Bulletin for Oct. 1

Dear friends in Christ,

On this first day of October we mark the beginning of Respect Life Month. Each year the Church in the U.S. designates October as the time to focus on the dignity of all human life, and the first Sunday of the month is Respect Life Sunday.

Of course we pray for the protection and dignity of human life every month and every Sunday (really, every day), but today we lift up our hearts in prayer in a special way that we might always work to protect God’s great gift of life. On this Respect Life Sunday, you’ll find a beautiful prayer card/bookmark offered as you leave Mass today, reminding us to pray for the gift of life.

The theme of this year’s Respect Life Month is “Be Not Afraid.” That’s appropriate in that those words of Jesus embolden us to give a strong witness to a culture of life, from the time of conception until natural death. We are called by our baptism to build a culture of life, a culture that joyfully proclaims the truth of God’s love, purpose and plan for each person. Changing the culture is a process of conversion that begins in our own hearts and includes a willingness to be instructed and a desire to be close to Jesus.

When we encounter Christ, experience His love, and deepen our relationship with Him, we become more aware of our own worth and that of others. His love for each person is cause for great joy, and growing understanding of this priceless treasure motivates us to share His love with others. Our lives are often changed by the witness of others; so too, others’ lives may be changed by our witness and authentic friendship with them.

To help us learn more about one way of building a culture of life, we are hosting a presentation on the death penalty from the National Catholic Mobilizing Network entitled “ The Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing.” It will include witness testimonies from murder victim family members, death row family members, and those exonerated from prison. It’s a chance to learn more about what our Church teaches on the dignity of all human life and how we can encourage healing and endorse restorative justice as a way of life.

The presentation will be 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 in our Community Center. I invite you to come learn more about the Church’s Social Justice Teaching on the death penalty, hear from those impacted first-hand by it and discover ways in which we can work for positive change to bring about a culture of life. I’ll have more to share with you next week, but I encourage you to mark you calendars and plan on joining us.

This month of October is also a time when the Church is recognizing the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It was in October 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses that prompted a schism in the Church and led to Reformation.

While we do not “celebrate” the anniversary of the Reformation, it is appropriate that Catholics and Lutherans commemorate the anniversary and seek to better understand one another. Pope Francis has done so on a world level and Cardinal DiNardo is actively doing so on the national and local level. To that end, I’ve been meeting for the past several months with Pastor Brad Otto of Messiah Lutheran Church on Telge Road, just a mile or two from us at CtR. I’ve enjoyed my interaction with him and have learned a great deal about his congregation that is active in this area of Cypress.

We have planned two events that I hope will help us understand each other’s communities and give us a chance to come together in prayer and service to our common God and our community. The first is an overview of the Reformation, the differences and commonalities in our faith traditions, and a vision to the future as brothers and sisters in Christ. This will be at 2 p.m. next Sunday, Oct. 8 in our Community Center. Pastor Otto and I are inviting both of our communities to join us for this event. We’ll both give presentations on the consensus achieved by Lutherans and Catholics on the central topics of church, ministry, and Eucharist, and look at the differences still remaining to be resolved.

It promises to be an insightful and informative afternoon, and I hope you will carve out time next Sunday to join us. If you have Lutheran friends or family members, even if they are not a member of Messiah Lutheran, please invite them to join us. We’ll provide refreshments and will plan to conclude by 3:30 p.m. so that we might prepare for the evening Mass.

Then, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19 in the church, both communities will come together for a joint prayer service. This will be an opportunity to join our hearts and voices in prayer to God and ask for God’s blessing as we continue on the path from conflict to communion. There is much work still to be done in both churches on the world level, but both Pope Francis and Cardinal DiNardo are encouraging us on the local level to find ways we can join in prayer. Cardinal DiNardo will be leading an Archdiocesan-wide prayer service with other Lutheran leaders the following week, but it will be good for us in Cypress and northwest Houston to join our hearts in prayer as well. We’ll also use it as an opportunity to raise awareness and help Cypress Assistance Ministries, which both churches are actively involved in supporting. Please reserve the date on your calendar and make plans to join us for an evening of joint prayer and song.
   
In other news, remember that the annual Knights of Columbus CtR Golf Tournament is just eight days away on Monday, Oct. 9 at Cypress Lakes Golf Club. The entry fee is only $125 and includes lunch and dinner. Proceeds benefit Cypress Assistance Ministries and youth scholarships from the parish. It’s always a great event, and even if you do not play, you are invited to come for the dinner and auction that follows the golfing. We still have room for singles and foursomes, so spread the word and make plans to join us. See the parish website for more information and a registration form.

Finally, we’ll have our annual Blessing of the Animals at 8:30 a.m. next Saturday, Oct. 7 in honor of the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi, who was, of course, a friend to all of God’s creatures. We always hold the blessing on the closest Saturday to St. Francis’ feast day of Oct. 4, so join us next Saturday in the parking (nee barking) lot by the Parish Life Center. It only takes about 15 minutes or so, but it’s a fun event. All creatures, great and small, are welcome to attend. We always have a lot of dogs, a few cats, some fish, a hamster or two and a menagerie of other creatures. This is one of my favorite events of the year where I get to meet your furry friends. If you don’t have one, feel free to borrow your neighbor’s pet and join us. Animals do not have to be Catholic to receive the blessing!

Peace,
Fr. Sean