Father Carey’s Pastor’s Corner

(Week of 10/13/24)

My Dear Friends,

This weekend, we celebrate the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In today’s Gospel, an unnamed man approaches Jesus and asks about what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replies that one must follow the commandments of the Law of Moses. The man acknowledges that he has observed all of these since his childhood. Jesus then says that only one thing is lacking: he must give his possessions to the poor and follow Jesus. The man leaves in sadness, and the Gospel tells us that this is because he had many possessions.

Jesus makes 2 requirements of the wealthy man who approaches Him. First, he must give up his possessions. Throughout history, we know some Christians have taken this literally. We know many saints, like St. Francis of Assisi, who have done so with great joy. Their example witnesses to us a radical commit-ment to the Gospel of Jesus. Others have sought to explain the meaning intended by the word possessions as those things that simply prevent one from following Jesus. Christians have generally understood that at the least, following Jesus requires that believers hold material possessions with a spirit of detachment and re-main vigilant against seeking & finding one’s happiness in accumulating possessions.

The second requirement Jesus makes of this man is the invitation that Jesus extends to all would-be disciples: “follow me.” Jesus very much wants this man to be His disciple. We believe that the Christian faith is one in which each believer is in a personal relationship with Jesus. Just as this Gospel tells us that Jesus loves the man and is sad when he departs, so too, Jesus loves us and is saddened when we are unable to follow Him.

Peter replies to Jesus by boasting that the disciples have already given up everything. Jesus acknowledges that those who have given up everything for the sake of the Gospel will be rewarded. We are reminded as well not to let the things of this world hinder us from our relationship with Jesus and to strive each day to give an undivided heart to Him.

This Sunday, we will celebrate the Rite of Acceptance with our Level 3 PREP students at the 10 AM Mass. These young parishioners are preparing to receive their First Holy Communion next year. They will be recognized at this Mass and given a special blessing after the homily. I would ask you to please keep them and their parents in your prayers at this time in their journey of faith as they prepare to receive the gift of Jesus present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Next Sunday, we will have our annual celebration of Forty Hours Devotion. Forty Hours will begin at the conclusion of the 10 AM Mass on Sunday Oct. 20th and conclude on Tuesday evening, Oct. 22nd. Each evening (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) we will have Evening Prayer & Benediction at 7 PM. On Tuesday night, we will have a Solemn Procession with the Blessed Sacrament. We are blessed this year to have with us Fr. Andrew Auletta as our guest homilist for these 3 solemn days. Fr. Auletta is currently sta-tioned at St. Joseph’s Parish in Downingtown, PA. He is a gifted homilist, and we look forward to wel-coming him here to OLA and hearing his inspiring words during these privileged days of prayer.

As is customary, sign-up sheets will be available at the back of the church for those who would like to be “adorers” throughout these 3 days of solemn adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Please check the bulletin board as you leave church. I encourage you to sign up so that Our Lord will not be left un-attended at the Altar. May this year’s Forty Hours be a blessing to all of us as we draw closer to the Lord and His love for us while praying for the many special intentions we hold in our hearts.

Finally, the Annual Appeal letter has been sent to all of our households. This year, we will continue to collect monies for the recent work that has been done on the church and the rectory. As you may recall, this project was rather extensive as it involved the repairing of 6 beams in the church, replacement of damaged wood found on both roofs, installation of a new roof on the church and on the rectory, new gutter work installed as well as the replacement and repair of the small roof located above the ramp entrance to the church. We also hope to address our church windows which need repair as well. I thank you in advance for your generosity to this important Appeal and I will update you on our progress as the weeks progress. May you and your families have a blessed week!

Love and Prayers,
Father Carey