Posted on October 13, 2023 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear parishioners,
Every weekend we meet to share the bread of the word of God that nourishes us and gives us life; Every weekend is a reunion with the teacher who instructs us and makes us reflect on our desire for holiness and precisely today Jesus reminds us that “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Lk 18:1).
Today, Jesus shows us the king (the Father), inviting—through his “servants” (the prophets)—to the banquet of his Son’s alliance with humanity (salvation). First he did it with Israel, “but they did not want to come” (Mt 22:3). Faced with the refusal, the Father does not stop insisting: «Look, my banquet is prepared, (…) and everything is ready; Come to the wedding” (Mt 22:4). But this snub, ridicule and death of the servants, provokes the sending of troops, the death of those murderers and the burning of “their” city (cf. Mt 22:6-7): Jerusalem. So, other “servants” (the apostles) were sent to go through “the crossroads” (Mt 22:9): “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…” the Lord Jesus will say later in Mt 28:19 – and so we, the rest of humanity, were invited, that is, “everyone they found, bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests” (Mt 22 ,10): the Church. Now to enter this wedding a festive dress is required, this dress is, according to Saint Jerome, “the precepts of the Lord and the works accomplished according to the Law and the Gospel, which are the garments of the new man.” That is, the works of charity with which faith must be accompanied.
Next weekend we will celebrate throughout the church World Mission Sunday is an annual global celebration within the Catholic Church, observed on the penultimate Sunday in October. This special day is dedicated to supporting the missionary work of the Church through prayer and sacrifice. This celebration was established by Pope Pius XI in 1926, and is an opportunity for every ecclesial community in the world to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters living in missionary territories. The collection supports mission dioceses in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands and parts of Latin America and Europe. This year the theme of the day is “Hearts on fire, feet on the march” (Luke 24, 13). Pope Francis invites us to light our hearts with faith and to put our faith into action, serving the mission of God with joy, enthusiasm and tireless dedication. I hope that from the little we have we will collaborate and pray for the missionaries and the countries that are still on mission.
This week I sent an email to all the leaders of the ministries and apostolate groups of our parish asking them for financial help to purchase a nativity scene. As a parish we do not have decent and beautiful images that represent the nativity scene at Christmas. For two years now I have been thinking about do it and today I have taken the initiative to do it, I think that if we all join together we can acquire it, it is something that will remain for the future, the price of all the images is a little more than seven thousand dollars and we can all help, it does not matter if We are part of a ministry or not. Any donation is welcome. I thank you in advance for your generosity.
I hope you have a blessed week, I entrust myself to your prayers and you are always in mine.
Wishing a happy week to everybody.
Fr. Alex
