The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 28, 2022
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,
On Tuesday, August 16 our children returned to school. We should be proud
that our parish school has reached 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 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 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