24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners,
A parishioner pointed out that during these difficult days for the church it would be good to remember that during the Counter Reformation great saints did much work to purify the church. We remember people like St. Francis De Sales, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Ignatius Loyola. We could mention many others.
If we go back to the 11th Century, we remember St. Francis of Assisi. He lived when the clergy was very worldly and corrupt. He did not directly criticize the ordained ministers of his day, but he lived an exemplary life. People looked at him and they recognized true holiness. His reform movement spread throughout the world. What we forget is that Francis was a lay person. He was only ordained a deacon at the end of his life. We also forget that he was a reformed sinner. His was a holiness born out of conversion. People do change, and we need to recognize that. Christ’s forgiveness is extended to all.
In the modern world we have a poor sense of history. What matters is only what happens in my life experience. As I went through school I often heard classmates complain about studying history. As a history major I was disappointed in their complaints. “What has all that got to do with us they would ask?” But as George Santayana said once. “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”
We seemed to be repeating the past with the scandals we are enduring in the modern church. Where are the saints of today who will lead us out of the morass we find ourselves in, we ask? I think it would be foolish to canonize anybody prematurely.
Our faith is based on one person, the person of Jesus Christ. We worship him, and we are to imitate him. If we seek always to live by the golden rule and his two great commandments of loving God and neighbor, what better philosophy of life is there? And what better moral code could we follow?
We can be tempted to give up the overall Christian enterprise, but that would be a mistake. Where would we be if we shut down all the Church’s worship centers, schools and hospitals? All that leads to is life with little meaning and little hope. This is a time to grow close to the Lord. He is the hero that the great saints imitated. None of them wanted to be considered heroes or heroines. They all looked to Jesus alone and so should we.
He is the rock we cling to in the storms of life and he alone.
Blessings,
Fr. Mark
P.S. Thanks to those who helped plan our LaSallian Day on the 8th. We had a good day and the people who took part were energized as they seek to serve Sacred Heart in Ministry and Leadership. I see fruit from these days of training. If you are interested in coming, we would love to have you. We will be planning another such day in the spring.
P.P.S.-Today, Tomorrow, Together has been selected as the theme of the capital campaign that Sacred Heart, Seton Catholic School and Christ the King Parish are undertaking. We will be sharing more information in the weeks ahead. We are moving forward in faith. Please pray for the success of our efforts.