July 20, 2008
Dear Parishioners,
In last week’s bulletin and homily I mentioned several suggestions for strengthening our Catholic identity and life. AT Mass I mentioned the good practice of the daily reading of a Proverb or two from the book of the Old Testament of Proverbs. After the praying the Morning Offering and reading the daily Mass readings, the reading of a book of the Bible in from beginning to end is an excellent spiritual practice for individuals and for families. A child will always remember the consistency of Catholic life in this way. So, I hope you will read those great Proverbs and see how practical they are in giving us Wisdom for daily life.
Today’s first reading is from the book of Wisdom. This is another of the “wisdom” writings which is so helpful to practical Godly living. Written about shortly before our Lord’s birth, this book is replete with advice for us that we might understand where true wisdom has its source. God cares for each of us with infinite love and mercy.
Our second reading is from St. Paul’s highly developed explanation of Christianity which he writes to the Jewish and Gentile converts of Rome. He had planned to visit them and prepare for an apostolic journey to Spain. He calls us to deeper prayer and trust in the Holy Spirit Who will assist us in making our prayer. Of course, the Holy Mass is the highest of prayer.
Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M comments on today’s verses from Romans: “…prayer is an act of adoration, thanksgiving, repentance and petition directed toward God. Our whole life and each single day and hour of it, can and should be such an act. When we make our morning offering, we consecrate our whole day, its recreation as well as its work to the honor and glory of God. Such consecrated action is prayer, and this is how we can always pray.
“Besides, we have certain times set apart which we devote exclusively to "prayer" in the strict sense. The most important and most efficacious of these "times of prayer," is when we join with our fellow-Christians in giving true homage and thanksgiving to God, as well as asking for pardon for our faults and failings, and requesting temporal and spiritual benefits. This happens when we devoutly attend the Sunday and Holyday liturgy. Here we are not only witnesses but also active participants at Mass, in re-enacting the most perfect homage and atonement that ever went from this earth to God, the sacrifice which the Son offered to the Father. Devout participation in this sublimest of prayers, is for a true Christian not some obligation to be fulfilled but a privilege out and away above anything we could ever think of claiming for ourselves.
“In this sacred liturgical act we have not only the Holy Spirit interceding for us and moving our hearts to true acts of love of God, we also have God the Son offering himself to his Father as a truly acceptable sacrifice in our name and for our sakes. If we participate actively with the celebrant and the whole congregation in this supreme act of adoration, thanksgiving, and atonement, we can be sure that our daily petitions for spiritual and temporal needs will not go unanswered. Our week's work will be sanctified and become a devout prayer. Our daily sufferings will take on a value for eternity, for they will be united to Christ's sufferings and sacrifice on the cross. We will then be living a life of prayer, and the Holy Spirit will be with us, sanctifying our ordinary daily goings and comings.”
The parables of the Gospel today remind us of the universal and effective nature of the Church. The first part explains the presence of evil in our lives. God has sown good seed; you and I cooperate in sowing good seed by our lives of virtue. But the Devil sows weeds to destroy the good of God’s work; it was a common war tactic in Gospel days to destroy peoples’ economy by ruining their crops. Everyone would have understood this part of the parable. Why does God allow the weeds to grow? To tear out the weeds could injure the good plants. There is a benefit in struggling in life as we become stronger by fighting against the errors of the weeds of the world. If the weeds (other people) can be converted we have a chance for that good work; if not there evil will be evident in the end. In any case, this parable is a good reflection for us to struggle to live the Gospel message faithfully even in the midst of a cultures which live by a world view at odds with the Wisdom of God.
I will be at The Church Teaches Forum in Louisville, KY until Sunday evening. My thanks to Fr. Jose for his assistance with the Holy Masses for this Sunday.Upcoming dates for your calendar:
CCD – Faith Formation Parent and student meeting: Sunday August 24 at 8:45 AM in the Parish Hall. This will help us start our year of catechesis together with the same focus. Attendance at this meeting is required for all who wish their children to be in our Religious Education Program. All children who are not in St. Michael’s School are required to attend Religious Education classes in our Faith Formation Program. We are now offering a high school class and this year it will be on the formation of a Catholic Conscience and Moral Theology.
First CCD – Faith Formation Class: Sunday September 14 at 8:45 AMMay our Lord grant you blessings and our Lady keep you in her care.
With my prayers,Father Arnsparger