Love God, Love Others, Share the Good News!

This Week's Letter From Father

Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time C

July 27, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In today’s Gospel reading (Luke 11:1-13), one of the disciples approaches Jesus and asks him to teach them to pray as John the Baptist taught his disciples (Luke 11:1).

We learned the 'Our Father' before we learned to read and write. Our parents taught us the words and we repeated them.

Luke offers a shorter version of the Our Father than the one we find in the Gospel of Matthew and are more familiar with. Scripture scholars think that this shorter version might be closer to the original prayer. Jesus did not teach the disciples an elaborate method of meditation and contemplation. He did not present them with some complicated techniques or a countless word to recite over and over again. But ofered a simple model of what prayer should consist of.

Jesus instructs the disciples to come to God- Abba in prayer, as a child comes to his/her dearest, caring and loving father.

“Father, hallowed be your name”. We are to center on the holiness of God and strive to be holy. The removal of all evils that defile us and creation, makes God’s love visibly manifested in our life and the world.

“Your kingdom come”. By transforming ourselves into better people we bring the kingdom of God into our midst so others can feel the presence of God in the world. The afairs on earth can be like those in heaven, only when we make this world a better place for all. Kindness, empathy, generosity, solidarity are some of the characteristics of a new world, a kingdom of God. The nature of God’s kingdom breaks barriers separating people from all walks of life, race and nations.

“Give us each day our daily bread”. In the United States we have plenty of bread and many kinds of food. It was not so in the times of Jesus and is not today in many places on our globe. There are countries where the poor sufer from malnutrition and die from starvation. In America, vast quantities of food go to waste. Food, necessary to sustain life, must be shared with others.

“And forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us”. Barbara E. Reid, OP, and Sally Matthews point out that: “the prayer afrms a correlation between God’s forgiveness of sins with the human practice of forgiving debtors”.

The forgiveness we ask for, should be matched by our willingness to forgive not only what others did against us, but also to free others from financial burdens because the freedom from debt is essential to life with dignity. The follower of Christ should be both giving and forgiving, like our generous and merciful God.

“And do not subject us to the final test”. We pray so we are not put in situations when our character or faith are tested to the point of failure.

Since nothing worthwhile can be accomplished without patience and perseverance, prayers also must be persistent.

God answers prayers but does not always say “yes” to our asking prayers, unless we ask for the Holy Spirit. Often God answers in his time frame, not ours. When our prayers are not answered, we are to trust that our loving God has something better for us in store and continue praying, especially when we feel alone and when our spirits are down. Jesus always aligned his will with God’s will. We should too, although it is not easy.

St. Teresa of Avila said: “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” the Lord Jesus and the grace of his Sacrament guide you throughout your life.

                                                                                   …..

Congratulations to Emily Buzzell! May you never forget the Day of your First Holy Communion. I wish you abundant blessings as you receive the Body of Christ for the first time. As you take this important step in your Faith journey, may the Lord Jesus and the grace of His Sacrament guide you throughout your life.

I blessed the house of Clara Farnsworth. May your home be a sacred dwelling for you. May the Lord be your shelter, companion and welcome guest. May those who enter it, feel love and peace.

I enjoyed talking with our Rosary Makers who spread devotion to the Blessed Mother and Our Lord Jesus. Let us pray the Rosary daily and meditate on its mysteries.

Thank you, Mary and Maher Saikali, for having me over for delicious beef tartar. I enjoyed spending the evening with you, your family and friends. Luke and Chloe are growing fast. Next year we will welcome them to our school.

Thank you, Marie and Spencer Olsen, for inviting me to a fantastic lunch. I enjoyed your company, conversation and the crab cakes benedict. I am looking forward to seeing you again when you are in town next time.

With blessings,

Fr. Ryszard

Welcome Message

Greetings in Christ Jesus!

Whether you are just visiting for a short while, have moved here and are joining our parish, or are returning to your Catholic Faith, on behalf of our parish community, we welcome you to St. Egbert Catholic Church and the beautiful Crystal Coast of North Carolina.

When Jesus was asked which of all the commandments was the greatest, he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the great, and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These two Commandments form the foundation of our mission to Love God, Love Neighbor, and to Share the Good News.