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Deacon Greg’s Homily 7-29-18

This Sunday’s Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072918.cfm

A simple review of the Summer’s Homilies on Discipleship...

Disciples are forgiven and MUST FORGIVE!
Disciples should always remain OPEN & WILLING to do God’s will!
Disciples should are called to be Prophets… They SPEAK & TRUST in the Lord!

Today…

Disciples must FEED the world with CHRIST… 
Sharing HUMILITY, GENTLENESS & LOVE until all have their fill!

From the Prophet:
”For thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’” *Notice that in the face of doubt, the Prophet is sure and confident in the promise of God!

From the Psalm:
“The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” *Notice the faith of the people, as they give thanks to Lord, look to the Lord, and act justly with the Lord, who is near to them, satisfying their every desire!

From St. Paul:
“I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” *Notice that Paul writes from Prison, urging all to stay encouraged, persevering as ONE BODY in Christ!

From the Gospel:
“Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted… When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.” *Notice the similarity with the story of the Prophet, THERE IS CONFIDENCE IN KNOWING THE TRUTH! Also notice the event’s occurrence near the Feast of Passover. Jesus is more than a Prophet, and more than an earthly king… HE IS FOOD itself!

Disciples are people, and people are called to be disciples. Therefore, just as the food is for all, the invitation to serve is extended to all…

Be forgiven and FORGIVE! Confessions are Wed. at 5:30pm & Sat. at 3:30pm. If its necessary, dare to take that first courageous step to accept God’s unconditional love, then take the next, even more courageous step, and forgive that person… YES, that one… and then move forward ready to share God’s love!

Remain OPEN & WILLING to do God’s will! Our Parish Ministry Fair is coming in two weeks. There will be many. many opportunities presented and ways that you can accept a concrete call to doing something for the community! 

Be confident like the Prophets… SPEAK & TRUST in the Lord! Remember, the Priest and the Deacon are not the only ones who are called to speak. Each week, the Word of God that comes from Mass and daily prayer needs to be shared and applied to the serious issues that WE face in our world!
 
Like our being fed here today, be ready to FEED the world with CHRIST… Sharing HUMILITY, GENTLENESS & LOVE until all have their fill! *Notice that over the next MONTH, a prevalent theme of our Sunday readings will be “the living bread,” and our call to truly know, love and accept Jesus Christ, as body, blood, soul and divinity! Remember, that in this acceptance we are meant to also BE that BODY OF CHRIST, and share it with our lives. 
 
BE EUCHARIST… In the fourth century, St. John Chrysostom wrote, “When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we are assimilated into him. We become his Body, we take on his mind and heart, uniting ourselves to his love. When the host is offered to us as “the Body of Christ,” and we open our hand to receive it and say, “Amen,” we are saying yes not only to receiving Christ’s Body but to being his Body. We are saying, in effect, “Amen, yes, I believe that this is the Body of Christ, and that this is the Body I am called to be. I receive him to become him, to be Eucharist for others.”

That’s from the 4th Century my friends...
Now, that’s tradition!

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