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Gospel: John 10: 1-10
Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There are many things that make our parish unique.
There’s the SPX Café, which week after week is filled with tasty, home-baked treats. There’s the newly installed playground and basketball court, which is used by children, from toddlers to teens.
Then there’s our name tags. I ask our staff and ministry leaders, in particular, to wear them, (and I’m sure by now some of them are quite tired of them)!
But our name tags remind us of who we are and what we believe. It contains the three pillars of our mission: Building Community. Worshiping God. Making Disciples.
And by extension, these name tags represent our vision statement: All generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!
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This week, our entire parish “journeyed together.” Twenty-seven of us journeyed physically to Fatima, while others journeyed virtually. But we were all on this journey together.
On Thursday, we celebrated Mass in the Chapel of the Apparitions, where Our Lady first appeared to three children on May 13, 1917. Then we received the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady, when Mary began to “journey” with us.
We brought her to the airport in her white leather suitcase and strapped her safely in her seat, 60E, the middle seat in the very last row on the plane.
When she was brought in procession into our church, her long journey was complete. Because of her participation in our parish vision – “journeying together” – she deserves her own name tag. (I’ve written it for her, Our Lady of Fatima, SPX).
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In the Gospel, Jesus calls us his sheep. Why not something with a little more vigor? Out of all the animals in the animal kingdom, we’re “sheep”?
Yes.
Sheep are defenseless. They have no way of defending themselves. They have no venom, no claws, no fangs, no paws. When attacked, they literally run around in a big circle, hoping not to be nature’s next snack!
This is why being isolated, or separated from the flock, is so dangerous.
The strength of a sheep depends upon two things:
Their closeness to their shepherd.
And, therefore, staying with the flock.
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This is the message that Our Lady of Fatima brings us: “I am from heaven.” She will bring us closer together, and closer to her Son.
There’s one way, in particular, that Mary will do this: the rosary.
While we were in Fatima, we went through the museum, which houses countless articles of devotion. But what struck me were the rosaries donated to Our Lady.
There was the rosary of John Paul II, which he died with in his hands. The rosary of his successor, Benedict XVI. The rosaries of Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia, the three children whom Our Lady appeared to.
And then there was a plastic rosary, which may have cost a buck. It was the rosary of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
The lesson to me was clear: what matters is not whether your rosary is decked with pearls or gold, but whether or not it’s prayed with in faith.
If it is, then God can give you the strength to change the world.
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Perhaps its appropriate to conclude with a moment of silence. Call to mind whatever your intentions are, whatever weighs on your heart.
We will place these intentions, together, into the hands of Our Lady as we pray:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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