ALL SAINTS

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

PRIESTHOOD SUNDAY

FROM THE PULPIT

In ancient Rome, Christians used to use Catacombs for their burial places. The Catacombs consist of miles of underground tunnels and chambers that were painstakingly carved out of the unique tufa soil on the outskirts of Rome. Tufa is a mixture of normal topsoil and elements from volcanic ash and lava. As long as it is not exposed to the air, it shows no special characteristics, except that it is remarkably soft and easy to dig. But when you excavate into it, exposing it to the air, it gradually becomes almost as hard as rock. And so it was the perfect environment to create a vast network of underground cemeteries, chapels, and hiding places. You can still visit these Catacombs today.

When you do, you notice that in addition to the normal graves, there are thousands of little horizontal niches dug into the walls of the passageways. Two or three feet long, less than a foot high, and two or three feet deep, these niches are much too small to serve as a burial place for a full-grown body.

Archeologists recently discovered what they were used for. In ancient Rome, when Christianity was still a minority, outlawed religion, it was common practice for pagan women to abandon by exposure unwanted or crippled babies. Special clearings outside the city were used just for this purpose. As Christianity spread, Christian women started going out to those clearings to rescue the unwanted babies, convinced that they were loved by God and created in his image.

Some of the babies would die from exposure before or soon after being rescued. When that happened, the Christians would bury these babies in the little niches in the Catacombs. In this way, at great cost and inconvenience to themselves, they actively lived out Christ’s commandment to love.

Today in the gospel we are called to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Sometimes we express our love for God in only religious practices, for example faithfully going to Mass each and every Sunday, saying our prayers, etc. We must realize true love of God must not just be in these areas but we are to take care of our widows, orphans, the poor which are considered our neighbors. Jesus in his life here on Earth showed that example of loving all with his whole heart.

In today's world, people are very busy. Sometimes we even feel much too busy to take time to reach out to neighbors in need. It is very possible, however, that at the end of our life we will see things quite differently. But even in the midst of our busyness, we can make an effort to love God by loving our neighbor, precisely in the way we interact with the people around us.

A true Christian should always remember that people matter more than things. We should never be too busy for a kind word or a sincere smile. But those of us who really are super-busy can also make use of a secret weapon that allows us to do more in less time, to fulfill both of Christ's two great commandments in one action. And it doesn't add anything at all to our to-do list or calendar. It's so simple that you might be tempted to shrug it off when I tell you - but that would be a major mistake. What is this secret weapon? Praying for other people.

When we pray for people we are exercising both loves at the same time: we show our love for God by talking to him and expressing confidence in his goodness and power, and we show our love for our neighbor by caring about them. Each one of us should have a list of people we pray for regularly - family members, coworkers, orphans, politicians, Christians suffering persecution... We should keep the list somewhere that we will have a chance to use it - near the windshield of the car or the counter where we fold the laundry... (The pope keeps his on his kneeler, where he does his morning and evening prayers.) To pray regularly and sincerely for others - it's the secret weapon for loving God and loving our neighbor.

Throughout this weekend we are celebrating Priesthood Sunday. This day came about after the sex abuse scandal in which the morale of the priests in the USA were low, this day is to recognize those men who serve in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ faithfully each and every day. I know in my own life, priests have made a great impact. I remember especially two priests that were stationed at my home parish, Fr. Ed and Fr. Jack who were examples of men that devoted their lives to God and faithfully lived out today’s gospel message to love God with all of your heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as well. By their example it truly sparked a fire within me to become like them. I wanted to do exactly what they were doing.

On this day we also need to pray for vocations to the priesthood. We need more men to join our ranks to work in the vineyard of the Lord. So many young men out there are being called but they are afraid. Either it’s mom or dad who doesn’t encourage them or society that puts them down for choosing a path that society believes “doesn’t bring satisfaction.” My brothers and sisters it needs to begin with us. We need to encourage our young men to discern on the possibility of the priesthood. Let us not be afraid to approach a young man and ask, “have you thought of being a priest?” Just by asking, it could begin something and lead them onto the road to the priesthood.

So my dear brothers and sisters, please pray for me and for Fr. Roger and for all the priests that you know. May we always be faithful servants and may we always love God with all our heart, mind, and soul and our neighbors as well.

FROM THE PULPIT

Throughout the church today we celebrate World Mission Sunday. Pope Benedict for this day says that, “The missionary mandate continues to be an absolute priority for all baptized persons... It is therefore an urgent duty for everyone to proclaim Christ and his saving message... Today there are countless people who are waiting for the proclamation of the gospel, those who are thirsting for hope and love...” Yes, today we recognize those men and women who are missionaries throughout the world bringing the gospel message and we assist them with our prayers and also our finances so that their mission can continue to go on. This doesn’t mean that only missionaries are called to preach the gospel but we as baptized members belonging to the body of Christ are to reach out to all those that need to feel the gentle hand of Christ upon them.

This day we recognize missionaries who were on our land and were martyred for the faith. They are simply known as the North American Martyrs, who embodied "endurance in hope" to the max. These pioneering French missionaries came to the "new world" out of motives differing sharply from most of their fellow Europeans.

In fact, one of their first tasks in preaching the gospel to the Native Americans in eastern Canada and the eastern Great Lakes Region was convincing them that they had no interest at all in furs, skins, fish, and game, but only in teaching them about Jesus Christ. They showed this by taking up residence with the Indians themselves, learning their languages (which was no easy task), and returning to their villages time and again, even after European politics (the British were actively trying to wrest Canada from the French) repeatedly forced them to return to European settlements.

Their ability to sacrifice every material comfort and reward, to put their hopes in God alone, was the precondition for bringing Christ to these souls. But it didn't stop there. Besides living in filthy huts, traveling by canoe through dense wilderness (whenever they took a trip they had to carry their canoes and other supplies across pathless land bridges as often as they were able to paddle through clear waters), and putting their lives in continual danger by tending the chronic illnesses (mostly due to pestilence) suffered by the people they were serving, they each ended up being taken prisoner, tortured, and brutally killed by enemies of the faith. Few of us will face such grueling physical challenges as we try to fulfill our Christian mission, but we will all need the support of supernatural endurance - and only Christian hope can provide it.

In today’s gospel, Christ reminds us what our mission is. “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” The Jewish authorities miscalculate what Jesus’ clear perception of himself and his mission. When God is truly the center of our lives, there shouldn’t be a problem when it comes to giving to others what is due from us. Giving others what is due doesn’t mean that we are not making God the center of our lives. Jesus by his example shows that serving the one God has more meaning when we know the line between God and the other authorities. Civil authority could be used to further the mission that we are called too as was with Cyrus who liberated the Jews from the Babylonian captivity. We have to realize that civil authority doesn’t have the ultimate claim on us but our obligations are always to God our Creator.

In the second reading this morning from the beginning of this Letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, a city in northern Greece (modern-day Macedonia), St Paul uses a very interesting and very important phrase. He praises the Thessalonians for their "endurance in hope." This is not a popular phrase nowadays. And yet, St Paul puts it right up there with the "work of faith" and the "labor of love" as a key characteristic of Christian life. Thessalonica was the second city in Europe where Paul had a chance to preach the Gospel.

His preaching was well-received by many, and a local Christian church was founded there. But after a few weeks, some of the local leaders became so jealous of Paul's success that a violent mob raised a city-wide demonstration against him. Paul's new converts had to sneak him out of the city at night to bring him to safety. After he left, the Christians there continued to suffer persecution and hardship in the face of the old guard who felt threatened by the new religion. This is why "endurance" was so important for them: they were constantly being tempted to go back to their old ways, the easier and more comfortable ways.

We are also constantly facing this temptation. Being a faithful Catholic in a society full of anti-Catholic and anti-Christian influences demands non-stop effort and vigilance. What will enable us to keep up our effort? The same thing that enabled the Thessalonians to keep up theirs: hope. The Thessalonians firmly trusted in Christ's promise that God himself would always walk beside them, guiding and protecting them on their journey to the abundant and eternal life that only Christ can give. Our great task in life is to endure, to persevere. And we can do that, if we keep our hope healthy.

Sarah Palin on SNL

Is God calling you?

THE PRIESTS

If you haven't heard of them, these are 3 Isrish Roman Catholic priests who truly have a gift of singing. Enjoy!

FROM THE PULPIT

The English painter William Hunt drew a famous painting called The Light of the World. He painted it in 1852, as an expression of his personal conversion to Christ. It shows the large wooden door of a country cottage, which is located on the edge of a forest, far away from other houses or towns. Around the door weeds have grown up, and the landscape looks abandoned, uncultivated, and hostile. It is nighttime. In the darkness, the full moon forms a halo around the head of Christ, who is standing in front of the door. He holds a lantern in his left hand, and with his right hand he is knocking on the door. Hunt was part of the "pre-Raphaelite" school of painters, who were interested in complex symbolism. In this painting, the cottage symbolizes the soul, the door is human freedom, and Christ is the light that brings hope and meaning to the darkness within. It's a haunting painting in many of its details. First of all we see a stranger wandering the woods at night carrying a light. Usually, the light would come from inside the place of residence, and the strange wanderer would be seeking relief from the darkness outside. But another detail is even more eloquent: no doorknob or handle can be seen on the outside of the door. This implies that the door can only be opened from within.

Christ is knocking on the outside, patiently waiting to bring his light into the house, but only those on the inside can let him in. And that's how it is in all of our lives. God surrounds us with his good gifts and his love, but he will never force his way into our hearts: he simply knocks, invites, and waits patiently for us to open the door.

By refusing the king's invitation, the invited guests fell into the sin at the root of all our sins: ingratitude. The invited guests were so busy enjoying the peace and prosperity that the king's well-run kingdom provided, that they forget to honor the king himself - even going so far as to abuse the king's messengers. In so doing, they cut themselves off from him. As a result, they also cut themselves off from the peace and prosperity that he was so generously providing.

But there is also a second level to their ingratitude. In ancient times, you didn't send out just one wedding invitation, you sent out two. The first was a general announcement of the good news, but it didn't specify the date of the celebration. Then later, when all the preparations were made, the second invitation would go out, giving the specific day and place for the banquet. The guests who refused to come to the wedding were actually rejecting this second invitation. That means that they had already accepted the first invitation. Therefore, they are not only insulting the king by refusing to come, but they are also going back on their own word.

The parable applies in a special way to the Jewish leaders at the time of Christ, who had accepted God's Old Testament promises, but were now rejecting their fulfillment by rejecting Christ. It also applies to Catholics and Christians who are baptized and grow up in the faith, but then later on in life, when Jesus asks them to put their faith into action, they refuse to take the risk.

I know for me it’s hard to believe that the invited guests in this gospel reading are refusing to come to such a great and lavish banquet. We are invited to a feast even more lavish as we heard in the first reading and we, too, can fail to see its significance and fail to prepare ourselves for the lavish banquet. Our everyday living does matter—even the small things do help us put on the wedding garment. As we step away from sin in our spiritual journey we are preparing for the feast and what a grand feast it is!

While the messianic banquet is going to occur in the future but at the same time we share in the present time the banquet that is found in the Eucharist that we celebrate. This feast requires of us careful preparation. Not just physically such as the music selections, sacred vessels that will be used, vestments that will be worn but also internally in which we ponder and prepare ourselves for the most sacred moment we will encounter on Earth. Our challenge is to commit ourselves to come to Sunday mass ready, having prepared throughout the week for this moment with our living and loving God.

FROM THE PULPIT

The film, the Passion of Christ unlike the Gospels, actually offers a possible explanation for why the Good Thief, Dysmas repents while hanging on the cross. Dysmas has been watching Jesus ever since they started carrying their crosses up to Calvary. Certainly throughout that process he was impressed by Jesus' patience and silent determination, his lack of anger, his docility. But only when he hears Jesus, in the midst of his horrible agony, forgive his persecutors does the thief's heart open up to God's grace. That heroic, unimaginable act of forgiveness, after all that Jesus has suffered, smashes to bits all his doubts about God's goodness, wisdom, and power. He realizes that God loves and forgives to the very end, without limits. And so, at that moment, without waiting or doubting or needlessly wrestling with his own unworthiness, he confidently entrusts his eternal salvation into Christ's hands. He says, "Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom!" And Jesus gladly assures this miserable wretch, this convicted criminal and notorious sinner that God's grace will indeed take care of him.

This weekend we celebrate a figure that exactly was an example of someone who didn’t embrace the cross but at the end of his life he was known to be “another Christ.” Many people can relate to St. Francis of Assisi. I found it interesting the other day when I presided at a funeral at a Protestant church and the minister that presided the service with me mentioned that if he were to choose a Catholic saint, it would be St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy and was the son of Pietro de Bernardone a well to do merchant. Francis with his father’s good fortune was a man that knew how to throw a party for his friends of Assisi. Francis was a man of the world but not much room for God in his life. He wanted to be known a great soldier but instead returned from Perugia after being captured as a prisoner. After this incident he fell very ill and after recovering, began his conversion experience. Like the good thief he experienced Christ at the cross, the San Damiano Cross which we are all familiar with every time we look at the processional cross. Christ spoke to him from this cross and told him, “Francis, rebuild my church.” That’s what he did, literally rebuild the church that was in physical ruin but he discovered in his faith journey that Christ wanted him to reform the church within. So Francis abandoned the material world and chose to live in strict poverty and he would never have imagined that in his life he would see thousands of men wanting to live this life of going from village to village and proclaiming the Gospel. Today, 800 years later, these men and women known as Franciscans are throughout the world ministering in parishes, hospitals, schools, retreat houses, soup kitchens, etc.. Just in my order alone, O.F.M.’s which is one of the 3 main branches of the Franciscan Order, number at about 15,000.

The good news of this morning’s/evening’s gospel is that the kingdom will survive no matter how the “tenants” behave, because the cornerstone of the kingdom is Christ. No matter what state that we might find our vineyard in, if it be a land that is fertile or as dry as the ground in a desert, as long as keep our focus on Christ as St. Francis did then we will be fruitful and enjoy being the tenants of his kingdom instead of fearful tenants in which the owner is out to get us. It’s hard to hear a message of judgment but it’s necessary because it challenges us to be faithful to the gospel message.

We don’t need to fear judgment because as we heard of God taking care of Isaiah in the first reading so will God care for us in the vineyard of our lives. In every Eucharist we partake in we are fed by his word and at the table. All is required of us is to let God tend to us and bring us to produce good fruit. All we need to do is be faithful and God will take care of the rest.

St Paul powerfully experienced this limitlessness of God's goodness and mercy. And he describes it in today's second reading the results of this experience for his own soul. He calls it "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding," a peace that keeps all anxiety at bay and "guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." All of us are thirsty for that kind of interior peace. The circumstances of life on earth tend always to be turbulent and stormy, in one way or another, but in our hearts we long for depth, peace, and stability. The experience of God's boundless mercy and goodness can give that to us, because we suddenly realize that we don't have to earn God's love, the way we have to earn other people's love - we already have it, in abundance!

And Jesus himself told us the secret to having that experience. He said: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." If we show mercy to others, our hearts mysteriously open up, and God's mercy, which he is always showering down upon us, can get in and clean things out, like a refreshing spring rain. But if we don't show mercy to others, it's like we put an umbrella over our own hearts and God's transforming mercy just glides right off. And mercy isn't about forgiving others because they deserve to be forgiven.

On the contrary, mercy is forgiving precisely when they don't deserve it, because that's how God forgives us. Who in our life has offended us and doesn't deserve to be forgiven? During this Eucharist, let's ask God to give us the grace to forgive them, to show mercy and goodness to them, to take the initiative in rebuilding the relationship, so that God's mercy and goodness will finally get free rein in us, filling us with his "peace that surpasses all understanding."

HAPPY FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS