Homily Cycle C 10-20-19

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102019.cfm

Today is a wonderful, powerful and grace-filled Sunday here at O.L.P.H.  Fr. Ha started our liturgy by leading us in prayer, “… grant that we may always conform our will to yours & serve your majesty in sincerity of heart.”

Today we celebrate the “Rite of Enrollment” when our 2^nd children and their parents begin an important and spiritually enriching journey of faith together.  I am especially privileged this year because my granddaughters [Abigail & Beatrice Kelly] are in this class.

The preparation for our children and their parents for the reception of 1^st Holy Communion and 1^st Penance begins at this Mass.  Pray for them, and their parents; they will be praying for us during their formation period.

Our readings today focus on Faith Formation and Spiritual Growth through prayer and the pursuit of justice.  Moses needed help on his faith journey; these children & their parents need our prayers.

St. Paul reminded Timothy to “… Remain faithful to what you have learned ….”   These children are called to be faithful to what their parents and catechists teach about the sacraments.  In the Gospel St. Luke teaches us to seek justice in all we do and to develop a prayer life that brings us closer to Jesus Christ.

Prayer is the spiritual oxygen that is essential for our spiritual well being.  The widow points to God, Who calls us to seek justice & resist injustice.  St. Luke reminds us to “Pray always ….” our life should be a life of prayer.  Does God want us to cry out day and night; doesn’t God already know what we need?

Pope Francis answered that questions this way, “… God invites us to pray with insistence, not because he doesn’t know what we need, or because he doesn’t listen to us.  On the contrary, he always hears and knows all of us, with love.
In our daily journey, especially in difficulties… the Lord is not far away, he is at our side; we fight, with him beside us, and our weapon is prayer, which makes us feel his presence alongside of us, his mercy, even his help. [Sunday Web Site Pope Francis, Angelus, October 20, 2013]
“The challenge of the gospel is to keep on praying to a God who wills only good for us.”  [Sunday Web Site, Working with the Word, 10-20-19]

Listen to this poem, Jesus Speaks
         But if you
         don’t open
         your eyes
         and you don’t
         open your ears
         or taste things
         or touch things
         or smell things
         well then
         you will never
         know me
         all that I
       do
       is to show
       my
       love for you.  [Sunday Web Site Poem by J.Janda]

For a few minutes, in silence, think about how much spiritual oxygen you are breathing?

May God Be Praised!