Father's Weekly Message
Fr. Shaji Joseph Pazhukkathara
October 2021
10/20/2021 0 Comments
World Mission Sunday!
Last Monday, Bishop James Powers inaugurated the process of preparing for the Synod 2023 in our Diocese. At the Inaugural Mass, Bishop Powers stated how wonderful it is that the whole Church participates in the Synodal process. Pope Francis emphasizes three key words for the Synod: communion, participation and mission. “Communion and mission are theological terms describing the mystery of the Church, which we do well to keep in mind.” Pope says, “Participation is a requirement of the faith received in baptism... Baptism, the source of our life, gives rise to the equal dignity of the children of God, albeit in the diversity of ministries and charisms. Consequently, all the baptized are called to take part in the Church’s life and mission.”
Pope Francis asked us to pray for the ‘missionary disciples’ during this month. This weekend we are celebrating World Mission Sunday. All of these celebrations echo the same message. The Church is a missionary Church and each one of us are missionary disciples. Mission Sunday invites us to reflect beyond our local church and see the mission of the universal church. Some give to the missions by going. Some go to the missions by giving. Mission Sunday is the day to reach out beyond the needs of the local Parish and Diocese to assist missionaries as they go and tell in the young churches. The theme for the Extraordinary Missionary Month is: “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:8). Pope Francis in his message for World Mission Sunday invites us to respond to our baptismal call to mission by saying, “Here I Am, Send Me.” Mission Sunday brings us together to celebrate our faith and support by our prayer and financially Pope Francis’ mission.
This year, Pope Francis' message on World Mission Sunday reflects on the theme of “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard” Acts 4:20. He reminds us that “As Christians, we cannot keep the Lord to ourselves.” On World Mission Sunday, we join with Pope Francis to pray for missions and financial support.
This weekends readings talk about restoration of life: in the Book of Jeremiah, liberating the Israelites from Babylonian exile and in the Gospel restoring the sight of a man who was blind. In the first reading Jeremiah promises the return of the Israelites to the Promised Land. Their God is the one who walks with them, leads them through smooth roads, so no one will stumble including people who are blind, lame, mother’s with their child. “God said, Ephraim is my first-born” (Jeremiah 31:9). In the book of Exodus 4:22 it says, “So you will say to Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD: Israel is my son, my firstborn.” God calls Israel ‘my son’ two or three times in the Bible, but “Son of God” always refers to Jesus Christ.
The first reading prepares us to listen to the Gospel, the healing of the man who was blind, Bartimaeus. The Gospel passage is about the restoration of sight at the same time, it is a marvelous instruction on prayer. Bartimaeus not only cried out to Christ with a strong faith, but he was persistent in his prayer. It was with total confidence. Israelites knew when the Messiah comes, he will come from the house of King David and the rightful heir to his throne (Isaiah 9:7 and Ezekiel 34:23-24). Maybe they hoped he would possess the power to heal the sickness and exercise demons (Matthew 15:22).
The second reading in the letter to Hebrews it tells us Jesus, the high Priest, came to establish the New Covenant. He lived among us, restored life and offered on the Cross to give us life. He continues to walk with us, and restore our life.
At the Inaugural Mass, Bishop Powers stated how wonderful it is that the whole Church participates in the Synodal process. Pope Francis emphasizes three key words for the Synod: communion, participation and mission. “Communion and mission are theological terms describing the mystery of the Church, which we do well to keep in mind.” Pope says, “Participation is a requirement of the faith received in baptism... Baptism, the source of our life, gives rise to the equal dignity of the children of God, albeit in the diversity of ministries and charisms. Consequently, all the baptized are called to take part in the Church’s life and mission.”
