• Bulletin Board, Announcements, Calendar
• Welcome and Website Protocol
• Editorial - Op Ed
• Article Archive

Print this page

Article Categories

• Book Reviews
• Open Letter
• Editorials
• Notes, Quotes & Comments
• Pastor's Study
• Project Millstones
• Sidebar Comments
• Weekly Message

Links

AMERICA Magazine
A balanced Catholic weekly magazine published by the jesuits of the United States for an intelligent Catholic readership. Go online to subscribe.

Liturgy
This link will keep 'parishioners-at-large' in touch with current creative liturgy sources and resources that respect a variety of 'traditions' within the Church.

Voice of the Faithful
A 'movement' of lay Catholics 'inspired' by the abuse scandal calling for greater accountability of bishops to 'Catholics in the Pew.'

Survivos' Network for those Abused by Priests or Religious
A National Network of self-help support groups for people abused by clergy or religious.

Bishop Accountability
Vital information about the disclosure of sexual abuse and related issues affecting Catholics in the pew and the manner in which Bishops continue to exempt themselves from accountability

National Catholic Reporter
A national Catholic lay newspaper covering events not usually covered or presented with a clerical bias in the local diocesan press or but of concern and interest to Catholics.

COMMONWEAL Magazine
A 'lay' Catholic weekly publication with an accent on an intelligent analysis and commentary on curent issues, trends and concerns of interest to Catholics.

Search

Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Readings: Acts 20:17-27 Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 John 17:1-11

I am in the world no longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. [John 17:11]

Shakespeare ‘penned’ the phrase quoted above. I didn’t understand it as a student of Shakespeare in high school but I began to understand it when I waved goodbye to my family as I sailed off to Italy on September 21, 1963 for a three-year stretch in Rome. In fact, it has multiple meanings and applications that I appreciate now more than ever before.

There is another phrase that perhaps gives credence to my thoughts so poorly expressed and it’s this: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Ah, that’s it. At times we need to separate from ‘the source’ in order to appreciate how important it is to stay connected.

The farewell speech of St. Paul in Acts and the farewell ‘prayer’ of Jesus in John’s gospel were more likely composed by the authors of these texts along the lines of the farewell speeches of great leaders of their times in order to attract the attention of Jesus’ followers.

The departure of Jesus and later that of Paul created ‘fallow’ time in the hearts of the neophyte believers that was absolutely necessary if they were to grasp the significance of Jesus’ message and the teachings of St. Paul.

We are once again in ‘fallow’ time as we prepare for Pentecost. It’s a time of discernment during which we are invited to ponder the words and deeds of Jesus so that in his absence, we may come to know his presence in the Spirit that remains within us and around us.

As we ponder, it is important to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and reverence of the Lord. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit are qualities that are characteristic of a community living in Christ: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty self-control and chastity.

There is much to ponder as we wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Feast of All Saints

Sunday November 1, 2009

Happy Feast Day!

Readings: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 Psalm 24 1 John 3:1-3 Matthew 5:1-12

Beloved, see what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet that is what we are. [1 John 3:1]

As the presider at Eucharist on this feast, I usually introduce the liturgy with the greeting, “Happy Feast Day!” More often than not, the congregants remain silent. Then I greet myself on their behalf with these words, “And also to you, Father Lasch.” Everyone chuckles of course but sooner or later it sinks in that saints are not only those who have ‘made it’ but also those who are on the way.

Although the source of the citation escapes me at the moment, I recall one translation of the Book of Revelation in which John addresses the seven Churches of Asia Minor with the words, “To the ‘saints’ of the Church of Smyrna, etc. It’s an interesting reference that I have not found in contemporary translations. Nevertheless, it still strikes me as an appropriate greeting to believers who struggle with their commitment to Christ not only in the face of persecution and travail but also in the face of the daily effort to live and act in grace.

In fact, the feast of All Saints is not really intended to be a recognition of our faithfulness as disciples of Christ but a celebration of the power of God’s grace in the lives of our ancestors, named and unnamed. They are far too numerous to count and though they will never be included in the list (canon) of those officially raised to the dignity of sainthood, we are confident that they are among the ‘elect’ embraced by God in eternity.

I feel certain that you as I can name more than one among your ancestors who mirrored the face of Christ to you during their earthly life. They are the ones who challenged you often but rarely hassled you. They are the ones who helped you to become better than you would have been had they never entered your life. They were conduits of God’s grace, sacraments of God’s presence, a blessing to you and to many. No, they were not perfect and yes, they may have said, “I’m sorry more than once.” Yet, over time, they made a difference in your life where it counted.

As for us? Yes, we are still on the way and yes, saints are not just those who have made it but also those who with God’s grace do their best to make a difference in the lives of others not by force and not through a plethora of words but by their humble presence.

Happy Feast Day!
____________

Beginning on Monday, November 2nd, I will be on an extended sabbatical leave/retreat during the month of November. I will not be sending or receiving email messages nor posting any reflections during this period. I ask you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I will keep you in mine. I look forward to activating my website on my return in December.

Father Lasch