Thirty–First Week in Ordinary Time

October 25, 2016

by Fr. Reginald Samuels

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

          In our Gospel this Sunday, Zacchaeus has an encounter with Jesus and he is changed. How are we changed in our encounter with the Lord? Let’s open our hearts this week to encounter Jesus in the celebration of the liturgy, but also in the everyday encounters with others.
          The Feast of All Saints is the day in the Church to focus on known saints --that is those recognized in the canon of the saints by the Catholic Church. All Saints’ Day is an opportunity for us to thank God for the life and witness of those holy people. It also is an opportunity to implore the saints for their intercession that we may imitate their holiness in our own lives. For this feast day there will be one vigil Mass on Monday, October 31 ^st at 7:00 p.m. and two Masses on Tuesday, November 1 ^st at 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the Church. 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.
          The history of All Saints’ Day is very fascinating. All Saints' Day was formally started by Pope Boniface IV who consecrated the Parthenon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and all the Martyrs on May 13 ^th in 609 AD. The holy day was eventually established on November 1 ^st by Pope Gregory III in the mid-eighth century as a day dedicated to the saints and their relics.
          You may be asked by non-Catholic friends and family why the Church puts such an emphasis on saints. My own protestant family has asked me many questions about this practice. 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 their intercession in our life. Think about it: don’t we do the same most 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! It’s important to be clear why we hold the saints in such high esteem.
          For All Souls Day, November 2 ^nd, there will be a celebration of Mass with a special Luminary Service in the Church, Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., which will feature prayers in remembrance of deceased loved ones.
          For the Month of November, The Book of the Names of the Dead will be in the Baptistery area of the Church for those who want to write the names of deceased loved ones whom we can pray for. 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.
          Next weekend, November 5 ^th and 6 ^th, we will honor our Veterans from all the military branches at each of the Masses. Thank you for your service to our country.
Next week, as we kick off the National Vocation Awareness week, November 6 ^th – 12 ^th, we as a church family will pray for vocations. Praying for vocations is the most powerful way to support vocations. A vocation is a call from the Holy Spirit, a gift from God that is nurtured in prayer. When we pray for vocations, we lift up to our Father those men and women whom He is calling to follow Him in a very special way. Each week we offer the Chalice for Vocations to be taken home by a family here at STHY. Next weekend, at all the Masses, we will pray the Prayer for vocations and feature the Chalice at the Altar. Then the Vocations Chalice will be moved to the Adoration Chapel for continued prayers for vocations.
As we enter the last two months of the year and the holiday season, we here at STHY are in high gear with formulating plans for the upcoming holidays of Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas. Even as these are busy months, we are still called to take time to slow down and remember the precious gift of life that we all enjoy.

God Bless
Fr. Reginald Samuels