Imagine! If you were to have a vision, and God or an angel appeared to you and asked you to make a request for just one thing in life. What would you ask for? Would you ask for health, protection, wealth and prosperity? In our first reading today, Solomon was given such a rare opportunity to ask God for one thing in life. As a young king, Solomon had many legitimate needs. He needed wealth, military might, fame, security, prosperity, long life and happiness. But when God asked him to ask for one thing, he asked for wisdom from God to make right decisions in life. He knew that with God’s wisdom comes every other good thing he needed and desired.

Congratulations and thanks to Debbie Smith for accepting my invitation to serve as president of the Parish Finance Council for this fiscal year. Debbie has a wealth of experience in business and financial management and has served as a member of our parish finance council for over one year. I assure her of my support and look forward to serving with her through this fiscal year.

Dear Friends,

There have been predictions in recent times that many Christians will lose their faith by the end of this unprecedented pandemic. Studies have shown that most people who lose their faith during the time of crisis do so because they cannot imagine how a good God will allow bad things to happen to good people. At times like this we may ask, if God is all-powerful and all-loving, why doesn’t he intervene in the situation in the world today? Why doesn’t he remove bad people or prevent them from harming good people? Why can’t he prevent evil from the world?

In response to such questions in the Gospel today, Jesus used the parable of the wheat and weeds to explain that God is very patient and loving to both the good and bad people. He gives everyone enough opportunity to repent before the end of time. If we pay very good attention to the parable, and especially in the context of the other two parables that Jesus gives in the Gospel today, we will realize that the wheat and weeds actually reside side by side within each of us. Although we are created in the image and likeness of God, our free will causes us to be imperfect. The question we need to ask ourselves then is, “Am I perfect?” If the answer is no, then the next question is, “Should God destroy me because I am imperfect?”

Thank you to the Knights of Columbus! On behalf of the parish community, I would like to thank the outgoing Grand Knight, Doug Gasser and outgoing officers of our parish Knights of Columbus Council. I thank them for their excellent service to our parish community, the Church and the society through the year. Two historic achievements made by the Knights last year, among many others, include winning the State Knights of Columbus Star Award and the change of name from St. Benedict Council to Fr. Bob Binta Council.

I thank the families who have responded to my invitation to participate in the Offertory Gift Matching opportunity. Over 50 families from our parish have participated as of this week! Thank you again for your generous support to our parish, especially at this very challenging time. I invite those who have not yet participated to please try and do so within this week. If you are hearing this for the first time, I am glad to inform you that a generous Catholic family from outside our parish has come forward and offered to help St. Benedict through this financial challenge.

This family is offering to match, dollar-for-dollar, every new weekly/monthly gift OR increased weekly/ monthly online gift to our parish offertory – up to $29,700. That’s a generous gift that will really help our parish. Will you help us take advantage of this generous offer? Here’s instructions on how you can help – it’ll only take a couple minutes, and you would be doing your parish a huge favor.

Reflection on the Life of St Benedict

We will celebrate the feast of our patron saint, Benedict, tomorrow, Saturday, July 11th. It is a blessing to be identified with one of the greatest saints in the history of the Catholic Church. The impact of the life of St Benedict on the Church and the world through many centuries is a clear example of Jesus’ parable in the Gospel this Sunday about how someone’s life can be like a rich soil that nourishes seeds into fruitfulness. His Monastic Rule became the norm for monastic living throughout Europe and a guide for evangelization and civilization of many European countries in the Middle Ages.

I wish you all a Happy Feast Day as we celebrate the feast of our patron saint, Benedict, on Saturday, July 11 this week. Given the current crisis from the viral pandemic, we would like to observe the feast of St Benedict this year as a Parish Day of Prayer. We will begin the day with Mass at 9 am, followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and ending with Benediction at 12 noon. The Mass and Benediction will be live-streamed on our parish YouTube channel. I encourage those who are not able to attend the event in person to join us online and also to recite a Rosary or off er other prayers. In addition to your personal prayer intentions, we ask everyone to include the following as our community intentions:

1. For healing of the sick, especially those affected by the Coronavirus and for an end to the pandemic.

Happy Fourth of July

I wish you and your family a happy Fourth of July as we celebrate our Independence Day on Saturday this weekend. Obviously, this may be about the most low-keyed fourth of July celebration in decades due to the new restrictions put in place to control the spread of the Coronavirus. Despite the current tension rising from the spiteful political campaigns that we see on television, street protests and economic challenges due to the viral pandemic, the fourth of July celebration is a constant reminder that the labor of our past heroes will never be in vain. What binds us as one nation is stronger than what divides us. Let us remember to pray this weekend for all who work for peace, unity and justice in our country. In a special way, let us remember to pray for the heroes of this country who gave their lives to give us the freedom and prosperity that we enjoy today and for those who risk their lives every day to protect us.

