21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioners,

    The school year started this past week.  This will be a challenging year for all our children. There seems to be a lot of consternation about many things.  I wonder sometimes if we keep things in perspective.

    I heard for example that many vaccines are going to be thrown out in the United States because people do not want to be inoculated.  We have the right to refuse the vaccine whereas people around the world who live in poverty would love to have the opportunity to receive a vaccine.  The injustice of this should make us all think twice.  If we do not squelch the pandemic, whose fault will it be?  As Walt Kelly wrote in his Comic strip Pogo on Earth Day in 1970, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

     The Catholic Church has never had a moral stance which says, “My personal freedom is absolute.”  The Catholic Church has always believed in the moral imperative that revolves around the common good.  We always sacrifice personal freedom when it is for the good of the community.  That is what we want to teach our children.

     When we catch ourselves using the words me and mine more that the words, we and ours then somehow, we have gone off track.  Jesus always put others needs ahead of his own.  We seek to follow him as Christians even if it is hard and hurts a little.

     Let’s pray that our divided country gets its moral bearings soon before we do irreputable damage.

May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over us today.

Fr. Mark

P.S. Congratulations to Mike and Denise Maynard and Matthew Martel as Mike and Matt are installed as acolytes today by Bishop Tylka.