Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ministry
In today’s economy, customer service is one of the driving forces of a successful business. Schools, hospitals, grocery stores, online services, etc. strive to provide the best customer service to their clients. It is all about ratings and consumer satisfaction. Customer service is a form of ministry. Ministry comes from the Greek word “diakoneo” (διακονέω) which means to serve, wait on, help, or attend to. The word deacon has the same root. The job of the deacon is to serve at the altar and among the people of God through works of mercy. All the baptized are called to ministry as people of God. We serve the people of God in many different ways. The human, material, and spiritual resources we have are to be used for the service of God and our neighbor. Jesus gave us an example to follow. At the Last Supper, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. This was a humble act of service for the disciples and us to follow. In the New Testament, ministry is seen as service to God and others. In fact, Jesus said “I came not to be served but to serve.” Jesus teaches us how to serve or do ministry.

The Church ministers to the needs of the people on God’s behalf. The focal point of the Church’s ministry is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. So all ministers within the Church aim to bring the world closer to God. With the advent of the internet, social media, and so many other distractions, the mission of the church has become a more difficult task. Priests, deacons, and lay ministers spend countless hours trying to bring the gospel of Jesus to the world. It is a never-ending task because the souls of the faithful are always in need of guidance, comfort, and assistance. In the context of the Church, ministry is all about sharing the gospel of Jesus. In the context of family, ministry is all about sharing the love we have received from God. Ministers know that they can only do this work with God’s help. It is impossible to change hearts without God’s grace. So ministers need to work on their personal relationship with God and their readiness to serve the people of God with love and devotion

Resting
In this weekend’s gospel, Jesus teaches the disciples the importance of resting. After the disciples had ministered to the needs of the people, Jesus wanted them to go to a deserted place to rest. “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while….So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.” It was necessary for the disciples to recharge, renew, and revitalize their desire to serve God’s people. The disciples could not give what they didn’t have, so they needed to spend some time with Jesus in order for them to bring his message to others. Resting allowed the disciples to renew their sense of mission and energize their zeal for the gospel. Jesus wanted the disciples to reflect on their work. By doing so, the disciples could center their ministry on Jesus and refresh their hearts and souls.

In the same way, Jesus calls us to come to him to rest a while. Retreats are part of our Catholic tradition. A retreat is a time to step aside from the business of life. It allows us to relax, pray, reflect, and take care of our hearts, minds, and souls. A retreat helps us to spend some quality time with God. During a retreat, the time we spend with Jesus bears fruit when we go back to our daily routines. Life gets busy, but it is important for us to spend some time with the Lord. It could be a weekend, a day, or even a couple hours. I often see people coming to the chapel to pray for an hour or so. That time is crucial for our spiritual lives. A retreat offers the opportunity for the soul to be nourished, the heart to be healed, and the mind to be refreshed.

Support Your Parish
A gift of life insurance is a powerful and simple way to provide future support for our parish. Here are two ways to give a gift of life insurance to St. Catherine Labouré:

1. Name our parish as a beneficiary of the policy. To do this, update your beneficiary designation form with your policy holder and list the primary or contingent beneficiary as “St. Catherine Laboure, The Catholic Bishop of Chicago, a Corporation Sole” 2. Make an outright gift of an existing policy. You can irrevocably name our parish as owner and beneficiary of a policy with accumulated cash value that you and your family no longer need. You then qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction if you itemize on your taxes. Also, if you continue to pay premiums on the policy, each payment is tax deductible as a charitable gift, if you itemize.

For more information on making a gift of life insurance to our parish, we recommend you consult with your financial planner, attorney, or insurance representative. Please contact our parish office or Krystina M. Campbell, Planned Giving Officer, Archdiocese of Chicago at 312-534-5404 with any additional questions.

Peace
Fr. Lara

Recognize God in Your Oridinary Moments - By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman
A Deserted Place (abridged)
In one of my favorite shows, “Parks and Recreation,” there is a scene where one of the characters, Jerry, is tasked with stuffing hundreds of envelopes with flyers as part of his volunteer work for a local city council campaign.

Jerry’s efficient, almost mechanical completion of the job amazes his coworkers, who gather to watch in awe while he folds, inserts, seals, and stamps—over and over again. After several hours, the huge pile of envelopes is finally ready for mailing … and Jerry realizes that he has stuffed them all with the wrong piece of paper.

“I always say, it ain’t government work unless you do it twice,” he quips as he restarts the task.

In any work, no matter how worthy or fulfilling it is, there is a point where the task transforms into mere routine. It can happen with anything. There is no shame in this. It doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy these pursuits or feel passion for the mission inherent in them. It only means that we are human, and we get tired.

When the Apostles return from their travels, Jesus recognizes their exhaustion. He encourages them to “come away to a deserted place.” He inhabits a human body, so he knows weariness, what it is to be tired, to be hungry. He knows that it’s hard to do the work when your body is failing you.

