Dear Parishioners,
When Jesus asks the apostles who people say he is, they respond, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Interesting that no one out there is saying, “You are Jesus. You are who you are.” It’s like if I were to ask you, “Who do people say I, Father James Wallace, am?” After checking my sanity, you’d say, “You’re Father James Wallace. You’re a Roman Catholic Priest. You’re the pastor of Saint Paul of the Cross.” Pretty obvious.
Dear Parishioners,
Do you like the scene we have for this Sunday’s Gospel? It’s the scene of the Canaanite woman begging Jesus for the miracle to heal her daughter. Jesus ignores her at first. When she persists, Jesus says, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” To which the woman responds, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Jesus then gives her the miracle.
Dear Parishioners,
Last week, if you recall, was the feast of the Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah appeared alongside Jesus on Mount Tabor. Well, we read about Elijah this weekend in our first reading. Elijah experiences God in a tiny whispering sound. God is not in the strong wind, the crushing rocks, the earthquake, or fire. Contrast this to Moses experiencing God atop Mount Sinai. There, God was present in fire, smoke, cracking boulders and trumpet blasts. Elijah hid his face in his cloak. Moses unveiled his face and saw God directly.
Father James Wallace grew up in Winnetka, Illinois and attended Sts. Faith Hope and Charity grammar school, New Trier High School, and then The George Washington University in Washington DC, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science in 2007. He attended seminary at The Pontifical North American College in Rome and was ordained a priest in 2012 for the Archdiocese of Chicago. In addition to being the pastor of Saint Paul of the Cross Parish, he serves as a canon lawyer for the Archdiocese, a dean in Vicariate II, and a professor of canon law and spiritual director at Mundelein Seminary. He is also one of the featured Mercy Home Sunday Mass celebrants, airing Sundays at 9:30am on WGN.
Phone: (847) 825-7605
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