September 13, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

This is the part of this weekend’s parable that stands out to me:

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’

Moved with compassion the master of that servant

let him go and forgave him the loan.  

I’m so struck about how mercy was exercised in the first place by the master. It wasn’t that the master was automatically inclined to forgive the debtor. The master, we read, is “moved with compassion.” We can presume he was originally going to punish the debtor, but changes his mind because of the debtor’s plea. 

Mercy is given, yes, but it is also elicited. The master was merciful and forgiving because the debtor drew this forth from him through his humility and contrition. The debtor owns his error. “Be patient with me” he begs. The debtor doesn’t make excuses. He doesn’t deflect the blame to someone or something else. He doesn’t say, for instance, I didn’t pay you because the rains destroyed last season’s crop; I didn’t pay you because my workers didn’t show up, it’s their fault and not mine; you put too much pressure on me, so this is your fault. It’s not called “The Parable of the Gaslighting Servant.”

How often do we, when we are in error, make excuses and, even worse, put the blame on someone else?  The better thing to do would be to be vulnerable before the offended party and ask for mercy. I’m so sorry. I messed up. Please, forgive me and be patient with me. I’m trying to get better and will do my best to not hurt you again. Please, stick with me–don’t give up on me–and help me be a better person. I need you.

Wow, if I was the offended party and heard that, it would be pretty hard for me to not forgive the person and give them a huge hug. If I didn’t forgive the person, at that point then the roles would reverse: I would become the offender and the other person the offended party. It would show that I am a self-absorbed individual and not truly loving. Because if I loved a person, I would want them near me, not cut off. But all that’s besides my main point. What I’m trying to emphasize is that the person’s poverty is what would move me to generosity.

What do I mean by poverty?  There are many ways to define it, but, in this case, it means a person’s emptiness and dependence on another. When you are literally poor, you don’t have money to buy food, for instance, so you depend on others to give you food. The debtor in the parable is in a state of dependence. He relies completely on the master to give him mercy. He can’t fix the situation on his own. The debtor saying “Please be patient with me” is the equivalent of him saying, “I’m starving, please give me some food.” The master is not hard-hearted and so he feeds the beggar with his patience and mercy.

No one wants to be poor and so we don’t own our poverty, which often makes the situation worse. Back to the food example, it would be like a poor person guilting someone else: I don’t have money to buy food because the system is broken, so you owe me food. That’s the approach certain ideologies today try to take. They demand generosity or accommodation instead of eliciting it. That gives our world a hard heart.

We move hearts by unveiling our heart first. We can’t tell someone to move their heart–to love us, to forgive us, etc. But we can lead them to these feelings, and we do so by embracing our own poverty and weakness. We show them why we are needy and how they can help us. Or, check that: not help us, but save us.

If you’re not comfortable embracing your poverty and unveiling your heart with someone, try starting with Christ in prayer. You’ll see it’s a very worthwhile exercise. We all need a savior…or two.

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Now that Labor Day has passed, many of our ministries are resuming this week. Our Men’s Spiritual Group, That Man Is You, will have its opening session this Monday, September 14 at 7:30pm in the Kinane Center. Whether you have participated in the past or are new, please consider joining this group that meets weekly for support and formation.

GriefShare begins its fall session this Tuesday, September 15th at 9:30am in the Kinane Center. This group is for anyone suffering grief, particularly over the death of a loved one. This group can be helpful opportunity for you to process in a healthy way the pain you are experiencing. The group meets weekly until December 8th.

The SPC Bible Study resumes this week, Wednesday, September 16 at 7pm and Thursday, September 17 at 9:30am. Both offerings will take place in the Holy Family Chapel. A special word of appreciation to the Kirklands who help organize and lead this ministry.

Our parish school will be hosting a SPC School Parent Mingle this Friday, September 18th at 6pm in the safe zone. This is a chance for parents to socialize with some great live music, as well as for new families to meet the community.

Speaking of socials, we are happy to bring back the SPC Oktoberfest, which will take place on Friday, October 2nd. A special thanks to the SPC Women’s Club for hosting this event. Stay tuned in the bulletin for more details, but please save the date.

Last, but not least, our parish choir will resume this weekend singing at the 10:30am Sunday Mass. We are grateful to Ed Eicker and Andrea Bartolomeo, our music directors, and all of our choir members and cantors for the beautiful music they provide to enhance our worship of God.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James