Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Epiphany Family, 

I had a very restful and relaxing vacation with my family in the Smoky Mountains. Even though it is never easy to return from vacation, I am glad to be back to be with my new family here. I do wish it were easier to greet, meet, and get to know all of you but let’s continue to pray for one another. 

The day before I came back to Toledo I decided to vacuum and clean the inside of my car. Unfortunately it is not something I do very often so there were a lot of stones, grass, dust, etc., especially on the floor. I do not get my car washed all that often either, but it is something I take care of much more often than the inside. It took me longer than I expected to do it well, sweat was pouring down, but there was satisfaction in seeing the interior of my car look much better. 

It really struck me after I finished that in our lives we might treat ourselves like I treat my car. We can be more likely to pay attention to and take care of things that are peripheral, those which we feel are more urgent than taking care of what is really going on inside of us. We let noise, busy-ness, and activity keep us living on the surface, while beneath, our hearts and souls long to grow closer to the God who loves us infinitely. It can be messy caring for our interior lives but God calls us to go deeper by encountering His mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation, crying out from our hearts to Him and seeking to be still and listen to Him more frequently in prayer, and asking for healing and guidance in areas that have wounded and challenged us. In going deeper we find true peace, the peace that Jesus offers and the world cannot give. Jesus calls us to live in friendship and freedom with him no matter what life may bring us. “Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” – St. John Paul II 

In Christ, 
Father Eric