Fr. Mike’s Communication for July 10 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk | July 10, 2022 | Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“And who is my neighbor?”

~Luke 10:29b

Brothers and Sisters,

“Won’t you be, won’t you be, my neighbor?” While I fondly recall watching Mister Rogers on TV, entering his home, then changing his shoes and sweater as a kid. I much preferred seeing the Trolly make its way into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. I loved hearing the stories about King Friday, Queen Sarah, Lady Fairchilde, Prince Tuesday, Daniel Tiger, X the Owl, Henrietta the cat, and many others. Like most of us, I reached a bittersweet point where I sadly outgrew “little kid” TV.

The 2019 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood starring Tom Hanks opened my eyes to how important Fred Rogers was. A soft-spoken Presbyterian minister and children’s television host. On his program, Mr. Rodgers welcomed viewers to a neighborhood where everyone belonged. A place that kept this profound Gospel truth front and center: our neighbor isn’t just the person who looks, acts, and makes as much money as us. Our neighbors include people from any socioeconomic, generational, racial, or cultural background — everyone! This concept leads me to today’s Gospel, where we find a scholar asking Jesus, “…who is my neighbor?” and who does the law teach us to love as ourselves to inherit eternal life? Instead of a direct answer, Jesus offers the parable of the Good Samaritan. A story that implores us to expand our understanding of who includes our neighbors.

Travel can open our appreciation of the needs and challenges of our neighbors worldwide. My experiences at work camp as a high schooler and college student impacted my discernment to the vocation of priesthood. I encountered difficulties and hurdles in Appalachia and a community dealing with poverty as I had never seen. Still, despite these burdens, I witnessed people who didn’t think first of their own needs but of their neighbors and community.

I pray that all our families and parishioners continue to expand their definition of who counts as a person – who truly is our neighbor and whom Jesus is asking us to love. I hope the summer experiences, with family vacations, summer jobs, camps, and living life at a slower pace, can be formative experiences for all. Please pray for our youth. Especially those middle and high schoolers coming home from Damascus Camp, a place whose mission is to awaken, empower, and equip a generation to live the adventure of the Catholic faith through world-class programs and an environment of encounter. And for high schoolers in our diocese at the O’Dwyer Retreat House through next weekend who are beginning the High School Leadership Institute, which focuses on the formation of missionary disciples. As we hold our youth in our prayers, let us also ask Christ the Teacher to help us recognize the kind of neighbor he wants us to become and those neighbors he asks us to love.

Some considerations:

  • OLPH Senior Community – looking to meet new friends in the faith?| The OLPH Grasshoppers, a small group for the senior set of OLPH, gather on Thursdays in the Parish Office at 10:30am for lunch and fellowship. On the third Thursday of each month, the group heads out for lunch. Come by any week and join up with other friends.

  • Worldwide Marriage Encounter is excited to announce an upcoming experience at St. Philip Neri Church on July 15-17. The Experience will end with Mass on Sunday afternoon. There’s no group discussion. Over the course of the experience, three couples and a priest provide tools, using examples from their own lives, to help couples work through common themes to which we can all relate. To apply online visit: moments4marriage.org
  • SUPER Spirits & Service Weekend for Men | June 24-26 | Retreat Leader: Fr. Robert Presutti, LC | Cost: Sweat Equity
    Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center invites local men to a special weekend retreat that will highlight effective ways to balance work and prayer. With hands-on experience of both, you will be encouraged by the inspirational preaching of one of our premier retreat masters and participate in critical improvement projects at the Retreat Center; plus, since this is not a silent retreat, you will enjoy lively fellowship with some great guys! This event is free to attend, we ask only your participation in the weekend projects that will help us make Our Lady of Bethesda shine. Registration is required so that we can properly prepare. Please go to our website www.ourladyofbethesda.org or call 301-365-0612. Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center, 7007 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20187.
  • Are you refurnishing or downsizing? The Resource Exchange Ministry of St. Vincent de Paul in downtown Baltimore needs gently used, clean furniture and household goods. For a decade parish, volunteers have been working with Health Care for Homeless to furnish the apartments of their newly housed clients. For more information, visit: https://www.stvchurch.org/justice-service/the-resource-exchange or call 410-657-5874.
  • Respect for Life Opportunity -All -Bach Benefit Concert to Support Mary’s Home | Sunday, Aug. 7 | 2:30 pm Enjoy an afternoon of beautiful music at Ss. Philip and James Church, located at 2801 N. Charles St. Baltimore, offer a donation to support St. Mary’s House, Maryland. Mary’s Home Maryland is a pro-life ministry with Catholic values. Its mission is to provide a safe, pro-life home environment and holistic services program for expectant mothers in crisis and their children in need. To learn more about the work done at Mary’s Home, visit https://www.maryshomemaryland.org/

In the Lord,

Rev. Michael S. Triplett