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October 27, 2023Dear friends in Christ,
We close out October and Respect Life Month with the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time this weekend, with Jesus responding to yet another “test” from his accusers, this time about which is the greatest commandment. His answer is simple: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.” And then he adds the kicker: “The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
I always find it interesting – and challenging – to remember that Jesus equates the second to the first. I like to think I do pretty good with obeying the first commandment, but I know I need a lot of prayers and help from Jesus to remember to do a better job with upholding the second just as well. If you find yourself in the same boat, let’s redouble our efforts to do both better – love God and love neighbor.
This week brings us 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 but All Souls Day is not, though I hope you might be able to join us for Mass on both days. The two feast days really do go together, and it is good to remember the witness of the communion of saints alongside of praying for all of the faithful departed, especially our loved ones.
Our Mass schedule will be as follows: For All Saints, we will celebrate a Vigil Mass at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, and then on Wednesday, Nov. 1, Mass will be at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. (The school community will attend a separate Mass in the afternoon, so we’ll have plenty of room at the morning Mass to accommodate everyone.) The following day, Thursday, Nov. 2, for All Souls Day, Mass will be at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Together these two days invite us in the beginning of November to remember that we are all, both the living and dead, counted among God’s chosen people. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that praying for the saints came out of the early Church. Martyrs, those who were persecuted and died for the faith in the early years of Christianity, were remembered in the liturgy as a way of keeping their story alive and encouraging the faithful in times of difficulty. It later expanded to include “all the saints,” i.e., not just those who were martyred, so that the faithful would be encouraged by all the holy men and women who led heroic and virtuous lives.
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. In communion with us as members of the Church, the saints are actively concerned for our growth in holiness and we benefit from their intercession before God.
All Souls Day is closely linked to All Saints. In fact, one of the most beautiful responsibilities we have as Catholics is to pray for our dead. Through prayer, fasting, and good works we offer on behalf of the deceased we pray that God’s purification will be granted to all of the faithful departed so that they can obtain their soul’s desire, eternal life in heaven. In communion with the faithful departed as members of the Church, it is our responsibility and privilege to assist them with our prayers and holy works.
You may be asked by non-Catholic friends and family why the Church puts such an emphasis on saints. Some question why we “pray to the saints.” I’ve heard some people who like to say we pray “with the saints,” and not “to the saints.” I’m not sure if there is any one perfect answer. Of course, our worship is always directed to God and God alone. We don’t worship the saints (only God), but we do venerate and honor the saints and call upon them to model for us a right way of living. Most importantly, we ask for their intercession in our life. Think about it: don’t we do the same thing every day with mere mortals? We ask our family and friends all the time, “Please pray for me.” Or we tell others, “I’ll be praying for you.” Why would we then not want to ask the saints, those whose lives were so heroic and virtuous that they merit the everlasting life of heaven, to pray for us as well? I don’t know about you but I want as many of those men and women on my side as much as possible!
As we do each year, we’ll 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.
In other news, we are just two weeks away from our 10th annual CtR School Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 6-9 p.m. It is shaping up to be an amazing night for the entire parish family of CtR. Tickets are available online now (www.ctrschool.com/chili) and will be on sale after all Masses next weekend. I encourage you to get them in advance. It’s a heck of a deal, too – just $30 for adults, $20 for “teens-ish” (10-20 year-olds), and $10 for children 3-9 year-olds. All tickets include unlimited access to all the chili from the teams as well as other food booths. Adult wristbands include three drink tickets redeemable for beer or wine. Trust me, you won’t go hungry or thirsty or be bored! Additional drink tickets are available, and water is free, of course. We’ve also got a Family Pack available for six (two adults and four teens/children).
We already have a number of teams registered to cook and we expect a few more to join us so you will have plenty of options to choose from to satisfy your chili cravings. Some past winners are returning, and I know for sure that Deacon Bill will again be serving up his famous “God’s Favorite Chili.” Who could pass up that? I recommend you sample a little from all of them and cast your vote for your favorite alongside our judges. The quality of our cook teams is impressive, to say the least. They take their chili seriously and it becomes a real feast for the senses and tummies!
We’ve already got an impressive line-up for both the live and online auctions that will be up for bidding. And best of all, 100 percent of the proceeds goes to support Catholic education right here at CtR. Unlike some schools who hold a gala for parents, we’ve opted to make the Chili Cook-off a parish-wide family event with lots of games and activities for the kids and the little ones. Since its beginning, the Chili Cook-off has become one of the great events of the parish that serves to bring us together as one family in Christ. Don’t miss it!
Peace, Fr. Sean