We can learn a great deal from Mister Rogers. Remember him? He was the gentle soul who found his way into living rooms worldwide starting as far back as 1968. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a beloved program that celebrated and exalted people, especially children. He taught us that we are neighbors and that everyone has a place. Everyone matters. He had a vision, born of his relationship with God that highlighted every human life’s innocence, beauty, and uniqueness. To that end, he called us to be responsible for each other, saying nothing different than what Jesus said. Viewers quickly learned that life is not just about me.
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes (Fred Rogers).” It is so easy to look the other way. After all, I’m not the one who needs to leave home out of fear and try to find somewhere safe. I am not the one who is hungry and without shelter or food. I am not the one who has a child being bullied or ridiculed because of the way they dress or act. I am not the one being threatened with violence or unable to find meaningful work. The distress and agony of our neighbors are our distress and agony. We cannot walk by it with an attitude of indifference, especially if we call ourselves believers. When we no longer care, we have suffocated our souls. This is a great sin.
God’s law “is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” We all have a need for love and acceptance. That’s why Mister Rogers’ television show was so popular. It spoke to something deeper, something sacred about humanity. God didn’t give us his law in a book. He wrote it on our hearts. We know what we need to do. It’s a matter of choice. Love is sacred. When we love another human being, especially without regard for ourselves, it is a holy moment. These moments are often missed due to our self-serving agendas and rules. ©LPi
Notes for this Weekend
Welcome
Welcome to our Eucharistic Celebration on this Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We come today to listen to God’s word and celebrate the Eucharist. Gathered together in this place, we look around and see our neighbors. Many of them are people much like us. The neighbor in today’s Gospel—the good Samaritan—is not. Samaritans were seen as outcasts by the Jewish people who frequented the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Yet it was this foreigner, this outsider, this stranger, who is the true neighbor to the Jewish victim. May hearing this parable expand our understanding of “neighbor” as it moves our hearts to reach out to those not like us.
The intentions of this Mass are for all those in our special intention basket and...
Please stand for our procession.
Universal Prayer
A. For all Christians during this “Forward in Mission” Jubilee Year, that in imitation of the Good Samaritan and Jesus himself, we are moved with compassion when we encounter the suffering and respond with mercy, let us pray to the Lord.
B. For civic leaders at every level, that they may exercise compassion toward their constituents, and that that compassion may be reflected in the laws they enact and the policies they implement, let us pray to the Lord.
C. For victims of crime and abuse, that they, like the victim in today’s Gospel, may receive care and comfort, let us pray to the Lord.
D. That our community of faith may reach out to those who we do not ordinarily regard as our neighbors, exercising our love for fellow children of God, let us pray to the Lord.
E. For all the prayers that we hold in the silence of our hearts; for all our intentions spoken and unspoken, let us pray to the Lord.
Announcements
1. Today, we begin our Youth Confirmation registrations at 9 am in St. Joseph Hall. We will have confirmation registrations every Sunday during July.
2. We will have our National needs combined second collection next weekend. This collection allows us to continue strengthening our Catholic faith, values, and education through the catholic communication campaign’s television, radio, and print messages. We thank you for your generosity. For more information, please visit our Parish website.
3. Join us next Saturday during the 7:00 pm Mass for our celebration of Our Lady of Carmen. There will be a fellowship after Mass in the Redahan Hall; all are welcome.
