August 16, 2026

Dear People of St. Patrick Parish,

In the Gospel today, we meet a woman that can teach us a few things to make our relationship with Jesus so much better.

This woman was a Gentile and was looked down upon by the Israelite Jews because she was not a real Jew in their eyes and would never be in heaven.

This woman was a loving mother, and her daughter was suffering and she hoped and believed that this Jesus could heal the daughter and she would do anything to get Jesus to heal her daughter.

This woman had a sense of humor, and she risked everything to convinced Jesus to save the daughter and was not afraid to try anything to convince Jesus to help.

This woman had real Faith and could see that Jesus was Lord and Son of David, even though the real Jews did not want to believe in Him.

This Gospel reminds us of the dispute in the early Church between Jewish and Gentile converts to the Faith. Even today, there is anti-Semitism, a real disgrace to all Human beings. Racism is also a horrible hatred for all immigrants, many of whom are fellow Catholics.

We the Catholic Church is a place of prayer to the loving God who creates every human being and loves all His creations. All God’s children should be welcome to live in peace and be able to support their families.

Yes, if an immigrant sins and does bad things they need to be punished and given a chance to correct their bad behavior, but don’t hold everyone of their race in hate and refuse to give them the opportunities to share a good life.

Today, let us pray that one day all people will live the right way and respect God’s laws and one day get to heaven.

God Bless,
Fr. Larry Young
Your Pastor