From the Pastor&#039;s Desk: October 4, 2020

This Sunday’s first reading and the Gospel invite us to reflect upon powerful images about God's vineyard. A vineyard that is cared for, but it does not produce fruit so it is destroyed. In the Gospel, it is not the vineyard that is bad, but its tenants who are concerned only with their own gain. The stewards of the vineyard are willing to cheat, steal and even kill to advance in their own progress. In using this analogy today, the parable can very well apply to all of us living in the United States. Today, we are the tenants in the vineyard. In the vineyard, where as described by the Founding Fathers in the American Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We are called to be faithful workers in the vineyard, to work honestly and to respect the fundamental human rights which are proper to each human being and is common to all of us, as we all share the same nature, from the beginning of our existence to its natural death. And yet, like the stewards in the vineyard, we all struggle with integrity, respect, love that leads to lack of respect of life, each other and basic understanding of relationships expressed in true and authentic love. In a way, we do not want to be stewards, but vineyards owners. We do not want to have God over us – it is far better to become gods ourselves to make the new rules and ideas in the name of the new notion of “freedom and liberty”.

This week we entered the month of October – the month dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. St. John Paul II called the Rosary “the school of Mary”, a special devotion that teaches us about the profoundly close relationship Mary shared with her Son, Jesus Christ. The practice of the devotion as we actually pray the Rosary invites us into this relationship, nurturing our faith and deepening our understanding who Jesus Christ is for the world. May we frequently visit her school and benefit from the example of Mary’s life how to open our lives to her Son Jesus and how to imitate His example of sharing God’s love with the world. Please join us as we pray the rosary as a community every week after the morning Mass on Wednesdays.

October is also Respect Life Month – a very special time for all people of good will in coordinated efforts to promote the culture of life. This year’s theme is “Live the Gospel of Life.” During this special time, we are invited to pray, reflect and renew our commitment to the defense of human life. In this time we also invite one another to live our faith most actively that open our eyes to the gift of human life in all its splendor and beauty. It is by the gift of God’s generous creation that we received life that reflects the sacredness, uniqueness, dignity and worth that each human person possess, from the moment of conception until natural death. St. John Paul II in his encyclical “The Gospel of Life” stated: “What is urgently called for is a . . . united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of Life.” It is our responsibility to protect human life and defend it and particularly bring awareness to the evil of abortion in our society. There are many other urgent issues that threaten human life - assisted suicide and euthanasia, poverty, violence, oppression, lack of health care, insufficient educational opportunities and unemployment. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must be advocates for the innocent, the weak, the fragile and the marginalized. The failure to protect and defend human life in its most vulnerable stages at life’s beginning and its natural end makes suspect any claims to the “rightness” of positions of other matters affecting the poor and powerless of the human family. As faithful, committed and convinced Catholics, we always have to stand strong on the side of all pro-life issues from abortion to euthanasia. May the ‘people of life’ constantly grow in number and may a new culture of love and solidarity develop for the true good of the whole of human society.

This week of October 5-9, 2020 is the Diocesan Annual Priestly Retreat. Father Xaviour and I will be at Marywood with the rest of the priests of the diocese united in prayer. There will be no Masses on Tuesday - Friday. Please pray for all priests of our diocese as we continue to grow in courage in our priestly service and ministry to our parishes, communities, diocese and entire holy, catholic and apostolic Church in proclamation of the Good news of the Gospel.

Our Lady of the Rosary – pray for us!
With prayers,
Fr. Andy