One of the terms that has recently enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity is ‘cancel culture.’ The boomer in me thought this had to do with newspaper subscriptions being canceled. The millennial in me thought to consult Google. I’m glad I did. I learned that the term describes a phenomenon of boycotting individuals because they’ve said or done something offensive at least once in their lives. How enlightening! 

Until you compare it to the Gospel. Think about some of the figures we now venerate as some of the greatest witnesses to the Gospel. Take St. Peter or St. Paul, for instance, whose joint feast day we just celebrated (June 29). Could their lives give any better witness to the fragility of the cancel culture? 

Here are two men who have bad histories of going along with the crowd to the neglect of standing up for those in need. Peter infamously denies Jesus three times, making himself indistinguishable from the mob crucifying Jesus. Even before that, he rebukes Jesus for suggesting, against majority opinion, that the Christ would have to suffer rather than impose suffering. Paul persecutes “the Way” because he and not a few other religious zealots see it as a repugnant aberration of a pristine Pharisaical Judaism. I tend to doubt that Christians were the only ones Paul chastised; the self-righteous have a special gift for pointing out the splinter in the eyes of their closest brothers and sisters as well. 

All “cancelable” offenses, are they not? And yet, to the surprise of those who would cast the first stone, these flawed people changed. They learned. They grew. That same Peter could one day stand up against popular opinion and on the side of the victim, the crucified-but-risen Jesus. Paul could be raised from the dirt on Damascus Road to “see” just how unrighteous his righteousness had been. They could begin anew and eventually pour out their blood for the sake of the Gospel, following their Lord in martyrdom. 

We could opt to give in to the pressure to write a person off simply because that person has made mistakes or offended others. But then we’d be denying our belief in the communion of saints—those who have become holy by detaching themselves from sin and accepting their communion with Christ, the true innocent victim. We could try to scapegoat and eliminate people who think differently than us. But how would that make us any better than the crowd that demanded Jesus’s banishment to the realm of death? 

The cancel culture needs a lesson in God’s mercy, the mercy of a risen God once battered by humanity for having preached . . . mercy. Where do we find this mercy? How can we begin to accept this mercy and share this mercy? By being united to the one who stands up for what is right and gently calls people to do the same.  

In other words, by being united to Jesus the victim. Or for the boomers who remember Latin, Jesus the hostia. Or for my millennial friends, Jesus the host, the one who through the Eucharist makes the Church his reconciling presence in the world, canceling not sinners but their sins. 

- Fr. Ryan

SHARE THE BURDEN

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). These words of our Savior seem to be in stark contrast to the previous chapter from the same Gospel, when we were told that if we do not take up our crosses, we are not worthy of Christ. Connecting these two messages might help us on our faith journeys. Being a follower of Christ surely means that we must embrace the cross, in its mystery of both suffering and triumph. This is something that we need not do alone, for the burden is often too heavy for us to carry by ourselves. Who, then, do we turn to? We can turn to the Body of Christ—the community of disciples gathered for worship. When we find the burden too heavy, let us remember that we can share that burden with our Christian sisters and brothers, who can help bring us rest.
 

First Reading — Rejoice heartily, O Jerusalem! For see, your savior comes (Zechariah 9:9-10).
Psalm — I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God (Psalm 145).
Second Reading — The one who raised Christ from death will give life to your mortal bodies also (Romans 8:9, 11-13).
Gospel — Come, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:25-30).

Monday:      Hos 2:16, 17b-18, 21-22; Ps 145:2-9; Mt 9:18-26
Tuesday:      Hos 8:4-7, 11-13; Ps 115:3-10; Mt 9:32-38
Wednesday:  Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12; Ps 105:2-7; Mt 10:1-7
Thursday:     Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9; Ps 80:2ac, 3b, 15-16; Mt 10:7-15
Friday:         Hos 14:2-10; Ps 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17; Mt 10:16-23
Saturday:      Is 6:1-8; Ps 93:1-2, 5; Mt 10:24-33
Sunday:       Is 55:10-11; Ps 65:10-14; Rom 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23 [1-9]

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES

Sunday:        Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday:       St. Maria Goretti
Thursday:     St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions
Saturday:      St. Benedict
 

SAINT MARIA GORETTI (1890-1902)

Does anything match a mother’s pride in her children? First Communions, confirmations, graduations, weddings: how these delight a mother’s heart! Imagine, then, Assunta Goretti, the only mother ever to attend her child’s canonization! In poverty-stricken rural Italy, widowed Assunta tended fields for the Serenelli family, whose eighteen-year-old son, Alessandro, propositioned her barely twelve-year-old Maria; then, when she resisted, crying, “It is a sin! God forbids it!” he stabbed her fourteen times. As she lay dying, Maria assured the attending priest, “Yes, I forgive Alessandro! I want him to be in Paradise with me someday.” Imprisoned, unrepentant, Alessandro changed after dreaming that a radiant Maria had offered him fourteen lilies. “I’ve kept my promise,” she smiled. “You’ll be here with me someday.” Upon release, he rushed to beg Assunta’s forgiveness. “Jesus has forgiven you,” she replied, “my Maria, too. How can I refuse?” Next morning, mother and murderer walked arm in arm to church and knelt side by side for Communion.

