18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “ This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) On this 17th Sunday in Ordinary time we hear our Lord telling us two parables about the Kingdom of God from the gospel of Mathew 13:44-52. He compares the kingdom to a treasure buried in a field which a person finds and sells all he has so that he could buy that field. He also compares the Kingdom to a merchant who sells all that he has in order to buy fine pearls. It shows how precious the Kingdom of God is! It reminds me of St. Francis of Assisi who gave up his family inheritance to follow the Lord. THANK YOU, ALICIA SILLEN: On behalf of our Parish, I thank our outgoing Administrative Assistant Alicia Sillen for her dedicated service to our parish in the last one year. She has filled our office with her sweet and gentle nature while dealing with the parishioners. John Bard, the head of our maintenance, and Alicia worked hard during the move of the Office/Rectory buildings in April of this year. As she is expecting her first child, we wish God’s blessings upon her, her husband Brandon and their whole family on both sides as they await the birth of the baby. God be with you, Alicia!  THE THEOLOGY OF THE EUCHARIST: I hope you had a great time walking through the Mass with me by reading a little bit about it each weekend. Now our focus is going to be on the very teaching of the Church on the Eucharist. Our intention of the study is to cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation and devotion to the holy Eucharist. Only when children fully understand the sacrifice of their parents, they will be ever grateful to them; or else they will take them for granted. In the same way if we fully grasp the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, our Churches would be so full every Sunday. Let us begin by refreshing the definition of the sacrament of the holy Eucharist according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1324: “The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of the Christian life”. The other sacraments and the Apostolic works are oriented towards the Eucharist. For, in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch. The Eucharist is the source of all graces. This is the sacrament in which the ordinary bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ which is the origin of all graces. A summit is understood as the pinnacle or the highest point. As the summit, the Eucharist is the highest act of worship. It is the sacramental offering of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross made present on the altar. It unites the Faithful on earth with the heavenly world of Angels. It is only in the Eucharist that these two worlds: earth and heaven meet. There is no other prayer or liturgical celebration that supersedes the Eucharistic Celebration. Please try to remember the above mentioned one line definition of the Eucharist by heart. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” ( Psalm 118:24) On this 16th Sunday of Ordinary time, the Lord told us three parables in the gospel of Mathew 13: 24-43: The parable of weeds and the wheat The parable of a mustard seed The parable of yeast The theme of divine Justice is highlighted here. The weeds represent those who do evil deeds while the wheat symbolizes good people who love God and their neighbor. At the end of our lives we all will be standing before our merciful Judge our Lord Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God will continue to grow and grow till the Lord returns. Let us do our part in building up the Kingdom of God. EVENING MASS ONCE A WEEK: I was pleasantly surprised when a young couple approached me with a request for having Mass in the evening once a week for the sake of those who work during the day. Starting in the middle of August, we will be having an extra Mass on Thursdays in the evening. The daily morning Masses will continue as usual. I hope and pray that our parishioners who work during the day will be able to attend the evening Mass once a week. POSTURES AND GESTURES AT MASS: Having completed the walk through the Mass last week, we now concentrate on the postures and gestures which are incorporated in the celebration of the Sacrifice of the holy Mass. It indicates that our whole Being: body, mind and soul is involved in the worship of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.1097 says: “In the liturgy of the new Covenant every liturgical action, especially the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church”. Some of the postures and gestures at Mass are: Making the Sign of the Cross by touching the forehead, the heart and the shoulders with the right hand at the beginning of the Mass to express our faith in the Triune God. Striking our breast during the Confiteor to express or sorrow. Bowing during the Creed at the mention of the Birth of Christ and at the name of Jesus. Making the sign of the cross with the thumb on the forehead, on the lips and on the heart before the gospel is read to signify that we understand the Word of God, proclaim it with our lips and believe with our hearts. Standing: At the start of the Mass, during the Mass and at the end of the Mass. Sitting: During the Liturgy of the Word, we sit down and listen to God’s Word in the first and the second readings, at the time of offertory and after receiving the hoy Communion. Kneeling: The Faithful kneel during the entire Eucharistic prayer and after receiving the holy