Pope Francis asked us to pray for the ‘missionary disciples’ during this month. This weekend we are celebrating World Mission Sunday. All of these celebrations echo the same message. The Church is a missionary Church and each one of us are missionary disciples. Mission Sunday invites us to reflect beyond our local church and see the mission of the universal church. Some give to the missions by going. Some go to the missions by giving. Mission Sunday is the day to reach out beyond the needs of the local Parish and Diocese to assist missionaries as they go and tell in the young churches. The theme for the Extraordinary Missionary Month is: “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:8). Pope Francis in his message for World Mission Sunday invites us to respond to our baptismal call to mission by saying, “Here I Am, Send Me.” Mission Sunday brings us together to celebrate our faith and support by our prayer and financially Pope Francis’ mission.
This year, Pope Francis' message on World Mission Sunday reflects on the theme of “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard” Acts 4:20. He reminds us that “As Christians, we cannot keep the Lord to ourselves.” On World Mission Sunday, we join with Pope Francis to pray for missions and financial support.
This weekends readings talk about restoration of life: in the Book of Jeremiah, liberating the Israelites from Babylonian exile and in the Gospel restoring the sight of a man who was blind. In the first reading Jeremiah promises the return of the Israelites to the Promised Land. Their God is the one who walks with them, leads them through smooth roads, so no one will stumble including people who are blind, lame, mother’s with their child. “God said, Ephraim is my first-born” (Jeremiah 31:9). In the book of Exodus 4:22 it says, “So you will say to Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD: Israel is my son, my firstborn.” God calls Israel ‘my son’ two or three times in the Bible, but “Son of God” always refers to Jesus Christ.
The first reading prepares us to listen to the Gospel, the healing of the man who was blind, Bartimaeus. The Gospel passage is about the restoration of sight at the same time, it is a marvelous instruction on prayer. Bartimaeus not only cried out to Christ with a strong faith, but he was persistent in his prayer. It was with total confidence. Israelites knew when the Messiah comes, he will come from the house of King David and the rightful heir to his throne (Isaiah 9:7 and Ezekiel 34:23-24). Maybe they hoped he would possess the power to heal the sickness and exercise demons (Matthew 15:22).
The second reading in the letter to Hebrews it tells us Jesus, the high Priest, came to establish the New Covenant. He lived among us, restored life and offered on the Cross to give us life. He continues to walk with us, and restore our life.
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time "Let us join Bishop Powers to prepare for Synod 2020"
10/14/2021 0 Comments
Let us join Bishop Powers to prepare for Synod 2023
As you know Pope Francis invites us to join to prepare for the Synod in 2023 in Rome. Pope Francis states in his letter, “May we experience this Synod in the spirit of Jesus’ fervent prayer to the Father on behalf of his disciples: “that they may all be one” (Jn 17:21). This is what we are called to: unity, communion, the fraternity born of the realization that all of us are embraced by the one love of God.”
Pope Francis emphasizes three key words for the Synod: communion, participation and mission. “Communion and mission are theological terms describing the mystery of the Church, which we do well to keep in mind” Pope says, “Participation is a requirement of the faith received in baptism... Baptism, the source of our life, gives rise to the equal dignity of the children of God, albeit in the diversity of ministries and charisms. Consequently, all the baptized are called to take part in the Church’s life and mission.”
In the light of Pope Francis' invitation, Bishop James Powers invites us to join this process in our Diocese from October 2021 to October 2022. The Synodal preparation in our diocese starts with a kick off Mass on Monday, October 18, at 5:00 pm at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Ashland. Bishop invites us to join in person or virtually: https://www.facebook.com/ourladycc/. We will be joining Bishop Powers and praying for this process and wait for further information.
Monday, October 18th is the Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist. Every year around the feast of St. Luke who was a physician, we pray for the sick, healthcare professionals and caregivers. This weekend we pray for these intentions and will have the opportunity to receive Anointing of the Sick.
