November 7, 1999 |
Expect the Unexpected is the order of the day in this Sunday's Scripture. In the first reading, we are told that, for all our searching for Wisdom, she is making her own rounds, looking for us. The parable of the wise and foolish virgins, found only in Matthew, drives home the point vividly. When least expected, at midnight, there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! In these final weeks of the liturgical year, we are asked to imagine the end, not to incite a morbid fear of death, but to spur the community to a hope-filled and joy-filled preparedness. The consequences of being unprepared are admittedly severe, but one can seriously doubt that the fire and brimstone sermons of the past have done much to encourage hope and joy at the Lord's coming! Our Scripture for this Sunday should give the few foolish virgins in the pews a good reason for getting their act together!
Father Jeff Goeckner
In working with parents who are assisting their children to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation I am reminded again why our Catholic Church is so special. It is only in and through the Catholic Church that all of the signs of Gods' forgiving love is made available to the world through the sacraments. It is our individual participation in this sacrament especially that changes our hearts and forms us into more loving people. When we shut God out of our life we not only hurt ourselves but make it impossible for us to be servants of His love. Refusing to let God change us restricts the possibility of making this world a better place. It is our participation in this sacrament that helps us to face up to our responsibility for our own decisions and actions. It is our humble admission of our guilt that frees us and changes us. In allowing God's spirit to fill our hearts we can become the "light to the world" that we are called to be.
In Characteristics of A Christian Steward, produced by the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, perseverance is defined as steadfastly continuing on when the way is hard or unclear. I've also heard it defined as patience with oneself. When perseverance is difficult, one realizes that we are dependent upon God to get us through our life's journey. Perseverance requires humility and trust. Because stewardship is a way of life, perseverance is a necessity, especially during financial difficulties or when a spouse is unsupportive. A decision to become a Christian Steward is easier than persevering with on-going action. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton persevered in following God's will, even when faced with poverty, death, illness, and maternal worries. This week risk asking a friend what they do to persevere in their darkest moment? Will trusting God be your answer?
Impact Sunday All weekend Masses on Nov. 20th & 21st. We will be offering our Stewardship Forms together with the regular envelope collection during Mass.
The Lord's Pantry Once again the Lord's Pantry will be working with the Knights of Columbus to deliver Thanksgiving baskets. We are in need of various food items and always CASH. On Nov. 6th until Dec. 1st the Pantry will be offering raffle tickets for a small wooden rocking horse with the proceeds going to the Lord's Pantry to purchase meat for the upcoming year. Tickets are $.50 each or 5 for $2.00. They can be found at St. Mary's School Office.
Advent Wreaths & Candles Stop after any of the Masses starting weekend of Nov. 14th and buy your Advent Wreath and/or Advent candles. The Wreaths are $7.00 and a set of candles is $3.00 or $10.00 for the set. You may want to purchase new candles for this Advent.
It's time for a "lighter" Bread to Offer, don't you think? Robert Hammond, a parishioner, sent me these bulletin bloopers. The last set that was sent around, went around for a long time. But these are new. So I share them with you (in the hopes that our own bulletin editor, Norma Poull, will not try to match them).[ed note: ...don't try at all, it just comes naturally!]
Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa will be speaking tonight at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Come tonight and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
Announcement in the church bulletin for a National PRAYER & FASTING Conference. "The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals".
Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 pm in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
Today the pastor will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing "Break Forth into Joy" with obvious pleasure to the congregation.
"Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands".
Next Sunday is the family hayride and bonfire at the Fowlers'. Bring your own hot dogs and guns. Friends are welcome! Everyone come for a fun time.
Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.
The sermon this morning: "Jesus walks on the water". The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus".
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are afflicted with any church.
The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the church would lend him their girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
Remember in prayer those who are sick of our church and community.
Next Sunday Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on "It's a terrible experience".
My dear family in Christ,
As we begin the month of November we focus in our prayers and readings on the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for them. Why? They are still in need of purification before they can be with God in heaven. The CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH says, All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven (#1030).
It is in light of this teaching that we pray and offer the Mass for our faithful departed. If one has not been completely open to God's love while on earth that needs to take place before heaven. It is not that they are being punished, as the word purgatory says they need to be purified.
The church does not define what this place is or how long it takes. We put our trust in the mercy of God as revealed by the Lord Jesus. He conquered sin and death: this is our hope.
It is this ultimate hope that helps us to pray for the faithful departed. Keep in mind that the church teaches that we have the victorious who enjoy heaven, the militant who have not died and the suffering who are in need of purification to enter eternal glory.
All are part of the mystery that is God's gift of Jesus Christ who came to save us and give us eternal life.
Fr. Ron
A popular Peanuts cartoon shows Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy lying on a hillside studying the sky. Lucy says: You can see lots of things in clouds if you use your imagination. What do you see? Linus answers: Well, those clouds there look like a map of British Honduras. And those over there look like Thomas Eakins, the artist. And that group there reminds me of the stoning of Stephen.
Lucy is impressed: Excellent, Linus! What do you see, Charlie Brown? Well, I was going to say I say a ducky and a horsie, but I changed my mind.
Clouds reminded Hebrews of God's presence among them. For example, they recalled God's guidance in their flight from Egypt, when God preceded them with a cloud. They also reminded them of God's instructions to Moses at the foot of Mount Sinai:
I am coming to you in a dense cloud, so that when the people hear me speaking with you, they may always have faith in you. (Exodus 19:9)
After the Sinai event, the people built a portable shrine to house the two stone tablets containing God's covenant agreement with them. When it was finished, a cloud covered it (Numbers 9:15).
