Readings for Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Is 55:1-3; Rom 8:35, 37-39; Mt 14:13-21

Previous to today's Gospel we heard Jesus in the thirtieth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew proclaiming his parables on the Kingdom of Heaven. Just prior to today's Gospel about the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves is the account of the execution of John the Baptist. John is beheaded after a birthday celebration for King Herod where while he is drunk he makes a promise he regrets and feels obliged to carry out because of his fear of losing face. All the empty elements of a worldly life are found in King Herod and his kingdom. In his kingdom they have wealth, celebrations, food, alcohol and dancing. They also have deceit, drunkenness, fear, shame murder and emptiness. People do not leave the feast of Herod satisfied, just as people never find their true happiness when they seek it in the world.

When Jesus hears of the loss of his cousin and friend, John the Baptist, he seeks a moment alone in a deserted place, but the crowds follow. It is here that Jesus shows the true fruits of the Kingdom of God. Instead of the destruction of the selfishness of this world, Jesus brings life and healing. He spiritually nourishes the people, heals the sick and when his disciples wish to send them home hungry he takes the five loaves and two fish and multiplies them to feed a crowd of five thousand men, not counting women and children. The abundance of the fruit of the Kingdom of God is unending; after feeding the vast crowd there are twelve baskets filled with leftovers. When we allow ourselves to share in the blessings of the Kingdom of God the joy is also unending.

There is a story about two brothers who worked together on their Family farm. One was married and had a large family while the other was single. At the end of the day the brothers shared everything equally, produce and profit. One day, the single brother said to himself, "it is not right that we should share equally the produce and the profit. I am alone and my needs are simple." So, each night he took a sack of grain from his bin and crept across the field between their houses, dumping it into his brother’s bin. Meanwhile, the married brother said to himself, "It is not right that we should share the produce and the profit equally. After all, I am married and have my wife and my children to look after me for years to come. My brother has no one to take care of his future" so each night he took a sack of grain and dumped it into his single brother's bin. Both men were puzzled for years because their supply of grain never dwindled.

Then one dark night the two brothers bumped into each other. Slowly it dawned on them what was happening. They dropped their sacks and embraced one another.

The joy of the Kingdom of Heaven comes from the fruit of our love for God and one another. When we share in the joy and love of our faith we find true healing and peace and we are able to nourish those around us with selfless love. This is so evident here at Mary Star of the Sea Parish. I believe strongly that the fruit of having perpetual adoration is the number of people who become involved in the charitable works of our parish. This parish is filled with people who share of themselves by caring for the sick, feeding the poor, welcoming the stranger through our Maritime Ministry and proclaiming the Gospel.

We are all invited to the banquet of abundance of the Kingdom of God. Every day we can share in the fruit of the Kingdom through the gift of the Eucharist. The allurement of King Herod and the kingdom of this world is also always present. The choice is ours.

• I am personally very excited about the new ministry that we are beginning, our new Stella Maris Bookstore. I know that many would say that we are foolish opening up a book and religious goods store when Borders Bookstore just went
  bankrupt and other religious goods stores have closed. Yet, I strongly believe that it will be very good for our
  community to have a place where we can seek spiritual nourishment through books, CDs and Videos and buy
  quality rosaries, statues and other items to nourish our Catholic identity. I am very grateful to Jackie Armstrong,
  Debbie Mossberg, George Vasquez and Tomas Dulac for their assistance in getting this started and I know that many
  others will join us in this wonderful ministry of building up the Kingdom.
  

• Today, at July 31, 2011 in the Parish Auditorium from 3:30 to 4:30 P.M. we will be having an Estate Planning Presentation that we have been announcing for many weeks. I am hoping that this will be a good opportunity for
  us to make sure we properly prepare for our future and make the transition easier for those we will leave behind.
  There will be no solicitation at this presentation; it will be an information session solely for the good of our parishioners.



God Bless,

Rev. John F. Provenza

Pastor