Pastor’s Notes

Bearing the Image

“You remind me of your old man.”  I loved to hear that in our little Iowa hometown on a recent trip.  Those who remember what my Father looked like move me with their compliment.   Genealogy completed!  We usually moved into stories trusted only to family.

What really bears the image of God? This is the question of the Gospel of Matthew. The answer… every human being according to the Book of Genesis. But wait.  There is more! We the “ecclesia”…the Church…the gathered disciples of Christ Jesus … according to Saint Paul.

“Give to Caesar then what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” Nothing gives the Holy One more pleasure than dedicated service from people who give themselves wholly and entire to him. Jesus opponents agree.  They are amazed and walk away.

We continue that tradition in the footsteps of Jesus, announcing the TRUSTWORTHINESS OF GOD’S care. We print it,  after all, on the front of our US coins… ”IN GOD WE TRUST.”  Trust allows us to do the Father’s work, that “gift of faith and labor of love.”  It animates us to gather into the Kingdom of God everyone drawn with us to that great mystery.

“Our mission … “should we decide to accept it,” Is to take the Good News at every corner of the world and into every gathering of God’s people. It invites us to be a yeast that transforms the violence of our world into the image the reign of God. Not necessarily bringing new blood into our church… but transforming our world into the likeness of Jesus’ humanity.

The partnered “Together We Go Forth/ Juntos Sigamos Adalante” Campaign of Saint Mary’s and our Bishop Olmsted moves into the final weeks.  We invite every parishioner to consider a gift in loving generosity. It will move us forward in caring for this ancient Basilica and our common mission of bearing the face of our ancient and loving God.

A gentle week,
Fr. Michael Weldon, OFM