We are doubly-blessed this week on the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time with what I consider two of the most beautiful passages of all the sacred scriptures. Jeremiah the prophet proclaims in the first reading, “The Lord has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. … They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them …” I love that word “remnant,” and it’s even better in Hebrew: “anawim.” It describes the poor ones who remain faithful to God in times of difficulty.
And then in our gospel from St. Mark we listen in on the conversation between Jesus and Bartimaeus: “Jesus said to him in reply, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man replied to him, ‘Master, I want to see.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.’” Those words never fail to send a chill down my spine. Such a beautiful declaration on the part of Bartimaeus, and an even more beautiful and merciful response from Jesus. I pray that we all might be so bold in our prayer (conversation) with the Lord this week, and hear the very same compassion from Jesus in reply.
Later this week we move into the month of November where we will encounter the twin celebrations of All Saints on Nov. 1 and All Souls on Nov. 2. Recall that All Saints is a holy day of obligation, and as such, we’ll celebrate a vigil Mass on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 5 p.m., followed by Mass on the actual holy day itself, Friday, Nov. 1, at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. The following day, Saturday, Nov. 2 is All Souls Day, and while not a holy day of obligation like the day prior, we will celebrate a Mass at 9 a.m. (Confessions this day only will move one hour earlier to 8 a.m.)
Together, these two days invite us at the beginning of the month of November to remember that we are all, both the living and dead, counted among God’s chosen people. All Saints Day is an opportunity for us to thank God for the life and witness of those holy people and it is also an opportunity to beg the saints for their intercession so that we may imitate their holiness in our own lives. All Souls Day is closely linked to All Saints, as the early Christians included in their prayer for deceased relatives and friends a plea for God’s mercy and faith in the personal resurrection with the Lord. The practice became widespread by the 9th century, and it has always followed All Saints Day, becoming part of the Church’s calendar and being approved at the Council of Trent in 1570.
We invite you to bring a small picture of deceased loved ones on All Souls Day when we’ll have a Table of Remembrance to display them during Mass. As we do each year, we’ll also have a Book of the Dead available in the church by the baptismal font where you can inscribe the name of those who have died and we’ll remember them at masses throughout the month.
This year we’ve also got a new way to mark the occasion of this twin celebration with our inaugural All Saints and All Souls Children’s Fair taking place next Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. – 12 noon in the gym in the Redeemer Activity Center. It’s a free event for all children (5th grade and younger, please) of the parish, along with visitors and friends, to celebrate the lives of the saints. We will have 16 “Saints Stations” (including a snack station with ice cream and popcorn) to make it a fun morning for all. I’m grateful to our many parish ministries that are hosting the various stations. We’ve retired our Trunk or Treat event in order to focus more on the great gift of all the Saints and Souls of God, and we invite young families to come join us (maybe even dressed as your favorite saint) to celebrate with our parish community.
This year I’m also pleased to announce that during this month of recalling our beloved dead we will offer a special Mass of Remembrance on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. for families that have lost a child in the womb or at birth. I’ll have more details next week, but if you or someone you know has suffered a child through death, stillbirth, or miscarriage, I invite you to join us as we remember them to the Lord.
Finally, remember we are just two weeks out from our 11th annual Chili Cook-Off taking place on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 6-9 p.m. on the back parking lot. We’ll have tickets for sale next weekend after Mass, but you can get them now by visiting www.ctrschool.com/chili. Make plans to join us for what is always one of the great nights of fun in our parish community. All proceeds stay on campus for the benefit of Catholic education at our CtR School. It’s our largest fundraiser of the year for the school to help provide financial aid for our students and instructional support for our teachers. Speaking of our school, we had 36 prospective families join us last week for our Fall Open House, our biggest response ever. It’s clear the word is getting out and interest is picking up considerably in the community about the good things happening at our National Blue Ribbon school. If you missed and want to check it out for yourself, tours are available each week by contacting the CtR school office.