Since we celebrate Thanksgiving this Thursday, let me wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. May it be joyful and safe. Due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in the area, we will not have a Mass on Thanksgiving. Please, just say an extra prayer of thanks for all the good God has given us.
The US Bishops met this past week by zoom. One of their topics was on racism, which of course they condemned. They pointed out the following: There are 3 Million African American Catholics, which is 4 % of the total number of Catholics in the US, 69 Million. There are 250 Black priests, which is less than 1 % of the 36,500 priests in the US. Needless to say we need more Black vocations to the priesthood. Please, pray for vocations to the Church.
I think we are all aware of the situation at the Rabbi Shulman Apartments here in South Bend. This is public housing and they are evicting 100 people due to the deterioration of the building. Please contact Cheryl Ashe about a letter writing campaign in support of these fellow citizens.
On a brighter note, with several more pledges in, we have surpassed our assessment for the Annual Bishop's Appeal by almost $3,000.00. Thank you so much for your generosity in this drive. Since we have always done the ABA in church and in the pews, I really wondered if we would make our goal and we did. Thank you so much to all who made a pledge. Over a year ago I changed our banking account to the Notre Dame Federal Credit Union. They were having a drive to help out our parishes. They offered us $5,000.00 to change, which they gave us right away. They said they would continue to help the parish each year and they did. We received another check from them for $5,000.00 this week through their Elevate Program. If you have an account with them, you can participate in this program by telling them you belong to St. Augustine and would like the details of the program. Thank you to NDFCU for this donation.
Our St. Vincent de Paul Society handed out 25 Thanksgiving Dinner Baskets to the needy in the area, making Thanksgiving a little better for 25 families. Thank you to all who donated food stuffs for this drive and to the volunteers who delivered the baskets.
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The theme of Shepherd and sheep runs through our readings. In our first reading the Prophet Ezekiel tells us: "Thus says the Lord God: I myself will look after and tend my sheep." He goes on to tell us that God will take care of us. Our Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd;I shall not want! In our Gospel we have an image of the last judgement with Jesus acting as the shepherd. He separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep are rewarded for the way they lived: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,naked and you clothed me, ill and you came to care for me, in prison and you visited me." The goats are punished because they did none of these things. I find it interesting that both groups, the good and the bad ask the same question" When did we do or not do these things?" The answer is simple: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers/sisters of mine you did for me." We really do have to help our brothers and sisters. In our second reading St. Paul tells us that Jesus is king. "When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all." as they say in Mexico today: Viva! Cristo Rey!