As we sit on our deck, sipping tea, we silently watch two little sparrows perch upon our bird feeder. Suddenly a squawking Stellar jay swoops down upon them. Startled, they both lose their balance. For a moment, it looks as if they might fall. Instead they swiftly wing their way to the protective branches of our giant oak. Soon the satisfied jay noisily flies away and the little birds return again to eat the seed provided for them.

Jesus, in today’s Gospel, tells us: “Fear no one”. He says that, just as Our Heavenly Father takes care of even the smallest of birds, He watches over us. Jesus repeats: “So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows”. Our Father’s love embraces and protects each of us, His children, chosen by Him as His own before the beginning of time.

Today is Father’s Day. Together we reminisce about our Dads. Though Charlie and Joe were different in many respects, they held in common their strong, unwavering faith; their love for and deep commitment to their wives and children; a wonderful sense of humor; perseverance in trials; a glorious smile along with eternal optimism. Their example has made us who we are and has had a positive influence upon our children and grandchildren.

To be a Dad is a beautiful gift and an awesome responsibility. Finding the right balance between needed discipline and total acceptance requires a heart open and not afraid of being broken. A Dad who loves unconditionally shows us the love Our Father has for us. He may not always approve of his children’s choices; but there is nothing they could ever do that would stop a Dad from forgiving, encouraging and loving them. Thank your Dads—those here on earth and those now in Heaven. We wish each of you a Happy Father’s Day.

You will find cards in the vestibule of the Church to have him remembered in the Holy Sacrament of the Mass offered at St. Robert’s in observance of Father’s Day.

I would like to thank everyone who attended my farewell liturgy and reception. I would also like to thank everyone who prepared the reception. It was a very special day. I am very grateful and will cherish it forever.

As you know, the choir usually rehearses on Wednesday nights, but for the summer, we will not be meeting. Although they will have a sabbatical from rehearsal, the choir will continue to sing on Sundays. Due to vacation schedules, our numbers will be light. The choir would appreciate reinforcements from out in the pews. Some of you have joined us on occasion, and I hope that you can do so again. We will meet at 9:00 AM prior to the 9:30 Mass. Any week the spirit moves you to come and sing we would be glad to have you. For those of you who regularly attend the 11:30 Mass, I’m sure Manny would welcome you to sing with his group.

A second and final planning/organizing meeting has been scheduled this coming Saturday, June 25th, at 10:00 a.m. in the Mahoney Room. The agenda will be to finalize a time, day of the week, meeting space, type of meeting and the volunteer to liaison with Central Office as we establish an AA meeting here in our parish.

A Dad’s Love

We list the names of the people that we have been asked to pray for during the week. We continue to ask each week that parishioners pray for the chronically ill of our parish.

If you have a friend or loved one in need of our parish prayers please call the Rectory at 589-2800.

Also, please remember our Emergency prayer network that prays for specific intentions that require a concerted effort due to their critical nature. To facilitate the network, please call Michele Pipinich at 589-4963. The network people then pray frequently for the next 72 hours. We would appreciate a return call with the outcome so we can praise God for His faithfulness.

The Cost of Discipleship
The readings this weekend are quite different from last weekend. We hear Jeremiah complain to God about being persecuted, though the passage ends with his praising God and reaffirming his trust. The gospel has Jesus warning the Twelve of the danger to come. Our Tuesday scripture group talked about the role of a prophet, to speak the truth to those in power, whether they were religious leaders or civil leaders, and how very difficult it was to have been called by God to such a role. The prophet was despised by everyone since he was disrupting the status quo by challenging the way things were. The prophet didn’t usually predict the future; he was concerned about the present, about justice for widows and orphans, about honestly keeping God’s law. Even people who were being oppressed often had trouble with prophets because – bad as things were -they were used to their position in society. The possibility of change is unnerving, even to some of us today.

Jesus, of course, suffered the ultimate end of a prophet, being put to death by those who saw him as changing the way things were. He confronted the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and their fixation on the externals of the Law; he “hung out” with those deemed unclean by these religious leaders, promising them the kingdom (which the Pharisees and others figured belonged to them). He didn’t directly confront the Romans, the occupiers; he cured the son of one of the centurions, changing him from an oppressor to a believer, we might assume. How a ruler backed by the immense power of the Roman empire could feel threatened by a vagabond from a backwater town is difficult to imagine. Yet they felt threatened by him and so needed to get rid of him. And how about us? Are we called in some sense to be prophets? Do I only live out my Christian principles when it’s comfortable? What is my response when my faith commitment as a Catholic urges me to speak out? If there is blatant injustice in my workplace, do I say something?

Do I refuse to challenge a demeaning comment out of fear or embarrassment? Does my silence imply agreement with something with which I actually disagree? How open am I to someone who proposes a change? Do I assume that any change will be disastrous? Let us pray for openness this week: openness to God’s call to be prophetic in our own lives and openness to the prophets God sends us to help us see things differently.