On the evening of Thursday, April 27th, 2023, we had our first ever Home Holy Hour.   One of our families took a page out of St. Mathew’s spirituality and invited the Lord to come to their home.

Remember, how everyone despised Levi for being a tax collector, but the Lord was instructed by His Heavenly Father to call this man to be a disciple – one of the twelve.

The humble Matthew never mentions this in his Gospel, but St. Luke and St. Mark both note how Levi gave a great banquet for Jesus in his (own) house, and Levi invited a large crowd of his fellow tax collectors and others (sinners) to the feast.

None of us is worthy of having the Lord come under our roof – isn’t this what we say every Mass we go to? – but our Lord desires to be with us.

Jesus was overjoyed to come out of our tabernacle for an hour and be invited to a parishioner’s house and just spend time with this family and their friends, who love the Lord!

This is all a part of the Eucharistic Revival that is going on in our country.    Although we have Holy Hours every week at our Churches and bimonthly, we have two Holy Hours a week – these adoration times occur immediately following a weekday Mass.

Many parishioners are unable to come to spend this intimate time with God, because of work or other obligations; so, our Home Holy Hour will occur on Thursday evenings.

We have chose a time, so that family members can come home from work, have a quick family dinner, and host our Lord from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Our first few Home Holy Hours will take place at the homes of selected parishioners, who typically come to our weekly Holy Hours.  This is only to iron out all of the wrinkles in this new form of adoration, where Jesus accepts the invitation from you to come and visit you at your house; instead, of your coming to Jesus’ house for adoration.

After three or so of these pre-selected Home Holy Hours, we will open up this adoration to any parishoner who would like to imitate Levi.

There will be a way to sign-up for a Home Holy Hour on our website (olphmarystpatick.com), or if you don’t have the internet – just call Nancy at the office (815-849-5412) and she can schedule the Thursday for Jesus to make the most important “House call“ the Lord has ever made – the visit to your house!

Your family will always remember the day that God, literally and physically, came under your roof!!

Yours on the Path

Fr. Randy