This weekend we formally begin our faith formation programs across ages, though RCIA already started already two weeks ago. Registrations are still trickling in, especially for First Communion and Confirmation programs for both English and Spanish.
Over the past two weeks, we lost a few long time members of our faith community:
Ray Schuetze, Emerito Gutierrez, Irene Eastvedt, and Tom Brennan. We had the funeral Masses for both Emerito and Tom two Fridays ago, while Ray’s funeral was on Tuesday. All three funeral Masses were very well attended. Irene’s funeral is still being arranged for sometime in October. Please keep them and their families in your prayers.
There has been some confusion with the recent proclamation from Rome about the special permission given to priests to absolve/forgive the sin of abortion during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which will formally begin on December 8, 2015 during the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception. Though it is true that Pope Francis has given this special permission in the Year of Mercy to ALL priests to absolve the sin of abortion, this special privilege has been given by the U.S. bishops to priests in the United States for quite a long time already. Canonically, absolution for the sin of abortion is only reserved to the bishops, which is why Pope Francis extended this privilege to ALL priests
during the Year of Mercy. I wanted to clarify this because there were some concerns about whether absolutions that had been received before from priests for this particular sin were valid. Yes, they were valid and licit because priests in the US have been given this faculty for a long time already.
All those very vivid and interesting descriptions that we hear in the Gospel this weekend, like the “cutting hands and feet and plucking the eyes”, are of course a metaphor to spiritual life and never meant to be taken literally. Physically at times, one has to remove an important part of the body in order to save the very life of the person, like the amputation of a limb. This is the same thing with our spiritual life. If there’s anything that impedes us to grow in our love for God, then get rid of that impediment. If excessive watching of television hinders us to grow in our prayer life, then get rid of that excessiveness by planning our schedules well; if alcohol is the primary reason for the
deterioration of marriage or of my priesthood, then get rid of it by asking for help if we can’t deal with it on our own. There are countless more examples. The point is to get rid of anything that hinders us to deepen our relationship with God — it is not a matter which another person can do for us. It is largely a matter of one’s individual conscience —
it means that if there’s anything in our lives which is coming between us and an obedience to the will of God, however much habit and custom may have made it part of our lives, it must be rooted out. The rooting out may be as painful as a surgical operation —it may seem like cutting out part of our own body —but if we are to know real life, real happiness and real peace, it must go. Are there “hands” or “feet” that we need to cut out in order to for us to experience real life, happiness and peace?
As we continue to relish the visit of Pope Francis to the United States, let us also fervently keep him in our prayers that his visit will truly bring about renewal of faith among believers and a clearer proclamation of the truths of the Gospel. - Fr. Cary