As we celebrate Memorial Day weekend, we remember in our prayers all the Military and Civilian personnel who have died in defending our country with all the freedoms we enjoy. We also remember in our prayers all those on active duty with their families: may God in His goodness bring them home safely.

May we also remember all those living and deceased-our parents, godparents, grandparents, relatives and friends-who have inspired us by their faith experience and example. We remember all the priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, and lay people who have dedicated their lives that we may better understand how much God loves and cares for us.

We remember you, also, for your active participation as members of St. Robert’s parish. May you feel the warmth of God’s presence through the arms, words, prayers and Eucharistic celebration celebrated together by this faith-filled community.

Sincerely,
Wally Mooney, President St. Vincent de Paul, St. Robert’s Chapter

Junior Legion of Mary-St. Roberts Junior Legion of Mary, ages 7-17 year meets every Sunday after the 11:30 a.m. Mass in the Mahoney Room. If interested in joining the Junior Legion, contact Sister Patricia at 589-0104 or any Senior Legion of Mary member.

We continue to gather around the table – to eat bread and drink wine, the bread changed into his body and wine transformed into his blood. Sometimes we come in joy, sometimes in sorrow, perhaps even in fear, carrying our pain or our sickness, weighed down with heartbreak, or a sadness too deep for words. Sometimes we come confused, sometimes hurting, sometimes ready to give it all up or to take it all on. Sometimes we come with dreams deferred, plans defeated, expectations crushed. We might come enraged, excited, exhausted, or expectant. But we come. We come because we are a people of the table and here we know that we are part of something bigger than me or us or them. Here we can eat and be nourished and celebrate and remember the sacrifice of a new covenant.

Even though it’s Ordinary Time, we’ve tried to keep the church beautiful with flowers. Many of our parishioners live in apartments and don’t have the luxury of a garden, so they especially appreciate seeing the flowers in church. If you have some, could you please bring them to share, especially on a Tuesday or Friday when we refresh them for the days ahead? If you’d like to help arrange them, please give Sr. Sheral a call at the rectory.

The Body and Blood of the Lord

It will be wonderful to be present to celebrate the Eucharist with you this weekend. I am so grateful for your cards, messages, Mass and prayer intentions for my Mom and our family, and donations to St.Vincent de Paul and St. Anthony’s Foundation in my Mom’s memory. Please pray with me for the families of those who die unexpectedly or alone or violently. My Mom’s death was so peaceful and pain-free; I only wish this could be the case for everyone who faces death.

Today is a great feast which points to a central belief of our faith: that Jesus truly gives us himself to us in the Eucharist. It is almost too much to believe and we hear the people expressing that as they question him in today’s gospel. The Greek words (the New Testament was written in Greek) used for eating and drinking are physical words. It’s not that we think about Jesus as we receive Communion or that the bread and wine merely reminds us of the Last Supper. Jesus uses the symbol of bread and wine for the giving of himself because he wants to be food for us. And a symbol always points beyond itself as does the bread and wine. Symbolic doesn’t mean unreal, but rather standing for something so real that it is difficult to express and difficult for our limited minds to grasp.

Bread and wine are the basic stuff of life: every living thing needs to eat and drink. Each culture has some form of bread and wine; every person of whatever age, income, status or size needs food and drink. Food becomes part of us; in receiving the Lord, we become part of him, taking on his values, trying to love the people he loved: the poor, the outcast, those “different” from ourselves.

This feast may remind us of those who don’t have this most basic necessity, food. We who are (rightly) watching what we eat might want to keep a jar in the kitchen for the change we receive each time we go shopping. We could invite the children or grandkids to contribute as well from their allowance or birthday money. Once you have a decent amount to contribute, you might want to donate it to Oxfam at 800-77-OXFAM or www.oxfamamerica.org. This group has gained a reputation for consistent long-term partnerships with poor communities to help them develop practical, lasting solutions to hunger, poverty, and social injustice. For example, Oxfam has funded small loans to 60,000 poor Vietnamese women to start small businesses. Bread for the World at www.bread.org also works to help hungry people through domestic and international legislative efforts, spearheading efforts to fully fund WIC for women and children, for example. Both groups have worked tirelessly to encourage the rich nations of the world to forgive the debt of the most destitute nations. What fitting thanks to God for the gift of the Eucharist which means thanksgiving!