A word from Pope Francis ~ “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.”
As we gather on this Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday weekend, we celebrate the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time and continue our Gospel reading from Luke’s Gospel and our observance of Respect Life month. This weekend’s Gospel passage presents us with a very familiar healing story that we often hear at Thanksgiving. We find Jesus making his way to Jerusalem and the destiny that awaits him there. As he travels, he never fails to respond to the needs of others. As required by the Jewish law, the lepers are keeping their distance and calling out to Jesus for healing. Without any outward signs or dramatic show, he simply instructs the lepers to show themselves to the priests, who are able to certify their healing. In faith, the 10 follow Jesus’ command and suddenly discover that they are healed “as they were going.” The one who returns to express gratitude (a foreigner), receives an additional gift. He is given not only healing from his leprosy, but the very promise of salvation!
Forty-nine years ago, the Catholic bishops in the United States designated October as Respect Life Month. Throughout October, Catholics are called in a special way 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, Called to Serve Moms in Need, is particularly suited for the times in which we live. One of the Respect Life initiatives our parish began a few years ago 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 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 Respect Life values is by feeding the hungry. We are partnering again this year with the Northern Illinois Food Bank in providing Thanksgiving Dinner food baskets for those in need among us. Your $25 donation will provide a Thanksgiving Dinner basket for a family. We need to place our order with the Northern Illinois Food Bank by mid-October. Donations can be made at our Masses this week, online or at the Parish Office. Thank you in advance for your care for those in need among us.
Monday’s Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day holiday has given many of our young people a 4-day or even a 5-day weekend! Our parish offices will be closed on Monday, October 10, in observance of the holiday. We will reopen at 9:00 am on Tuesday, October 11. Enjoy the holiday.
Cooler temperatures are coming our way as the autumn season settles upon us. Last Wednesday when I celebrated the school Mass for our students, I invited them to notice God’s truth, beauty and goodness in the changing season of autumn. We certainly come to know the creator by noticing the beauty of creation all around us. Let’s make it a point to notice the beauty of this season as it unfolds before us – it is the Lord’s gift to us in this present moment. Many things are now happening at our parish. Please check elsewhere in our bulletin for additional news. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
Father Jim Murphy