It’s important for us to recognize those times when Jesus is calling us to a deserted place and it’s important for us to follow him there, even if we are pursued by doubt and guilt, just as the Apostles were followed by crowds hungry for their ministry.

Solitude is not selfishness. Contemplation is not idleness. To withdraw does not mean to run away.

The work we do deserves our whole strength. If we have lost that, there is only one place we are sure to find it again.

“He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desert- ed place and rest a while.’” — Mark 6:31
©LPi

Another SCL Teacher in the Spotlight

Fifth grade teacher Lori Prokopiak has been specially recognized by Glenview Patch and T-Mobile. The parent of a former student nominated Lori for this honor. The parent’s entry read, in part, “[Ms. Prokopiak] teaches Math, Social Studies, and ELA. She taught my daughter in 5th grade at St. Catherine Labouré School. She is amazing. She is an excellent teacher and is very organized and detail oriented. She has a great sense of humor with the kids yet is very compassionate as well when any issues arise. She knows how to handle tricky situations with ease and love. Her humor is well received and always in good spirits. She is a top notch teacher who goes above and beyond for her students. She was blessed with her vocation and has been teaching for 25 years or so. She is simply amazing!

Congratulations, Lori! Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher and bringing your passion, compassion, humor and energy to your teaching and your care for our children.

The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of July

For the Pastoral Care of the Sick
Let us pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick grants the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.

Honor Our Military

Please take time to give thanks for those who have served and are serving in our military and to pray for the safety of those who may currently be in harm’s way. In a special way, we thank and pray for these parishioners and relatives of parishioners.
Dear God,
We pray in gratitude for all of those who have defended peace, virtue, and justice with honor. We pray especially for those who have suffered in mind and body from the ravages of war. May Your peace reign in our hearts and in our world. Amen.

He Who Sacrificed His Life
†JOHN A. STONIS, Grandson of John & Dorthy Stonis
†CHRISTOPHER ZIMNY

Those Still Serving
JAY MARTIN, Nephew of Becky and Tom Brennan
JESSICA CAMERON, Niece of the Cameron Family
JOHN PODCZASKI, Grandson of Genevieve Podczaski
STEVEN TUMBARELLO, Son of Sylvia & Vince Tumbarello
CRAIG BEHRENDT, Grand-nephew of Sister Mary Helen
DANIEL BELZER, Nephew of Dave & Bev Belzer
MICHAEL KELLY, Nephew of Kevin and Kathy Kelly
MATTHEW NEUBAUER, Nephew of Dan & Judy Neubauer
EUGENE WALL, Nephew of Suzanne Lessner
NAILL SWIDER, Grand-nephew of Alice Swider
BRYAN DUFF, Son of Julie Duff
RYAN BLOCHBERGER, Nephew of Mae Grady
TIMOTHY DWORKIN, Grandson of Barbara Bouska
ALEXIS GONZALES, Great-niece of Eden & Lyle Gonzales-Nemzin
JACK MAHON, JR., Son of Jack, Sr. & Eileen Mahon
MICHAEL FOLEY
JOHN FOLEY
PETER MULLER
DANIEL FRAYNA
JOSEPH GULLO
SANG HOON LEE
ANTHONY PALMERO
MORRIS COREY MCMAHON, Son of Chris & Julie McMahon
RYAN FONTILLAS
MICHAEL T. HEHN, Grandson of John & Dorthy Stonis

To add or remove someone, please send the person’s name and relationship (optional) to bulletin@stcatherinelaboure.com

Please Pray for Ukraine

For our sisters and brothers involved in or affected by the war and devastation in Ukraine-- the deceased, the injured, the frightened, the displaced, the fighters, the protesters, the leaders. May God give them solace, healing, comfort, and hearts and minds directed toward peace.
Donations can be made here:

Knights of Columbus: https://www.kofc.org/secure/en/donate/ukraine.html

Caritas: https://www.caritas.org/

Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Philidelphia: https://ukrarcheparchy.us

"May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war" - Pope Francis

Neighbors of other Faiths
The Golden Rule

Excerpted from charterforcompassion.org/the-golden-rule-in-seven-major-religions
We may speak of great differences in religious beliefs and forms of worship around the world. Called by an endless number of names, all, however, recognize and worship a Supreme Being. And all religions, somewhere in their sacred literature, expound the fundamental philosophy of the Golden Rule.

Buddhism: Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
~ Buddha, Undanavarga 5:18

Christianity: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that all men should do to you, do ye even so to them.
~ Matthew 7:12

Confucianism: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
~ Confucius, Analects 15:23

Hinduism: Good people proceed while considering what is best for others is best for themselves.
~ Hitopadesa

Islamism: No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
~ Mohammed, Traditions

Judaism: And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
~ Leviticus 19:18

Zoroastrianism: Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others.
~ Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29