communion to thank the Lord in silence. Genuflecting: As a sign of Adoration, we genuflect by bending our right knee to the floor as we enter and leave the Church. The priest genuflects after showing the Body and Blood of Christ to the Faithful after the Consecration. Orans: The priest extends his hands to his sides slightly elevated. This is an ancient prayer posture of the priest indicating praying. Singing: We bring our voices together in unison as sing the praises of God. Praying in Unison: By praying together the same prayers, we become one Body united in Christ through the sacrament of Baptism. Silence: By observing silence during the Mass, we reflect upon the word of God, and to open our hearts to the mystery celebrated. The Church sees in all these postures and gestures at Mass an ambiguous witness that we are indeed the Body of Christ, united in body, mind and voice. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine 

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118:24) This weekend we celebrate the 15th Sunday in Ordinary time. The Lord through the parable of the Sower and the Seed, is teaching us to be receptive to God’s Word, meditate upon it, cherish it and live it out in our daily lives. The evil one will cause temptations, trials and tribulations to scare us away. Our loving God will give us the grace and the Courage to be strong against the tactics of the evil and bear fruit for the Lord abundantly. Let us fall on our knees and humbly beseech the Lord for his protection. BROWN SCAPULAR ENROLLMENT: On July 16th we celebrate the feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel. In honor of that feast I will be happy to enroll anyone who likes to be enrolled into the Confraternity of our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as our Lady of the Brown Scapular after all the Masses this weekend. It is a brief ceremony during which the Priest blesses the brown scapulars, and puts them around necks of the members. Enrollees share in the spiritual graces offered through the prayers of the Carmelite priests and Nuns. They are assured of the never failing maternal protection and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS: This weekend we highlight the last part of the Mass: The Concluding Rite. It consists of Prayer after Communion, Announcements, second collections for specific purposes, final Blessing by the priest and the dismissal of the people either by the priest of the deacon. The Faithful respond to the dismissal by saying: ‘Thanks be to God’. It is important to pay attention to the words of the dismissal: "Go forth, the Mass is ended" or "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord" or "Go in Peace, glorifying the Lord by your life." When the priest or the deacon dismisses the Faithful by one of the above mentioned formulae, we are being sent forth into the world to proclaim the Good News of Jesus. There is a sending forth at every Mass. We are called to put into action what we celebrate at the Mass.  As St. Gregory of Nazianzen said: “Let us become as Christ is, since Christ became as we are”. We are sent forth from the Mass to be the hands and feet of Christ to this hurting world. My first Pastor in the USA, Fr. Fausto Stampiglia, SAC, the former Pastor of St. Martha Catholic Church, Sarasota, FL always used to remind the people at the end of the Mass to be nice to each other in the parking lot. Our mission of spreading the love of Jesus begins right outside the front door of the Church. The Mass concludes with the recessional hymn led by the choir. The priest and the altar servers process back to the sacristy. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118: 24 ) This weekend we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Independence of our Country: The United States of America. On July 4, 1776, thirteen colonies declared their independence from England which paved the way for the formation of the United States of America as a free and independent Country. Today there are 50 states in the USA. On June 11, 2026, the Bishops of the United States consecrated our Country to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of the 250th Anniversary of the declaration of Independence. The Consecration was inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’ (He loved us) on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In our catholic Faith, Consecration means to set something or someone apart for a holy, divine purpose. Our country now belongs to the Sacred heart of Jesus. Since the day (6/11/2026) the Bishops consecrated the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the image of the Heart of Jesus hovering over our country has been imprinted in my mind. I will cherish that image all through my life. Wow!!! What a Blessing to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart! God bless the United States of America! WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS: This weekend we come to the fourth part of the Mass: The Communion Rite . After the great Amen, the whole congregation stands and at the invitation of the priest, prays the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer ‘The Our Father’ is called the Lord’s Prayer because it was taught to the disciples by our Lord himself. After the Lord’s prayer, the priest prays for peace in the Church and asks the Congregation to exchange a sign of peace in the form of handshake, or a nod or a hug. It is a fitting follow up to the Lord’s prayer. After the exchange of peace, the congregation looks forward to receiving the Lamb of God Jesus Christ who is the prince of peace. The title ‘Lamb of God’ or in Latin ‘ Agnus Dei’ calls to mind the moment when John the Baptist pointed to Jesus at the Jordan river and exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God!”