I am grateful to Father Enrique for his bulletin messages over the last two weeks during my absence. Following up his message from last Sunday, we conclude our observance of National Vocations Awareness Week by welcoming to our parish a number of people from various religious institutes who will be speaking at our Masses. Please join me in welcoming our speakers. God does indeed have a call for each and every one of us. The first and foundational vocation, of course, is our baptis mal vocation to be disciples of Jesus Christ and to share in his mission. Every other vocation is rooted in this baptismal calling to friendship with our Lord. When we are truly aware of our identity and dignity as children of God and sisters and brothers of Jesus, then we will be eager to accept the more individualized calls which God presents to each of us. My own calling to priesthood only makes sense upon that basis of my appreciation that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, that he loves me and sacrificed his life for me. I am so grateful that God called me to the vocation of being a priest. This calling is a precious one that has been full of surprises and blessings as well as plenty of challenges. I love being a priest, find great joy and satisfaction priestly ministry. Just as with every other vocation, there are bad days as well as good, there are sorrows as well as joys. But my 46 years as a priest have been so fulfilling. As I mentioned to some of the school children speaking with them about vocations in this past week, serving as a priest has not simply been rewarding but truly fun. Serving as a priest has also been inspirational as I have been privileged to journey with so many people on our pilgrimages of faith. Please continue to pray for me and all priests, that we live our vocations faithfully, and please pray for an increase in the number of vocations to the priesthood. Whatever our specific vocations – and most of us here at OLPH have already discovered and are living those vocations – I hope that none of us ever lose sight of the reality that God has given us that calling as a means of our sanctification and fulfillment. And God has not only called us to those vocations but walks with us as we live them out. May we always pray for God’s help in living out our calling and finding genuine fulfillment in them. Last weekend we celebrated the great feasts of All Saint and All Souls. We extend those celebrations throughout November which is a month dedicated to prayer for the faithful departed. As is our custom here at OLPH, from All Saints Day until the feast of Christ the King, we post the names of the people whose funerals were celebrated in our parish over the last twelve months. I invite you to walk up and down the aisles, peruse those names, and offer prayer that each and every one will pass through the purification of purgatory to the fullness of joy at the banquet of heavenly glory. Some of those names will be familiar to you, others will be names you have never encountered. Each is a brother or sister in Christ. And as we pray for the deceased, we know well that someday we will face the moment of our own death. Since we have that vocation of being disciples of Jesus, we need never fear death. So let us pray for ourselves as well, that we will live well and be prepared for that inevitable moment when the Lord calls us to our final vocation – the perfect fulfillment of the beatific vision, of eternal union with Him. Jesus, thank you for your vocation as our Lord and Savior. Holy Mary, who said “yes” to God’s call for your role in the plan of salvation, “pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” Father Craig In the Gospel of Mark, the narrative of Jesus and Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) is a profound encounter that reveals essential themes of faith, healing, and discipleship. Bartimaeus, a blind beggar sitting by the roadside, represents not only the marginalized of society but also those who seek healing and redemption. His story invites us to reflect on our own spiritual blindness and the ways we may encounter Christ in our lives.
As Jesus and his disciples approach Jericho, Bartimaeus hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. In a moment of desperation and hope, he begins to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me." His cry is an act of faith that transcends his physical blindness. He recognizes Jesus not merely as a wandering teacher but as the Messiah, the one who can restore sight and dignity. This recognition is significant; it speaks to the pow er of faith to see beyond our circumstances. Bartimaeus faces opposition from the crowd, who tell him to be silent. Yet, undeterred, he shouts all the more. This moment highlights the challenge of perseverance in faith. In our own lives, we may encounter voices that discourage us from reaching out to God. Yet, Bartimaeus teaches us the importance of persistently seeking Jesus, regardless of the obstacles that may arise. His willingness to call out, even when told to be qui et, illustrates the urgency of his need and the depth of his faith. When Jesus calls Bartimaeus, he responds by throwing aside his cloak, springing up, and coming to Jesus. The act of discarding his cloak symbolizes leaving behind his old life of begging and despair. It is a rad ical act of trust—he is willing to risk everything for the chance of healing and transformation. This calls us to consider what we might need to shed in our own lives to fully embrace the call of Christ. Are there burdens we cling to that prevent us from moving forward in faith? Upon reaching Jesus, Bartimaeus is asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" This question is both simple and profound. Bartimaeus responds, "Master, I want to see." His request reveals a deep longing not just for physical sight but for a fuller understanding of life and faith. Jesus, moved by his faith, declares, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." In that moment, Bartimaeus receives his sight, but more importantly, he is re stored to community and purpose. He then follows Jesus on the way, becoming a disciple. Ultimately, the encounter between Jesus and Bartimaeus is a beautiful illustration of grace—how Jesus meets us in our brokenness, restores us, and calls us to follow Him. May we, like Bartimaeus, have the cour age to cry out, the faith to seek healing, and the willingness to follow Jesus on our own paths of discipleship. Our annual OLPH BBQ is next weekend, September 27, 28 and 29. Friday we are open 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., Saturday from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday from 2:00 until 8:00 p.m. The forecast is for fine weather, so plan to join us for great food, entertainment and a wonderful time. Please be sure to purchase tickets to our raffle, and this is the last weekend that discounted pre-event ride tickets are also on sale. We still need volunteers, so please make it a point
to sign up this weekend, even if you are only able to give a couple of hours. In coming for the BBQ, please do not park in the lots of our neighboring businesses. Those lots are their property and they need them for the purposes of their business activities. It is our Christian obligation to be respectful of our neighbors and their rights. In addition to our own lots, we have arranged for additional parking at Hart High School (through Arcadia Street), and also at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Orchard Village. There will be volunteers at those parking lots to assist you. On Wednesday, September 11, our parish school held its annual assembly to commemorate the events of 9-11 and to honor and thank first responders. We had a wonderful turnout from the sheriff and police departments, from firefighters and military personnel, from doctors, nurses, paramedics and others. Many of these are parishioners and parents of our school children. The speaker this year was John Dove. John served as a police officer for 21 years and was one of the first responders at the World Trade Center. His presentation moved me deeply. It reflects the best of our Christian faith and of our society. With his permission, I’d like to share a portion of his remarks with you in this message: This will always be a sad day for me and many other people in our country but seeing you here honoring those who were lost that day makes me very happy. We should never forget what happened. We cannot forget. I am honored to have been asked to speak today. . . I came to share a message with all of you especially the children. The people who attacked our country on 9/11 had hate in their hearts. They knocked down buildings, hurt and killed many people but I am here to tell you, as terrible as it was, hate lost that day. I saw it with my own eyes. Because the thing I remember most was the love I saw. I saw people from all different ethnic, religious and political backgrounds and people of all different colors, shapes and sizes coming together to help each other, sometimes sacrificing their own lives to do so. . . So, if I can ask one thing of you today, it would be to not allow hate creep into your heart. Try every day to love your family, your classmates, your neighbors and your teachers. Be kind to each other. When you see someone hurting, sad or in trouble, be a hero to them. If you do that, hate will always lose just like it did on this day 23 years ago. This is wisdom that John learned from his reflection on and prayer about the traumatic experiences of that day. This is wisdom we see in Scriptures, and especially in the life, teachings and deeds of Jesus. Because just as John discovered on 9-11, on Calvary, hate lost. On Calvary, though his enemies had their way with Jesus, love triumphed. As Mr. Dove asked our schoolchildren, I ask all of us. Please embrace the wisdom of Jesus. Do not allow hate to creep into your heart! Be men and women of Christ, of love! Jesus, you taught us to learn from a little child, help us to be humble servants who love one another. Holy Mary, whose love is beyond all telling, pray that we may always walk in your Son’s way of love and compassion. Father Craig |
Fr. EnriqueOur associate pastor, Fr. Enrique Piceno, Archives
January 2025
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