St James Catholic Church

     At the Last Supper, knowing that He would soon be leaving the company of His disciples, Jesus assured them that the Father would send another advocate to remain with them always. They would never be orphans, He promises them, because this advocate, the Holy Spirit, would remain with them and in them. For many of us, our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and women caretakers, also advocate for us and remain in us, even if they have passed away. On this Mother’s Day, as we celebrate all women who have been watching over us throughout the years, may the Holy Spirit bless them now and always.

     The parable of the Good Samaritan tells us everything we need to know about the low opinion the Jewish people of Jesus’ day had for Samaritans. When Jesus wanted to teach them how wide the definition of neighbor is when commanding them to love their neighbor as themselves, He chose a Samaritan to illustrate his point. Philip learned the lesson well, for soon after being chosen as a deacon, he set out for Samaria to preach the Good News and heal those who were sick in mind, body, or spirit. Not only that, the Apostles Peter and John, made haste to lay their hands on the Samaritans that Philip baptized to ensure that they had received the Holy Spirit. Jesus commanded His disciples to be His witnesses to the ends of the Earth, to all peoples everywhere with love and the Spirit. They put Jesus’ command into action.

Love, Peace, Joy,

Fr. Bob

Just a reminder that the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (40 days after Easter) has been moved to the Seventh Sunday of Easter; next weekend. Therefore, Thursday is not celebrated as a Holy Day of Obligation.