On Thursdays, our church has a Bible Study group that meets at 1PM.  Since the Farmer’s Markets are over, I can attend and I’m so looking forward to it.   The Holy See designated this as the Year of St. Paul and I’ve learned that the Bible Study is focusing on St. Paul too.

Sunday’s Mass was celebrated by a visiting priest.  His name is Father John.  Since Dave & I were scheduled to be Eucharistic Ministers, we had an opportunity to talk with him for about 15 minutes prior to mass.  He told us that he’s been granted permission from his order to reside near his sister & her family right now because his sister is dying from cancer.  He said that only this week the doctors had recommended they stop treatments.  She is only 50 and has 3 children still living at home.  He didn’t say anything like he understood why his sister was going to die so young and leave behind a husband and young children, but he simple said that God is bigger than us and He knows the reason why.

During Mass, he said an excellent and intelligent homily regarding the gospel passage from Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two greatest commandments.”

After mass, our Knights of Columbus were hosting a breakfast buffet and Father John joined the group at our table.   It was very pleasant speaking with this gentleman.  You can tell he is hurting because of the tragedy of his sister’s circumstance, but there is a peace about him anyway.  He will be celebrating Mass again for us next week and I’m looking forward to his homily.