The liturgical year draws to an end. Advent is just around the corner. And today’s readings highlight our call to be holy. In the Gospel, Jesus warns us that our lives won’t be easy. We’re not created for comfort – we’re created for greatness. In other words, we are created to be holy. Holiness means to live in friendship with God. It means that our wills are united with His, in good times and in bad, and that gives us the eternal joy of being loved and loving in return. And God asks us to persevere in that friendship, with the help of his grace. He says: “By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.” There can be no holiness without perseverance.
Life brings us daily challenges, setbacks and obstacles. Sometimes they can be external – when we lose jobs, fail epically in a relationship, or receive life changing health diagnoses. Sometimes these challenges will be internal. We could be tormented by anxiety or self-doubt. Maybe there’s an intense loneliness. Maybe we suffer from depression. God wants to seek us out to help us to recognize that these weaknesses aren’t an obstacle to our holiness, if we keep trying to walk with Him. God is walking with us, and He asks us not to run from Him. We are called to holiness. And God, through today’s readings, reminds us that our part is to keep trying to love. A saint, after all, is simply a sinner who keeps on trying. And that trying can change the world.
When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, they immediately attempted to suppress the Catholic Church. Over the course of the next several years, they killed a third of the Polish clergy and outlawed faith education. One Polish layman, Jan Tyranowski, decided to do something. He began a secret group, called the Living Rosary, to instruct people in their faith. He faced numerous obstacles, including the certainty of execution if he were discovered. However, he persevered, and over the course of time, ten of the young men who attended these groups became priests. One of those priests is known to history as Saint John Paul II. Imagine if Jan Tyranowski had given up. Imagine how different the world might be today without Saint John Paul II. In the same way, our holiness isn’t a matter of indifference.
This weekend we enjoy the fun and community building event celebrating our St. Luke Annual Festival. Thanks to the Festival’s Core Team, many supportive parishioners, people of good will and businesses, we are very excited to extend an invitation to join us for the safe and tremendously joy-filled and community-building event. I pray that God will bless us with good weather, a safe weekend, and a wonderful time for all who will come to join and support us. The festival changes some of the dynamics of our regular Sunday routine. Please be aware of some parking limitations and other possible inconveniences that we need to embrace. I ask for your patience and cooperation as we try to offer alternative parking locations to help and ensure the success of this wonderful event. See you on the grounds of the festival!
The month of November “traditionally in the Catholic Church is dedicated to praying in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls (also called the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who await the purification of their souls before joining the saints in heaven for all eternity. Specifically, they are referred to as the Church Suffering (the saints in heaven are the Church Triumphant, and the faithful on earth are the Church Militant). The poor souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves or do anything to hasten their entrance into heaven, but we can and ought to pray for them as an act of charity.” (The Catholic Company)
I wish you a blessed week! Let’s enjoy the festival fun and grow together to persevere in our desire to live holy lives.