The Lord has assured us of His salvation and that His word will be fulfilled. The first reading shows the people of Israel looking back at their history and discovering how God has always been faithful. This fact gives them courage and hope for the future. The gospel invites us to be constantly vigilant, to be found always ready for the Lord who comes to bring liberation. He may come whenever we least expect Him. The second reading speaks of Abraham and Sarah, models of faith in God. They heeded the voice of God, and always responded readily; they believed his salvation even when all appearances suggested the exact contrary. They were ever vigilant. We too, like the Hebrews, addresses of the letter of St. Paul, are at times tempted to get discouraged. We are all anxiously awaiting for the fulfillment of the promises of liberation and peace proclaimed by Jesus, but they never seem to take place. Feuds, betrayals, unfaithfulness, corruption continue unabated on the earth, in our countries, in our nations and villages, even in our Christian communities. This is the time that our faith is being tested! This is when we must continue to believe like Abraham and Sarah, happy to see now and then some sign of the full salvation that will certainly come one day. And so as Jesus urges to his disciples he also gives us the same assurance as he did to them. He says to us in the gospel, ‘’Do not live in fear, little flock.’’ And yet fear is part of our life. The only thing we have to fear then, is not fear itself, but a lack of faith!

What does the term “rich” remind us of? A happy person, with a beautiful house, a new car, many servants, who can get what he or she likes, go where he or she pleases. The gospel of today is instead showing us the rich quite differently. Jesus is telling us that whoever hoards goods for himself or herself is a “fool”, a poor person who has got everything wrong in life. The first reading prepares this theme by giving us the reflections of the wise Qoheleth on the accumulation of riches that we must then leave to others. The second reading speaks of the new clothes that the Christians is wearing. The new behavior that characterizes him or her as disciple of Christ includes also a radically different relation with riches. And so to make it more clearly, Jesus tells us a parable about a rich man who is really concerned about saving lots of material wealth—as security against hard times. Jesus wants people to understand that in God’s eyes, true security is found in spiritual, not material wealth. For if we give most of our attention to material things we don’t see the needs of people around us, and therefore, don’t try to help them. This gospel then tells us to avoid greed in all its forms. And so the assurance of all we have in life is when we use our given wealth been that of spiritual or physical with our brothers and sisters in need.

The Bible is urging us to pray always, to thank God in all states and situations of life (1Thes 5:17-18). But what is prayer exactly? What is it to pray? When should we pray? How and why should we pray? The first reading and the gospel give us the replies to these questions. In order to be able to look at the world, people, and history as God looks at them. Christians need to purify their minds and hearts and this can take place only in prayer. The second reading tells us who the Christian is. He or she is one who, through baptism, has become a member of the body of Christ. Being in Christ, the disciple prays like the Master. And so all of this leads to an important conclusion. What is new or special about the prayer is not the nature or number of the petitions within the prayer. After all, the Jews often prayed that God’s name might be hallowed and that his will might be done. Psalm 51 from the Old Testament is an eloquent and fervent prayer for forgiveness which preceded the prayer for forgiveness in the “Our Father.’’ What is special about the prayer is the unique way in which Jesus addresses God. He called upon the Lord, the almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, the judge of the living and the dead as “Father.’’ And not exactly as “Father,’’ but as “Abba,’’ which means “Papa’’ or “Dad.’’ It was the way in which a little child, with intimate love and pure familiarity, addressed his parent. Of all the many words of Jesus which are recorded in the Gospels, surely “Abba’’ is among the most sacred. And yet we are invited, actually we are told, to address God as “Abba,’’ our Loving Father. The reason we can do so is that God has given us new life in company with Christ. It is the family life of the Blessed Trinity, the life we received at Baptism when we were made members of the Church, God’s family here on earth. Thus, whatever our posture or gestures may be during the Lord’s prayer at Mass we must realize how blessed we are to address God as Jesus did, to call him our “Abba.’’

Today’s first reading and the gospel are both linked by the theme of hospitality. The ever-ready and gratuitous hospitality is the symbol of all forms of service to our neighbors. The attention and kind generosity shown by Abraham towards the three visitors is a good example. The tale of Martha and Mary stresses instead that every service, even service to Christ, cannot be separated from listening to the Word. St. Paul is a model of service to his fellows. Few people were capable of loving like him, because few are those who have been so close to the word of God. This is the teaching from the second reading. “You are right, Martha, you are right! Don’t get excited!” replied Jesus, as if huddling in expectation of a beating, and smiling entered the kitchen followed by Mary. The two sisters then gave him an apron and told him to watch the fire under the pot with the chicken, inviting him to tell them the news from Galilee... Mary represents all women in the Church, but in a larger sense she is a model for everyone. We are called to be disciples of Jesus, to offer him the warm hospitality he experienced in that home in Bethany, to listen to him as intently as did Mary, to make him the priority of our lives, and to allow nothing and no one to deprive us of our relationship with him. Abraham in other hand, offered hospitality to the angels who were messengers from God. We are urged to offer hospitality to Jesus, who is the Son of God!

