October 8, 2023
As we gather on this Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day holiday weekend, we celebrate the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time and continue our observance of Respect Life month. With our sequential reading of Matthew’s Gospel this year, we see the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders continue to escalate. Once again, he makes them the target of a parable. As they answer Jesus’ question about the proper fate of the evil tenants of the vineyard, they pronounce the judgment on themselves: “The kingdom of heaven will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” We are now in a very challenging section of Matthew’s Gospel.
Human life must always be defended from its beginning in the womb and must be recognized as a gift of God that guarantees the future of humanity.
Pope Francis
As we gather on this Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day holiday weekend, we celebrate the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time and continue our observance of Respect Life month. With our sequential reading of Matthew’s Gospel this year, we see the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders continue to escalate. Once again, he makes them the target of a parable. As they answer Jesus’ question about the proper fate of the evil tenants of the vineyard, they pronounce the judgment on themselves: “The kingdom of heaven will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” We are now in a very challenging section of Matthew’s Gospel.
Fifty years ago, the Catholic bishops in the United States designated October as Respect Life Month. Throughout this month, we take time to reflect on the gift of human life, the threats against it and how we can protect all persons from conception through natural death. This year’s theme, “Walking with Moms in Need,” is particularly suited for the times in which we live. Our “Culture of Life” position is often inaccurately portrayed as being merely anti-abortion, and not caring about women and their children past the time of birth. Some among us may be completely unaware of the countless ministries and agencies in the Church that support women, children, and their families throughout each of the different stages of life, but there are many.
One of the Culture of Life initiatives we do at our parish is our Expecting Parents Prayer List. The greatest gift we can give a couple preparing for the birth of their child is the gift of prayer. The Expecting Parents Prayer List is always printed in the bulletin. Any couple who is expecting the birth of a child can have their names and due date added to this prayer list by calling the parish office. This gives us a wonderful opportunity to support our expecting parents with our prayers.
An additional way of expressing our Culture of Life values is by feeding the hungry. We have partnered again this year with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to provide Thanksgiving Dinner food baskets for those in need among us. Your donations provide Thanksgiving Dinner baskets for families. We have already placed our order with the Northern Illinois Food Bank for this year. Thank you to those who have given toward this great cause. Your care for those in need among us is inspirational.
We ask in prayer throughout this Respect Life month that our Catholic Christian values promoting a Culture of Life continue to influence everything that we do in our society and throughout our world. Our witness to the Culture of Life is a witness of compassion, support and understanding – from conception through natural death.
Monday’s Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day holiday has given many of our young people a 4-day or even 5-day weekend! Our parish offices will be closed on Monday, October 9, in observance of the holiday. We will reopen at 9:00 am on Tuesday, October 10. Daily Masses will be celebrated on Monday according to our regular schedule – 7:00 am and 12:05 pm. Enjoy the holiday.
Cooler temperatures are coming our way as the autumn season settles upon us. Let us make it a point to notice the beauty of this season – it is the Lord’s gift to us in this present moment. A lot is happening in our parish. Please see the additional news posted elsewhere in our bulletin and check out our Friday Flocknote email. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
-Father Jim Murphy