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Summer of 2020! I remembered earlier in the year, most of us were excited when we were told that the Coronavirus will not survive the Arizona summer heat. Unfortunately, the virus has surprised us with the recent increase of new cases even as we move toward the peak of the summer heat. This virus has not given us any time to catch our breath since the outbreak in March, hitting us on all sides. The financial impact on our parish has been significant, as you can see from our weekly offertory report in our bulletin. In the midst of all these, the Lord has not abandoned us. He has surprised us with a reason to keep our hope high.

I’m pleased to share that a generous Catholic family from outside our parish has come forward and offered to help St. Benedict Catholic Church with a matching gift up to $29,700 through August 31!

I want to share with you some good news! This year has not been what we expected it to be. I miss being able to have all of you physically present at public Masses and getting to see you and your families like I used. Not having everyone together has been a challenge. But, just as the Lord can surprise us with unexpected challenges, He can also surprise us with good news and much needed help from unexpected sources. And that is what He has done for us! I’m pleased to share that a generous Catholic family from outside our parish has offered to help St. Benedict with a matching gift up to $29,700.

Happy Father's Day: I wish all fathers - biological fathers, adoptive fathers, foster fathers, grandfathers and Godfathers - a Happy Father's Day and God's blessings! We are thankful for the sacrificial love our fathers and father figures share with us throughout our lives. On this day, we honor and celebrate the indispensable role fathers play in our families and communities. Our relationship with our fathers and father figures is often a reflection of the nature of our relationship with God. Let us remember to pray for all fathers and father figures who are facing different challenges in their personal and family lives. I encourage all fathers to look up to St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Mother, as their role model. Despite his holiness, he experienced challenges as he sacrificed his own personal dreams in order to fulfill God's will by protecting his wife and child, Jesus. I pray again for God's special blessings upon you through the intercession of St. Joseph on this day.

I wish all fathers - biological fathers, adoptive fathers, foster fathers, grandfathers and Godfathers - a Happy Father’s Day and God’s blessings! We are thankful for the sacrificial love our fathers and father figures share with us throughout our lives. On this day, we honor and celebrate the indispensable role fathers play in our families and communities. Our relationship with our fathers and father figures is often a reflection of the nature of our relationship with God.

The joy of fatherhood is facing unprecedented challenges in our time, especially with the new redefinition of marriage. One can hardly talk about fathers this day without sounding “old fashion.” or offending someone. Someone once said that it is easier these days for fathers to have children than for children to have fathers. Let us remember to pray for all fathers and father figures who are facing different challenges in their personal and family lives. I encourage all fathers to look up to St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Mother, as their role model. Despite his holiness, he experienced challenges as he sacrificed his own personal dreams in order to fulfill God’s will by protecting his wife and child, Jesus. I pray again for God’s special blessings upon you through the intercession of St. Joseph on this day.

Dear Parishioners,

I hope you and your family are doing well. Recently we have learned of an increase of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations here in Arizona. During the week, I received several emails from parishioners suggesting ways to ensure the safety of everyone during Mass and office visits during this time. Most suggestions centered on wearing face masks during Mass. While some are in favor of requiring face masks, others are against the idea of mandating it. My response to this particular issue is not to take sides in any way, but to appeal for a common understanding from everyone.

Dear Friends,

This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, meaning the Body and Blood of Christ. Traditionally on this day, the Eucharist is honored by carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a solemn procession through the town, stopping several times for Benediction. This custom is still encouraged and practiced in many countries throughout the world. With the celebration of Corpus Christi, we now begin the full Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Calendar, which will last until the season of Advent begins in November.

Dear Friends,

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is difficult for many people to understand or accept. The Church teaching states that there are three distinct persons in one God but with one nature. Not three Gods, but one God, manifesting himself in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is a mystery; a mystery is something we cannot fully understand. We may have an idea or awareness, but we cannot truly explain it to ourselves or others. One of the most common analogies that illustrates the nature of three persons in one God is water. Water can exist in the form of solid ice, liquid or vapor. Each form can be converted to the other, but it remains the same water. Although not a perfect analogy, this gives us an idea of the nature of the Trinity.

Dear Parishioners,

Happy Pentecost! We have now come to the end of Eastertide with the celebration of Pentecost this weekend. I thank you for your faithful participation in the Eastertide this year. May the coming of the Holy Spirit bring God's peace and healing to our troubled world, especially during this time of pandemic.