“At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for His harvest.'”

When was the last time you asked the master to send out laborers for His harvest?

Just last Tuesday was the day that priests who ended their 4-year assignment or received a new one began their new assignments and moved into their new parishes. I remember leaving my first assignment at St. Gabriel in Mentor in 2019. There was literally an earthquake in Lake County. It was a Monday in June. I also remember having the 7:00 a.m. morning Mass there that day and crying as I said good bye to people for the last time. Later that day, I arrived to my next assignment, St. Ambrose. As I was moving into the office, I said hello to the receptionist and she, all of a sudden, gave me a person’s information to anoint him at a facility. After doing that, I heard her calling my name telling me that there was no priest to have the evening Mass. So, I filled in for that....and it wasn’t even my first day there! But after that Mass, I found I was filled with joy and laughter. After looking back at that experience, I remember thinking how much God loves us and how much God provides in our lives. That just when it was so difficult to say good bye to the people I knew, it was great to say hello to the new people I was called to serve. This is all God’s grace.

As we celebrate Father’s Day, I ask all of you to ask the master to send more priests to the vineyard. We need more spiritual fathers who can help love and serve His people. As we celebrated the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, please ask Jesus to touch their hearts in a new way and bless them to have sacred hearts for His people. I also invite you to take a real moment today and pray for your fathers and your grandfathers, etc. Ask God to bless them, heal them and fill them with the Father’s love so that they can continue to be the living image of the Father on earth. Lastly, trust in who the Heavenly Father is for us. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” With His kingdom at hand, we can do the things the apostles did and more!

Happy Father’s Day,

Fr. Jeremy