Intro from Fr. Chuck: A highlight of a just-ended vacation with my sister, brother-in-law, and their kids and grandkids, was some of us taking part in Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk, Va (https://www.basilicaofsaintmary.org/). This church has roots in a parish founded some 233 years ago, about the same time the U.S. got its first Catholic bishop! The church's website reports that it is this nation's only predominantly African-American Basilica [For the significance of a church becoming a Basilica or Minor Basilica, visit https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=244, for an article from 1959].

With the permission of the Rector, Rev. Jim Curran, I offer you excerpts of his homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, on the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. Surrendering this litte bit of food to Jesus, the young boy in the divinely-inspired retelling of this miraculous event in St. John's Gospel is a (challenging) model for us, says Fr. Jim. To hear how, listen now.

Catholic Mass readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 28, 2024: First Reading: 2 Kings 4: 42-44; Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145: 10-11, 15-16, 17-18; Second Reading: Ephesians 4: 1-6; Gospel: John 6: 1-15