Letter from the Pastor
-
August 1, 2021I have been asked to remind you that if you are not fully vaccinated, you should wear a mask when in Church. Why? For yourself and for those around you. If you are not vaccinated, you run the high risk of being infected with the Coronavirus.
One of the difficult things living in our world today is the question, “Who do you believe?” It is the scourge and the tyranny of relativism. When we make the truth subjective, according to and relative to me, I determine what is true, and then we don’t know whom to believe. You hear qualified governmental agencies, doctors and scientists say one thing, and then you “turn” the channel, and hear as qualified doctors and scientists say the opposite. Who do you believe? So one has to be prudent, try to resolve the doubts by doing your own research, asking your doctor for medical advice and then pray you are right!
In the meantime, please be careful around and be aware of your fellow human beings because for some even though they may want a vaccine, they can’t because of other medical conditions.
Also a reminder for our young parishioners who are not vaccinated, those under the age of 12, they should wear masks. The virus may not affect the young; they still may be asymptomatic carriers. As always, talk to your doctor and receive his advice concerning the vaccine for you and your children. As adults you must make a prudential judgment concerning your health and the health of your children. We still have the moral obligation to take care of our neighbor.
If things change concerning masks in Church, I will certainly let you know. Until then, please be prudent, wash your hands, and enjoy the 53 days left of summer!
As you know, the Sacred Scriptures at Mass are in a three-year cycle of readings. The First Reading from the Old Testament is connected to the Gospel. The Second or the New Testament Scripture usually is a continuous reading from the Letters of St. Paul, et al. After three years, most of the Bible is proclaimed at Sunday Mass.
In Year A, we hear the Gospel of Matthew, and Year C we listen to the Gospel of Luke, and the present year B, we are listening to the Gospel of Mark. St Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four, and in the summer months, the Gospel of Mark is suspended so as we may hear the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 6, the Bread of Life Discourse.
Last Sunday, we began a 5-week meditation on the Eucharist. In many Churches, the summer was always a time for preaching about the Mass and the Eucharist.
So what is the Mass? Is it a service; is it for our edification? Are we supposed to feel something every time we go to Mass? What’s the purpose of praying out loud, the purpose of singing and music? What happens at the Mass?
For those old enough to remember the Baltimore Catechism, the answer is found in question 914, “The Mass is the un-bloody sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ.” On the Cross our Lord actually and really shed His Precious Blood and was really killed. In the Mass however, there is no shedding of blood nor real death, because Christ died once and dies no more. The separate consecration of the bread and the wine represents the Death on the Cross.
We, who have been blessed with the Catholic Faith, are once again at every Mass present when our Lord offers Himself to His Father. The Sacrifice of Calvary is made present, here and now in the Mass. The Mass is the official worship of Christ’s Church on Earth; it is what we owe God for being God in worship and praise.
To be continued…