Homily
Friday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time
2 November 2018
Commemoration of All Souls
AMDG JMJ +m
I've wrecked my Ford Fusion twice in the last 3 years. Both times I hit an animal. The first time it was a deer. This last time a couple weeks ago it was a dog. Both accidents were at high speed. The car survived both times. God's creatures did not, unfortunately.
This last time the accident happened as I was leaving a tour of a maximum security prison in El Dorado, Kansas. Fortunately, my classmates from Leadership Kansas were right behind me. Six cars stopped to help me . . and the dog if they could. It was a flood of instantaneous support. As I needed a 80 mile tow to Topeka since my radiator was punctured, I was grateful that one of my classmates offered me a ride home to Lawrence, and my delay back home was only 20 minutes at the most.
You're probably like me . . pretty independent and reluctant to ask for help. But we all know that when unpredictable things happen, and we're in a bind and need help, it stinks when no one is there for us.
Our dear Church reminds us on All Souls Day, and throughout November, that the most important thing we can do for our Catholic family is pray for the dead. Of all the people in our family who need help right now, our friends making their final journeys to heaven, and unable to help themselves, are most in need. Our focus on helping our neighbor next to us must never come to the detriment of neglecting those most in need of God's mercy.
Yesterday we celebrated the Church triumphant - the saints in heaven, who are rooting us the Church militant on to victory. Today the Church militant is urged to do the same for the Church penitent . .the souls in purgatory, and not only today, but everyday, and especially throughout the book of November. You are invited to place the names of your beloved that you are especially praying for in our Chapel Book of the Dead.
I hope you die a saint. I hope I do too. Let's keep working on that. But in case we one day find ourselves in trouble, and unable to help ourselves, let us remember that we will be completely dependent upon the prayers of the Church that comes after us. The Church in her piety recommends that we offer any and all merits and graces that we have to the souls in purgatory, or even the most forgotten souls, or to our Blessed Mother, who may dispense these merits to her children most in need.
Only if we give all our merits away to those in need, should we hope that someday a member of the Church militant family will do the same for us.
Friday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time
2 November 2018
Commemoration of All Souls
AMDG JMJ +m
I've wrecked my Ford Fusion twice in the last 3 years. Both times I hit an animal. The first time it was a deer. This last time a couple weeks ago it was a dog. Both accidents were at high speed. The car survived both times. God's creatures did not, unfortunately.
This last time the accident happened as I was leaving a tour of a maximum security prison in El Dorado, Kansas. Fortunately, my classmates from Leadership Kansas were right behind me. Six cars stopped to help me . . and the dog if they could. It was a flood of instantaneous support. As I needed a 80 mile tow to Topeka since my radiator was punctured, I was grateful that one of my classmates offered me a ride home to Lawrence, and my delay back home was only 20 minutes at the most.
You're probably like me . . pretty independent and reluctant to ask for help. But we all know that when unpredictable things happen, and we're in a bind and need help, it stinks when no one is there for us.
Our dear Church reminds us on All Souls Day, and throughout November, that the most important thing we can do for our Catholic family is pray for the dead. Of all the people in our family who need help right now, our friends making their final journeys to heaven, and unable to help themselves, are most in need. Our focus on helping our neighbor next to us must never come to the detriment of neglecting those most in need of God's mercy.
Yesterday we celebrated the Church triumphant - the saints in heaven, who are rooting us the Church militant on to victory. Today the Church militant is urged to do the same for the Church penitent . .the souls in purgatory, and not only today, but everyday, and especially throughout the book of November. You are invited to place the names of your beloved that you are especially praying for in our Chapel Book of the Dead.
I hope you die a saint. I hope I do too. Let's keep working on that. But in case we one day find ourselves in trouble, and unable to help ourselves, let us remember that we will be completely dependent upon the prayers of the Church that comes after us. The Church in her piety recommends that we offer any and all merits and graces that we have to the souls in purgatory, or even the most forgotten souls, or to our Blessed Mother, who may dispense these merits to her children most in need.
Only if we give all our merits away to those in need, should we hope that someday a member of the Church militant family will do the same for us.
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