Today’s Gospel has the crowd asking Jesus three questions. First, “When did you get here,” to which Jesus responds by rebuking them for their failure to grasp his miracle as a “sign,” an occasion to put faith in him. Their second question about accomplishing the “works of God” has Jesus respond that faith is the “work” that God wishes. Many scholars believe this is John’s answer to the faith-works dichotomy emerging in the early Christian community. Faith is the work of God in the believer, John would have us understand. The third question asked by the crowd is a request for a “sign” that would allow them to put faith in Jesus, as the manna in the desert allowed the Israelites to put faith in the Lord God. Jesus answers by revealing himself as the “bread of life” that “comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Do you suppose the authors of the four Gospels were aware of today’s first reading from the second book of Kings? Of course they were. The prophet Elisha fed a hundred men with twenty barley loaves in order to prove God’s power. This same miracle, now multiplied by more people fed by fewer loaves, is attributed to Jesus in all four Gospels. In today’s passage from John we even have the detail that the loaves were barley, reminding every pious Jew of that miracle that Elisha worked. Yet Jesus went into hiding when they wanted to make him king. It is the passage from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians that gives us the reason for this. The power of Jesus comes from God. It is not meant merely to feed us, or to provide one group with a king. There is one Lord, one faith, one God and Father of all who works through Jesus Christ and through us all.

Separation, isolation, and hostility are terrible things. We are, sadly, too familiar with all of them in our modern life, whether we look at world events or events in our own neighborhoods and families. All three readings today refer to these same sad human conditions.

The prophet Jeremiah describes world conditions as if the people of his time were sheep who had been scattered by poor leadership and corrupt shepherds. But “the days are coming,” he assures us (Jeremiah 23:5), when a new shepherd, a just king, will come. We meet that king in the second reading and the Gospel. Paul reminds us in the Letter to the Ephesians that all divisions can now cease in Christ Jesus, who has brought us together through his blood. In Mark’s Gospel we see Jesus himself, looking with pity on those searching for him as if they were sheep without a shepherd.

While I have granted permission to begin the reopening of public Masses, due to the ongoing gravity of the present moment and the restrictions being placed on us during the "Phase 2" civil reopening plan, I hereby extend the dispensation for all Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Las Vegas and those Catholics visiting within the geographic boundaries of our Diocese, from the obligation of attending Sunday Masses up to and including August 30, 2020.

While we recognize that many are eager to return to Mass in our churches, it remains important for those who are elderly and otherwise at risk to refrain from returning to public Liturgies until it is manifestly safe to do so. For all the faithful, especially those who are sick, at high risk of becoming sick, and their caregivers, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is hereby dispensed.

The Lord be with you! While we normally use this greeting at our liturgical celebrations, I did not think there would be a problem in beginning my first letter to you as your new parish administrator by wishing all of you the Lord’s presence in your lives.

Some of you may remember me from 4 years ago when, in 2016, I came to St. Anne as a seminarian intern for 6 months and then I returned to Mundelein Seminary to complete my theological studies.

Now I come among you as your Parish Administrator. It’s a much different ballgame being the parish administrator rather than a seminarian intern. The responsibility of this great community of faith and educational ministry is on my shoulders. I hope I can count on your support as together we move forward as a community of faith in the midst of a world crisis.

With this June 28th 2020 bulletin, I offer my final bulletin message to you, my dear Saint Anne family. All of you have been a blessing to me these past 6 years as your pastor, generously sharing your faith, as we together have grown in the Lord. There have been so many highlights and blessed events of my tenure as pastor here, too many to mention individually.

As we continue celebrating our Father’s Day Novena, let me say ‘Thank You’ for allowing me to be your spiritual Father, alongside Father Gregorio, Father Paul, Father Mugagga, and Father John. I thank God for all the times I was blessed to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with you, share the Holy Eucharist, Christ’s Body, our spiritual food. I am humbled how the Lord used me to share His mercy, absolution and healing with you in the sacraments of confession and anointing. And how truly blessed I feel to have been able to celebrate your baptisms, marriages and funerals.

While I begin serving in diocesan administration full time at the Chancery this week, I pray that there will be many opportunities to come back to Saint Anne’s to pray with you again, and just say ‘Hi’. Father Miguel and Father Gregorio, call me whenever you like!

I join the growing chorus of U.S. Catholic Bishops speaking in one voice as we express our deep sadness over the heartbreaking death of Mr. George Floyd. We urgently pray for the cessation of the violence and destruction which has so sullied the memory of a man who lost his life under tragic and unnecessary circumstances.

We are broken-hearted, sickened, and outraged to watch another video of an African American man being killed before our eyes. The senseless taking of life defies the fundamental principles of justice and respect for human life. We must recognize the fact that all lives are sacred. As Catholics, it is not enough to relegate our concern to only thoughts and prayers. Our Church, at every level, must speak out unequivocally and work against the sin of racism.

Dear Parishioners,

I want to thank you for all of the prayers you have offered and the concerns you have shown for one another during this difficult time of the Coronavirus outbreak. The suspension of public Masses until further notice has been most challenging to all of us. I encourage everyone to join in making an act of spiritual communion together with the faithful at our livestreamed Sunday and daily Masses that we offer here at Saint Anne’s, and which may be seen on our YouTube Channel- stannelvnv, Facebook Page- stannelvnv1, and Parish Website- stannelvnv.org. We are very grateful for our Diocesan televised Mass Ministry Channel 33 / Cox 6, and also EWTN Cox 349 and Relevant Radio AM 970, bringing the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the comforting message of Christ, into our homes multiple times a day.