September 10, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

Our Gospel this weekend is taken from Matthew chapter 18, verses 15-20. Reading the preceding verses of the chapter actually gives us an interesting insight into our Lord’s words on forgiveness.

The whole conversation is started when Jesus is asked the question, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus takes a child from the crowd and says whoever becomes like a child will enter the kingdom of God and that we should not despise the little ones. He continues by saying the true shepherd leaves the 99 sheep in the fold and goes after the one lost sheep. And then we have the sayings on forgiveness. 

There’s a connection between forgiveness and being childlike – two requisites for the Kingdom of God. 

I’ve noticed as my nieces and nephews are growing older (no longer babies, but around ages 4-9), while they still have fun together, they’ve gotten into a few more fights. I’ve also noticed amusingly that they enjoy tattling on each other. “Uncle James!” one will come up to me out of breath, “X pushed me down the slide…Y won’t share the chalk with me… Z ate one of my french fries.” Before I can even respond to my niece/nephew (sorry, kid, that was me who ate your french fry), the child has already left the scene, back to playing with the cousins. They simply wanted me to know about the offense, I suppose. 

While the tattling isn’t ideal, the quick ability to forgive certainly is. The children don’t hold a grudge. They might shove back, sure, but within minutes they’re playing as if nothing ever happened. There’s joy and freedom in their generous and forgiving spirits. 

Alas, we are adults and not children, and so we are not as quick to forgive and move on from offenses. This is where the saying on the 99 lost sheep can help. When we are offended, we can look at ourselves as the shepherd and the offender as the one lost sheep. 

As you know, most people who cause troubles usually have their own personal issues. It’s not so much an issue with you, but something that is emanating from their own woundedness. They are the lost sheep. For us not to forgive or to retaliate in kind makes us an equivalent lost sheep, when the Lord is calling us, I believe, to be true shepherds, to be their guides. 

It’s humbling to forgive, but it’s the higher call. May we live up to it.

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This Sunday is Donut Sunday and New Parishioner Sign-up in the gym following the morning Masses. We are resuming after a summer hiatus. 

On Monday, September 11th we remember the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in 2001, praying for the victims and their families. Let us also take a moment to remember all those serving in our armed forces to keep our nation safe. There will be 9/11 Memorial Service hosted by the Park Ridge Police Chaplains at 9am on Monday in front of City Hall. 

This Monday at 7:30pm our men’s spiritual group, That Man is You, starts up again for its fall session. All men are invited to join this great group of individuals, even if you haven’t before attended. This is a good means of fellowship, support, and prayer. The women’s equivalent, Walking with Purpose, begins on Wednesday, September 20th. 

GriefShare begins this Tuesday, September 12th at 9:30am. If you are mourning the loss of a loved one, whether it’s been fifty years or fifty days, please consider joining this support group. A special thanks to Deacon Andy for his work with the group. 

Our  next Wednesday Scripture Seminar will be on September 20th at 9am in the Holy Family Chapel (note that this Wednesday’s session on September 13th has been canceled). The parish Bible Study will begin Wednesday evening, September 20th at 7pm and Thursday, September 21st at 9:30am with a new location in the Holy Family Chapel. 

If you missed last week’s bulletin, I mentioned the projects around campus we completed over the summer, and some projects on the horizon: refinished church and rectory doors, new furniture and desks and painting in the school classrooms, new STEM lab, music room, and meeting rooms in the school, TV monitors in the church vestibule and HFC for live-feed of the UC, and repairing concrete on the sidewalks. A special thanks to our maintenance crew for their hard work in completing these tasks. 

Yours in Christ,