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 Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This week we prepare as a Church and as a country to remember
the Supreme Court’s January 22nd,
1973 decision
Roe vs. Wade.
In the thirty-five years since that fateful day, ALL of our lives
have been affected. Millions of innocent babies have been murdered
in the womb. Millions of parents, both mothers and fathers have
been devastated by their own decisions. And the value of life in
our society and culture has further declined and weakened. This
Tuesday is a sad anniversary that we pray constantly we will not
have to remember one day. But again this year, we do have to
remember. I’d ask all of us to make this Tuesday a day of Fasting
and prayer for the sin of Abortion. We might not ever make that
terrible decision for ourselves, but living in a country, even a
democracy, that allows its citizens to commit abortion and calls it
a “right”, demands that all of us recognize this sin in our midst,
and all of our culpability for it. Make no mistake about it, when
God judges each one of us, He is going to ask us what we did to stop
this slaughter of innocent life, and what we did to stand up for the
protection of the unborn. This Tuesday, we as a Church pray, and
fast, and beg for God’s forgiveness for ALL OF US! We should pray
for the end of all abortion every day. This week reminds us of just
how important those prayers are, and how desperately important it is
for all of us to keep those prayers up! Pray the Rosary as a
family. Stop by the Adoration Chapel for an “extra” visit or Holy
Hour. Do something “pro-life” like visiting the sick in a nursing
home or hospital. Write a letter to our congress members, urging
them to vote “pro-life”. There’s so much we can all do. We can be
pro-life in our attitudes and how we treat those around us every
day. We can’t be pro-life just one day in January. It needs to be
part of who we are every day!
Today we bless the new crucifix in the Stuart-Gadus Fieldhouse.
We invite you to stop in the Fieldhouse, a.k.a. “The Gym”, today at
9:30 AM, after the 8:00 AM Mass and before the 10:00 AM Mass, for
the blessing and dedication. Today is the Feast Day of St.
Sebastian, patron saint of Athletes, and it is especially
appropriate that we bless the new crucifix today, under St.
Sebastian’s patronage. The extraordinary new crucifix is a gift of
the Jeff and Bridget Burns Family. We thank them for it. The
Crucifix reminds us that even in our play, our sports, and our
recreation, we are to remember that we are Christians and followers
of Jesus Christ. That’s sometimes hard to remember when you’re
getting fouled in the face. May the new Crucifix help us to
remember who we are and what we are supposed to be about. Thanks
also go once again to Joe and Peter Lintzenich who fabricated the
protective case for the Crucifix, and to Rich Ilk and our own Parish
maintenance folks, who helped install it.
The Slow-Motion Mass for Adults will be held tomorrow evening,
January 21st,
at 7:00 PM in the main sanctuary. This is a scheduled RCIA class
for our Catechumen and Candidates. But each year, we invite any and
all adults of the Parish who would like to learn more about the
Mass, and what we are doing at Mass, to come and join us. This is a
perfect opportunity to bring family or friends who have shown some
interest in the Catholic Church and in coming to Mass, to join us
and find out more about this central action of our Catholic Faith.
We do a kid’s version of this each November. The “adult” version is
a little longer and gets into much more detail. As Catholics, we
are going to be going to Mass every week. All of us should know as
much about what is going on as possible. The more we know, the more
we are going to get out of it. If you have never attended one of
the Slow-Motion Masses, please consider joining us tomorrow night.
It is a “real” Mass and Jesus will be present as He is at all of our
Masses. I guarantee it!
This Thursday is our celebration of First Reconciliation for
our children preparing for Holy Communion. Please pray for these
children as they have their first experience of God’s great healing
power. This event always makes us call to mind when the last time
was that we took our own kids to Reconciliation. And even more
important, when’s the last time that we went to Reconciliation? We
all need to make the time. With less opportunity and less priests
around, we need to take every opportunity that we get.
I am so very much looking forward to next Saturday night’s
“Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?” Dinner. I hope we see you there!
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Fr. Kevin
If you make money your god, it will plague you like the Devil.
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