Homily...To Afflict the Comfortable

I see them all the time, especially when getting off of the exit for State Road. The disheveled man holding up a cardboard sign asking for food or money (rarely for a job). Whether I'm wearing my Roman collar or not, I feel guilty. Should I give something to him? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. What if they use it for alcohol or drugs? Why doesn't he find a job? I give to Catholic Charities...he should go there for help. But I always feel uncomfortable. 

That I believe is the point of Jesus in telling the parable about the rich man and Lazarus, the poor man. He makes us uncomfortable. That's what many of Jesus's parables are meant to do. He wants us to notice. He wants us to think. How do you, with all your blessings, help those who are in need? It's not your job to judge them, just to help them. Parables help us to open our eyes, to ask questions, to challenge our complacency. We all have to decide for ourselves what our response should be, but we all have to do something. 

The rich man continued to live after death the way he chose to live during his life on earth...in separation from others. He not only did not give to others, he didn't even notice them. That is torment for us...to live in isolation. But Lazarus lives in the bosom...the embrace...of Abraham. Do we notice? How do we respond? If we're uncomfortable seeing people beg, what a blessing that is!

Pastor's Column for September 25, 2016

       This past week I met with some of the members of the Knights of Columbus who presently have a building just a few blocks north of us on Broadview Road. They are the Brooklyn-Parma Council and have been there since 1935. The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic organization of men and their families who socialize, grow in their faith and serve the Church. This particular "K of C" Council is looking to move to another location since their aging building is requiring more & more expensive repairs. They have asked if St. Leo the Great can become their new home and parish affiliation and we are very happy to welcome them here. They will use the Great Room in the Parish Community Center for their twice-monthly meetings and will also be able to make use of the basement of that building, especially for displaying pictures of past Grand Knights and using some of the storage space available there. They in turn will be supporting our parish by their willingness to help with parish activities. They have been financially supportive as well, for example through their recent donation toward our Parish Festival next month. It's going to be a relationship that will be good for them and for us and we welcome them to our space and to our community as together we seek to grow in faith and good works. 

    Just another reminder that we have our Flu Clinic after all the Masses this weekend so be sure to stop in the vestibule to recieve your shot & protect yourself as we enter the flu season very soon. 

    Our sympathies to Rhonda Richlovsky whose father, Richard Dolejs, passed away recently. Rhonda's mother also died a few months ago & we know how difficult it is to lose our parents in death. Please remember them in your prayers.

    Michaela has a birthday on Monday...she'll be 28! They grow up so fast. It seems like just yesterday she was 21. (I'm speaking of course in human years so she'll actually be 4 years old in dog years). Now that she's a mature woman, I can see that she has taken on the responsibilities of an adult whose job is to protect the rectory staff from all enemies foreign and domestic who come to the rectory office. She barks (never bites) to alert us to potential danger & to give a warning to all who enter that she alone will approve of them or not. So if you give her a little pat on the head she'll probably give you the green light if you come to the office. But you know what Shakespeare said about a woman's scorn so be sure to stay on her good side.

Homily...Wake up Call

We know what a wake up call is: a warning light on the car dash, a pain in your chest…anything that gets your attention & calls you to act immediately. That’s what today’s parable is about. A guy who cheated his boss is about to be fired. He cheats even more by befriending the boss’s debtors so they might take care of him when he’s fired. And his boss finds out & praises him for being so ingenious! The point is, take decisive action when you get a wake up call. 

We can be very energetic, clever, & focused when it comes to our money or our health. But do we put the same energy and enthusiasm into our spiritual lives, our relationship with God? Jesus said that that must always come first, even before money, family & physical health. What good would it do to profit the whole world but lose your soul, your reason for living?

John Newton was an Englishman & a slave trader. He packed African men onto ships & took them to America to be sold. It was a long & terrible journey for them & many died. Once when doing so, Newton suddenly felt that he was losing his soul, even though he was making a lot of money selling these slaves. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, he turned the ship around & freed the African men. Then he wrote a song we all know: “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

Pastor's Column

     Frank Gagliardi was well known by several people who attend the 4pm Mass on Saturday. He was a proud Italian and a faithful Catholic. He was very much loved by his large family and one of his grandson's spoke so well about how much he was admired, as he also sang a verse of Amazing Grace after Communion. Frank gave rides to parishioners & friends who just needed someone's help and their company. May he rest in peace and receive his reward. 

    Congratulations to the two couples being married this weekend: Matthew Burkett & Valerie Cortez and Kyle Seminatore & Stephanie Sitko. We pray for them as they begin their married lives and thank them for beginning their marriage in the atmosphere of faith. 

