Pastor's Note from Fr. Szparagowski 📝 - [August 2nd Bulletin]

Dear St. Philip Neri Family and Friends,

We give praise and thanks to God for His graces and blessings!

One of the beautiful themes that runs through today’s readings is this: God is always giving. He is always inviting. He is always feeding us.

In our first reading from the prophet Isaiah, we hear one of the most beautiful invitations in all of Sacred Scripture:

“Come to the water, all you who are thirsty. Come, receive grain and eat. Come without paying and without cost.”

What an incredible invitation! God doesn’t say,

“Earn my love first.”

He doesn’t say,

“Once you have your life together, then come.”

He simply says,

“Come.”

Come if you’re thirsty. Come if you’re hungry. Come if you’re tired. Come if you’re discouraged. Come because I have exactly what your heart needs.

The world tells us that everything worthwhile has a price. We have to earn it, work for it, prove ourselves worthy of it. But God’s greatest gifts can never be purchased. His mercy, His forgiveness, His grace, His love, His very life, these are given freely. The only thing God asks is that we open our hearts to receive them.

The second reading from St. Paul reminds us just how faithful God’s love is:

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?”

Will hardship? Will suffering? Will illness? Will disappointment? Will grief? Will death? St. Paul answers with confidence: Nothing. Absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sometimes we may walk away from God. Sometimes we may close our hearts. Sometimes we wonder where God is during difficult moments. But God never walks away from us. His love is constant. His love is faithful. His love never runs out.

That brings us to today’s Gospel. Matthew tells us that Jesus had just received heartbreaking news: His cousin, John the Baptist, had been executed by Herod. John wasn’t simply another prophet. He was family. He was the one who prepared the way for Jesus. He was the one who baptized Him in the Jordan River. He had remained faithful to God, even to the point of giving his life.

The Gospel says that when Jesus heard this news, He got into a boat and withdrew to a deserted place by himself. The Gospel doesn’t tell us exactly what Jesus did there, but perhaps He simply wanted some quiet. Perhaps He wanted time to pray. Perhaps He wanted to grieve the loss of His cousin.

That moment reminds us of something very important. Jesus truly shared our humanity. Jesus knew what it was like to lose someone He loved. He knew sadness, disappointment, tears and the ache of grief. Sometimes we can think of Jesus as almost untouched by human emotions, but today’s Gospel reminds us that He possessed a real human heart. He understands our losses because He experienced loss Himself.

And yet, something remarkable happens. The crowds follow Him. His quiet time is interrupted. Instead of sending them away in frustration, Jesus looks upon them with compassion. Even in His own sorrow, His heart remains open to others. Then He feeds them.

What Isaiah promised in the first reading becomes reality in the Gospel. God feeds His people freely. No one pays. No one earns it. Everyone receives.

The miracle points beyond itself. Every time we gather for the Eucharist, Jesus does exactly the same thing. He sees our hunger—not just for bread, but for peace, forgiveness, hope, purpose, and love. Then He feeds us—not with ordinary bread, but with His very Body and Blood. He satisfies the deepest hunger of the human heart.

Only Christ’ living water can quench our thirst. Only His Bread of Life can satisfy our hunger. Only His love can give us lasting peace.

Open your heart to receive the One who never stops giving Himself to you. That same Lord who mourned the loss of His cousin... who had compassion on the crowds... who multiplied the loaves and fishes... now invites each one of us to His altar.

Come and be fed by the One whose love will never fail.

I pray for you every day, especially at Mass. Please pray for me.

Please invite someone to Mass today.

St. Philip Neri, pray for us. Have a blessed week,

Fr. Szparagowski