Since the sudden passing of our Parish Manager, John Krolikowski, on July 5th at his own family’s Pennsylvania homestead, we have been trying to proverbially “hold down the fort” at St. Vincent’s. John shouldered quite a bit of responsibilities in many areas of parish administration, and I am grateful to God for having allowed him to be part of our lives, albeit briefly, and serve us diligently these past five years. The recent workload has been made easier by our parish Director of Technology, Phil Bukowski and the volunteer help of Deacon Bruce Turnbull, who gave up his vacation time to assume some of the responsibilities of the office. I am grateful to all of those who offered their services to assist us during this most difficult period of our history. Since we must continue the tremendous amount of work that goes into running a parish the size and scope of ours, I have appointed Deacon Bruce Turnbull as John’s successor in that position, effective immediately. He is the husband of our Family Life and Women’s Ministry Coordinator, Karen Turnbull, and he brings a lot of talent, skill and experience with him, and has been a recognizable figure in our parish life. He has just concluded a four-year stint as Dean of Students at Pope John Paul II High School in Boca Raton, I pray that he will have the stamina to deal with the many demands that will be placed upon his shoulders, and will receive the solid cooperation of all the parish staff in helping me run the parish. May God bless him in this unique role to which he has been called, and protect and guide him in his work.

Many years ago, there used to be a television show called “The Millionaire.” Each episode began when a stranger showed up at someone’s home with a check for a million dollars (No, it wasn’t Ed McMahon). The plot developed as the recipient tried to decide what to do with all the sudden, unearned wealth. This Sunday’s Mass Readings clearly cast us in the role of those people who answered the door. All three readings paint God as the generous giver who constantly showers us with unexpected gifts. In the first reading, the Chosen People suffering in exile are promised an abundance of everything they need in their own homeland. In the second one, St. Paul extols God’s enduring love to the believers in Rome. In the Gospel, Jesus feeds a huge throng with a few loaves and fish.

So, a curious question arises in the first reading when the prophet, Isaiah promises free food and drink. The people who enjoy this won’t have to pay a cent! “Why spend your wages on what fails to satisfy?” Perhaps this question is harder to see when asked of them than when asked of us. In our materialistic society, we are urged and tempted at every turn to “buy! buy! buy!” But, we happen to live in a world where literally billions of people go to bed hungry every night; where vast numbers of people do find themselves in dire financial and related circumstances that are not always of their own doing and are definitely beyond their own control. Even if all the people of our parish pooled their resources, probably we would hardly make a dent in meeting their needs. Yet, Jesus’ call remains clear. He insisted that to serve the needs of the less fortunate is to serve the Lord’s own needs!

In the Gospel, Jesus’ disciples worry that it’s getting late and the crowd (and they) are getting hungry. In response, Jesus asks the disciples why they don’t feed the crowd themselves. Their answer is similar to ours: “What can we do to help such vast numbers of people in need?” Since they were incapable of doing it themselves, He produced the answer, but used the disciples to reach out to feed the hungry. It’s really the same for us. We are incapable of doing the massive work ourselves, but if we’re to be true disciples of Jesus, then we must be used in whatever way He wishes to use us, as when He said, “Bring me what you have.” So, we bring ourselves to the table of the Lord, He feeds us, and expects us to go out to feed the needs of others. He doesn’t ask us to solve the world’s problems, but just to give what we can really afford, such as a bit of cash we might have otherwise spent selfishly; an hour or two with someone who is grieving; a bit of our time and talent to help in some service organization; a bit of God’s love extended to someone who is lonely or sick.

Jesus asks us to grasp what the disciples couldn’t: We don’t have to do it alone. He can work wonders with whatever we are willing to give unselfishly. Just look at what He did with the little bit of bread and fish! Just allow yourself to be His hands and do His work after you are nourished by His Bread, His Body!

Very Rev. Canon Tom