Twenty-one years ago our world was changed forever by the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001.  Those who lived through that terrible day remember exactly where they were when the events unfolded.  Those who have been born since know no other world except one that is vigilant and determined that such an attack should never happen again.  Every year on this date we remember the lives lost, the heroism of the first responders, the unity and patriotism that followed, and the struggles of those still affected by that day.

“We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.”  (Hebrews 12:1)

In today’s gospel, Jesus talks about division.  2,000 years later our world would appear to be more divided than ever.  Politically, culturally, and socially, one could say that the world we live in is marked by division.  One could also say that the world is a diverse place, with a richness of variety in viewpoints, opinions, lifestyles, and social practices.  How do we reconcile that diversity with our faith in one God?

Pope Francis has said that “diversity is a richness and must never become a reason for exclusion and discrimination” (remarks on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of The International Association of Faith and Light, October 2021).  The letter to the Hebrews, from which we read this weekend, says that “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.”  In the Communion of Saints, we see represented men and women of every nationality, culture, and language.  We look to the saints as powerful examples of lives lived heroically searching for truth and justice, peace and holiness.  You and I are called to nothing less than sainthood in our own search for these things.

The greatest example of this is, of course, Mary.  This week we honor Mary on the Solemnity of her Assumption on August 15th (not a Holy Day of Obligation this year as it falls on a Monday, but nonetheless a day that we celebrate the Blessed Mother in a special way).  Mary, a young, Jewish girl who lived in a different time, spoke a different language and faced challenges that most of us will never experience.  Yet she is one of us, chosen by God in such a special way that she did not suffer death in the way we will all face, but was assumed into heaven and brought right to her place as the Queen of Heaven!

As we look around us and are tempted to be discouraged by division, let’s ask for Mary’s intercession and protection for our divided and diverse world.  Let’s treat one another with respect and love, despite our differences and disagreements.  Let’s become part of the “great cloud of witnesses” as we continue our journey of life in this beautifully diverse community in which we live.

Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us!

-- Fr. Steve

"They all ate and were satisfied."  (Luke 9:17)

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ ("Corpus Christi").  The Bishops of the United States are calling for a three-year grassroots revival of devotion and belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The initiative is an expression of a desire to see a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with the Lord in the Eucharist.

As we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, let us enter this revival together as a parish family, renewing our love for the Eucharist as the center of our lives. You can go to www.eucharisticrevival.org  to learn more about the national revival.

At St. Francis de Sales we celebrate Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Thursday after the 9:00 am daily mass (unless there is a funeral). Join us if you can to sit in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, pray the rosary, and spend a little time in quiet prayer.

This weekend we also celebrate Father's Day. Thank you to all of our fathers - those who are with us, those who are far away, and those who have gone home to God. A loving father imitates Christ, who gives himself totally to us, and St. Joseph, who cared for the Holy Family with quiet strength.

Happy Father's Day! Feliz dia de los Padres!

-- Fr. Steve

For a period of time, especially at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we avoided touching each other so as to stay safe from a potentially deadly disease.  Now, as more people are getting vaccinated and the number of infections is going down, parents and grandparents are able to embrace their children, and we are able to once again fill that human need to be near each other.

Happy Father's Day!  When we think of good fathers perhaps we think of men who take care of their families and assure their children that everything is going to be alright, especially when they are frightened.  When dads do that they imitate Jesus in today's gospel, who calms the storm on the Sea of Galilee and calls his disciples to have faith, even as the storms rock the boat.  The best of fathers are there for us, even and especially when the storms of life are rocking our boats.  Thank you to all our fathers on this Father's Day, those that are with us, those that are far away, and those that have gone home to God.

It was a year ago on the feast that we celebrate this weekend, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), that churches on Long Island reopened to congregations after the initial closure due to COVID-19.  A year later we are still moving toward getting back to "normal".  All of the pews have been opened up and many people have returned to in-person attendance at mass. During this time the obligation to attend mass has been dispensed for all, however the Diocese has announced that August 14 / 15 (the Feast of Mary's Assumption) will officially end the dispensation and restore the Holy Mass obligation in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who gave their lives in military service to their country. We live in a diverse world with different points of view and opinions on everything. The men and women we remember this weekend gave their lives for the freedom to express those diverse views and opinions. Thank you to all those who gave their lives, and to their families who remember them.  God bless America!

There is a footnote in the New American Bible right at the beginning of what is the 1st reading for Pentecost Sunday from the Acts of the Apostles.  The note reads: "It is likely that the narrative telescopes events that took place over a period of time and on a less dramatic scale."  Ok, it may be likely that the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was "less dramatic" than we thought.  However, I like the idea of drama.  Drama can be tragic, or light, or funny, or sad, or happy.  The passion and death of Jesus was dramatic.  The disciples had seen drama that was, to them, tragic and sad.  But now, at Pentecost, they experience a good kind of drama - the coming of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised them.  The Spirit comes with the sound of a driving wind and with tongues of fire, and with people from different cultures and languages understanding each other.  That's pretty dramatic!

Peace,

--Fr. Steve

Happy Mother's Day!

 We have come to the last weekend of Lent.  Next weekend is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.  Again I remind you that last year was different.  As the COVID pandemic took hold Holy Week and Easter were celebrated without congregations in churches.  But this year we are back in church.  Palms will be blessed and made available at Palm Sunday masses.  (Please take palm from the table as you enter the church; PLEASE be charitable to one another, and only take as much palm as you need for yourself and your family.)  The Passion on Palm Sunday will be read by the priest, deacon and lectors.  You can participate by using the printed handouts that will help you take the part of the "Crowd", or if you have taken a "Breaking Bread" music book you can use that (we still have some Breaking Breads available for you to take home with you.)

Lent is a time for all of us to examine our consciences.  What are we doing right?  What are we doing wrong?  Perhaps it's a time to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation, especially if it's been awhile since we've gone to Confession.  The sacrament is available at St. Francis de Sales on Saturdays from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, or another time by making an appointment with me Fr. Steve, or with Msgr. Pat.  It is also available here or at any parish on "Reconciliation Monday" (Monday of Holy Week, March 29) between 3:00pm and 9:00pm.

Whenever you see a rainbow remember the first reading from this First Sunday of Lent, where God promises the Covenant to us: "I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."  After Noah's ark survived the great flood, a rainbow appeared in the sky, and Noah and his family knew that God would take care of them.

"Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord."

The month of May is Mary's month. Pope Francis reminds us of the importance of this month of Mary, especially as we seek Mary's intercession and protection during the coronavirus pandemic. You can read his letter at www.vatican.va, in which the Holy Father calls families to pray the rosary at home, and in which he gives us two additional closing prayers for the rosary, one of which is included here.

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"While he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight."

This weekend would have been the first of three weekends that the girls and boys of our parish were to celebrate and receive their First Holy Communion. Among all the things that the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted and postponed, it is especially painful for our faith community that First Communions, along with weddings and baptisms and funeral masses, have had to have been put off for another day.

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