Dear St. Raphael Parishioners,

Over one hundred people stayed for the parish picnic last Sunday. Although it was hot outside, the combination of the big tent and a steady breeze kept us comfortable for the afternoon. The number of people was almost a perfect match to the number we could handle at the tables! Thank you especially to our Knights of Columbus for preparing the food, the sound system, and the setup work.

Rummage Sale: The tent we used for the picnic will remain in the parking lot for another two weeks, as donations come in for the Parish Rummage Sale. Donations may be dropped off until this Sunday afternoon, August 1. The Rummage Sale has been a significant part of our parish fund-raising in past years. We were not able to hold it last year, so we have an extra year’s accumulation of items for sale this time. Please encourage all your friends in the area to come out and support St. Raphael’s. They can free up space at home by donating items, and then fill up all that empty space by buying other things at the sale!

Shopping at rummage sales, garage sales or resale shops all have something in common. We know the old saying about one person’s trash being another person’s treasure. I recall another saying about them “You don’t find what you were looking for, but you find things you weren’t looking for.” We hear a lot about recycling and reducing our energy consumption in recent years. Some items like bottles or cans are easy to recycle, but what about the many other things we have around our homes? When we find re-purposed items that we can use, we save money, we save the energy it takes to manufacture them, and we help somebody else reduce the clutter in their home. It’s an all-around winning situation. Our staff can tell you: I’m always showing them expensive men’s clothes I found at resale for just a few dollars.

The Bread from Heaven: The Gospel for this Sunday shows Jesus continuing his teaching about the Bread of Life. After the crowd following Him was fed by a miracle, they were excited, hoping that the Messiah had finally come. They continue following Jesus, asking for more miracles to confirm beyond any doubt that He is their new king. But Jesus does not give them exactly what they want. Jesus suggests they are too focused on getting free food, when he has something much more important to teach them. Our Lord did not come to satisfy the hunger of our bodies, but to save our eternal souls. This proves to be a difficult lesson to get across. The crowd wants to see more amazing miracles, maybe get food or some other wondrous event. Some of them are going to be very disappointed by what Christ teaches them. The Bread that Jesus has for them is why we gather each Sunday.

God Bless you all,
Fr. Matthew