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From the Pastor's Desk: September 5, 2021
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Our liturgy this Sunday takes us to contemplate upon the healing of a man born deaf. Jesus’ ministry and witness to so many miracles and acts of doing good by those who followed Him, encouraged them to bring to Jesus a friend who was deaf and mute. The Lord puts His finger into the man’s ears, touched his tongue with spit, looked up to heaven and cried out in Aramaic, “Be opened!” and the miracle happened. The miracle, however, carries through much more than merely relieving the pain or recovering the health. It is meant to achieve that those whom Christ loves will overcome their deafness or stagnant immobility of the spirit and ultimately be restored to a true communion of faith and love with God and others.
Our modern western world has become deaf to the words of Jesus caused by sin. We have become so used to it that we take it as norm, and we have become distant to Jesus and His call to us. We become deaf in our relationship with God and each other. We are deaf when we show prejudice or bias because of the status and wealth of other people. We are deaf when we do not hear the cry for help, and we prefer to put indifference between our neighbor and ourselves. Spouses are deaf, unable to hear the profound words of their marriage vows, and leading them into divorce. Parents are deaf, unable to understand certain behaviors of their children and betray their natural cries for attention and love. Children do not hear the voice of God and their parents, influenced by the society of loud music, games, and an overwhelming sense of disobedience and disrespect. We are deaf when we turn inward and close ourselves to the world because of selfishness, pride, anger, jealousy and our inability to forgive others. We are deaf when we refuse to recognize those who suffer in the world around us because of injustice or poverty. We are deaf when we refuse to hear the cry of the unborn, of those whose lives are in danger because of their age, handicapped or illness, while others wish to end their lives out of misguided mercy. Unfortunately, our spiritual deafness is a widespread affliction in our day and age.
Today, we come again to hear the Word of God who tells us once again: “Be opened!” As we reflect upon these words this week, let us invite Jesus into our lives so He can stand together with us, touch our ears and mouth with His Divine hands to heal them. Let His tender touch, filled with profound compassion and love, restore our impediment to hear and to proclaim the truth of His Gospel with joy to others, in all we say and do.
On Monday, September 6th, we will celebrate Labor Day. A holiday established in New York in 1882 as a day to honor work and workers, it presents us with an invitation to examine how we view our own labor in the light of 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, our maintenance department and everyone who, through their labor of love, make our parish such a beautiful community of worship and fellowship!!!
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 15th. Through prayers and intercessions let us be united to Mary and to do something beautiful with our lives for God, “Never waste a chance to become more like Jesus!” –St. Mother Teresa
Mary, Sorrowful Mother of Jesus – pray for us!
With prayers, Fr. Andy
