Fr. Greg

Each October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between. During the month of October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.

 

The month of September is traditionally dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows as the great Feast that we celebrate on the 15th of this month is the Triumph of the Holy Cross, the day in which we celebrate the fact that our redemption has been won by an object designed for the most extreme torture given to criminals.

 

 

God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. We hear this beautiful sentiment in today’s Second Reading from St. Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. God desires my salvation more than I do. God desires me to come to the knowledge of truth even more than I do. From St. Paul’s perspective our salvation is closely tied to our coming to the knowledge of truth.

 

Our Gospel reading today about the prodigal son is a good reminder that (1) we are special among creation, uniquely made in such a way that the image of God is etched into our heart and soul and (2) sin decimates the dignity of our being and causes us to descend to the lower orders of creation who, wonderful as they might be, are not endowed with the image of the creator like us. So... what does that have to do with singing, as the title of this article suggests?

 

 

I hope and pray you have a Blessed Labor Day and enjoy some good recreation this weekend! 

 

Speaking of recreation, please join your fellow parishioners at our upcoming Fall Festival on Saturday September 17th, following the evening Mass—which I am moving up to 4PM in order to have more daylight for the festival which begins at 5pm. Sorry for any inconvenience, but I hope it makes for a great celebration.

 

This upcoming week, Prince of Peace will be beginning the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, better known as RCIA. Yes, it is the process that one must go through in order to become Catholic and enter into full communion with the Church, but in all honesty it is so much more than just that. It is a path of deepening one's relationship with our Lord, a time of greater and deeper prayer, a period of discernment and making the full, conscious and active decision to follow what and where the Lord is calling one to go and to do.

During a homily a few weeks ago, I discussed Prince of Peace’s engagement in the Church’s “Consistency of Life Ethic.” A Consistency of Life Ethic is based on the fundamental principle of Catholic Social Teaching, which acknowledges the dignity of every human life. We are a Church that recognizes the image and likeness of God in each person – each person is sacred, from the moment of conception until natural death, and every moment in between.

Greetings Prince of Peace parishioners,