. (John 1:29) It is so enriching to dig deeper into the old testament reference to the Lamb of God. Abraham tells his son Isaac that God himself will provide the lamb (Genesis 22:8) for the sacrifice after the angel ordered Abraham not to offer his son Isaac as the sacrifice. After many centuries, God gave His own Son Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God whom we receive during the holy Mass. At the Last Supper, when Jesus gave himself to his disciples under the species of bread and wine, He replaced the lamb which was slaughtered by the Jews and eaten during the seder dinner as a thanksgiving sacrifice to God for delivering their ancestors. After saying the silent prayer, the priest raises the consecrated host over the chalice filled with the precious blood and says: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.’ The Faithful respond saying: ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed’. These are the words spoken by a Roman Centurion to express his humility before Jesus. (Mathew 8:8)  After the priest and the deacon receive the holy Communion, the altar servers and the Eucharistic ministers receive Communion. Then the priest, the deacon, and the Eucharistic ministers distribute Communion to the Faithful. One should be a practicing Catholic, in the state of grace to receive Communion. The rule of one hour fasting before the Mass is to be observed except for health reasons. Few moments of silence are to be observed after receiving the holy Communion for personal prayer of Thanksgiving. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118:24) The Word of God this weekend is highlighting the importance of hospitality and kindness to others. The hospitality of a Shunemite woman in the first reading (1kings 4:8-11, 14-16a) to prophet Elisha brought her and her husband the grace to have a baby despite the fact of advancing in years. In the gospel of Mathew, chapter 10:37-42, our Lord has reiterated the message of hospitality in his own words. We are one week into summer. Please be careful of the heat and keep yourselves hydrated. A Summer Blessing: May you walk with God this summer in whatever you do, wherever you go. May you talk to God this summer and every day and in every situation. Amen. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS We continue highlighting the Eucharistic Prayer this weekend. After the Consecration the priest sings or says the words, ‘The Mystery of Faith’. The people respond to this exclamation by either singing or saying, ‘We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection, until you come again’. This response signifies our Faith in the risen Lord and our hope of His Return or Second Coming. The priest continues praying the Eucharistic Prayer which echoes the words of our Lord, ‘Do this in memory of me’ which he said at the end of institution of the Eucharist. The celebration of the Holy Mass every day is a Memorial of His Death and Resurrection. We offer the holy Sacrifice of the Mass at His Command. How blessed are we to be able to celebrate the Lord’s Memorial every day!!! The prayers which the priest prays at this time are known as the prayers of the ‘anamnesia’ which in Greek means a Memorial. The priest prays for the entire Church: The Holy Father, the Bishops, the Clergy and the laity. The priest also prays for the dead at every Mass. It is important to note that we do not forget the deceased members of our families. We believe in heaven as promised by our Lord. Therefore the priest prays that through the Mercy of our loving God, our departed brothers and sisters in Purgatory would be welcomed into heaven. The Eucharistic Prayer concludes with DOXOLOGY . A doxology is a short hymn of Praise to God the Father, through Christ His Son, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit. The priest holds high the Eucharistic Lord in the consecrated host in the paten and his precious Blood in the chalice and says or sings the following praise: ‘Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, O God, almighty Father, In the unity of the Holy Spirit’ All glory and honor is yours, For ever and ever’. The People respond by either singing or saying ‘ Amen ’. ‘ Amen ’ means ‘I believe it’, ‘So be it’, ‘It is true’. Even though the word ‘Amen’ originated from Hebrew language, it is the same in all languages. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) The Lord is telling us in the gospel this weekend, “Fear no one”. Incidentally the phrase ‘do not be afraid’ is mentioned in the Bible 365 times. It is as if God is telling us every day of the year not to be afraid of anything but to trust Him at all times. The phenomenon of ‘fear’ is common to all of us. The only way to overcome our fears is to surrender our fears to the Lord who has the power to defeat the evil who attacks us. I like to recommend the Surrender Novena to you to be prayed every day. If you recite the following phrase ten times every day, you will find a marvelous change in your life:  O Jesus I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. As we celebrate Father’s day this weekend, I wish all the fathers a Happy Father’s day. All the fathers will be given St. Benedict medals which are exorcised. Please carry the medals either in your wallets, or pockets or wear them around your necks for your protection from the evil one. