Pastoral Messages 5/8/22

Pastoral Messages 5-8-22

The Children’s Justice Center informed us of the need for new blankets, so anyone wishing to make such a donation can drop them off in a designated box in the gathering space after Mass.  We will get them to the CJC.  The parish will also make an as-yet-to-be-determined cash donation for other incidentals they may need.

Return of ‘Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible’  In the near future I will be assessing the interest to revisit this 8 Session study complete with timeline chart,  group video presentations and your own workbook!  Let me know if you are interested.  We might possibly promote this to the larger Kanab community, so if the multitudes come to us, it would be great if they were to meet lots of enthusiastic local Catholics to help guide them on the journey.  Five or Six people have expressed an initial interest so far.

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 “Every man rejoices twice when he has a partner in his joy.  He who shares tears with us wipes them away.  He divides them in two, and he who laughs with us makes the joy double.” 

Bishop Fulton Sheen

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It’s Still Easter!!

We are now in our fourth week of Easter season and like the disciples are continuing to learn how to recognize the resurrected Christ who is always among us.  This gives us a sense of peace and stability that no one can take away completely. “…no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.”   Along with this peace and confidence comes the mission proclaimed in today’s first reading from Acts 13: “For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.”

            In our resurrected joy and the enlightenment of Jesus all around us, we can now see more clearly the world as God sees it.  We can see more clearly the type of world we are passing along to our children and grandchildren and what changes might be necessary.  It is only with the graces of the Church that we can face this world and our role in its renewal.

            On Mother’s Day we acknowledge that our mothers are always our mothers in whatever role they may still play in our lives.  Their helpfulness has likely varied over the years and we have learned to find ‘other good mothers’ along the way in order to continue the lifelong task of maturity.  This is also an important time to recall that Mother Church has always been with us, guiding and leading us…even though we might not be paying any more attention to Her than we did to our biological mothers in our most formative years.

            I’ve recently been reading a great book entitled, Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching: A Defense of the Church’s True Teachings on Marriage Family and the State, by Anthony Esolen.  Most of the wisdom is drawn from the teachings of Pope Leo XIII who is writing in the late 1800’s about the central role the Church must play in forming the cultures we live in.  He is especially warning against Communism as well as some of the quasi-democratic tendencies of the newly forming United States of America.  Much hope was justified, but also was/is the need to proceed with great caution.

            Especially in our times as we seem to be drifting more and more into our polarized, ideological corners, we would do well to reconsider what the vision of the Church has always been for us.  It will help us understand more intelligently how to discuss the complexities of social justice in the modern world.  Please order and read this book and then share your many insights about the direction of your grandchildren’s’ world.  REJOICE!!  It’s still Easter!!!