September 24, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

This Sunday’s Gospel parable about the workers who all receive the same wage, though they all labored for different hours in the day, is one of my favorite parables. It’s challenging, make no mistake, but it’s beautiful.

The first lesson for me in this parable: don’t worry about others. The laborers who worked at 6am were paying attention to what the laborers who worked at 5pm received. The 9am crew thought they would receive more. When they received the same amount, they grumbled and became jealous. The good fortune of their coworkers took away what should have been their own joy.

We all have a lot going for us. God has blessed us in specific ways. If we pay too much attention to our neighbor – their nicer house, their better looks, their good health and job – then we’ll lose sight of our own blessedness. We’ll lose our thankfulness and we’ll become resentful. And obviously that’s not a good way to live. And, ironically, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Burdened with envy and resentment, our health, looks, relationships, and so forth will all deteriorate.

When we feel our eyes wandering and when we feel the temptation to comparison, pause, reject that train of thinking, and reflect on what God has given us.

The second lesson for me in this parable: don’t assume I am the 6am worker. This is a great temptation. We think we’re working so hard and must be carrying the load. Everyone else around us are freeloaders, coming in at 3pm or 5pm. But is it so? The people who we think don’t have it as hard as we do probably feel the same thing about us! The point is, we each work hard and contribute in our own way. If we actually see ourselves as the 5pm worker, we’ll be humbler and, again, more grateful for what we have.

“Are you envious because I am generous?” asks the landowner to the grumbling servants at the end of the parable. God is generous. He is generous with everyone. May we remember that and praise him for it.

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Tomorrow, Monday September 25th, the Archdiocese of Chicago is hosting an Archdiocesan-wide event for the spiritual renewal of our parishes. All parishes are invited to the event and a group of us from Saint Paul of the Cross will be in attendance. Please pray both for the event and for the renewal of parishes. In a future bulletin we will give you a report of the event and some possible takeaways for our parish.

We continue our Wednesday Scripture Seminar at 9am in the Holy Family Chapel this week. And, remember, it is not too late to join That Man Is You men’s group, Walking With Purpose women’s group, and the Parish Bible Study.

RCIA is gearing up for another year. If you know someone who is interested in becoming Catholic, or someone who needs to complete the sacraments, please invite them to join. A special thanks to Beshar and his team for their great work in leading this important ministry.

Starting next weekend, October 1st, we will be reintroducing the Precious Blood at all of our weekend Masses. We will have two chalices located up front closest to the altar off to the side. If you are interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister, particularly a minister of the chalice, please consider signing up. We could use you, as we’ll only be able to distribute the chalice when we have enough Eucharistic Ministers signed up.

Yours in Christ,