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS We come to the powerful moment of the institution of the Eucharist when the everlasting words of our Lord would change the bread and wine into his Body, Blood, Soul and divinity. This is known as the Transubstantiation. The substance of bread and the substance of wine changes into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ. This miracle happens at every Mass. The first Mass took took place at the Last Supper which was the Jewish seder hosted by our Lord before his Passion, death and resurrection. Jesus gives himself as the sacrificial Lamb who would be sacrificed on the Cross to reconcile the whole world to his Father. This is the new Covenant Jesus made with his Father on our behalf. Taking the host, the Priest repeats the words of our Lord Jesus: “TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU”. Taking the cup of wine, the Priest repeats the words of our Lord: “TAKE THIS ALL OF YOU AND DRINK FROM IT. FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME”. The priest elevates the consecrated host and the consecrated wine in a chalice one after the other as we adore in silence for few seconds while the bells are rung to announce the Lord’s real presence. This is the only moment in which the priest acts ‘in persona Christi’, which means that the priest acts in the person of Christ. During the rest of the Mass, the priest is the mediator or the bridge between God and the people. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”( Psalm 118:24 ). This is the 11th week in Ordinary time of the year. In the first reading from the book of Exodus 19:2-6, God makes it clear to Moses that if the Israelites honor the Covenant He made with them, they would be His treasured possession and dearer to him than all the other people. The Covenant is not just an old Testament phenomenon. It is a close relationship or friendship with God which is offered to all of us. If we are faithful to God, we will be so dear to His heart and become His friends. What an honor and a blessing to be a friend of God! I am happy to report that we have paid off our loan on the Rectory. I thank you dear parishioners for your generosity to the parish. We thank Ray and Terry Pawlicki, Ken and Sherrie Cheline for donating two updated Roman Missals to our church for use during the Mass. Ken and Sherrie Cheline also financed the making of two new hymnal boards. We thank Mike and Mary Jo Gude for sponsoring the ambry which is a wooden box in which the holy oil of the Infirmary or the sick( OI ), the oil of the Catechumens or the oil of salvation( OS ) and the Sacred Chrism ( SC ) will be displayed. We admire the carpentry skills of our parishioners Jim and Lisa Stemo who made the ambry which is a gift given to our Church in memory of Mary Jo Gude’s parents Leo and Irene Cotter who used to be very active parishioners here. May they rest in Peace! The ambry will be blessed at 10:15 am this Sunday. It is to inform you that I will be away on a two week vacation from June 15-30, 2026. I will be returning to the Parish on July 1, 2026 as I begin my third year of serving the Lord here at Sacred Heart Parish. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS We highlight the initial parts of the Eucharistic Prayer this weekend. The Eucharistic Prayers begins with Preface which is a prayer dialogue between the priest and the people. It is prayed by the priest as the people are standing. The Preface prayer leads the people to the mystery and the miracle about to happen in few minutes. After reciting or singing the ‘holy, holy, holy Lord’ prayer, people kneel while the priest alone remains standing. The priest uses one of the four Eucharistic prayers.  The Priest calls down the Spirit of God upon the gifts of bread and wine to sanctify them to become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Liturgical terminology it is called ‘ the Epiclesis’. The Spirit of God who overshadowed the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Incarnation sanctifies the natural elements of bread and wine for supernatural phenomenon during the hoy Mass. We pause here for now and admire the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, “ Amen, amen, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” ( John 6:53 ) This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Latin it is called the solemnity of CORPUS CHRISTI. (The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ). In the gospel of John, chapter 6, Jesus publicly proclaims to the people of his time that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood have eternal life. Even though all his listeners left him scandalized by his bold proclamation, he did not change his statement. During the third year of his public ministry, just before his Crucifixion and death, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of The Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper: the Gift of Himself as a perpetual Covenant under the species of Bread and Wine. I highly encourage you to grow deeper in your devotion to the Eucharistic Lord by regularly taking part in the celebration of the holy Mass and spending time in the Eucharistic Adoration. Together with the Catholics in our Country we are praying the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a preparation for the Consecration of the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, 2026 in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. On Friday, June 12, 2026, we are going to have Solemn Eucharistic Celebration on the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus at our Church at 6:30 pm. The Pastors and their Parishioners from the Parishes of St. Anthony of Padua, St. Anthony the Abbot, St. Rita, St.Ann, St. Mary our Lady of Sorrows, and St. Leo’s Abbey and Holy Name Monastery in our deanery are invited to join us in the celebration. There will be refreshments in our Parish hall after the Mass. