesus’ instruction to His followers, “Fear no one,” is an encouragement of irrational fear, the fear that is not founded in reality or logic. This the paralyz-ing fear that makes our normal functioning impossible. It is the kind of fear we encounter when we awake in the middle of the night, the kind that, thank-fully, evaporates with the light of day.
So many times in the gospels, Jesus announces that “Fear is useless; what is needed is trust.” These words should not be wasted on us. To paraphrase Václav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic, our faith is not the conviction that everything will turn out right, but that however things turn out, it will be alright. His words are a call to all to trust in God, the only One Who makes all things right.
Perhaps these words will aid us as we journey through Summer 2023.