Dear Parishioners,
I’ve mentioned before that I’m mediocre at many things: golf, basketball, cooking, piano, and guitar, just to name a few (trust me, it’s a long list). Occasionally I’ll go up to a great golfer or guitar player and say, “What do I need to do to be good like you?” I’m like the rich young man in today’s Gospel who approaches Jesus out of frustration and asks “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” And usually the great golfer or musician says something that makes me walk away sad.
It isn’t that their advice is bad. It’s that their advice is difficult. And it usually all comes down to the same thing: you need to keep practicing.
You see, I want the easy answer. Show me some technique or correct way to do something, and then I’ll be good to go. But that’s not how it works.
How many of us want the quick fix when it comes to prayer or morality? Just say some prayer over me and the sin will go away, we think when we reach out for help. Just give me a clearer teaching on prayer and I’ll be able to do it.
Jesus instructed the rich man to sell all of his possessions. This command wasn’t so much about selling things as it was about committing himself to discipleship. This would be hard and the young man wasn’t up for the work, which is why he would remain stuck in his mediocrity.
You all don’t have to be mediocre when it comes to your prayer life, to your understanding of the faith, and to your joy and virtue. You can be saints. But it takes work and commitment. One prayer, one homily, or one conversation isn’t going to cut it. We need to pray everyday–and throughout the day–to really be transformed.
Trust that the work and commitment is life-giving and rewarding in itself. Not to mention that it will help you inherit eternal life.
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All are invited to our Family Mass this Sunday at 10:30am in the Holy Family Chapel. Thank you to the musicians and all those involved in organizing the liturgy. We will have another Family Mass next Sunday, October 20th.
As we mentioned last week, this month is Respect Life Month (hence the purple ribbons on some of the trees of our campus). Members of our Respect Life Group on Saturday, October 19th will be heading out to Palatine for the March for Life. Next weekend, October 19/20, members of our Respect Life Group will be handing out Baby Bottles for our annual drive for the Women’s Center.
The Knights of Columbus Fall Retreat is next Saturday, October 19th, beginning at 9 a.m. There will be several talks, opportunities for prayer, and Mass celebrated. The theme for this year’s retreat is “Patriotism and God: How to be a Patriotic Catholic and Pray for our Country.”
Save the date for our next Word on the Street on Tuesday, October 22nd at 7:30 p.m. at the Harp and Fiddle Restaurant in Park Ridge. Father Matt Foley–current pastor of St. Gall in Chicago (and previously at Mary, Seat of Wisdom, among his other assignments)--and I will give the presentation and respond to questions. All are welcome.
I want to take a moment to thank all of those who volunteer with and contribute to our Parish Food Pantry. This is a wonderful corporal work of mercy our parish offers to the needy, and it wouldn’t be possible without your support. With the local Catholic Charities outlet in Des Plaines closing, more individuals will be looking to our parish to serve them. Along those lines, we are now taking control over the winter coat drive. In the past, the winter coats we collected from the Stuff the Truck event went to the Des Plaines Catholic Charities, who distributed the coats. Now we will be distributing the coats we collect. In order to do this we will need not only your coats, but an army of volunteers. The event will take place over three days: on November 3-5. If you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up here: https://signup.com/go/iYeARcz. A special thanks to Lisa Muench and Leni Duffy.
Happy Columbus Day on Monday. Enjoy the day off from work/school. We will have our regular Mass schedule that day. Both the 6:25 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Masses with confessions at 8am will still occur.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. James Wallace
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