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS This weekend we begin exploring the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The first part of this section is The Offertory. After the Prayer of the Faithful, the ushers take up the monetary collection from the people as the choir leads singing the offertory hymn. The meaning behind the offertory is that we give back to God what He gave us. Two members of the congregation carry the gifts of Bread and Wine while an usher brings collection basket in procession to the altar and hand them over to the Priest. Since the Lord chose to give Himself under the species of Bread and Wine in the Eucharist, the great miracle, there can be no offertory without bread and wine. After preparing the altar for the holy sacrifice, the priest offers the Bread first. Then he pours wine into a chalice and adds a drop of water whispering the words: ‘By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity’. Wine represents the divinity of Christ and water our humanity. By the gesture of mixing water in the wine, we share in the divinity of Christ.  On solemnities, the priest incenses the altar with the gifts of bread and wine setting them as holy gifts. The action of the priest washing his hands reminds him to be ready literally with clean hands to hold the most holy Body and Blood of Christ in few minutes. Then the priest invites the people to join him as he prays over the gifts for their transformation and our transformation. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) Having completed the Easter Season last Sunday, we are now again back to Ordinary time of the year in our Liturgical Calendar. During Ordinary time, we reflect upon the Lord’s teaching through the parables, the miracles and His continued invitation to repentance and conversion of our hearts and minds. This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. We believe that God is One God in three Persons: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. We begin the day and all the liturgies in the name of the Trinity and also conclude them in the name of the Trinity. Even though we cannot fully comprehend the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity, we believe with our hearts. We congratulate four of our teenagers who will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation administered by our Bishop, the Most Reverend Gregory Parkes, at St. Rita Catholic Church, Dade City, FL, this weekend during the Holy Mass on Sunday at 11 am. I will be concelebrating that Mass. I thank their teacher Dr. Thomas Humphries, for preparing them for Confirmation and Terry Pawlicki, the Director of Religious Education in our Parish for her dedication and leadership. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS: This weekend we highlight the second part of the Mass in our catechesis of the Holy Mass: The Liturgy of the Word. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) says: “When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his Word, proclaims the Gospel.” (GIRM, no.29) We hear the Word of God from the Bible which is the Sacred Scripture written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. On Sundays and Solemnities there are three readings. The first and the second readings are proclaimed by lectors while the third reading, which is from one of the four Gospels, is proclaimed by a priest or deacon. Most of the time, the First Reading is from the Old Testament. It is only during the Easter season that the First Reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament to give us insight into how the early Church started after the Lord’s Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost. The First Reading is followed by a Responsorial Psalm which is a prayer of ancient Israel. The Second Reading is proclaimed from the New Testament letters of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. John, St. James or the Book of Revelation. It is an instruction to the Church on how to live the light of Christ. Then there is the Gospel acclamation during which the congregation stands to sing the Alleluia (except during Advent and Lent) as a sign of joy and readiness to listen to the Gospel. The Gospel reading is the highpoint of the Word of God, recounting the life, the teachings and the miracles of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. After the Gospel, the priest or deacon gives a homily, explaining the readings and applying them to our daily life. Then the congregation stands to profess their faith by reciting the Nicene Creed on Sundays and Solemnities. The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the Prayer of the Faithful, which may include prayers for the world, the Church, local needs, the faithful departed and other intentions. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine