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September 21, 2017Dear friends in Christ,
Our Gospel this weekend is one of my favorites, but it’s also one that always leaves me scratching my head. The story of the generous landowner who pays the “usual daily wage” to all those hired to work in his vineyard strikes a chord in me because it just doesn’t seem right. Some labor all day in the hot sun while others put in just a couple of hours of work, yet all are paid the same. How can that be? It doesn’t seem fair. That, of course, is the entire point of Jesus’ teaching – the generosity of God’s mercy goes beyond our own understanding. It’s freely given and as recipients of that mercy we should accept it as a pure gift, not counting the cost of who “deserved” more. None of us deserves anything, yet God blesses us in abundance. That too “doesn’t seem fair” but we don’t have a problem with accepting it, do we? In response to such generous love we can only hope that we say, “Thank you, Lord.”
Having received such an abundant blessing from God we might rightly ask, “Now what?” The next step is to return that generous love in faithful Stewardship. That is giving back to God in measure of what we have received through our time, talent and treasure. Today I ask you to consider the time and talent portion in ministry to passing on the faith to the next generation.
Our Religious Education year started last week and we have an abundance of students but a dearth of catechetical aides. Our greatest need is at the 1:30 p.m. session on Sundays, but every session over multiple age groups is in need of some help. A catechetical aide is one who is in the classroom with a catechist to help manage the flow of the session and assist in helping the students learn. You are paired with another adult, as our goal is to always have two adults in the classroom. That’s not always possible right now and we have to “float and cover” to assure that the needs of the children and catechists are being met. This is a great way to get your feet wet in catechetical ministry. We’ll give you all the support and assistance you need, but right now we need you!
We also are in need of a co-catechist at 3:30 p.m. on Sundays for 6th grade, and a catechist for 1st grade at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. Again, we’ll provide everything you need to succeed. We’re not looking for the “perfect” catechists or someone who “knows everything.” Frankly those people don’t exist! Our need is for adults who love children and love the faith to give an hour or two a week of their time. That’s it. The Lord will provide the rest. Please prayerfully consider being a good steward of the many gifts you have received and join our R.E. department this year. Linda Watso, our coordinator of R.E., can assist you with getting started. She can be reached at linda.watso@ctrcc.com or 281-469-5533.
In other news, our annual CtR Golf Tournament is just a few weeks away on Monday, Oct. 9. All golfers are invited to come out (it’s on Columbus Day so hopefully you can get free) at Cypress Lakes Golf Club, only about 10 minutes west of the parish. Entry fee is only $125 and we have room for foursomes and single players. It includes lunch and dinner and plenty of fun along the way. The Knights of Columbus Council #8771 does a great job of hosting it each year and proceeds go to benefit CAM and youth scholarships from the parish. Pass the word to your co-workers and friends who might be golfers and come join us for a great day on the links. See our CtR website for more information, or you can register directly on the Knights’ page.
We have an upcoming Men’s Retreat on Oct. 20-22 at Holy Name Retreat Center on Bunker Hill in the heart of Houston. Each year, CtR has a group that takes one weekend for a retreat at Holy Name and I highly encourage the men of the parish to attend. We’ve been adding to our numbers each year and it is making a difference in the life of the men of the parish. This is not like an ACTS retreat that you may be familiar with, but rather it is a quieter, more reflective retreat led by one of the Passionists Fathers at Holy Name.
I highly encourage the men of the parish to consider setting aside time that weekend to attend. We all need to “come away for a while” and spend time in prayerful reflection on God’s love in our life, and a retreat like this is a wonderful opportunity to do so. It does a soul good to decompress for 36 hours or so and just be in the presence of God. If you’ve never been to Holy Name Retreat Center, you are in for a real treat. I’ve made a countless number of retreats there over the years. The grounds are beautiful and the accommodations are comfortable. It’s easy to get into the right frame of mind and heart for a retreat there. The retreat begins in the evening of Friday, Oct. 20 and will conclude with Mass on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 22. To register, contact Chris Brown at 713-201-3396 or Marty Weidemann at 832-338-8400.
Speaking of the retreats, a reminder that the Women’s ACTS retreat is set for Oct. 12-15. The leadership team of the retreat will be at Coffee and Donuts this weekend after all the morning Masses, and women of the parish are encouraged to seek them out to learn how to be part of this spirit-filled retreat.
Lastly, this coming Saturday, Sept. 30 is First Reconciliation day for our 2nd grade students at 8:30 a.m. Recall that we hold First Reconciliation (and, subsequently, First Communion) three times a year to accommodate our many young people making these important early sacraments. As such, our regular Saturday morning confessions at 9 a.m. will be delayed that day. You’re welcome to come after the kids but we kindly ask for any adults present to please wait until after all the children have had the opportunity to go to confession. Thanks for understanding as our kids experience this beautiful sacrament for the first time.
Peace,
Fr. Sean
