External Solemnity of the Rosary Homily

Today we celebrate the External Solemnity of the Most Holy Rosary. This celebration is great way to start this month of October because it reminds us that this month is dedicated to the rosary. Pope Leo has asked that the faithful throughout the world will join with him throughout this month to pray the rosary for peace.

This request is important to take seriously because our prayers are very important. This feast ended up being instituted by Pope Pius V to commemorate the victory that was won at the Battle of Lepanto. Pope Pius V had encouraged Christians throughout the world to pray the rosary for victory.

Our world truly needs such victory to be won. We are gravely in need of the peace that our Lord alone can bring. The news constantly reminds us of such turmoil that takes places locally, in our country, and in this world. There is constantly war, senseless violence such as attacks on schools or churches, and there has been the assassination of Charlie Kirk as well as the death of others.

Not only do we need peace in such areas as these, but our world also seems to move further and further away from the divine truths of faith. Children have wondered away from the faith, there increase in broken homes and a lack of a domestic church, sexuality is flaunted not accordance with divine law, and the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death is not respected.

Within the Church we have an attack on the unity of faith. There are some who have allowed their own opinions to rip them away from such unity and therefore we have so many denominations which reflect a splintered Christianity. Even in the Church there are some who allow personal opinions and preferences to become more important then the unity of faith.

Again the answer to this never ending litany of issues which our world faces is Christ the Prince of Peace. As our Blessed Mother appeared at Fatima and addressed herself as “The Lady of the Rosary.” She asked that the rosary be prayed in order “to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.”

Some might claim that the rosary is a devotion that focuses to much on Mary. This claim is not founded in truth. The hinge to which all things point in the “Hail Mary” is Jesus. He is the fruit of the womb and through the rosary we are able to mediate on the mysteries of His life, death, and resurrection.

Through the rosary we place our faith in the Lord as we allow our heart to be drawn closer to Him through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us take up this powerful weapon in faith and pray that our life, our family, our world may come to obtain peace. We can only obtain peace if we place our trust in Jesus.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

27th Sunday of OT Year C Homily

This Sunday has been designated as our stewardship Sunday. On this Sunday we reflect upon the importance of stewardship in the life of the faithful. Stewardship transcends the mere giving of money because through it one fully comes to recognize their mission as a Christian disciple. Through stewardship one freely gives of the many gifts that have been entrusted to our care by God.

Our response to our Responsorial Psalm proclaimed, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Such a statement points inward upon self and reminds that we are to hear the voice of God that is being made manifest to us. We can only hear such a voice if we are first found willing to pursue relationship with God.

Through such a relationship we learn to pray. Prayer not only liturgical in nature or devotional (as important as these may be), but so to through the use of silence. Here we discover that silent voice that calls out to us and through the nurturing of such a voice we come to be transformed in the Lord’s presence.

Through such transformation we are able to grow in our participation in God’s love. In such manner our hearts come to be liberated through this relationship and from all that holds us captive. Stewardship then becomes a participation is such love for through it we are giving a response as a disciple of the Lord to God’s unconditional love that is being made manifest for us.

At the conclusion of our Gospel it was proclaimed that “we are unprofitable servants; we have done what what we were obliged to do.” From Psalm 116 we ask, “How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me? The answer to this question as well as how we are to be an unprofitable servant is found through our commitment to stewardship.

CS Lewis once stated, “A person whose hands are full of parcels cannot receive a gift.” Stewardship allows us to enter into such a conversion where we can grow in our love and our desire to give freely of self through the use of our time, talent, and treasure. Stewardship is a part of our response to discipleship.

In our parish we are already blessed with so many good stewards who freely give of their time, talent, and treasure. Through our vast list of ministries are found so many who humbly give of themselves out of love. Stewardship is an invitation for us to continue to commit ourself in such a way for through such action we are found to be unprofitable servants.

Sometime this week all register families will receive a mailing asking them to make a commitment of their stewardship to our parish community. Please pray prior to filling out this form and return it next weekend during the offertory. It is my hope that all households will come together to fill out this form and make a commitment to give of their time, talent, and treasure based upon their state in life for the Lord calls to be unprofitable servant of all that has been entrusted to our care.