Welcome! Our parish exists to meet the needs of its members. We worship together as a community of believers. We support one another’s values and beliefs. We nurture the faith of our members in a variety of ways including adult education programs, a parish school grades Pre-K through 8, and religious education for students enrolled in public or private schools,
3615 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-235-5136 Fax: 410-467-9503
Email us at: SFABalt@archbalt.org
ESTABLISHED IN 1927
Join us for weekend in-person Masses: Sat. 5 PM & Sunday at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 AM
The 5 PM Saturday Mass is also taped and available on YouTube on Sundays
beginning at 9 AM at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxepr_yFxjPabZPn_WN-nHg
or on our Facebook page. Weekday Masses are M-F at 7:30 AM and on Sat. at 9 AM.
Confessions are heard every Sat. from 4-4:30 PM. All are welcome here!
July 24/25, 2021 Homily for Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Eucharist: It’s Him-Continually Giving!…
INTRO: I got my leg lacerated as my dog, Bella, swerved to get a ball while jumping into the pool and hit a nearby ceramic potted plant which splattered and cut into my leg, instantly causing bleeding with a deep cut: Aaghh!
We quickly bandaged it and it kept bleeding: Hospital visit? Yes! I got to the Patient First Center and found my pants' leg filled with blood. I dripped more. I went to get an Xray and dripped blood all the way. When the doctor saw me, she said it was a good cut—times five.
She began stapling and it bled more-she said I was good “bleeder”. Finally it stopped, and I got well!
This reminds me of Jesus and His Eucharist- but…He is continually giving, eternally, His Body and Blood in the Mass. Eucharist: Its Him, Continually Giving!
Think of the Sun-it keeps giving. And Victoria Falls-never stops. Kinda likewise, Jesus keeps giving Himself, especially in the Mass!
He is still giving—Himself, in every Mass we celebrate !
The Miracle of multiplication-First Reading and Gospel (Jn. 6) clearly show God feeds His people.
Every Catholic should know, memorize St. John Ch 6: He states several times It IS Him!
Recent New York Times article (See link below) is like an advertisement for Mass and The Real Presence: one man gives a ton of money to promote Mass, Eucharistic adoration, and a lady who withdrew from Communion for a decade and then got an annulment began coming back and wept because of the ability and mercy and transformation to receive Our Lord! –Do you have this same kind of desire?!!
Why do we “go to Mass” –even on vacation? At Little Orleans, “remote-out there,” a guy looked up online Masstimes.com where Mass was and he came-to
Eucharist is…
Real Presence-IT is, truly His Body and Blood Soul and Divinity, not a symbol!
Sacrifice = CatechismCatholic Church # 1366—HE gives Himself, as a sacrifice, in un-bloody way today!
Meal= Yes, too: Importance of “Sunday Assembly” = (Bk. Of Heb.) – It is still a sin to miss Sunday Mass without important cause: Why?! Because Jesus and our Community gathering!
Be clean within to receive Him: Confession? The Blessed Virgin Mary held Him in her womb-are you Immaculate, like her?
“Ritual– music and silence prayerful composure standing kneeling sitting praising = all acts of worship we need to revive our bodies and souls- So, soak in the graces of God and the foreshadowing of Heavenly realities—we need to keep doing this! Ritual = “repeated acts of devotion to loving God and changing self”- we do all kinds of rituals like in medicine we take and making meals—so, why not Eucharist-Mass? It’s good, needed … And, whether the Pope or a prison chaplain or “foreign priest” says Mass, it’s always the Same Mass- Christ’s Real Presence, no matter the homily, music, or occasion.
Now Consider…
1-Feelings: Don’t be “hijacked” your by your feelings – “I don’t feel anything” or “There’s no fireworks in the Mass so I don’t wanna go” etc , He’s there, in the Mass and Eucharist no matter how drab or excited you feel—“I will not leave you orphan” Jesus says.
2-Repetition: People might say, today, Well, He did that (Mass) long ago, once for all and we need not do it today: No, He said, “Do this in memory of Me.” And St. Paul says “Whenever you celebrate the Eucharist…” (I Cor.) Many saints attended frequent Masses and this is recommended by the Church if possible—remember-He’s continually giving.
3-Hypocrisy? Some people object that people sin and then come to Mass and are hypocritical. Yes, we have them in church, at Mass and we could use one more!
St. Augustine says, “Receive what you believe. Eat what you receive. Become what you eat.”
Peace in Christ the Priest +Fr. Jack Lombardi - Pastor
Link to New York Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/us/catholic-communion-eucharist.html
