SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2020 - Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September20,2020
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
No one remembers a school year opening like this year. Things are not the way we expected them to be. We like to live in a safe space, knowing what to expect. Therefore, even the most daring people wish that in many ways we could get back to the lives we lived before the pandemic. On the other hand, the current challenges in some way remind us of what matters most: the value of holding fast to the tried and true. Above all, we must grow in Faith, Hope, and Love.
One very important task that goes on regardless is the important duty to hand on the Faith to the young. Frank J. Sheed, probably the greatest apologist of the twentieth century, once wrote: “unless there is cooperation between (teachers and parents) religious instruction will go limpingly.” That is for sure.
In living and promoting the Faith, all must stand on common ground. How is that done? The faith must be caught and taught. The faith is passed on by parents and teachers, who love the Lord and His Church; and includes knowing, studying, and explaining the dogmas handed down to us. There is a tried and true way to do this. What we do now for our children is the foundation of the edifice that will house them throughout life. This is a serious and important task. Now is the time to do it! Carpe diem! Seize the day!
We still have available in the parish office copies of The Catechism of the Catholic Church for only $10.00. Frank Sheed published two books that our helpful: A Map of Life (a shorter work), and Theology and Sanity (a more detailed book). Both books are available from Ignatius Press directly or Amazon. A book for children over ten to read, or for parents to read to those younger, is the classic St. Patrick’s Summer by Marigold Hunt, available from Sophia Institute Press and Amazon. Here is a good place to start.
Do not forget to sign up and attend Fr. Rufino’s Zoom class on Prayer, which begins this week, which comes from the teachings of the Catechism.
Yours in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor