In today’s Gospel parable as given to us from St. Luke, the master is away at a wedding feast. In Jesus’ telling of this story, he focuses on those who await the master’s return. They have been instructions and are expected to carry them out. The servants do not know when the master will return. They wait and “make preparations and act in accord with his will.” And they are ready! We are those modern servants of the Lord. Our being ready is not just about any time and place of the Lord’s return, but rather what we choose to do while we wait! At the end of the Lord’s Prayer today, the presider prays: “Deliver us, Lord, we pray from every evil…that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin…as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” Thus, with prayer and ac?on, we prepare ourselves for the return of our master. Let us pray and work in the vineyard for the coming of God’s Kingdom. One day, we shall rejoice when we once again see the Son of Man.

The month of August is filled with very special liturgical Feasts! Today, we celebrate the memory of St. Clare of Assisi who died on this day, August 11, 1253. It was Clare who gathered other women of Assisi, including her own mother, Ortolana, and her sister Agnes, to commit themselves to a life of prayer and simplicity at San Damiano just below the city of Assisi. She loved to call herself “the little plant of Francis.” Actually, she was a “big plant” in that she kept alive the spirit of St. Francis long after he died in 1226. Then, on August 14th, we keep the memory of the Franciscan, St. Maximillian Kolbe, the saint of Auschwitz who gave his life in ransom for another Nazi concentration camp prisoner. As Jesus says: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.” On August 15th, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this teaching of our faith, we believe that what Mary has been given in Christ’s resurrection, we too one day will share for all eternity!

Finally, mark your calendars for our Mission San Luis Rey Community feast day: St. Louis, the King of France. This year on Friday, August 23rd, we will gather once again in the Old Mission for a beautiful and festive Mass and then process with the image of St. Luis Rey around the Mission grounds. The evening will be filled with music, food, and dancing! Of course, we always wait for the fabulous fireworks display to capture the excitement and joy of the celebration! I do hope that many of us will be able to take part in these wonderful feast days!

In closing, I ask your prayers for me as I have surgery this week on Wednesday to remove a polyp on my vocal cord. I do hope this will be the remedy for my hoarse “godfather voice!” Ha‐ha! Thank you so much for all your prayers and the positive energy being sent my way!

Love, Fr. Vince