Dear Beloved Parishioners,
So, there is a lot going on in the coming days… Let’s highlight a few…
Come to the Mission: “God’s Mercy”
Please accept this invitation as members of St. Justin Martyr Church to attend our “God’s Mercy” Mission, conducted by Fr. Kevin MacDonald, Redemptorist priest.
A Parish Mission is a series of presentations on the Word of God. Each evening is different, yet, each evening will consist of a proclamation of the Word, reflections, singing and praying together. It will be a grace-filled happening, an opportunity to experience in a special way the saving presence of God.
If you have abandoned the faith of your youth, the mission is for you. If you have been on-again, off-again in the practice of your Catholic religion, the mission is for you. If you have wondered what is going on in the Church today, the mission is for you. If you have been faithful to your Catholic duties, the mission is for you. If you feel you need to know more about how to pray, the mission is for you. If you judge yourself to be in need of spiritual growth, the mission is for you. If you are a sinner or a saint or somewhere in between, the mission is for you. The mission is for everyone, but especially for YOU.
To make it easier for entire families to attend, there will be baby-sitting every evening. Just call Marge Kathalynas and let her know how many children you will bring and their ages. Liz Miller and the Youth Ministry teenagers will be leading our baby-sitting services every night of the Mission.
If you need a ride to and from the evening services, contact Marge Kathalynas. Our St. Vincent de Paul members have offered to be drivers. Marge will coordinate with SVDP to arrange transportation for you.
Should you like to volunteer your own services to babysit, help with hospitality, or drive people, please call the Parish Office or Marge Kathalynas, Director of Faith Formation and Missionary Discipleship:
kathalynas@stjustinmartyr.org and office number: 314-635-2499
Our “God’s Mercy” Mission begins Monday evening, November 14 at 7:00 pm in the Church. There is a Mission service planned for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm, too. Each service is about an hour in length and will be followed by a time for fellowship and refreshments in the Parish Center. (Tuesday night holds the opportunity for the sacrament of Reconciliation as well.) Please join me in praying for the success of our mission for our parish family and plan now to share with me this very special grace-filled time.
—–
The All Things New Listening Sessions are scheduled here at St. Justin on Nov. 7th and Nov. 9th. It is the same content on both days, just offered on different nights to allow for as many people as would like to attend to be able to. Registration is REQUIRED. (please only register for one session) You can register here:
https://allthingsnew.archstl.org/Ways-to-Engage/Listening-Sessions
As mentioned at the announcements of Mass this weekend, be patient as you are registering for the sessions. The Catholic Leadership Institute hosts the site and has 370 different ‘landing pages’ for your registration. So if you see a little ‘wheel’ spinning, just wait a minute or so, as the software is locating which of those listening sessions to land upon.. Once registered, you will receive a return email… And if you do not have access to a computer, call the parish staff, and we will register you.
And if, for any reason, you would need to CHANGE the session you registered for to a different day, contact onlinesupport@catholicleaders.org.
—–
Every four years, the priests of the Archdiocese gather together for our Convocation (literally – a Calling together) – to share confraternity, prayer, talks and life, away from the demands of the parish. The overall theme is ‘Cultivating Unity’. The purpose of this year’s Convocation is three-fold.
- To forge a collective sense of study and prayer
- To promote a more intense pastoral charity among priests
- To make the presbyterate itself a more transparent sacramental sign
So, if you could keep the brothers in your prayers, starting Monday, Oct. 3rd through Friday, Oct. 7th, I would be most grateful. Fr. Jim Cormack, CM will be covering the 6:30 Mass that week, while Fr. Bob Barko, OFM, will celebrate the All School Masses on Wed. and Friday.
I will have only limited email contact during those days. The parish staff knows how to reach me in case of emergency.
—–
The Deeper Dive into the Sunday Scripture comes from the Paulist Evangelization
We just didn’t see him, the man we thought was weird but who was probably mentally sick, the man on 62nd Street that we passed each day, laughing to each other as we pointed out to him. And we certainly paid little attention to the lady on the second floor who would yell at us kids as we played outside in front of our building. What was her issue? So many figures that we see but really do not see.
It’s become a disease, this not seeing others. It used to be primarily in terms of economic status—the very wealthy having nothing to do with the poor, even the poor who cleaned their houses and held open their doors. But now it’s in terms of nearly everything as we divide ourselves into red states and blue states, “woke” people and people who want nothing to do with being “woke.”
It was a disease at the time of Jesus as we see in this powerful Gospel about the rich man and Lazarus. Although Lazarus has a clear name, it’s the rich man who claims the spotlight so much so that he cannot even see Lazarus in front of his own door. In the rich man’s world, Lazarus doesn’t exist. While we want to hold up the rich man as extraordinarily evil and cold, but, as we look at ourselves through this parable, aren’t there many kinds of people to whom we are blind?
We have governors of states flying immigrants, who have come here with the same needs and dreams that our grandparents had, to different cities so they can use these poor people to make a point. We do not see them as individuals, in their suffering and need. We see them as a group, immigrants, and make them into a political football. And yet none of us would want our spouses or children to undergo a tiny portion of the sufferings of these people. To top it off, it’s the representatives of these same states who have refused to consider anything like our long-needed immigration reform. They are just Lazarus at the door; let’s make them beg even harder for our American scraps.
Likewise, we do not often see the “essential workers” who were made famous during the pandemic. They don’t have corner offices or jobs that use zoom. They just cook, clean, drive, bandage, and overall keep society together. But we don’t see them. It’s just Lazarus whom we want to work for us around like the rich man, in death, wants Lazarus to do.
Nor do we often see people of other races. We congratulate ourselves on our multiculturalism, maybe eat an enchilada, but we have mostly slipped into our enclaves where we hang out with people like ourselves, never having to stretch ourselves to understand another person’s language, situation, or pain.
We even often do not see each other, getting into our routines, paying less attention to our spouses or children, avoiding people with whom we have quarreled, not speaking to those we have dismissed. Lazarus is everywhere.
“If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not even listen to me after I’m raised from the dead.” Jesus is saying that until we see each other, and the poorest, we cannot begin to know what the resurrection is all about.
How sadly true is this, we who so often slip into “rich man” mode even though we celebrate a Risen Christ every Sunday. Before we celebrate resurrection, we have to acknowledge death. And, to acknowledge death, we have to acknowledge the poor, the marginalized, the suffering, and the neglected.
—–
Finally, the Song of the Day. Shady Grove – a classic Appalachian tune. This setting is done by the Appalachian Picking Society..
blessings,
fr bill