Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 12, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Is 55:10-11 / Ps 65 / Rom 8:18-23 / Mt 13:1-23
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Many of us here are old enough to know that love indeed comes from the most unexpected places. God’s visits to us could also come from different sources. The movies, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, may be just other sources of entertainment for most people, but for a young man named Anthony Ferguson, these movies got him thinking about the deeper meaning of life, and eventually his vocation.

Yesterday this young man was ordained to the priesthood at Sacred Heart Cathedral. He is now Father Anthony. And as we all continue our journey in this world, may we always open our hearts and minds to God’s message. He communicates to us all the time.

This Sunday, in all Catholic churches throughout the Richmond Diocese, we celebrate our Bicentennial. It’s a blessing from the Lord our God that our Diocese has been proclaiming God’s Living Word in this part of the world for two hundred years now. Bishop Knestout called this a “Springtime of Faith.”

Before the final blessing, we will have a special prayer for all of our graduates. Yes, it is sad that they weren’t able to have their usual graduation ceremonies and commencement exercises, but they all graduated just the same. They will continue the journey to another exciting segment of their lives. We are blessed here at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church because our graduates are indeed young men and women of faith, and they will be just fine. For faith is indeed our source of strength.

To quote Bishop Knestout in his homily yesterday, he said, “In good times or bad, God has never abandoned us. Moved by this conviction, as we grapple with the pandemic and political and cultural turmoil, we are strengthened to give witness to our faith.”