The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

Today we observe the Feast of All Souls, commemorating all the faithful departed. Our society has a tendency to deny the reality and inevitability of death. Most advertising we see focuses on the vitality of youth, trying to sell us anything that will make us look, feel and stay young and alive. Like Juan Ponce de Leon, we seem to be on a never-ending quest for the Fountain of Youth. This feast brings us back to earth as it reminds us of our mortality. Our physical bodies will die eventually no matter how hard we try to stay young. However, as Christians we believe that death is not “The End.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “the souls of all who die in Christ's grace . . . are the People of God beyond death. On the day of resurrection, death will be definitively conquered, when these souls will be reunited with their bodies"(CCC 1052).

In today’s gospel, John 6:37-4040, Jesus tells us that “this is the will of my Father that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” Yet, God gives all of us free will. We make our own choices even as we die. We can choose to “die in Christ’s grace,” or we can choose to reject God and, like many of the subjects in St. Matthew’s parables, be cast into the darkness “where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” If you are reading this Pastor’s Desk, I think it is safe to assume that you want to die in Christ’s grace. The great monk and mystic Thomas á Kempis said, “Every action of yours, every thought, should be those of one who expects to die before the day is out. Death would have no great terrors for you if you had a quiet conscience … then why not keep clear of sin instead of running away from death? If you aren’t fit to face death today, it is very unlikely you will be tomorrow” (The Imitation of Christ, 1, 23, 1).

Each time we participate in the sacrifice of the Mass we pray for those who have died and gone before us marked with the sign of faith. And when we pray the Rosary, we ask our Blessed Mother to pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Praying for those who are dying or have died is a great act of love. We all need prayer. So today as we remember our departed family members and friends, let us pray for them.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,

And let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed,

Through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Merciful Father,

Hear our prayers and console us.

As we renew our faith in your son,

Whom you raised from the dead,

Strengthen our hope

That all our departed brothers and sisters

Will share in his resurrection,

Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

One God, forever and ever.

AMEN

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today's gospel, Luke 18: 9-14, we hear another parable about prayer.  Last Sunday we reflected on the importance of persistence in prayer.  Today in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus directs our thoughts towards our attitude about prayer.  Prayer is our primary means of communicating with God and how we pray reflects our relationship with God.  When we pray, most of us thank God for all the graces and gifts we receive and we ask for healing, understanding, patience or for whatever we believe we lack or need.  Sometimes we try to tell God what to do.  But I believe the majority of us recognize that God is bigger than we are, that God already knows all our needs and that we depend on God for everything.  Prayer is our way of placing our needs before God and trusting that God in his goodness will meet them. 

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector presents two people with very different relationships with God.  In the “normal” world, the Pharisee should be our model of devotion and the tax collector should be the “villain.”  However, we are not in the “normal” world.  We are in the Kingdom of God. And in this kingdom, everything is different.  Although the Pharisee is devout, practicing his faith to the letter of the law, he also is arrogant and proud.  He knows that he is “not like the rest of humanity” (Luke 18:11).  He is BETTER than the rest of humanity.  Not only is he better than the rest of us, he does not need God.  With his inflated sense of self-worth, he has no room for a relationship with God, he prays to himself and so he is not “justified” in the Kingdom.

In the Israel of the New Testament era, few people were more despised than tax collectors.  They were Roman collaborators and often they were corrupt.  When the tax collector in the parable approaches the Temple to pray, he stands at a distance, with downcast eyes and prays, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).  That is the extent of his prayer and that is the prayer God heard.  The tax collector knew where he stood with God.  He recognized and acknowledged his own sinfulness. He is “justified” in the kingdom.   Therefore, Jesus presents the tax collector to us as our role model for faithful prayer. 

During your prayer time this week, remember the humble tax collector whose prayer was heard.  And remember what Sirach teaches us, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay” (Sirach 35:17-18).

Merciful God,
you assure us that the prayer of the humble pierces the clouds.
Look upon us who come before you,
humble and repentant like the tax collector,
and grant that, as we open our hearts
we may trust in your steadfast love and mercy.
We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

AMEN.

 

Precious Trials

Then Why Don't We Pray

The highest privilege ever afforded to humans is the power of prayer.

... then why don't we pray?

The right to talk to the highest power in all the universe...
... then why don't we pray?

The most powerful force accessible to people is the potential of prayer...
... then why don't we pray?

The greatest longing in the heart of God is to talk to His children...
... then why don't we pray?

Nothing is impossible to those who pray...
... then why don't we pray?

No one ever failed or faltered who gave himself to prayer...
... then why don't we pray?

Every sin is forgiven, every stain is washed clean, all guilt diminished to the one who prays...
... then why don't we pray?

Hell moves farther away, Satan flees from the one who prays...
... then why don't we pray?

Anointing will come, mountains will be moved, valleys made smooth, rivers made crossable, the inaccessible made accessible, the impossible made possible, dreams come true to the one who prays...
... then why don't we pray?

Jesus said that men ought always to pray...
... then why don't we pray?

Paul encouraged prayer without ceasing...
... then why don't we pray?

The riches of heaven are open to those who pray in His name...
... then why don't we pray?

Everyone can pray, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, the child, the aged, the sinner, the prisoner, in any nation, in any language, all people can pray...

... then why don't we pray?

Train of Life

At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and believed they would always travel at our side. However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone. 

As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. Our siblings, friends, Children, and even the love of our life. 

Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we don't realize that they vacated their seats!  This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, good-byes, and farewells.

A Successful journey consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves. The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So, we must live in the best way - love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are.

It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty - we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

~ Jean d'Ormesson

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When are you most likely to pray?  Is it when life is going well or when the rug has been pulled out from under you?  For many people prayer comes easily when everything in life is going their way but when disaster strikes, they shut down.  For other people when life is running smoothly, they become complacent and forget about their relationship with God.  However, when things go wrong, they are down on their knees in a nanosecond imploring God to make things right again.   Our approach to prayer says a lot about our relationship with God. 

For the next two weeks St. Luke directs our thoughts towards prayer.  Today’s Gospel, the Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Corrupt Judge (Luke 18:1–8), is about perseverance in prayer.  In this humorous story a corrupt judge who has no fear of God or respect for any human being is badgered by a poor widow who finally gets what she wants because the judge is afraid she will give him a black eye.   It would be easy to interpret this parable as encouragement to nag God until we get what we want.  However, the corrupt judge is nothing like God.  Jesus uses the judge as an example of what God isn’t.  God does not respond to us out of fear, frustration or cowardice.  God cannot be manipulated by our wants or our whims.  God responds to us out of love; a love so great we cannot begin to comprehend its vastness.  Imagine, if a self-serving, corrupt and amoral judge can be swayed by a widow’s plea for justice, how much more our loving and generous God responds to us. 

The heroine of this parable is the persistent widow.  As a poor widow, her survival depended on a just decision, which she finally got.  But if we stop at this point in the parable, we totally miss the punch line.  Which is “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"  This question brings us back to our approach to prayer.   Prayer requires discipline and perseverance.  It is a habit we must cultivate because the more we pray (in good times and in bad times) the closer we come to God.  More often than not when we pray our situations don’t change but we change.  Through prayer we stand a chance of seeing the hand of God working in our lives and then we can pray that perfect prayer “Thy will be done.” 

Lord God,
tireless guardian of your people,
always ready to hear the cries of your chosen ones,
teach us to rely, day and night, on your care.
Support us in our prayer lest we grow weary.  
Grant that we will always seek your enduring justice
and your ever-present help.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

AMEN.

Be Aware of Giving ....

Be aware of giving from a desire to feel good about ourselves, rather than from a place of connection to all people.

When we see a person in need, we may want to give them something as a way of helping them, but if we give without taking the time to see who they really are, honoring that most of all, our gift is nowhere near as powerful as it could be. We may want to give a homeless person a sandwich, for example, but if we give it without also taking a moment to look the person in the eye, making authentic contact, we rob them of the experience of being human.

Being in a position of need leaves a lot of people feeling vulnerable and full of self-doubt. The greatest gift we can give is to meet people in need without judgment and with the awareness that we are not superior to them simply because we are not currently in their position. If we take the long view, we can see that we all began life in need of a lot of care and attention, and many of us end life in the same way. Giving and receiving are companion energies that take turns throughout our lives, and we all get a chance to be on both sides of the exchange from time to time.

It's important to be aware of our own tendency to give from a desire to feel good about ourselves, rather than from an acknowledgement of our connection to all people. Letting go of our self-importance allows us to see that, regardless of appearances, we are all givers and receivers. When we are in the position of the giver, we honor those we are helping when we remember the many people who have helped us. Then we can look the person we are helping in the eye, aware that we are making contact with a human being who is our equal.