The 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

My Dear Parishioners,

Coming together on the Lord’s Day we mark the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. There is just one more Sunday remaining in the Year of Grace 2015 and as we approach the end the Scriptural texts for this Sunday address the end times. The images in our lections are frightening and disconcerting for some. But these images are just signals which will usher in the coming of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ on the last day, the Day of Judgment.

Yes, for some these are frightening reminders that the Lord’s coming will be a day of reckoning. A frightened heart is the result of not living one’s life as the Lord has intended. The catechism states that” God created me to know Him, love Him and serve Him in this life and to be one day with Him in Heaven.” When one realizes that they rejected this relationship in their life then terror enters into the heart.

The sacrament of baptism called us into this special relationship with God. The seed of faith was implanted and it became our responsibility (along with parental help) to grow this faith so that our relationship with God would become strong and life-giving. Baptism made us members of Christ’s mystical body, the Church. The Church is His presence in the world which speaks and acts in the Name of the Savior. To be separated from the Church is to be separated from Christ.

The needy have always been a concern for the Church and I am so grateful to the Sacred Heart Women’s Society for once again sponsoring the SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS COAT DRIVE in our parish. As we read the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, we find that the criterion that we will be judged by is the manner in which we responded to the needs of the poor and suffering. There are consequences regarding our eternal future if we withhold generosity. A generous and loving heart is most pleasing to the Lord who rewards the just and punishes the wicked.
The end times gives us pause to reflect upon the manner in which we conduct ourselves. While we are alive in this world we have yet a chance to turn our lives in the direction of Christ who desires that we share eternity with Him.

Sharing fellowship with one another is what we pray for when we leave this world and enter into eternity. Let us continue in a more fervent way to pray for the faithful departed during this month of All Souls. May all reach the Heavenly Jerusalem and find a place at the eternal banquet that Christ will host for all those who knew Him, loved Him and served Him in life.

God bless you!
Father Zig