As many of you know, every year at Christmas we take up a special collection for charity. None of the money collected stays at St. Mary, but is distributed as a gift from our Parish to different charities. The collection this year will be taken up on December 2 and December 3 and has been designated for the following charity:
The Holy Land Christians Society for the support of the presence of the Christian communities in the Holy Land and for the benefit of the Creche Orphanage in Bethlehem. The orphanage, managed by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, has a long history in Bethlehem and has welcomed abandoned children since its foundation in 1884. The Crèche provides services of high quality for Palestinian children and people in the West Bank area and continues to function thanks to the support of its benefactors. In times of crisis and violence, a Christ-like response is paramount. Christians in the Holy Land are the hands and feet of Christ, promoting peace, courage, and love. They are the “living stones” who embody Christ’s work in the Holy Land and continued support for their presence is important.
We know you will be generous, as you have always been, and we thank you for sharing the joy of this holy season with those who are less fortunate. All checks should be made payable to St. Mary.
Because November is a month where we make an extra effort to pray for our loved ones who have passed away, and for all the souls in purgatory, the topic of has come up about the purpose of funerals. What does the Church propose as the real purpose for our rituals?
First: Bury the Dead. Yes, it is obvious, but the the purpose of a funeral perspective is to give sacred context and meaning to the most basic of works of mercy: burying the dead. It is an event filled with pain and grief, but with expectant hope in the resurrection. In the words of Psalm 126, “Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy.” We sow the mortal remains of our loved ones and await the harvest of the resurrection when the Lord will gather His loved ones to Him in body and soul.
Second: Praying for the Dead. Listen to the prayers of the funeral liturgy. They are all directed to this purpose.
If we fail to pray for the soul of the faithful departed, then we have failed as badly as if we don’t accomplish the first purpose. It is a sin of omission to fail to do for the deceased what we can truly accomplish for them with our prayers. Hence you will never find me claiming to be the Pope and pronouncing someone to be in heaven.
Third: Consoling the living. Yes, a legitimate purpose. But not the only, and not the primary purpose. In fact, in the funeral liturgy, it takes a distant third place in terms of attention given to this explicitly. Our consolation comes from union with Christ, and finding strength in His redemptive mission and message.
This November, as always, in the church we have set up a book for you to write down the names of your deceased friends and family. This book will be here for the entire month of November, so that we can keep before our minds this great work of praying for the souls of the deceased.
Also, this month Micah Ecumenical Ministries hosted a prayer service to pray for the souls of people served by Micah who had passed away this past year. I have added their names to the book in our church, and also share them with you here. Please pray for them.
Melissa Brewster, 45; Charles Bury, 54; Sandra Caldwell, 72; Walter Chinault, 59; Charles Cutchin, 66; Joseph “Joe” Dobbs, 45; Ronald Drain, 49; Alli Sawyer Hamn, 39; John Hayes, 52; Donna Johnson, 64; Elmer “Dean” Kempf, 60; Christian Kinsella, 21; Charles Limbrick, 67; Jeremy Makolandra, 36; Wendy Militello, 48; Anthony “Inky” Monroe, 38; Wayne Payne, 60; Jason Powell, 46; William “Bill” Romans, 67; Gary Sears, 62; Brian Shaw, 66; Phillip Teter, 59; Melinda Rodrock, 44; John Whitbeck, 38
Praying for the dead is one of the most basic acts of charity that we can possibly do. Often when we miss somebody, we grieve for them, and we feel sharply the pain of their loss. But that pain can have a purpose in God’s salvific plan. When we give it back to Jesus, offering it up to Him for the benefit of our loved ones, then it becomes meritorious. It becomes for us a share in Christ’s own sufferings, and hence is able to assist those whom we love by our freely embracing this cross. Jesus said that the greatest act of love is to “lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Indeed we do this when we pray for the repose of the souls of those who have passed away, and for the consolation of those who love them.
My dear young friends, I address you this Vocation Awareness Week drawing on the words of Pope Francis from World Youth Day: “All of us were called by name. At the beginning of the story of our lives, before any talents we may have, before any shadows or wounds we may be carrying in our hearts, we were called. Why? Because we are loved.”
Let that sink in: God loves you, and he calls you by name for a unique and wonderful plan for your life. For many of you, this will be as a husband and father or wife and mother. In God’s mysterious plan, he calls some to the priesthood and religious life, to offer themselves entirely to the service of the Church. This can be unexpected, but as Pope Francis also reminded the young people in Portugal, “God loves surprises,” adding, “he always keeps us alert, and he keeps us surprised.” This is not something to be feared, but rather embraced, trusting in God the Father who loves us.
I encourage you this week to focus not only on the vocation we all have, to be holy, but also on the personal vocation to which God is calling you. Are you willing to spend some time with him? Are you willing to let him lead you, to surprise you, to lead you to a holiness you never thought possible?
Know of my prayers for you, as your Bishop who wants to see each of you fulfilled as God’s beloved sons and daughters.
