Ann was a parishioner at St. Joseph’s for many years. She went to mass weekly up until the day she died. Ann was married to her husband for 40 years. Her kids will always remember her strength, especially when their dad died suddenly. Ann’s love for her husband never faded.
In today’s Gospel parable, Jesus is suggesting that we let the weeds in the garden grow along with the wheat till harvest time. When the question was asked: Do you want us to go immediately to pull up the weeds? The response was given: “No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until the harvest.” With this parable, Jesus is telling us clearly we are to be an inclusive church. Since its earliest days, the Church has preferred to tolerate different levels of commitment and holiness. I wonder if you can observe in your own family life different levels of commitment and holiness. Even if this is true, are we not called to love and embrace each and every member of our family.
Bev was a parishioner at St. Joseph’s since 1994. She attended weekly mass. Bev was an amazing woman who was an inspiration to anyone who knew her. Even with her blindness, she always had a positive outlook on life. She was a fun-loving spirit and had a recognizable laugh that brightened up any room. Her incredible strength was very evident during her battle to survive numerous medical issues over the last several months. She lived a fantastic life.
On this Fourth of July weekend, we are thankful for the blessings we have as Americans. Despite the struggles of wrestling in the midst of our pandemic crisis, we are thankful for what we have. We call the Fourth of July our Independence Day – our Declaration of Independence. As written in our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.“ However, at times we lose track of the founding values of our nation’s beginnings. Our sense of independence sometimes gets translated into I can do what I want. When we are not acting out of our better angels, sometimes we live as if we are even independent of God. Rather than being free, we get caught up in the shackles of our own pride and selfishness.
Barbara was a beautiful and devoted wife, loved her family and loved children. She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. Barbara raised 5 boys and 2 girls, and was always an optimist looking for the positive in every situation and person. She was loved by all, and was vital and active right up until her last days.