From the Desk of Father Mark - Our Pastor
July 14, 2024
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Jesus instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick - no food, no sack, no money in their belts."

This instruction of Jesus, to take nothing for the journey goes against my inclination of always being prepared. However, unexpected things can occur when we allow the Holy Spirit to take charge frequently.

Last weekend, our summer mission speaker, Fr. Raj, spoke at our Masses. He was well received by you, thank you. His talk on the caste system was interesting and I learned a lot from it. The talk generated questions for me I had not considered.

When Fr. Raj arrived, I asked him if he needed to go to the store. He said he did, so I figured I would take him to Jewel or Mariano’s. He said he wanted to go to the Indian Grocery on 95th Street. I did not even know there was an Indian Grocery on 95th Street! Once inside, I discovered foods of which I knew nothing. If I had to do my monthly grocery shopping there, I would have to relearn how to eat.

When Jesus instructed his disciples to take nothing for the journey, it was so they would be open to learning, discovering, and realizing things they never knew were possible. As Christians, we are called to more than our ordinary experiences. We are called to imagine us the way God sees us. We only catch a glimpse of that when we leave behind what we have, and are, and follow him.

“If the new is to be born, the old has to die. It is the law of the place. For the best to happen, the worst must stop happening - the worse we are, the worse we do. But, maybe, it is not as difficult as it sounds. It was a criminal within minutes of death who said, ‘Jesus, remember me’ and that turned out to be enough. ‘This day you will be with me in Paradise’ was the answer he managed to hear.” - Frederick Buechner

Have a great week!

Fr. Mark Walter
Pastor of Our Lady of the Ridge - St.Linus Parish