In Jesus' parable of the wages, the landowner lets those who bore the full day's load of labor receive the same as those who worked only one hour. Economically, this seems unfair. Yet the Master reminds the grumbling servants that they agreed to work for the usual daily wage, and that He is free to do what He wants with His money.

Jesus' lesson in forgiveness shows us that we are to forgive from the heart, not simply because "it's the right thing to do" but rather because God has forgiven us fully and immediately. The words of Jesus in the parable, "Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant as I had pity on you?" strike me to the heart every time I read them!

Today we hear a reprisal of Jesus' words said to Simon Peter from the Gospel two weeks ago, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

I want to wish you all a very Happy Labor Day. As disciples of Christ, we are entrusted with the indispensable work of leading our families into a deeper relationship with Christ and His Church. May this Labor Day refresh us and help us to recommit to this privilege of co-laboring with Christ and His Church.

I am so thankful for the gift of Christ and the Church in my life! We know that by trusting God and the Church He gave us, we always have truthful, merciful, and secure guidance for our daily decisions.

I had a great time at our parish picnic last weekend! Although weather didn't cooperate and we had to setup inside, we had a great turnout! My parents and their friends attended and loved being with our loving and welcoming community.

Our readings this weekend remind us that God is always present to us amidst the storms and noise of this life. Elijah hears the Lord in a tiny whispering sound after the winds, earthquakes, and fires have passed. Peter sees Jesus and walks on water in the storm when he is totally focused on Christ.

I am excited to share with you the extensive expansion of the EdChoice state scholarship program. All K-12 students now qualify to receive a state-funded EdChoice scholarship that could cover a portion of, in some cases, the full cost of their Catholic school tuition. Catholic education just became more affordable than ever for families!

In last weekend's bulletin, I shared some fundamental principles of the Church's participation in political life, and shared that we cannot bypass political conversations because they may be difficult or uncomfortable. Our Catholic Christian faith offers an invaluable contribution to our society in the social-political arena.

As we prepare for the upcoming special election on August 8 regarding Issue 1, I want to draw your attention to the Church's role in political life, and offer my own reflections on the issue. I will do this as part of a two-part series. the first part this weekend will focuses on political participation in general, and next weekend I will focus on aspects of Issue 1 itself.

This past Lent, I gave a Parish Mission focused on the acronym RIM (Relationship, Identity, Mission). The logic is that a foundational relationship with Christ secures us in a godly identity which frees us for fruitfully fulfilling our mission that God has entrusted to us. The logic of RIM couldn't be more apparent than it is in today's readings. 

I want to encourage you to register to vote for the August 8 Special Election where Ohio citizens can vote on Issue 1 to "Require that any proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio receive the approval of at least 60 percent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment."

Happy Independence Day! As we celebrate our freedom this weekend, choose to be grateful to God for entrusting you with the responsibility to love sacrificially. Freedom is such a wonderful gift of God.

This week we welcome our new parochial vicar, Fr. Fabian Han, to our parish! Fr. Fabian is a newly ordained priest from the Archdiocese of Daegu, South Korea. He has studied in our seminary the past four years and was ordained a priest on May 20.

Happy Father's Day! A warm blessing to all of our dads as we thank them for the gift of their fatherhood this Sunday. Just like the title "Mother", the title "Father" has profound relational and spiritual meaning.

I am excited to celebrate with you this weekend Corpus Christi, or the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ! Not only do we get to honor Jesus in His Eucharistic Presence with us, we also kickoff our Parish Year of the Eucharistic Revival.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity that we celebrate this weekend helps us appreciate the personal way that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. The Catechism writes, "God communicates Himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ" (CCC 53).

Blessings to all of you this Memorial Day Weekend. This week we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country to preserve our God-given freedoms that promote human dignity and development.

The Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord which we celebrate this weekend draws us deeper into our Lord's mystical and Eucharistic presence with us. Matthew's Gospel concludes with Jesus' parting words to His disciples: "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

It is with great sadness that we mourn the death of our beloved "Coach" Mare Von Lindern who passed away unexpectedly on May 2. Coach Von Lindern loved St. Mary School and Parish.