𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐧 – 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

Dear Parishioners,

Grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you and your family.

The theme of the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B reminds us to follow God’s laws, to listen and act on God’s Word and to maintain inner purity of heart. Reflecting on these teachings help us to grow in faith and love and hope.

An important lesson to grasp – understanding the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law. In today’s Gospel, Jesus addresses the Pharisees who criticized His disciples for not following traditional rituals. Jesus responds by highlighting that true defilement comes from within, not from external practices. The Pharisees were fixated on strict observance, missing the laws true purpose, which is to bring people closer to God and enhance true freedom. Jesus emphasizes the importance of inner purity and genuine faith, urging us to focus on our hearts and relationship with God.

James encourages us to receive the words of sacred scripture with meekness and be doers of it, not just hearers. He encourages us to look into the Word, make necessary adjustments and conform our lives to Christ. By doing so, we receive many blessings and experience God’s closeness.

𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫: 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐽𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑠, ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑠, 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝐺𝑢𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑢𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠. 𝐴𝑚𝑒𝑛.

 𝑹𝒆𝒗. 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒚