Pastor Notes from October 2
-
October 3, 2022We step into Respect Life Month, a reminder of the dignity of all life from conception to natural death—and those who have been forgotten, alienated, ignored, or simply ‘written off.’ Pope Francis offers us words of hope, re-affirming our Christian awareness and protection of God’s gift of life: “Every child who, rather than being born, is condemned unjustly to being aborted, bears the face of Jesus Christ, bears the face of the Lord, who even before he was born, and then just after birth, experienced the world’s rejection. And every elderly person...even if he is ill or at the end of his days, bears the face of Christ. They cannot be discarded, as the ‘culture of waste’ suggests.”
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops offers this reflection on the dignity of life regardless: at conception or death, impoverished or well-to-do, forgotten or acclaimed, white or black: As a society and as individuals, we often measure ourselves by false standards: by what and how much we do, our successes or failures, how others treat us, the degree of our pleasure or independence, etc. And when these changeable substitutes prove to be insufficient, or when we are faced with challenges and suffering, we may feel helpless, alone, or abandoned; we may be tempted to feel as though our lives have decreased value or worth.
But God's love—individual, real, unchanging—is the true source of our worth, identity, and dignity. It really is not a question of who we are, but rather whose we are. Because his love will never change, nothing can reduce our God-given dignity, and nothing can diminish the immeasurable worth of our lives.
Our Response: When someone is facing great trials, we need to meet them where they are, walk with them on their journey, intercede for them, and be open to sharing Christ's love however he directs. . . .Sometimes our actions speak for themselves; other times, words are needed. Whatever the situation, Jesus knows how to speak to each person's heart; we simply need to follow where he leads. Though the Feast of the Guardian Angels is this Sunday, superseded by the readings of the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, nonetheless tradition holds, from centuries past, every human being has a special angel protecting him/her from physical and spiritual harm. Such has been validated and ritually passed down from one generation to another with the Guardian Angel. Prayer committed to memory and prayed before going to bed.
Christ Jesus warned in Matthew (18:10),
“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven, their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.” While in the Garden of Gethsemane an angel was at Jesus’ side in this crucial moment, and an angel delivered St. Peter from the prison cell to continue his ministry leading the Church.
As our Christian Church took shape the early Church Fathers explained and defended the existence of angels, and not just as a heavenly realm. Within our Catechism of the Catholic Church, it notes that angels belong to Christ: “They are his angels; and quoting St. Basil, “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life (CCC#331, 336). Sixty-plus years have passed since my mother taught me this prayer, kneeling down before my bed, an essential prayer to be prayed earnestly before going to sleep. I still do.
Angel of God, my Guardian Dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
I Ever this day be at my side,
To light and to guard, to rule and to guide. Amen.
Tuesday, October 4th, is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. As tradition holds, there will be a “Blessing of Animals/Pets” that afternoon at 2:45 on Sacred Heart School grounds. Please join the students and staff and bring your pet or animal. With a bit of jest, Mark Twain offers his thoughts on animals: “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. ~ If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much. ~ Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
Our final week to pose for your picture to be included in our new parish directory begins this Tuesday. If you haven’t yet or if you have any questions, please call the parish office. Thank you to the many who have taken the time for a picture, and for the many volunteers who helped with hospitality and sign-ins.
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: “If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans.” (James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small)