Chris Rath is a long time parishioner who attends daily Mass & who served the parish many years by preparing everything for the 8am Sunday Mass. Chris’s husband Ralph died last week after struggling with several health problems this past year. I had a Funeral Service for Ralph this past Thursday and recalled the way that he provided so well for Chris and for their son Jeremy and how he was a good & loving husband and father to them. Many have been praying for Ralph and for Chris and we thank the Lord that he died peacefully at Holy Family Hospice where they also ministered well to his physical and spiritual needs. We extend our sympathy to Chris and to Jeremy & ask God to let their gratitude soothe their grief.
This weekend we have our Annual Catholic Charities Appeal. This practice has become more & more meaningful to me over the years, most especially when it comes during Lent, as it does this year. On Ash Wednesday, we heard the gospel where Jesus speaks of the importance of what has come to be known as the three disciplines of Lent: prayer, fasting & almsgiving. And Catholic Charities is all about almsgiving! It is not enough that we pray more for ourselves & for others during Lent, or even that we fast from meat or other food, as good and necessary as both of these are. For Lent is really about charity, about recognizing the needs of our brothers & sisters in Christ and making a decision to help them as practically and concretely as we can. This is what Catholic Charities does for us: it gives us that opportunity to directly help people who are hungry, who lack clothing and shelter and so many of the other basic necessities that you & I take for granted every day. What better way to begin this Lent than by making a real difference in the lives of others by giving just a small portion of our income to those who need our help? You have always been generous in this way and I have every confidence that you will continue to give what you can so that the gospel we just heard may come alive for you.
Now that I have mentioned almsgiving, I must also speak of prayer & fasting, which for us as Catholics includes abstaining from meat on Fridays of Lent. So again we provide opportunities for you to address these two other Lenten practices. First, you can join us prayerfully for the Stations of the Cross which will be held in the church at 7pm every Friday of Lent. Again it will be nice to see our beautiful mosaic stations with the new lights we had installed on them last year. This will be live-streamed in case you can’t join us physically in the church. We also make it easy for you to abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent by providing you with a delicious meal through our Fish Fry’s. Of course the pandemic prevents us from enjoying each other’s company while we eat, but last year we ramped up our ability to offer take-out and this will be the (only) option for you again this year. Same great food, same great prices, but you’ll eat at home with your family. Credit cards accepted. We could livestream this for you too but it probably wouldn’t be the same.
Finally, the homily at the 4pm Mass this weekend will be short. I am scheduled to receive my vaccination shot at 4:45pm on Rockside Road, and if I’m late, I’ll miss it. So I have to pray quickly (but always sincerely). You pray too that I won’t get a speeding ticket.