Pastors Notes from July 10, 2022
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July 11, 2022Beginning this Monday (11th) the new Mass schedule will go into affect. Without Fr. Ross’ presence we need to readjust the times during the week and weekend. Not what either Fr Ross or I expected at this time, and with any consideration about Mass times, the schedule is not perfect. Regardless of the Mass times on the weekends my hope is the continued Christian hospitality we offer at St. Malachy church and Sacred Heart church. Whatever sacrifices individuals and families make in regards to the Mass times, may they receive the presence, the hope, and the peace of Christ within the Eucharist we share together; within the prayers we share, the music and readings—and the kindness we extend to those in and around our pew. Again, the Mass times are:
Saturday: 4:00pm at St. Malachy; 5:30pm at Sacred Heart
Sunday: 8:30am at St. Malachy; 10:00am at Sacred Heart
For convenience sake the Masses are an hour and half apart, so bear with me on the travel. With such, there is some give and take on the part of each parish. Confessions can be held prior to the two Masses at St. Malachy, but little time afterwards to visit. At Sacred Heart the Sacrament of Reconciliation will offered after the two Masses. On Holy Days of Obligation there will be a Vigil Mass the night before, and a morning and evening Mass the day of. We will continue to offer the Sacrament of Anointing (with the Sacred Oils) on the first Thursday/Friday of each month. Also, the Sacrament will be offered at any time an individual desires the healing grace because of their health or approaching circumstances (such as surgery).
Though the Bishop choose “Ascension” as our parish name we remain two separate parishes until the diocese canonically approves the change in our faith community status. We will hold our first joint Finance Board meeting in the latter part of this month, and in time form one Parish Council and one Buildings & Grounds Committee.
Our gospel passage this Sunday has been indelibly marked within our Christian conscious though we continue to struggle with the idea of just who is our neighbor. No different than the learned scholar who wished to justify himself, we continue to beg the question as did he, “And who is my neighbor?” As a youngster, “neighbor” meant those who lived on our street or on the block; thus, our neighborhood. However, our parish community of St. Joseph stressed the inclusion of anyone who was struggling or beset by undue circumstances be it sickness, injuries, death, loss of a livelihood, hospitalization, etc—as “neighbor” to extend our presence, prayers and resources. Into adulthood our Catholic faith challenges us to perceive “neighbor” without regard to geographical distance or culture. Witness our outreach to the refugees from Ukraine or Afghanistan, those affected by the hurricanes in the southern gulf states, families who lost their homes in the wildfires out west, and those in the nearby community of Winterset whose homes were destroyed by a spring tornado. As a noun the word ‘neighbor’ is defined as “a person or place in relation to others near or next to it.” In the biblical sense, the creed for our Christian faith and motivation, such is defined as “any person in need of one’s help or kindness.” Acknowledging how different the face, the personality, the ethnicity, the faith of the ‘neighbor’ God beckons us to recognize at any given moment, may we reflect on a few “thoughts” pertaining to “who is our neighbor.”
“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But...the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” (Martin Luther King Jr.)
“If in my life I fail completely to heed others, solely out of a desire to be 'devout' and to perform my 'religious duties', then my relationship with God will also grow arid. It becomes merely 'proper', but loveless.” (Pope Benedict XVI, God Is Love: Deus Caritas Est)
“The Lord commands us to do good unto all men without exception, though the majority are very undeserving when judged according to their own merits... [The Scripture] teaches us that we must not think of man's real value, but only of his creation in the image of God to which we owe all possible honor and love.” (John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life)
“So often when we say 'I love you' we say it with a huge 'I' and a small 'you'. We use love as a conjunction instead of it being a verb implying action. It's no good just gazing out into open space hoping to see the Lord; instead we have to look closely at our neighbour, someone whom God has willed into existence, someone whom God has died for. (Anthony Bloom, Orthodox bishop)
“What a cruel thing war is... to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors.” (General Robert E. Lee)
Ultimately, we receive the Eucharist “to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our being, with all our strength, with all our mind, and our neighbor as ourself.”
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: “Bread for myself is a material question. Bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one.” (Nikolai Berdyaev)