Our faithfulness and love of God, we learn from the gospel of today, will be assessed on the basis of our attitude to people. The true religion is the religion of life, not the religion of just beautiful words. The Samaritan could practice it because his heart was pure and capable of harboring the feelings that God has for the human person, that is, a heart capable of compassion. The first reading is telling us that the commandments are not something imposed from outside, but spring from the inner need of our heart. Also, the second reading may be seen in line with this theme: Jesus was the first in all, even in the love for his brethren. He was the first real and authentic ‘’Samaritan’’ of humankind. For the human race was waylaid by sin. Sin had tripped us of our dignity as human beings. It had robbed us, taking from us the grace of God. It had attracted us so severely that we all were like a person who is half dead. Jesus lifted us up, not on a beast, but on his own shoulders and brought us to the Church so that we could be cared for until he returns in glory on the day of our resurrection. As we go through, sin will continue to stalk us, waiting for an unguarded moment when it can attack us in our weakness. But we need never be alone in our struggle. It is vital that we learn the lesson of today’s responsorial psalm: “Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.’’ When we turn to the Lord we will realize that he is not too mysterious and remote for us. Jesus is not merely the Good Samaritan. He is the best!

The abundance of ‘’vocations’’ in the Church, during periods when this is held in high esteem and widely acclaimed, should be looked upon with some of suspicion. The readings of today show us some episodes of ‘’vocations’’ that took place during difficult times. The first reading describes how Elisha readily and generously responded to the call of Elijah. It was the period that Ahab and Jezebel were persecuting the believers. The gospel describes Christian life as a journey done in the following of Christ. The goal of the Master is not the triumph, but the sacrifice of self in Jerusalem. Along the way he meets people who either ask or are invited to join the group of his disciples and so Jesus explicitly and clearly presents to them what is expected according to their call. The second reading tells us that to follow Christ is a free choice. The disciple is not bound to any law except the law of love. For ‘’we have been called to live in freedom, but not a freedom that gives free rein to the flesh.’’ Says St. Paul. This ‘’free rein’’ is actually a slavery. If we are addicted to drugs, to illicit sex, to avarice or violence, we are not free. Matters need not be that grave. When we allow a habit of gossip, the vice of arrogance, or a spirit of selfishness to rule us, we have in effect abused our freedom. Sin is a slavery and the opposite of freedom. In our Eucharistic acclamation we acknowledge that Jesus paid a great price for our freedom: ‘’Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free.’’ Jesus freed us from sin so that of our own free will we may love him unreservedly.

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the most Holy Body and Blood of Christ that is the ‘Eucharist’. Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum – giving his disciples his body and his blood. Jesus’ passing over to his Father by his death and resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated in the last Supper and celebrated in the Lord’s Supper, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory of God’s kingdom. This is the significant meal of Jesus. In this meal Jesus identifies the bread as his body and the cup as his blood. And so, when he commands his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he invites us to take his life into the very center of our being. That life that he offers is very life of God himself. Jesus’ death on the cross, his gift of his body and blood in the supper, and his promise to dine again with his disciples when the kingdom of God comes in all its fullness are inseparably linked. He also instructed his disciples to “do this in remembrance of me.’’ These words establish each celebration of the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist as a ‘’remembrance’’ of Jesus’ atoning death, his resurrection and his promise to return again. Our celebration of the Lord’s Supper anticipates the final day when the Lord Jesus will feast anew with his disciples in the heavenly marriage feast of the lamb and his bride. When we receive the body and blood of Christ from the Lord’s table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ. We receive healing, pardon and rest for our souls. Do we ‘celebrate’ the Eucharist knowing that it enables us to be firmly rooted in the love of Christ? ~~Fr. Paul Materu

“Pentecost Day’’ The feast of Pentecost reminds us the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus of sending of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles to help them carry out the mission entrusted to them. Just as Jesus was anointed with the Spirit at the beginning of his ministry so also the apostles needed the anointing of the Spirit to be effective in their mission. The Holy Spirit is therefore given to all who are baptized into Christ to enable them to live a new way of life–a life of love, peace, joy, and righteousness. The Holy Spirit fills our hearts with the love of God and he gives us the strength and courage we need in order to live as grace-filled disciples of Jesus. The Spirit helps us in our weakness and guides us in our pilgrimage. When we pray, the Spirit is at work in us, helping us to pray. God wants us to know him and love him and the Spirit helps us to do that. But because the Spirit works within us, we are not aware the Spirit is even there. For we cannot know much of ourselves, we cannot know Jesus Christ either, without the help of the Spirit. As Paul tells us in today’s second reading: ‘’No one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit.’’ Without the Spirit God is really unknown to us. The Spirit makes us constantly aware of God’s presence with us and God’s love for us. The Spirit helps the Scriptures come alive for us because through them God speaks to us. And so the same Spirit gives each of us different gifts to help us to know and experience God and God’s love. If we want to experience the fullness of the Spirit, then what should we do?  We need to come together, we need to worship together, we need each other, we need to share our gifts with one another. Without the Spirit we are trying to breath without air, think without light, love without fire. May this great love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with each of us. Amen. 'Wish you all Happy feast of the Holy Spirit, our Pentecost Sunday''

This document from the Office of Divine Worship will help answer some of your initial questions regarding the ending of the mask mandate. The state officially lifted the indoor mask requirement for Oregonians on March 12, 2022. Beginning Saturday, March 12, 2022, the faithful are no longer be required to wear masks in Catholic churches or while attending faith-based Catholic activities. Mask use will be optional.