    Again we welcome the choir back to the 10am Mass. You can hear the amount of time & effort they put in preparing for their ministry and we are grateful that they are using the gift of music God has given them. Want to join them? See Mickey Stitt or Julie Slattery after Mass. 

    Next weekend we will have the flu clinic present after all the Masses so that you can get your flu shot conveniently. I'd be happy to give you the shot myself but I don't think I'm allowed. I'll have to find something else fun to do. 

    Last week we had our first all school Mass since I was away when they began in August. As Sister Erin announced a few weeks ago, we have over 240 students this year and many new faces. Our preschool is full as well and students in both buildings are making good use of the many improvements we worked on over the summer months. 

    I normally don't advertize open positions in the parish bulletin, but we are looking for some temporary part-time help in the maintenance department, perhaps for a high school or college student, but it's not limited to them. See me after Mass or call me if you'd like more information. 

    We're glad that many of you are finding it convenient to use the Information Desk in the vestibule of the church after our weekend Masses. There is much that they can help you with and the rectory receptionist there is happy to give you information. Now the information is limited to parish-related things so they can't give you directions to Jack Frost Donuts (though everyone knows where they're at anyway) or tell you the meaning of life. But they'll help you in any way they can so feel free to see if they can save you a trip to the rectory office. 

Pastor's Column

     Just before I left for Rome, two parishioners died whom I had visited & prayed with when they were ill. I was saddened by their deaths and by the inability to celebrate their funeral Masses though I am grateful to Fr. Vesely for presiding at the funeral for Carol Glinka and to Fr. Weist for celebrating the funeral Mass of Loretta Weber. I had spent some time with Loretta at her apartment and at Holy Family Hospice. She had worked and then volunteered in our school for many years. She had a dry sense of humor that would always make me smile. Carol Glinka would be at the 4pm Mass on Saturdays and she was always kind and thoughtful toward me & toward Michaela to whom she loved to give treats & toys. Carol moved quickly from Fairview Hospital to Marymount hospital, and then finally home where she was under the care of Hospice for a few days. As with Loretta, I anointed her and knew that she and Loretta were accepting of their circumstances and approached death with faith in the resurrection. Both of them will be missed and we commend them and all the faithful departed to the mercy of God. 

    God's Mercy is something I thought about frequently during my two-week stay in Rome as of course Pope Francis has asked us to celebrate this great Jubilee Year of Mercy. I celebrated Mass near the altar of St. Leo the Great where he is buried inside St. Peter Basilica and I celebrated Mass at the tomb of St. Peter below the basilica. At these places and at many of the holy sites I visited, I prayed for you all and asked God's blessing on our parish and school. On our last day in Rome, we stood in St. Peter's Square as Pope Francis gave us his blessing as he always does at Noon on Sundays before telling us all to have a good lunch! And good lunches I had...and dinners...and snacks inbetween. You can't get a good taste of Rome unless you get a good taste of Roman meals! While it's always great to get away, it's also great to come back home. So from Rome to home I am blessed and hope to share some of Rome's treasures of faith with you in the coming months. 

    This Sunday Pope Francis is celebrating the Canonization Mass for Mother Teresa. St. Teresa of Calcutta is known the world round for the way she showed mercy to the poorest of the poor. We are blessed to have heard and seen such holy men & women live lives of faith and love during our own lifetime. May we follow their example & share in their glory.

The Saint of Suffering

The man who wrote the Old Testament book of wisdom was reflecting on life as he said, "the corruptable body burdens the soul & the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns." Visiting with my dad & stepmother who are both ill, I can see the truth of what he says. Their aging bodies burdens their spirits and weighs down their minds which are filled with concerns. 

St. Paul wrote that he was an old man, and now in prison, which I saw in Rome. It was a dark, hot, and humid hole where they kept him & Peter because they were preaching the Gospel. For all of us, as we get older, we will likely face illness as well as more and more struggles both in mind and in body.

The woman we have known as "Mother Teresa" is now called "St. Teresa" as she is canonized by Pope Francis today. Recently her private diaries were made public. Much to the surprise of many who read them, they make clear that this woman, considered to be a great saint of the 20th century, struggled with her faith every day. Sometimes she doubted the existence of God. At other times, she felt that God did not love her. That is not what we expect from a saint, yet a saint she was (and is). Yet she continued to do what she believed God wanted her to do: to help the sick and the poorest of the poor. When we struggle, let us remember that God understands. As St. Teresa said so well, God does not call us to be successful but only to be faithful.