Sunday, February 27: 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Good Morning.

Our Scripture today from the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 6 verses 24-34) reminds us that the Lord never forgets; that the Lord is our rock and our salvation; the Lord is our refuge, our judge, our light, our master, the provider of all things.

What image of God do you find most inspiring?

The most unnerving?

When have you felt most reliant upon God?

What did you learn for that experience?

Have you ever felt forsaken by God?

What advice would you have for others of how to get past the sense of lonliness and abandonment?

"The soul can split the sky in two and let the face of God shine through."

Edna St. Vincent Mallay

How anxious are you about God's plans for you?

What can you do to protect yourself from anxiety?

"There can be no Kingdom of God in the world without the Kingdom of God in our hearts." Albert Schweitzer

Sunday, February 20: The Blessing of our Parish Free Clinic for the Poor, Homeless and Under-insured:

The Blessing is about to begin:

Dr. David Conkle, Clinic's founder

In honor of our homeless, tireless, hardworking brother, Richard

We thank IMpact 100

Lily, one of the Clinic's founders
Mary, the backbone of the Clinic

View of the side handicapped ramp

View of the front porch

Sandra enjoys her afternoon out
Honored guests

Mary and Juliette

Marion, Mary and Sister Maureen enjoy the treats

Examination Room:
Billy, you are having too much fun (for a financial officer!)

Cool, soothing Punch

Flowers bring a warmth

Bishop Ricard Offers Resignation to Pope Benedict XVI

Over a year since suffering a significant stroke, Bishop John Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee has submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict. A former chair of Catholic Relief Services and perennial key leader of the these shores' 5 million African-American Catholics, the 70 year-old Josephite underwent multiple surgeries following both his original stroke in December 2009 and a subsequent collapse at a funeral Mass early last year.

The Pensacola News Journal quoted diocesan officials in reporting Ricard's move. Though bishops younger than 75 who can't effectively function in office are "earnestly requested" by canon law to submit their walking papers ahead of the normal schedule, when the impediment is health-related, it's become the case that Rome often seeks a medical analysis before granting a prelate's release from office.

A Louisiana native who oversaw Baltimore's inner-city parishes for 13 years as an auxiliary in the Premier See, Ricard has served at the helm of the Gulf Coast diocese since 1997. Prior to being given the high-hat at the young age of 44, the bishop pastored three parishes in Washington alongside earning a doctorate from the Catholic University of America.

The expected opening would be the fourth diocese in Florida to see a transition within the last year. Last April, Wenski was returned to his hometown as metropolitan; Miami auxiliary John Noonan was dispatched to Orlando in October in succession to the archbishop, and Bishop Victor Galeone of St Augustine marked his 75th last September and awaits his successor. All this, of course, lies atop the archbishop's need for additional auxiliaries for the 1.3 million-member Miami fold, now the Southeast's largest local church.

We pray for Bishop Ricard.

St. Valentine's Day Celebration: some members of St Joseph Daily Mass Group

February 13: The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus reminds us of the importance of the Commandments in the lives of each of us. He does not come among us to reject those Commandments or to change them but rather to fulfill them.

In doing so, Jesus, calls us to a high level of living: to proceed beyond the Commandments (yes, while keeping them) to follow the new Law of Love which He describes in the Scripture (Gospel) reading for today, an integral part of His Sermon on the Mount.

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Let us ask ourselves:

In what ways do I feel blessed in my commitment to follow God's Commandments?

In what ways do I perhaps need to "right" my course?

Can I honestly assess how I use God's Commandments as ever present guides for greater love?

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"Nobody has a more sacreed obligation to obey the law than those who make the law."
Sophocles (5th c. BC)

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Guidance in the sometimes complex call to "follow the law of the Lord":

Rule number one:
Realize that you have a choice. God sets before you "fire and water, life and death, good and evil" (our First Scripture passage for today/Sirach) - you'll get what you choose. God is not going to compel you one way or the other.

Rule number two:
Its'd about more than following the rules. We hear Jesus say that the key to keeping the Commandments is the state of our inner self. When it comes to the things of God, the important direction is inside-out, not outside-in.

Rule number three:
You can lean on God's wisdom. God sees all and understands all, and though that wisdom is mysterious, it is revealed to all who love God.

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February 11: The Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes

This feast day has personal significance but first I offer this:

The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France is the most visited pilgrimage site in the world -- principally because of the apparent healing properties of the waters of the spring that appeared during the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a poor, fourteen-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubiroux.

The first apparition occurred February 11, 1858. There were eighteen in all; the last took place July 16, of the same year. Bernadette often fell into an ecstasy during these apparitions, as was witnessed by the hundreds who attended the later visions, though no one except Bernadette ever saw or heard the apparition.

The mysterious vision Bernadette saw in the hollow of the rock Massabielle, where she and friends had gone to gather firewood, was that of a young and beautiful lady. "Lovelier than I have ever seen" said the child. She described the Lady as clothed in white, with a blue ribbon sash and a Rosary handing from her right arm. Now and then the apparition spoke to Bernadette.

One day, the Lady told the girl to drink of a mysterious fountain within the grotto itself, the existence of which was unknown, and of which there was no sign. But Bernadette scratched at the ground, and a spring immediately bubbled up and soon gushed forth. On another occasion the apparition bade Bernadette go and tell the priests she wished a chapel to be built on the spot and processions to be made to the grotto. At first the clergy were incredulous. The priest said he would not believe it unless the apparition gave Bernadette her name. After another apparition, Bernadette reported that the Lady told her, "I am the Immaculate Conception". Though the girl was unfamiliar with the term, the Pope had declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in 1854.

The observance of this feast is extended to the entire Church; it is now observed on February 11.

During the 1980’s, in connection with an episode of blindness, I traveled with a group of Parishioners from St. John the Evangelist Parish in Chiefland, FL and Holy Family Parish in Williston, FL to this Shrine in France. I was blessed to celebrate Mass on the main altar of the Bascilica before a full church. Additionally, I was privileged to drink the water from one of the many fountains and accepted the honor of being “lowered” into the miraculous water. It was an experience I will never forget.

I should add that my vision is fine today (except for reading glasses, I’m getting older). Yes, I had a great team of doctors in Jacksonville, FL who worked with me and to whom I am grateful for care. I also believe and I am convinced that this journey to Lourdes assisted my recovery.

Hold On ... by Toby Mack

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Was that a great game or what!

. Congratulations, Josh.



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Sunday, February 6, 2011: The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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The Midnight Sun is a phenomenon that occurs in the polar regions when the sun remains visible at local midnight for about a month. During this period, many foreign visitors, like scientists, find it difficult to fall asleep at night and experience cases of hypomania, a persistant and pervasive elevated or irritable mood.

In our Scripture reading for today, our Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples their "light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds."

Most of us will never encounter the midnight sun and may be unaware that such a phenomenon even exists. But just as the midnight sun becomes a persistant presence in the lives of those who encounter it each year, Jesus encourages us to become a presence in the lives of others through our good deeds.



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We proclaim our faith by our actions. We cannot be salt and light if we don't know what is causing us to respond as we do. Our human wisdom is flawed, limited, and corrupted. The power of God, on the other hand, remains true and focused and gives us the light to know what we need to do, what to change, and to find the courage to do either or both when necessary.

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Good deeds are a shining light, the Gospel says. In what ways do my good deeds glorify God?



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