Pastor's Weekly Message

19th Sunday in ordinary time, 9-10 Aug 2025

Dear Fellow Saints-in-the-Making,

Joyful greetings in Christ the Lamb of God!

As we celebrate the Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time and continue our series on the Medieval Bestiary, we consider the animal most closely associated with the Lord Jesus Christ: the lamb. Indeed, from the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus is identified as the Lamb of God. St. John the Baptist describes Jesus as such to his (John’s) own disciples, among them Andrew, as incentive to leave him and follow the Lamb of God (see John 1:35-42).

It is also how Jesus is described in the Book of Revelation—29 times! The first instance of which is “the Lamb that was slain” (5:6), as above in the detail from Jan Van Eyck’s masterpiece “Altarpiece of Ghent”, where we see a lamb, whose side has been pierced with blood pouring forth. But the lamb is living and dynamic. Indeed this is the Lamb of God, standing victoriously atop the altar in Heaven with His Most Precious Blood pouring like a fountain into a chalice. Van Eyck is communicating that our Eucharistic life of faith and discipleship here on earth is ongoingly nourished by the Risen Lamb Who reigns in Heaven that not even death could defeat and is fulfilled in the Adoration of the Lamb for all eternity.

Fitting to speak about Jesus as the Lamb of God as we roll out Flocknote, our new parish-wide communications system.  It has taken us some time to switch from Constant Contact to Flocknote, due to the required data input. Thanks to our office staff for their exceptional work in getting this up and running and thank you for your patience. You will soon again receive the daily Gospel in your inbox as well as other communications, including Pastor Notes, Sunday Announcements, ministry announcements and even snow closings if need be (but let’s hope not too many of those). An office staff member is introducing Flocknote to our parish family this weekend before all Masses, and if you have not already registered for receiving updates through emails with the parish, you will be given information on how to register and how to unsubscribe if you choose. Flocknote is a more secure system, allows us to promote the Gospel and the parish mission in ways we were not electronically able to do before, and is Catholic-owned and -operated. Flocknote reminds us that we are all lambs of the flock of the Good Shepherd the Lamb of God.

God love you! I do.

Fr. Lewis