This weekend reading invites us to reflect on servant leadership. The first reading from the book of Isiah is taken from the Fourth Servant Song. Isaiah speaks of God crushing the suffering servant. In the Hebrew term ’asham is used to talk about a particular type of sacrifice. The meaning of ’asham is “be guilty.” It is a reparation offering. In the book of Leviticus 5:14-26 he talks about the reparation offering. The servant bears the iniquity of the people. Isaiah’s servant song foreshadows the life and mission of Jesus.
In the Gospel, Christ turned towards Jerusalem prepared to accept death and resurrection. This is the third time he is predicting that his suffering will end in death and the resurrection on the third day. It was a reminder for the disciples that they are called to follow his footsteps. Christ taught them that the greatness in the Kingdom is based on the spirit of service.
James and John place a request in front of Jesus, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." In answer to that Jesus told them that they will drink the cup Jesus drinks and will be baptized in which baptism Jesus will be baptized. Jesus' mission is to suffer which leads to death and resurrection. Jesus told the disciples that they also will be suffering for their faith. The second reading from the Hebrews tells us that Jesus is like us in all things, but sin. Since the Lord identifies with us in every suffering, we can turn to him for the help to overcome our weakness due to suffering.
Discipleship: a call to live close to God and one another!
10/6/2021 0 Comments
For the Respect Life month, we pray for life from womb to tomb. This weekend we celebrate Inclusion Awareness Day: we celebrate life with our ability and disAbilities, our strength and weakness. Inclusion Awareness Sunday is an opportunity to reflect how we include everyone by looking at our abilities, rather than looking at disAbilities. How do we celebrate our differences?
Father Henri Nouwen laid the spiritual foundation for the Pathways Awareness Open Hearts, Open Minds movement with his keynote address "The Vulnerable Journey" at the 1996 Pathways Awareness Inclusion in Worship Conference. He remarked that "I was always studying about God and teaching about God to all these bright students. I wanted to be smarter than others. I wanted to show them that I could be "with it". And I suddenly realized that it is not in strength and power that God was coming to me, but in weakness."
God is the power of inclusion. He opened his arms and heart on the cross to embrace everyone. So Jesus invites us to open our hearts, minds and doors for people with all abilities and differences. Change needs to start in our mind and heart. Are we ready to accept the differences at least in our mentality? It is not an easy task…let us meditate on the depth of the word “Inclusion” and let us connect with our faith.
This weekend's readings put in front of us a question; “What are the most important things in our life?” The first reading, Solomon, was a model for Christian disciples, who prayed for wisdom above every other thing. Solomon was not born with great wisdom; rather it was given to him by God. In the 1 King 3:9 “Give your servant, therefore, a listening heart to judge your people and to distinguish between good and evil. For who is able to give judgment for this vast people of yours?” And God told him that “I give you a heart so wise and discerning that there has never been anyone like you until now, nor after you will there be anyone to equal you” (1 King 3:12). Wisdom is an eager desire to do God’s will and give him glory.
In the Gospel we read the account of the rich young man, and the difficulty of the rich entering the kingdom. Jesus reaffirms the need of keeping the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17). The young man claimed he was keeping the Commandments from his youth. Then Jesus invites him to go further, “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." Jesus taught that a wholehearted spirit of poverty is necessary to be a true follower of him. Jesus told the young man to detach from the possessions and stay close to Jesus. We read that he went away sorrowful. St. Augustine wrote in his Confessions, “Our hearts are restless, Lord, until we rest in you.” The true happiness is coming from God. Solomon, in the first reading, states that he considers wisdom from God more than anything else.
Jesus uses the analogy of the camel and eye of a needle, an impossible situation. Those days there was a low and narrow gate for pedestrians to go after hours which was called eye of the needle. In those days camels were the largest animal for them and it was impossible for camels to go through. Jesus told them it is impossible with all the attachment. Everything is possible when we detach from everything and stay closer to God. What are the challenges we face in order to follow him closely?
In the month of October, Pope Francis invites us to pray for all missionary disciples. Let us pray for all of us that we may walk close to Jesus and evangelize and make his name known and loved in our daily life.