Luke 16:31: “He (Abraham) said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Perhaps, we might try to undermine this Sunday’s gospel passage from Luke 16:19-31. Surely these can’t be the thoughts of the real Jesus, the Lord of Love and Mercy? There must be some way to lighten the message or dismiss it completely? There must be some modern scholarship that will explain this scene away. All such attempts would miss the point. Jesus told this parable as a warning to those who first heard it and to us who hear and read it now. It is a call to live the two great commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Luke 10, 27)
To assist us in following the loving way, the Church has often proposed the chief corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which number seven each.
The chief corporal works of mercy are: 1. To feed the hungry. 2. To give drink to the thirsty. 3. To clothe the naked. 4. To visit the imprisoned. 5. To shelter the homeless. 6. To visit the sick. 7. To bury the dead.
The chief spiritual works of mercy are: 1. To admonish the sinner. 2. To instruct the ignorant. 3. To counsel the doubtful 4. To comfort the sorrowful. 5. To bear wrongs patiently. 6. To forgive all injuries. 7. To pray for the living and the dead.
Of course, there is more to the Christian life, but the above are a great beginning. They are sure guides on the way to heaven.
Yours in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor
P.S. This coming week on Tuesday, September 27, Wednesday, September 28, and Thursday, September 29, I will be at a convocation of all the priests of the Archdiocese with the Archbishop. Please keep us in your prayers. On the above dates Deacon Leon Kortenkamp will conduct a Communion service at 8:15am. This is not the Mass. Hosts consecrated by a priest beforehand will be distributed.