Today is National Grandparents Day. Do something nice for your grandparents today. If they are still with us, a call or visit would mean a great deal to them and to us. If they have gone home to God, a prayer for them and a little remembrance of them will go a long way. Our history is our history. Speaking of history, we do have to remember September 11, 2001 on the 20th anniversary. A Holy Cross priest friend of mine, Father Frank Groggan, CSC, was a passenger on one of the planes that hit the Trade Center. May he and all those killed then and because of the event rest in peace.
On Wednesday the Church celebrates Our Lady of Sorrows. She is the Patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Our readings today take a very serious turn in the life of Jesus and our lives as well. Once again in our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah gives a prophesy about Jesus. He talks in terms of the Suffering Servant. "I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting." Isaiah says the Messiah will suffer. Jesus says this too in the Gospel: "He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days." Saint Peter, who had just professed his faith in Jesus, "You are the Christ", had a hard time believing this and told Jesus so. Jesus told Peter that he was thinking as a human being and not listening to God's plan. Peter, the rock upon whom Jesus was building his church, had to be corrected. Just as we are all sinners, we also all suffer, but we can unite our sufferings to those of Jesus for the benefit of all.
Our second reading is still from St. James and he still talks about faith and works. He gives a concrete example: "If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm and eat well.' but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead." Faith leads us on to good works!
Through your generosity we continue the good works of helping the needy. The Soup Kitchen is open MWF from 11 AM - 12:30 PM and out St. Vincent de Paul Society brings help to the needy almost everyday as well participating in the federal rent assistance program during Soup Kitchen hours. We also have a very active Faith in St. Joe County group that tries to make the county a better place to live. I want to thank all those who participate in these programs. You do a great service. Our Tolton Society is now the Tolton Ambassadors. They continue to meet and help push the cause of his beatification. His cause is now in Rome and they are looking at and for miracles. He needs one for beatification and then another for canonization. Please pray for his cause. Father Tolton, pray for us!
We had funeral services for one of our very active parishioners over the weekend. Please continue to pray for the repose of the soul of Rex Marvel and for his family as well.
I write this just before the Notre Dame/Toledo Game. Go, Irish!