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Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 13, 2024

Dear Friends,

As I pen these lines, I am very hopeful that our fervent prayers will have been heard from our most merciful God, and that He will have lessened the threat of destruction and harm by menacing Hurricane Milton. Recovering and rebuilding in the aftermath of this dangerous hurricane will take a substantial period of time. Let us not forget to pray for those who experienced serious damage and loss.

The Scripture readings as we enter the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, invite us to ask: what are the most important things in life? To what do we most give our attention? To whom do we give our allegiance?

Our first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, speaks of Wisdom as the super-important gift bestowed on us. Wisdom is more precious than all the other things that we might cherish in life’s: power, wealth, honor, pleasure, health, light, and even sleep. All pale in comparison to the gift of Wisdom.

This gift doesn’t just come to us without effort, but it does come in abundance to those who pray. The author of the Book of Wisdom is very clear about the need to pray. But praying once is not sufficient. Prayer should be habit for us. Habitually repeating a prayer request makes us more receptive to both receiving and being grateful for it. Let us follow the sage suggestion of the author of the Book of Wisdom: persevere in prayer and strive ardently to keep company with Wisdom. If we do, we shall go in want of nothing.

Our second reading today, from the Letter to the Hebrews, focuses on the power of God’s Word. When God speaks, the effectiveness and power of His words are greater and more penetrating than anything we know of human words. God’s words are life giving, and they make things happen. Let us be in awe of God’s words in Scripture, as they convey God’s wisdom to all of us.

Our reading from the Gospel of Mark asks an even more penetrating question than that about wisdom. Can our riches and all our possessions lead us to eternal life? The obvious answer is NO. We can see this in the story of the rich young man who comes to Jesus with the question of how to inherit eternal life. His attachment to his many possessions denies him what his heart desires: eternal life. Eternal life cannot be bought with any material thing we possess. Like Wisdom, so too eternal life: both are a gift. Eternal life is a sheer gift from God. Like Wisdom, which comes to us through habitual prayer, so too the gift of eternal life: it will come to us if we are in the consistent habit of constant prayer. Never cease to pray!

A couple of weeks ago, I spoke about our new Ministry of Spiritual Direction. I am most grateful to Brother Tom Giumenta, C.S.C, and to Cheryl Sansone, both of whom are licensed spiritual directors and very passionate about this ministry. We would like to make it clear that Spiritual Direction is not counselling, psychotherapy, or problem-solving. The need for spiritual direction primarily arises when a person is deeply committed to living under God’s direction and seeks His guidance through prayer. Such a person looks to the Holy Spirit to guide his or her choices and actions. A spiritual director is trained to assist an individual in the way of listening and responding to the Holy Spirit.

I also would like you to know that this is a ministry of St. John’s. It will be offered in the Parish Life Center on a one-on one-basis. Call the office and leave your name and phone number, and either Brother Tom or Cheryl will call you back to set up a time to meet. Brother Tom is fluent in Spanish and therefore would be available for Spanish-speaking parishioners. Most importantly, Brother Tom has been well trained in directing those discerning a religious vocation. In order that this ministry not be taken lightly, and also to financially support the time and effort of these wonderful people, we suggest a $25 offering for each session.

I know many have questions about who can and should receive spiritual direction and what it is like. To answer these questions and more, we will have an information session on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at 6 p.m. in Holy Cross Hall. Please come and listen to the two amazing people who are the core members of our new ministry.

October is the month for World Missions. Thus, it is again the time when we are reminded of our obligation to support the Church’s Missions. Our Diocese has a Sister Diocese program, through which it adopted the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic. Next week we will have an opportunity to reflect on what our financial support does for our brothers and sisters in our Sister Diocese and how the Good News of Jesus Christ is being shared with them.

Please remember: be constant in prayer for all who have been affected by Hurricane Milton!

Be Blessed!

With Love,

Fr. John