Finally when Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, a cloud descended upon it (1 Kings 8:10).
Other biblical references to clouds as signs of God's presence include: Exodus 34:5, Isaiah 19:1, Ezekiel 1:4, Daniel 7:13, Matthew 17:5, Acts 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Revelation 14:14.
As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Lectionary assigns texts which in some way are connected to eschatological (the end time) themes. This is certainly the reason why 1 Thessalonians is placed in this period of time. It is also behind the selection of today's gospel reading from Matthew's Eschatological Discourse (23:1-25:46). The choice of Wisdom today is dictated by its relationship with the gospel reading. The Book of Wisdom, attributed to Solomon, was composted sometime in the first half of the first century before Christ by an anonymous Jewish author in Alexandria, Egypt. It is thus the last of the Old Testament scriptures to be written. Wisdom does not appear in the Hebrew or Protestant canon.
Today's selection appears in an eschatological context, part of a section in which Solomon is purportedly giving advice to other rulers ("Hear, therefore, kings, and understand," 6:1). He tells them to seek Wisdom and they will not be disappointed. In fact, Wisdom herself seeks out those who are looking for her. There are two ideas her: the notion of vigilance for one who comes and the idea of actively seeking out the good. Both are important recurring themes of Jewish and Christian eschatology.
The parable in today's gospel is unique to Matthew. In its earliest form, it was probably a simple story that Jesus told to reinforce the fact that some are ready to accept the reign of God and others are not. In the course of its oral transmission by the Christian community and in Matthew's use of it in the plan of his gospel, the parable has been highly allegorized and given a strong eschatological orientation. The wedding feast has become the messianic banquet, the coming of the bridegroom (Christ) represents the parousia with its sudden, unexpected quality, the wise and foolish virgins could be Christians and Jews or perhaps vigilant and lax members of Matthew's community. In its present form, the parable is a strong statement warning of the importance of vigilance, perseverance in prayerful watchfulness, and living in a state of readiness for the Lord's coming.
Today's reading from 1 Thessalonians gives us an understanding of the questions that were troubling the young community. Paul had preached the imminence of the Lord's coming, but members of the community were worried about the fate of those who had already died before the day had arrived. Paul, using traditional Jewish apocalyptic imagery, reassures them that the dead will also enjoy the benefits of Christ's coming. The central point is the one that Paul tells them to console one another with: "We shall be with the Lord unceasingly".
Any time a group of people gathers together for a common purpose, they can benefit from the service of a presider. When we assemble to celebrate the Eucharist, the priest is the one who serves in this ministry. As presider, he leads us in prayer, helping us all to focus on what we are really doing when we come together at Mass. His role in the assembly is unique. He represents Christ, carrying out what Christ did at the Last Supper, lifting his hands in prayer, breaking and sharing the bread, and sharing the cup. Christ is present in him in a special way as he proclaims the message of Salvation and joins us to himself as one people offering sacrifice to the Father. There are certain characteristics that make a priest a good presider and add to the quality of our celebrations. Grace in movement, a reverent attitude and a prayerful voice are all important, and it is essential that the presider has an awareness that he is a member of the assembly--that we are all engaged in the same mission with different roles and different tasks.
Question: Discuss evolution vs. creationism and how a person can believe in both?
Answer: The recent debate in Kansas regarding evolution raises the question, "What do Catholics believe in regard to the origin of the human person?" The Pope has said: "Indeed, the theory of natural evolution, understood in a sense that does not exclude divine causality, is not in principle opposed to the truth about the creation of the invisible world, as presented in the Book of Genesis...It must, however, be added that this hypothesis proposes only a probability, not a scientific certainty. The doctrine of faith, however, invariable affirms that man's spiritual soul is created directly by God." (General audience, 1/24/86 and 4/16/86)
Ask directly "Does the Church endorse evolution?" The answer would be "NO." The magisterium does not strictly endorse evolution because it is merely a scientific hypothesis that remains unproved. There is no fossil record that proves that life has evolved. There is evidence of "micro-evolution," that is a species making ever so slight adaptations to their environment over time. However, there is no concrete factual evidence that "macro-evolution" has taken place, that is that one species (say a reptile) has evolved into another species (say a mammal). An easy read on the subject is "Did Darwin Get it Right?" by George Johnston, published by Our Sunday Visitor.
Although the Church does not explicitly endorse evolution, it does deny the possibility that God created the world through an evolutionary process. Catholics can believe that the human body has physically evolved under God's direction. However, as the Pope states, the human soul has not evolved. It is "created directly by God."
The important thing is that Christians believe that God created the world. Strict evolutionists want to eliminate God from the picture. Likewise, we do not believe that God simply started the evolutionary process and then stepped back. This is called Deism, which was denounced at Vatican I. We believe that God is intimately involved in creation and is sustaining all life at every moment. Next week: Catholic interpretation of the Bible.
Today's Gospel passage is part of Jesus' talk on the end time, when the world we know will end and God's Kingdom will come completely. Jesus tells a parable that urges people to be ready for this great event, the eternal wedding reception. The delayed arrival of the groom is delayed Second Coming of Jesus. People must not be lulled into carelessness, into thinking that it will never happen. It will-and we do not know when. The theme of this parable is that the wise are prepared to complete their task. The oil in today's passage is the good works done for others. We must be prepared by living according to the gospel, doing good for others.
What helps you prepare your light for Christ's coming?
what has happened to help you remain faithful to your faith journey?
