Happy Sunday!

This past week Fr. Jeff and I attended the annual Priest Convocation here in Flagstaff. It is always good to have time together as priests for a few days. I am grateful for Fr. Peter's assistance in covering Mass and confessions while we were out. Fr. Peter is always so generous in offering help and support when we have to be away. If you see him, please thank him for his generosity.

Happy Sunday!

Last weekend we announced our fundraiser to raise money for air conditioning for the church! Thank you so much for your generous support! I am very grateful to the Knights of Columbus who have generously offered a $75,000 matching gift. Over the years the Knights have been extremely generous in supporting the needs of the parish. They continue to be an example of good stewardship of their resources and I am grateful for their continued support. If you have not made a gift and would like to, you can do so by going online and under the "Giving" page select "Cool Gift". You are also welcome to drop a donation off at the parish office. Thank you so much!

In my parish, there was once a new employee who frequently told me she was sorry for various imperfections in her work. It could be a little tiring. I finally told her, "You know, you don't have to say 'sorry' so often." She looked me right in the eyes and said, "Father, you're right. I'm sorry" Her ear-to-ear grin betrayed that she enjoyed the irony - and that she would keep asking for forgiveness as often as she needed it.

Happy Sunday!

Happy Labor Day Weekend to everyone! Tomorrow the parish office will be closed in observance of Labor Day. We will reopen on Tuesday morning. Every now and then I like to give you an update on recent books I've read which I recommend and since it seems like it's been awhile I'd like to add that list today. This list is in no particular order.

Happy Sunday! Last week I was covering Masses at the Grand Canyon. It was beautiful to be in their chapel in the Grand Canyon Village and in the little chapel at Valle. Their community is so joyful and it was a gift for me to share the Sacraments with them. This week somehow begins September! I can't believe how time flies. Our school year is well underway and we are gearing up for the catechetical year to start. Please keep all of our youngsters in prayer. I am grateful for our awesome school staff and Religious Education staff. Mrs. Thompson and Cathy Carlsen do a great job leading both groups.

Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone has had a good week. This weekend I am covering Masses at the Grand Canyon while Fr. Dan Vanyo is out of town. I will be back Sunday afternoon and will see everyone next weekend.

The roof work on Nativity is coming along nicely. This part of the Nativity restoration project is very important because it helps us plan for the future restoration work. With the roof being fixed we will not have to worry about leaks that could cause further interior damage. Please keep this project in your prayers.

Does God ignore or act a bit rough with you? Jesus crosses the border into the pagan region of Tyre and Sidon, the territory long outside the covenant. There, a Canaanite woman calls out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David." At first, he is silent. Then he rebuffs her. "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." But the Church Fathers saw this not as an insult but as an initiation. Christ draws out of her heart a deeper faith.

Happy Sunday!

It is good to be back home! Thank you for your prayers while I was traveling. I had the opportunity to stop at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in Roswell, NM and offer Mass for the Poor Clare sisters there. I then went to the final vows of a religious sister in Corpus Christi. From there I went to Austin, TX for my 10-year reunion with my seminary classmates from the North American College. We were about 50 of us who were ordained and 30 of us showed up for the reunion. It was a great time to spend together, catch up on the last 10 years, and share what the Lord has been doing in our lives.

In his song, "Lose Yourself," the artist Eminem raps, "the mood all changed."

We all know that moment when the mood changes, when life turns from lighthearted to deadly serious. That happens in today's Gospel. Jesus has just heard that John the Baptist, his cousin, forerunner, and friend, has been murdered. As Matthew tells us, "When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself." Until now, he had been teaching in parables and healing quietly. But John's death signals a new phase. The shadow of the Cross begins to fall. Evil shows its teeth.