Father Mang & Our Stewardship Appeal - May 24

St. Philip Catholic Church: Today my my homily will be a very short one. First of all, I just want to ask a question. Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, do you have peace in your life? Just take a moment, maybe like three seconds, right? Do you have peace in your life and in your heart? Do you have peace? Secondly, is my That are the prayer that I I pray for you in this mass is I pray and I wish that you are filled with the peace of Christ, the peace that the Holy Spirit will pour into your hearts. If you don't have peace in your life, I ask that allow yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And when you follow the will of the Holy Spirit, when you are when you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, then you will have peace. A lot of time we think that I need to look for peace. No, your peace will be found when you do the will of God. So allow the Holy Spirit, let him enter into your life, into your heart. Let him lead you. May you hear the whole voice of the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit lead you. Allow him to lead you, to guide you, so that your life may be filled with the grace of God. At this moment, we will hear the message from Father G for about our stewardship. Good morning. Father G recently completed his Camino del Santiago pilgrimage and asked me to share this special message with you. I hope it touches you as deeply as it touched me. The message is clear and heartfelt, and more information will be included in the brochure mailed to all registered families this week. I now invite you to turn to the screens for Father G's message. Listen with open ears. See with open hearts and let the Holy Spirit guide you today and always as we stay focused on our mission to know, love, and serve God and our neighbor. The one thing I got from this video that I hope you get is family. That we are all family. Stay with us and go with him. A few days ago we heard a story of the road of Emmaus. Two disciples walking away, discouraged, saying, We are hoping. And what does Jesus do? He comes alongside of them, he walks with them, and he opens the scriptures. And then he has made known to them the breaking of the bread. And everything changed. They go from walking away to running back with joy. Brothers and sisters, This story is not just about them. It's about us. Because every single week we gather just like those disciples. We listen to the word of God. Our hearts are invited to burn. And we recognize Jesus in the Eucharist. And then, just like then, we are sent. But there is the question: what happened after we leave this place? Because faith is not something we just receive. Is something we participate in at St. Philip. We see that every day. We see it in baptisms, confessions, marriage, faith formation, youth group, outreach to those in need. The quiet, faithful service of so many of you. This parish is not just a building, it's a living mission. And our mission is to know, love, and serve God and our neighbors. And that mission doesn't stop here. It extends beyond these walls to our diocese, where seminaries are being formed, where ministries serve people we may never meet. And even farther, our brothers and sisters in India, Honduras, and Haiti, where the church is alive and growing, often in places of great need. So today we want to invite you into something deeper. Not just giving, but intentional stewardship. We are introducing a simple way to think about our giving here at St. Philip. That's where we call it. Three buckets, one mission. The first is our parish, and we need that for our day-by-day stuff. This is where the faith is lived. Sacraments are celebrated, ministries, community, the place where lives are changed, close to home. The second is our diocese, because we are not just St. Philip, we are part of something larger. Your support helps to form priests. Sustain the diocesan ministry. Strength the wider church. And the third is our global outreach mission. Because our faith does not stop at borders. Through your generosity, we reach India, Honduras, and Haiti. Places where hope is needed and where the church becomes hands and feet of Christ. Now, here's what different. We are not telling you what to give to each one of them. You decide. Each family carefully consider how it's God calling us to give. Because stewardship is not about equal amounts, it's about intentional hearts. It's about recognizing that everything we have is a gift and choosing how to return it in love. Think about the disciple. They said to Jesus, stay with us. And he did. But after they recognized him, they did not keep him to themselves. They went out immediately, joyfully. That is stewardship. First, we say, Lord, stay with us. And then we respond, Lord, send us. Today we simply begin with an invitation. Pray about it. As a family, I invite you to ask. What has God given us? How is he calling us to give back? How can we support this work here in the wider church and across the world? Because when we give this way, we may no longer just be attending mass. We become part of the mission of Christ. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is still walks with us. He is still made known in the breaking of the bread, and he is still sending us out. Let us respond with generous hearts and willing spirits. And together, let us live this mission, one faith, three-way to give. One church reaching everywhere. God bless you.