July 9th, 2023 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary time

Christ is the model for humility, for He has come to us not to be served but to serve and give his life in ransom for the many.  When we walk humbly with God, we commit ourselves to doing the Lord’s own will more than our own. When we submit to Christ’s authority, Christ’s dominion in our lives, God’s plan is our blueprint, not our own.

The two women who are the patronesses of our parish are shining examples of humility. At OLA Church, we have our Blessed Mother as our patroness. Mary called herself a mere handmaiden of the Lord, and she was totally committed to letting the Word and will of God be done in her throughout her life, even if it meant that eventually a sword of sorrow would pierce her heart as she witnessed her Son’s passion and crucifixion. The patroness of St. Maria Goretti Church, whom we honor this week, was a very young woman who only wanted to serve her Lord and her family. For Maria, that meant doing very hard work for her farming household, and eventually suffering martyrdom at the hands of someone seeking to violate her chastity. Maria even served her assailant by forgiving him on her deathbed and while he was in prison. The truth is that the only fame our two patronesses sought was to be known as a humble servant of God and a faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus to the very end.