THE 18TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - JESUS FEEDS THE HUNGERS OF THE MANY; PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY, INTERPERSONALLY, - AND STILL DOES TODAY !!!!!...........

Matthew's Gospel focuses on attention on this 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time on the miraculous Feeding Ministry of Jesus, in providing for the multitude of people who came to Him and His Apostles, seeking to have their hunger fed.  Yet the feeding Jesus instructs the Apostles to prepare what Matthew describes as the,"five thousand men",(not mentioning the likely comparable, or greater, number of women and children) to receive, is much more than a physical meal of bread and fish.  It is indeed as much a feeding of their souls, in the spiritual food of God's grace and love.  Jesus seeks to feed the whole person, not only a portion of the human body.  As the Christ of Creation, Jesus the Lord, cares deeply about the needs of Humankind, for whom He came into the World, to be the Reconciler of with the Divine GodHead.  Thus the Gospel Story we hear proclaimed today, is the caring, compassionate, loving, and gracious, outreach ministry of a Shepherd, a Savior, who comes to feed the wholiostic, bodies and souls, of the truly hungry.  It is an interpersonal, communal interaction intersecting with the physical with the spiritual.  And by feeding this immense multitude of desperately hungry humans, Jesus sets an uniequivocal example for His Catholic-Christian Disciples.  We too, are meant to Feed the wholistic hungers of those in need, as one of focuses of our Community of Believers' ministry to the poor, needy, hungry, and homeless persons in our midst.  Some of the most effective of those parish communal feeding ministries are multiplied throughout the twenty counties of Northern / Superior California, that comprise the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento.  Having served as the Sacramento Diocesan Food Bowl Committee Chairman for ten years, 1991-2001; I can attest personally and pastoral to how assiduously and effectively, these parishioner and community-wide volunteers carry out the feeding ministries in their geographical areas.  During my watch over the Food Bowl, we focused $500,000.00 in annual Lenten alms collected and contributed to help fund upwards of three dozen independent feeding ministries, under the umbrella of our ministry.  We strategically donated those monies as widely as possible to maximize the outreach accomplished by each of the feeding ministries involved.  Among those that stood out for their need and resourcefulness during that decade were the St. Anne's Parish, Meadowview Food Locker, the Our Lady of Lourdes St. Peter Claver Kitchen, The Anderson-Cottonwood Food Locker, and the Eastern Plumas Ecumenical Feeding Ministry.  And today, in the decade since my tenure with the Food Bowl Ministry ended, the need for feeding the hungry, as well as the number of outreach ministries, addressing the increasing need have grown.  As you celebrate this summer Sunday, and enjoy the meals and snacks, this day affords you, Ask - How am I helping to Feed the wholistically real hungers of the poor, marginalized, and truly needy in your locality and within your Community of Believers ?  What feeding ministry is your parish or congregation providing, and in what way will you contribute your time, talents, and treasure as your stewardship of Creation, to answer the hungers of others, presented to you ???????????...........In Christ Jesus Our Wholistically Feeding Lord And God,   Fr.  Troy

I AM IN NEED OF AN 8PM SUNDAY INFUSION THERAPY VOLUNTEER TONIGHT, IN THE OLOL RECTORY.  CAN YOU ? WILL YOU ?? HELP ME ???...........925-5313  fr.tdp