At the school’s live steamed Mass on Wednesday Fr. Erik asked us to allow prayer to be the source of our strength. He was pulling from the Gospel reading in John where we hear that Jesus prays for us; for us to be protected and share in his joy completely.
About a week before the quarantine and distance learning began I had asked Fr. Gino if he would be so kind as to give me some prayers/reflections as things were already getting weird. He graciously agreed, letting the Holy Spirit guide him as to what the focus of the prayers would be. Breath/breathing was what he came back with a week later. With Pentecost this Sunday, and Fr. Erik’s homily fresh in my memory, this seemed a fitting time to share what arose in Fr. Gino’s heart as he prayed over my request.
“Wrestle with [these Bible verses] for what they are, and let the Holy Spirit be the one who ultimately speaks and interprets the Word beyond that which I wrote,” said Fr. Gino’s accompanying note. The reflections ground themselves with how we need to fit our own oxygen mask first (think of those instructions on an airplane before it takes off) before we can take care of others. These Gospel passages are our oxygen masks where the Holy Spirit breathes into us and becomes the source of our strength. I hope you find them as helpful as I did. Thank you Fr. Gino.
- Luke 6:12-13 (Jesus fit his own oxygen mask first by “[departing] to the mountain to pray” before venturing to select the “poor” for his missions; his disciples)
- Matthew 14:13 (Jesus fit his own oxygen mask first by “[withdrawing] in a boat to a deserted place by himself” before serving the hungry through the miracle of the multiplication of bread and fish)
- Matthew 14:23 (Once again, Jesus fit his own oxygen mask first by “going up on the mountain by himself to pray” before joining his disciples in the pandemic storm where he performed yet another healing miracle)
Bishop Essay
by Yaya
27 Years! WOW, that’s a lot of time working with Jesus Christ. There are lots of bishops out there but you are one of the best I have ever met. Sacred Heart Academy will miss you. I wish you had visited Sacred Heart more.
I have a question for you. Will you still be a priest or are you retiring for good? I am excited for the new bishop! Hopefully the new bishop is great like you!
Congratulations on your new path and journey. Thank you for guiding us and being a part of our path to Jesus. Best wishes.
God bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister
5th Grade Aide/4th Grade Religion