St. Teresa of Ávila Catholic Community
All Are Welcome!
18th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Join us at our Saturday mass, at 4:30 p.m., in the Sanctuary or on Zoom. The passcode to enter is: liturgy. Please mute yourselves upon entering. This week’s worship aid is found here.
Today’s first reading is one of my favorites from the second prophet writing as Isaiah (referred to often as Deutero-Isaiah. He was writing near the end of the Babylonian exile. This is the last chapter scholars believe he wrote, and it is a message of hope. God’s love and relationship to His people is not something that can be bought and sold – even the poorest are offered what God has to offer for free! This is reinforced by today’s psalm, the letter of Paul to the Romans, as well as the story of the loaves and fishes from the Gospel of Matthew. Remember last week when we said that Matthew, of all the gospel writers, likes to point to the new good news of Jesus and relate it back to Moses or the prophets. Seldom have I seen all the readings for a given day relate so closely. It is certainly a message to which we ought to listen in our current lives!
The Ecumenical Catholic Communion embraces a network of local churches and sacramental communities across North
America. As authentic Catholics we celebrate our continuity with the undivided Church of the first millennium and believe
that salvation is offered to all. Our unity is built on the teachings and example of Jesus Christ as we seek compassion, justice and peace in the world. We seek to live our faith through liturgy, prayer, community building and collaboration, study and service. Eucharist is a visible sign of that unity.
Ours is a synodal form of governance, with the diverse voices and charisms of laity, clergy and bishops. “The Ecumenical Catholic Communion is the most parish-oriented of any group within the independent Catholic movement in America.” Julie Byrne, Author of the Other Catholics, Columbia University Press, 2016.