Sirach 3:18 Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. Hebrews 12:24 You have approached . . .Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
Dear Parishioners and Friends, This past week our children returned to school. We should be proud that our parish school is drawing near to its 70th anniversary. So often I meet people throughout this lovely city, who have fond memories of their school days at Immaculate Heart of Mary. Indeed children do not raise themselves. That does not change. They require the love and discipline that come primarily from their parents, but also school and church. A Catholic home, where Christ reigns, complemented by an authentic and true Catholic education, and devoted and fervent Church life are the tried and true way to raise Godly children for time and eternity. If one part of this equation is missing then the task becomes harder. If this formula is rejected then we have only ourselves to blame when life becomes a ghastly mess.
It seems to me that what we need more of is the “Faith of Our Fathers” as Father Frederick Faber, the great Catholic hymn composer wrote in his famous hymn. We now live in confusing times. What we used to say was wrong is now considered by many to be right, and what we once proclaimed as right is thought to be wrong. Our time is a time of subjectivism, relativism, nihilism. Pope Benedict aptly called it the “dictatorship of relativism.” What is needed more than ever is that “old time religion.” Not that we live in the past, but we still need to live by the teachings of the Gospel as articulated by His Church. These do not change and cannot change. People may change, but not what has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Savior. Holy Mother the Church must reach out more than ever to support as many as possible on the road that leads to heaven after a holy and productive life on earth. That some have chosen the opposite path must not discourage those who remain faithful even if they are the minority and at times only a handful, a “remnant selected out of grace.” The litmus test by which we are all measured is expressed well in the Scriptures selected for Mass this weekend. They point us toward cultivating in Christ the right attitude by which we view God, others, and ourselves. A key ingredient after love is humility. We need to have a humble world view, attitude, perspective, outlook. Humility is not something we can create ourselves. Like faith it is a God-given gift to those who ask. Our tendency is prideful arrogance. We can be very superficial and worldly. No wonder we often chose incorrectly. We see things as men, not as God sees them. His plan is different. His wisdom is not that of the world. In the Gospel humility is clearly the message of the Lord. Practically, it means to let go and let God. We place everything in His hands. Jesus did not just preach humility. He showed it by His life and ultimately by the way His was rejected, suffered, and died for us. All of the most humiliating experiences of our lives are made grand by the Lord, who even submitted Himself into the hands of sinners so that He could save them. Jesus continues to do this here and now in our lives and in our time. Mysteriously, the Kingdom of God is being built up brick by brick through those who have the humility to believe and follow Him come what may. The faithful Catholic will be rejected by the world, but embraced by the Lord and drawn into His work of redemption. His promise will come true to those who persevere who will be exalted in the eternal kingdom.
Yours in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor