Pastor's Corner: September 1, 2019

From the Pastor’s Desk:                                                                                                      
September 1, 2019          

Today's readings suggest the proper attitude of those who have received so many gifts- humility. This humility has nothing to do with groveling before the Almighty, but is instead a certain down-to-earth-ness. (The root of "humble" and "humility" is “humus” meaning "earth." A humble person is "earthy.") The virtue of humility keeps us from reaching beyond ourselves, from excessive pride, from lording it over others and thinking that rules don't apply to us, no matter what our social or economic position. Humility reminds us of our oneness with the less fortunate- "the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame" - those whom Jesus commands us to invite to our tables. The truly humble person knows that everything is God's gift.
       On Monday, September 2 ^nd, we will celebrate Labor Day- a holiday established in New York in 1882 as a day to honor work and workers, and also a time to celebrate the contributions of the American Labor Movement. This special time offers a great occasion for families and friends to gather together to celebrate the blessing of the passing summer over a cookout meal and to get to relax from, what is so often, a frenzied pace in our everyday life. However, for us faithful, Labor Day can- and should be- about much more. It presents us with an invitation to examine how we view our own labor in the light of what the Church proclaims about the meaning of human work, precisely because it is done by human persons who are created in the image and likeness of God.  Our work is a vehicle through which we are sanctified. How many of us approach work with the attitude that, on the one hand, we are acting in the image and likeness of God by working, and on the other, fulfilling the command He gave to men at His creation to exercise dominion and subdue the earth? We are called to perceive work in this manner, we are called to be transformed and made holy by working.
       On the celebration of Labor Day, I want to take a moment to express my profound gratitude to our parishioners who, through their labor, help our parish community.  In particular, I want to thank the Maintenance and Facility ministry, our parish maintenance team under the leadership of David Snyder for their hard, every-day work, and to each and every one who, through their labor of love, make our parish such a beautiful community of worship and fellowship!!!
       This Sunday, September 1 ^st, 2019, marks the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII. The war started in Poland on September 1 ^st, 1939 at 5:45 am, when the German battleship opened fire on Polish fortifications on the Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk. Gdansk is located about 45 minutes away from my home town of Malbork in Poland. During the six year long war, Poland suffered the murder of some six million citizens during the Holocaust- three million Jews and three million Catholic- and the near destruction of its capital Warsaw following the Polish uprising against Nazi rule. Meanwhile, Germany and the Soviet Union were secretly negotiating an alliance in the war and both of the countries came to agreement and signed the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact which actually divided the Polish territory between the two countries as a result of the military operations to come. With Stalin on his side, Hitler ordered his forces to invade Poland on September 1 ^st and Stalin invaded Poland from the east on September 17 ^th, 1939, with a plan to exterminate the Polish population. “Under a double occupation the Polish people endured evils beyond description: the Katyn Forest massacre, the occupations, the Holocaust, the Warsaw Ghetto and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the destruction of this beautiful capital city, and the deaths of nearly one in five Polish people.  A vibrant Jewish population- the largest in Europe- was reduced to almost nothing after the Nazis systematically murdered millions of Poland’s Jewish citizens, along with countless others, during that brutal occupation” (President Trump, Warsaw, July 6, 2017). It was the deadliest of wars in the history of humanity. Let us pray that God will grant us the grace to bear witness to our faith, to be messengers of love, truth and peace always and everywhere, and that with every breath we take we will prevent any war or conflict.
       The month of September is traditionally dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows with
the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows celebrated in the middle of the month on
September 15 ^th. Through prayers and intercessions, we can unite ourselves to Mary in her sorrow, in the hope that we will one day also share her joy in the triumph of her Son.
 
Mary, Sorrowful Mother of Jesus, pray for us!  Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
I wish you a blessed week!
 
With prayers,
Fr. Andy