THE RIGHT DIRECTION
      If we walk one step toward God, God will run ten steps toward us.
—Anonymous
 
FINDING PEACE
      If you want peace, work for justice.
—Pope Paul VI
 
GOING HOME
      Life is a voyage that’s homeward bound.
—Herman Melville
 

Weekly Intentions and Remembrances

Please pray for our sick...
Martha Wrobel 
 

Rose For Life 
This week’s Rose for Life is donated by Rae and John Vincent in loving memory of Rae’s father Rudy Guarraci, on the 25th anniversary of his death. 
 

Baptisms  

Rylee Lynn Nickola, child of Christopher Nickola and Erin (O’Donnell) Nickola 
Caroline Ptak Gripper, child of Peter Gripper and Catherine Gripper (Ptak) 
Logan James Kesheshian, child of Armen Kesheshian and Karoline (Krzyszczuk) Kesheshian 
Gwendolyn Kimberly Mack, child of Alexander Mack and Erica (Houmes) Mack 

Remembrances 
Saturday Evening/Sunday July 4/5 2020  
Sharon L. Seiler Scanlan, Donald Seiler(5th Anniv), Aldona Underys, Gay Wiebe, Jason Michael Saccone, Patricia Cooper, Joseph Frances Vessely III, John Glueckert Sr., Tom and Della McAndrew, Bob Jarosz, Jean Mary Schmit 

Monday, July 6th 
Sister Norma Thelen, SLW,  Gerardo Vigan 

Tuesday, July 7th 
Arlene Fuesz, Mary Ann Foley, Gertrude McDermott 

Wednesday, July 8th 
Alphonso & Anna Pietrolonardo 

Thursday, July 9th 
Raymond J. Bieniasz, Patrick Reilly, Dominic Spinazze 

Friday, July 10th 
Bill Figliuolo, Bill Pietrolonardo, Michael Sparks, Valerie Meitz (7th anniv) 

Saturday, July 11th 
Richard Garrity (1st yr Anniv), Helen Marie Bailitz, Janet Gritt  
 

In Loving Memory 

Gerald R Reagle is survived by his wife, Dolores; his children Gerald Jr. (Linda), Jo Alice (Dennis) Graczyk, Marshall (Mary Jo), Cheryl Czarnik, and Laura; his grandchildren, Nathan and Grant Reagle, Christopher and Scott (LacyMay) Graczyk, Jason (Kim), and Danielle Reagle, and Evan Czarnik; and his great Grandchildren. 

Donald Conover is survived by his spouse of 15 years, Denise (nee Tomasello), children, Christine (Brian) Seiler and Donald (Rebecca) Conover, Jr.; grandchildren, Andrew Cantor, Matthew Cantor, Luke Conover and Benjamin Conover; siblings, Gary (Robin) Conover and Bill Conover; sisters-in-law, Diane Tomasello, and Debra Tomasello; and several nieces and nephews. 

Geraldine Judycki Geraldine is survived by her children, Randy Judycki and Roberta Thompson; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Frannie Barabas. 

Prabha Lockwood Prabha is survived by her children Michael Lockwood and Tara (Michael) LaCerra; her grandchildren Olivia, Grace, Charlotte and Genevieve; and her brother Narain Aurora. 

Christians celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life which has now returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just.  The Mass, the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection, is the principal celebration of the Christian funeral.  St. James encourages all our families to schedule a memorial Mass or funeral Mass when we are free to worship in our Church.  We want to pray for your beloved family member that has passed away and offer thanksgiving for the gift of life with the family.  

Dear St. James Families,  
 
We hope that this letter finds you well. Please take a few minutes to watch this video about a discount for St. James School and St. James Religious Education/Formation from Jonathan Blevins and Mike Kendrick.
 
We know that when you registered for Religious Education/Formation with us last year, no one expected a global pandemic.  We lost a few in-person classes and while we are confident in the online resources that we offered, we know that nothing beats an in-person learning experience. We also understand that this virus has left some in our community in uncomfortable financial situations. That is why we are excited to offer you the Catholic Education Discount program.15% off per child to help make up for the 15% of classes/sessions that were missed. That means you will receive $30 off per child that you register for Religious Education, Confirmation, and Life Teen. This offer is extended to new families as well.
 
Please note as you register that this is an option; if you are able and would like to pay the full price, you are more than welcome to do so. 
 
As always, our Catechists and Core Team Members get free registration for their families. Please know that we will never turn someone away from Religious Education or Formation due to financial reasons. Please email Barbara in the business office at bkrawczyk@stjamesah.org if you need more financial assistance. 
 
You can register for each of our programs by clicking the links below. 
 
RE (1-5) -https://www.stjamesah.org/religious-education-registration/
 
Confirmation (6-8) - https://www.stjamesah.org/confirmation-registration/
 
Life Teen (9-12) -https://www.stjamesah.org/lifeteen-registration/
 
Finally, I want to ensure you that our team here at St. James is committed to offering you the best formation possible under the guidelines given by the Archdiocese. It is our hope that we will be able to do this in-person. However, if for some reason we are not able to make that happen, our plan is to make learning from home even easier and more interactive for families. We are on this journey together. Please do not hesitate to email Theresa if you have any questions at Tstorto@stjamesah.org. Know that we are praying for you.