Father Tom's Blog &  Video Message

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Jesus teaches an important lesson in the Gospel today about the need to repent and seek conversion of heart. In his story about the two sons and their response to their father we are all invited to see ourselves. The first son refuses the request of his father but then changes his mind later and follows through. The other son responds “yes” to his father’s request but never follows through. Jesus then makes a connection to the tax collectors and prostitutes who are entering the kingdom of heaven before the religious authorities. While these sinners first said “no” to God, they were hearing the message and repenting. The religious authorities outwardly said “yes” to God, but in their hearts they were full of pride and caught up in their own power. They were not willing to change their ways. A reminder that our faith is more about actions than words. What conversion do we need to seek in our lives so we can more fully say “yes” to God, especially through actions that signify our commitment to Christ?

The month of October in the Catholic Church is traditionally dedicated to our Blessed Mother. One of the things we emphasize through the month is the praying of the Rosary. The Rosary is a great prayer to say each day individually, with others, or as a family. As we learn from the lives of many of the saints, there are abundant graces we receive through the praying of the Rosary. There are several opportunities each week to join with others and pray the Rosary at Presentation. During October, the Rosary will also be prayed before each weekend Mass beginning about 25 minutes before Mass time. Please plan to arrive a little early and join with our parish in asking for Mary’s intercession.
In honor of the 106th anniversary of Mary’s appearance at Fatima, the Rosary will be prayed outside on Saturday, October 14, at 11:00am by the Blessed Mother statue in the north parking lot. All are welcome to join.
October is also designated Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church. There are many life issues that need our attention. As we pray for an end to abortion and all the other destructive ways life is threatened, please keep in your prayers in a special way the unborn, poor, elderly, sick, imprisoned, immigrants, refugees, and those affected by war and violence. Please see the Life & Justice area of our bulletin for events and activities in our parish around life issues and ways you can get involved.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Encounter Joy Reflection Evening last Thursday. We will be focusing on this theme during the year and highlighting ways we can share the joy of our faith.

This week is the annual Priest Assembly Days for the priests of our diocese. Fr. Angel and I will be joining the other priests of our diocese and Bishop Johnston for a few days this week. Please keep all of us in your prayers.
Many Blessings!

 

In the Gospel today, Jesus shares a parable that many people have a hard time swallowing. In our modern world, we value fairness and equality. But even in Jesus’ time, those hearing this parable would have thought it unfair that the laborers who only worked one hour at the end of the day would get paid the same wage as those who worked all day and bore the day’s burden and the heat. By comparing God to the landowner in this parable, Jesus is reminding us of the generosity of God. The landowner did not cheat those who worked all day because he paid them the agreed upon wage. He was only being generous to those who were hired at the end of the day. They have the same needs as all the others and in God’s world they should not be deprived of what they need so that others can have more. In the end, we should all be grateful that we are recipients of God’s generosity.

This coming Thursday, September 28, is our “Encounter Joy” Parish Evening of Reflection at 6:30pm in the church. We will focus on our parish-wide theme for the year and reflect on ways we can encounter joy through our relationship with Jesus so that we can be sources of joy in our encounters with others. We invite and really encourage everyone in the parish to attend. Please take time to join us as we grow in our faith together. Your presence will make a difference!

Next weekend begins the month of October. In the Catholic Church, October is traditionally dedicated to our Blessed Mother. We will be praying the Rosary before each weekend Mass during October in honor of our Blessed Mother. Please try to arrive earlier to Mass so you can join in the prayer. In praying the Rosary, we unite with our Blessed Mother in contemplating the mysteries of Christ’s life and our call to be faithful disciples. The Rosary is a great prayer to say each day individually, with others, or as a family.

October is also designated Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church and next weekend, the first Sunday of the month, is Respect Life Sunday. This is an opportunity for us to focus on our call to recognize the sacredness and dignity of all human life. As we pray to end all the destructive ways life is threatened, please keep in your prayers the unborn, poor, elderly, sick, imprisoned, immigrants, persecuted Christians and other religious or ethnic groups, and those affected by war and violence. Our Life & Justice Committee is also helping raise awareness about various life issues by focusing on monthly topics and activities.

Thanks to all those who generously responded to the second collection last weekend for our sister community in El Salvador. We are grateful for your generosity. Remember, you can always donate OnLine throughout the year to support our scholarship students and help build relationships with our sister community.
Many Blessings!