First Ever: This Sunday is the First ‘World Day for the Poor’ asked for by Pope Francis. In his letter announcing this he wrote some challenging words for all of us: “’Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth.’ These words of the Apostle John voice an imperative that no Christian may disregard. The seriousness with which the “beloved disciple” hands down Jesus’ command to our own day is made even clearer by the contrast between the empty words so frequently on our lips and the concrete deeds against which we are called to measure ourselves. Love has no alibi. Whenever we set out to love as Jesus loved, we have to take the Lord as our example; especially when it comes to loving the poor.” Perhaps we can pray and discern how we can serve the poor on a regular basis.
Two loves: Fr. Dan and I, along with many parishioners, are attending the Beautification Mass of Fr. Solanus Casey on Saturday, November 18. Fr. Solanus said, “I have two loves: the sick and the poor.” Our newest “blessed saint” follows what Pope Francis reminds us on this ‘World Day for the Poor’: “We may think of the poor simply as the beneficiaries of our occasional volunteer work, or of impromptu acts of generosity that appease our conscience. However good and useful such acts may before making us sensitive to people’s needs and the injustices that are often their cause; they ought to lead to a true encounter with the poor and a sharing that becomes a way of life.“
Beautiful Music: This Sunday we are hosting the Messiah Concert at 4 pm. Our own Dr. Sia Lee will be the organist. The concert is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
Interesting: We recently finished our four-week series on the Sunday experience. Come to find out Pope Francis is now doing something similar at the Vatican in his weekly audiences. He recently said this, “When the priest celebrating Mass says, “Let us lift up our hearts,” he is not saying, “lift up our cellphones and take a picture. No. It makes me so sad when I celebrate (Mass) in the square or in the basilica and I see so many cellphones in the air. And not just by the lay faithful, some priests and bishops, too! Please, Mass is not a show. It is going to encounter the Passion, the resurrection of the Lord.” Looking forward to reading more of his talks on the Mass.
Many Priests: This Monday evening, Nov. 20, we are having a Healing Mass at 6 pm followed by a time of prayer. A lot of priests will be in attendance. Everyone is invited to attend. Please bring those who need physical or spiritual healing.
Building Plans: Received a lot of positive comments on the plans for our church renovation last weekend. I really appreciate the building committee for their hard work and time.
United: I will be attending and giving a short reflection at the Community Thanksgiving Service held at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7 pm. Please pray for Christian unity.
Thanksgiving: Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families!!! May you enjoy a time of peace, joy and hearts full of gratitude for the blessings bestowed upon us. We will have Mass on Thanksgiving at 9 am. Mass on Friday, Nov. 24, is at 9 am too.
Cremation: I often receive questions on cremation. Please find a summary of what the Church teaches on cremation (below) . I hope you find the information helpful. I learned a few things that I wasn’t aware of.
How much? Last weekend I briefly mentioned tithing in my homily. First of all, I am extremely thankful for your generosity to our parish. The question that is often asked, “How much should I tithe to the church?” Everyone’s situation is different and requires prayer. Everyone has time, talent and treasure that God has blessed us with, to bless others. My experience is that the more we give, the more we receive. Please prayerfully ask God for help with this important decision on what He is asking of us to build up His kingdom. Thanks!
Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings to you and your families,
Msgr. Jerry
Quote of the week: From Pope Francis on World Day for the Poor
“Let us never forget that, for Christ’s disciples, poverty is above all a call to follow Jesus in his own poverty. It means walking behind him and beside him, a journey that leads to the beatitude of the Kingdom of heaven. Poverty means having a humble heart that accepts our creaturely limitations and sinfulness and thus enables us to overcome the temptation to feel omnipotent and immortal. Poverty is an interior attitude that avoids looking upon money, career and luxury as our goal in life and the condition for our happiness.”
What the Church Teaches on Cremation
Last year the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released an instruction titled “To Rise With Christ” regarding burial and cremation. The instruction has a dual aim: to reiterate the doctrinal and pastoral reasons for the preference for the burial of the dead, and secondly, to issue rules for guidance on the conservation of ashes in the case of cremation. The following are some of the key points of the document. Please go online to read the document if you are interested.
• The Church continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased, because this shows a greater esteem towards the deceased. Nevertheless, cremation is not prohibited, “unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.”
• Up until 1963 the Church denied funeral rites to those who were cremated. The Church had opposed cremation because in the 18th and 19th centuries it was typically resorted to by people intent on denying the Church’s teaching about the resurrection of the body. By 1963 these motives had waned.
• The reason for the preferred burial is because Christ is our model, “by burying the bodies of the faithful, the Church confirms her faith in the resurrection of the body.” At the same time, it does so not just in imitation of Christ, important as that is, but to remind us that the Church “intends to show the great dignity of the human body as an integral part of the human person.”
• The Church recommends strongly that the bodies of the deceased be buried in the cemetery or in another sacred place. This would include the cremated remains.
• The Church allows a Catholic funeral for those cremated, provided they did not resort to cremation out of a denial of Christian doctrines (the Resurrection of the body) or hatred of the Church.
• It is not permitted to keep the ashes in a home or to scatter them “in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewelry or other objects.”
• The conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence (home) is not permitted. Only in grave and exceptional cases dependent on cultural conditions of a localized nature may the bishop concede permission for the conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence.