The Solemnity of All Saints - We Remember_110120

Deacon Tom Writes,

“ We Remember”

The Solemnity of All Saints, Year A

“From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.”

These words from Eucharistic Prayer III remind us that our faith unites us to one another throughout time and throughout space. Our Church honors as Saints those who have gone before us having lived exceptionally good and virtuous lives. They are models for us to imitate. We see them as sources of inspiration to follow in our attempt to live holy, decent and charitable lives. Names like St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Martin de Porres, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Damien of Molokai and more recently, St Teresa of Calcutta have earned their place in this ever-growing litany of inspirational lives. They inspire us in our efforts to serve one another as Christ taught us and to carry those crosses that come our way as we experience the challenges and disappointments of life. Their lives are an open book on the good that can be done, the hardships that can be endured, the forgiveness that can flow from the human heart when we allow God’s grace to enter into our lives and we willingly submit our will to the Divine. Today we witness many ordinary people who live each and every day with this same spirit of humility, who go through life making many sacrifices to ease the burdens of those around them. They do this because they are disciples of Jesus and they desire to follow in his footsteps. These too are saints in every sense of the word. As Pope Francis once commented, “holiness is not only a gift from God, it is the ‘common’ vocation of the disciples of Christ”. 

We honor both categories of Saints today: those formerly named as such by the Church and those whose “ordinary lives” yield bountiful goodness. They are witnesses and practitioners of God’s love, mercy, and compassion. Yes, we remember the lives of the saints that we called our mothers and grandmothers, fathers and grandfathers, our husbands and wives and children who made a difference in our lives. We recall the joy and happiness they brought into our lives and into the lives of so many others. We recall their faith, their struggles and their love.

It is all these wonderful lives that make up the “Communion of Saints”. It is both the great and the small saints as John Nava depicted in his rendition of the “Communion of Saints” that we honor today. It is these men and women who have been “good and faithful servants” who have entered the Kingdom of God and who now faithfully pray for us, that we, like them, may rise to holiness. And for them we praise God!

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom 

Image Credit: Los Angeles Cathedral Tapestry by John Nava

First and Goal

Deacon Tom Writes,

“First and Goal”

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

The teachings contained in this passage from Mathew’s Gospel today summarize our call to holiness. Jesus presents his vision of the Kingdom where the poor in spirit are blessed and the meek are comforted; where mercy abounds and righteousness prevails; where there are peacemakers to put an end to conflict, violence, and strife. Do you think that Jesus was telling the crowd to persevere the evil in this present age and await the justice of God in the next life? I don’t think so. Jesus had a plan to help ease the suffering and hopelessness that he saw in the human condition, the one he embraced, willingly, to restore us to God’s good graces, yes, but as Jesus told his disciples, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”. (JN 10:10). Jesus’ plan for us to enjoy life more abundantly is called discipleship.

In making a decision to follow Jesus we take on the responsibility of embracing the mind and heart of God as Jesus did and acting accordingly. This is difficult work, like moving the football in the “Red Zone” when it is  “First, second, third or even forth... and Goal”. There is a lot of resistance to our effort; the other team is trying just as hard to stop us. They try to prevent any “forward progress” and undermine our confidence; they challenge our determination to score. This football analogy suites us well on our spiritual journey as we look to overcome all the challenges and obstacles to our faith that we encounter on a daily basis. We may experience rejection when we reach out to strangers; we may be the target of unkindness and misunderstanding when we try to bring comfort to family, friends, and neighbors. If we try to forgive others for the hurts they have caused us, there are those who may take this as a sign of weakness and attempt to take further advantage of us. We may suffer many setbacks if we try to live and act with the mind and heart of Jesus and that should come as no surprise for Jesus told us as much.

Still, we seek to be kind and gentle people, quick to forgive and slow to anger. We strive to be thoughtful and accepting of everyone. We engage people with the understanding that we are all made in the image of our creator. Most of all, we never lose sight of the goal and the good that can come from a single act of selfless love. Why? Because we take Jesus at his words, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”.

Today we here Jesus call the poor in spirit “blessed”. If we live our lives as his disciples, the day will come when he will say to us “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”. (MT 25:34)

In the pursuit of eternal life, that’s how you run up the score!!!

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom