FATHER JIM'S JOTS, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 14, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 14, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

We have now returned to Ordinary Time!  This liturgical season is called as such because each Sunday is numbered.  The name refers to the ordinal numbers that mark each Sunday; not that this time of year is unremarkable compared to the rest.  In fact, during Ordinary Time we hear about the ministries and life of Christ in the Gospels.  These readings carry important lessons for how we can center Christ in our lives.

At the end of this Sunday's Gospel, we hear:  "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."  We can give in many ways.  We give our time, our talents, our ideas, our joys, our sympathy, our kind words and so much more.  Almsgiving and the giving of our material possessions are important acts of charity, but these are not the only ways we can give.  Give someone the gift of your support, your encouragement.  Support someone or something with a talent that you can share.  We can give ourselves by living for Christ and imitating him in all that we do.

St. Paul wrote, "And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia."  (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7)  This "imitation" that St. Paul speaks of is rooted in his view of solidarity in Christ through sharing in Jesus' cross and in the Spirit of the risen Lord.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor 

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