Since Halloween is Tuesday, I’d like to start with a few skeleton and ghost jokes:
Why can’t skeletons play church music? Because they have no organs.
How do ghosts stay in shape? By exorcising.
Why do skeletons and ghosts love Sundays? Because they are dying to hear our homilies!
What is a ghost’s favorite response at Mass? “And with your spirit.”
What is a ghost’s favorite hymn at Mass? “Come Holy Ghost”
Why can’t skeletons fulfill the greatest commandment of Jesus? Because they have no hearts, souls, or minds.
OK, the last one was not so funny. I made it up to lift up your “spirits” and tickle your funny “bones”! But really it serves to transition me more serious topics. Jesus tells us in our 30th Sunday gospel that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. I present three specific ways to live out these commandments this this week.
First, I have designated this weekend as our ALMS stewardship commitment weekend. Love is commitment. And our parish mission is in large part to “Love God & Neighbor”. To carry on our mission, it does take everyone’s commitment. Please return your commitment cards or grab one in the pew this weekend. Thank you so much for all your gifts of love!
Second, Wednesday is All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation, so please attend Mass and invoke the beloved saints. The purpose of this Solemnity is to recall there are many saints in heaven, and many more than simply the ones canonized and on our liturgical calendar. We need the prayers of the saints! Families are meant to pray for each other, and the Church is the family of God. Therefore the saints in heaven are our older brothers and sisters and they want to pray for us…especially if we ask. Do you have deceased love ones you believe to be heaven? Ask for them to pray for you and for our parish. “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” (James 5:16)
Third, let us pray in love for all souls. Thursday is All Souls Day. Even the souls in purgatory also can pray for us, but we especially need to pray for them—they depend on the grace of God and the graces God grants from our prayers to be purified. November is especially a month to remember them and pray for them. During any, and repeatable for each, day November 1st to the 8th you can obtain a plenary (full) indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, if you devoutly visit a cemetery and pray for the departed. A partial indulgence is granted similarly for all the days of the rest of the year, or if we simply pray for the dead with this little prayer all Catholics should memorize: “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.”
This week let’s strive to love God with all our spirits and bones…hearts, minds, souls…and our neighbors as ourselves.
Peace,
Fr. Greg