Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Mary’s of the Lake:

 A family went to a restaurant for a dinner together. The father was hungry for a steak & happily ordered one. The waiter eventually brought out a big, succulent steak. The man commented on it, but said to the waiter:  ‘The steak looks very good; but I wondered why you put your fingers on my steak?’ The waiter answered: ‘Oh, just so that the steak does not fall down to the floor again, sir!’ The waiter had to hang on to the steak! In the Gospel this past SUN there was a boy who did not want to hang on to the food he had. He dared to offer what he
had (just 5 loaves & 2 fish). Jesus used what the boy offered to perform a miracle known as the Multiplication of the Loaves & Fish! The boy would have all the natural tendency to hang on to the food he had. But he dared to offer what he had to Jesus! The result was: Jesus did a miracle! What could be one application we can learn from this Multiplication story?


May I suggest this for your consideration: If we dare to offer what we have to Jesus, even small, He can use it. He can multiply it to bring joy to the hungry or needy.  Whatever gift we can offer in terms of our Time, Talents, Treasures and Energy --in terms of what we have & who we are, even seemingly insignificant, Jesus can use it to make it fruitful to benefit our brothers and sisters. Could it be that we have denied one miracle after another, because we do not bring to Jesus what we do have or what we can do! Let us take a few examples:
✠ Have you ever asked yourselves: ‘Do I sing in church? Have I truly responded well at Mass?’  Even with a small voice, if each of us sings and responds, the miracle is: The assembly will be a great praying & singing community, and the Mass each weekend will be more prayerful and lively! Another question: ‘Has your family prayed?’  The miracle is: Even with a small amount of time like 3-5 minutes of prayer a day, each family would offer 1 or 2 hours of prayer a month (and multiply it with a few hundred families we have)
✠ Closer to home: Our Parish Picnic will take place in just over a week!  Consider calling the Church Office to see in what area you can offer help. Again, the miracle is: Small amount of time each of us can give can become something big when many participate because of the love of the Parish!  

It is to be noted: Along with the Gospel of the Multiplication, the Gospel of 4 more Sundays after are ultimately about the Holy Eucharist. Jesus gives His very Self –His Body & Blood, for the well-being of us all. May we imitate Jesus to offer what we have & who we are for the good, the well-being of others in His Name!  Fr. Phil

✠ Looking Ahead:  Wednesday August 15 will be the great Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation.  Masses will at 8:30 am & 6 pm in Lakewood and 4 pm in Wabeno.