Let the Miracles Continue!

Over the years I have become ever more convinced that the Church is a miracle. From her birthday on Pentecost (Acts 2) all the way to the present day, God alone knows the number of wondrous miracles He has done through the members of the Church, the Body of Christ. To name just a few, think of the parishes, schools, universities, hospitals, religious communities, retreat centers, social and charitable services. None of these were a temporary fad; they emerged in the course of Church history and continue to this day. Why? Because people were transformed by the Good News of Jesus and did something about it. The names of most of these people we will not know until, perhaps, we meet them in heaven. But one of the things they all have in common is their response to today’s Gospel reading.  

People asked Jesus “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” And Jesus replied, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22: 21). That leaves us with the question: What belongs to God? If God created it all, then it all belongs to Him. Most of the miracles of Church history happened through people who realized that everything they have is a gift from God, and they chose to offer those gifts back to God. They started with small acts of gratitude: spending some time in prayer, sharing their talent with someone in need, giving some spare change to the Church. Already God was beginning to work little miracles through them.

Many parishes like Immaculate Heart of Mary were born through the generosity of her founding members. God alone knows how many miracles have happened here in the past sixty years through the faithful and generous gifts of our parishioners. Just look around. How has all of this happened? Because so many people before us and so many people around us have responded to today’s Gospel: they realized that all they have is a gift from God and they offered their gifts back to God, to various degrees, through gifts to His Church. So, the miracles continue.  

Some of those gifts were time spent in prayer and growing their faith. Some of those gifts were the sharing of their time or talent with people in need or with our parish ministries. And some of those gifts were their financial treasure to support our ministries, buildings and operations. All these gifts contribute to the one big miracle that is IHM. Thanks to all of you who contribute to the miracle.

This weekend we present our annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.  And we share with you our budget for the current year. We are financially solvent thanks to the miracle of your generosity. Next weekend, I will speak at all the Masses about our Stewardship of Treasure. I invite you to prayerfully discern how you can continue being part of the miracle of IHM through your support of our parish financially. I have sent a letter to all our registered parishioners, which I hope will arrive before next weekend. It contains a pledge card, a prayer intention card, and an envelope. I encourage you to complete the pledge card and prayer intention card and place them in the envelope. Then bring the envelope with you to Mass next weekend and place it in the basket in our sanctuary as an offering to the Lord, the Giver of all good gifts. Then see how the Lord blesses you with gifts in return, not only in the Eucharist but in countless ways throughout the year. You may also mail the envelope to the parish office. I thank you for being an instrument of the Lord’s many miracles of the past, present, and future.  May these miracles inspire us, like Mary, to proclaim the greatness of the Lord and accompany our neighbors to the Heart of Jesus (cf. Luke 1:46).