Notes from the Pastor

Today’s First Reading (Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10) is another version of the familiar scenario in which a prophet is ignored, derided and miss-treated. In this case, it is Jeremiah who prophesied in Jerusalem during the reign of King Zedekiah. For many years he had warned the people of Judah about an oncoming disaster. Often referred to as “the weeping prophet,” Jeremiah scolded the Jewish leadership of the day for its failure to worship the one true God alone, and for its reliance on military alliances with other nations instead of trusting in the Lord.

On Thursday, August 15th, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning that Mass attendance is obligatory. Here at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Masses will be offered at 6:30 am, 8:15 am (OLF School Mass), and 5:30 pm. Please note that the evening Mass on Holy Days of Obligation will now be at 5:30 pm rather than 6:30 pm.

Our Scripture Readings for Mass today remind us of the old saying: “You don’t see U-Hauls behind hearses in the funeral procession,” or simply, “You can’t take it with you.” It’s food for thought.

We live in a world where the internet has become an essential method of communication. Friends and family members no longer have to wait several days to receive a letter. Communication is now instantaneous. Email (and texts, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) have replaced “snail mail” in many cases. Although the speed of internet messaging is a blessing, it may also reduce the intimacy and sensitivity that generally comes from face-to-face conversations, making it easier to be less tactful in our internet dialogue. Indeed, there is a certain sense of anonymity that comes with internet communications that may reduce inhibitions and heighten the level of uncivil language.

Today’s Gospel story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) shows the futility of active service which, because it is not based on attentive listening to God’s word and nourished by such listening, becomes mere busyness. When Jesus says to Martha, “You are anxious and worried about many things,” he is not criticizing her for performing the duties of hospitality, but for doing so without first attending to his word. Martha, we might say, is the kind of person who likes to go about doing good without understanding and embracing the underlying reasons for the good that she does. It is almost like being busy just for the sake of being busy! Some would claim that she was providing hospitality to Jesus and his disciples, but would not the first order of hospitality be to attend to what Jesus was saying?

I would like to share some information regarding the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as “Last Rites” or “Extreme Unction” (“Last Anointing”). In the celebration of this Sacrament of the Church, the Priest lays hands upon the ill person (typically on the top of their head) and then anoints them by applying the Oil of the Sick to the forehead and palms of the hands while offering prayers including: “May the Lord, in His love and mercy, help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin, save you, and raise you up.” Through this Sacrament the Priest prepares a gravely ill person to receive medical care, and ultimately prepares such a person for the passage to eternal life.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is sending out 72 disciples in pairs to go to every town he intended to visit. This Gospel passage provides several points for us to reflect upon. First, it challenges us to reflect upon the baggage we carry with us throughout life – material possessions as well as emotional guilt and grudges that weigh us down and prevent us from sharing the peace of Christ with others or even experiencing it ourselves. The point is not that possessions are bad in and of themselves. We simply need to be careful not to let our possessions possess us. How can we let go of those things or feelings that hold us back from loving God as completely as we should?

The Scriptures today refer to God’s call and the necessity for us to provide an answer to that call with an act of faith. If we truly believe the Lord to be the sovereign in the center of our hearts, then we must obey God’s call without delay or excuse. In today’s First Reading (1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21) God had instructed Elijah that Elisha is to succeed him as a prophet of Israel. But upon hearing of this call, Elisha wanted to go and bid farewell to his family, and perhaps get his affairs in order.