What
a great week. Monday, we began the celebration of Our Lady of Fatima, the 65th
anniversary of this Parish and the 100th anniversary of the appearance
of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, at Fatima. Every evening, 50 –
60 faithful come for Adoration, a Rosary Novena, and Mass.
Two nights, I celebrated the Benediction. Afterward, someone probably said a special prayer for me “Bless Deacon Bill and
help his singing.” I pray the same and
keep on singing.
For
all those praying the rosary, coming to adoration, and attending mass, I pray keep on keeping on. That means to keep doing what you’re doing
because it’s the right thing to do.
During
this celebration, Father asked the homily reflections to be on Our Lady of
Fatima. After the today’s readings, a homily on the Blessed Mother was obvious,
right?
Isaiah
tells us about the Lord’s vineyard. Jesus tells us about the vineyard but his
parable has a different twist. In both cases there is something wrong in the
vineyard.
It
seems the vineyard has gotten out of hand. The vineyard is full of bitter
grapes or wicked tenants that have forgotten the goodness of the Lord and think
only of self.
As
I reflected on this and the Blessed Mother, I remembered growing up the first
weekend of October was a special time. On
Friday some schools canceled classes. Football games were not scheduled. On Sunday, the churches would be empty. It was
the opening weekend of squirrel season.
You’re
probably asking why I brought up squirrel season. It’s to make a point. An old theologian
said “Show me what’s most important to you; I’ll show you your god. “
There
is something wrong in the vineyard when hunting season is more important than
worshipping God. The vineyard has gone bad when the tenants worship money, power,
prestige, sports, television, or even things like prejudice, bigotry, and
racism. It is a shame when Disney World has become a modern god because it is
what is most important to us.
The
harvest has gone sour. The tenants have become wicked. Yet our loving and
generous God is still setting his watchman and sending his servants to the
vineyard that is the world. Those who love God work to make the vineyard a good
place.
But,
the world is still fighting, beating, stoning, and even killing his servants.
When
times are at their worst, God sends his most vigilant and trusted. One hundred
years ago at the beginning of WW1, at Fatima, Portugal, He sent the blessed
Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, with a message to three children Lucia,
Francisco and Jacinta.
She
told them, pray the rosary daily for peace in the world. She urged us through
them- pray a lot, pray for sinners and souls that have no one to pray for
them.
The
Holy Mother taught the children five prayers.
One
of the prayers: My God, I believe, I
adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do
not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.
What
a great prayer for those wicked servants and sour grapes in God’s vineyard.
They
also learned this prayer: Most Holy
Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
Strengthened
by the Blessed Sacrament the Lord sends us, his messengers and servants into
the vineyard of the world.
I
witnessed one such servant this week and a young man named Cody. He came back
to the Catholic Church after years of going to a very anti-Catholic Charismatic
Protestant Church. To prepare for RCIA, he went to a local shop to purchase a St.
Joseph’s Bible.
The
sales clerk knew him from the protestant Church and asked why he wanted a Catholic
Bible. He explained that the Lord was calling him back to the Catholic Church.
Her
response was typical of the problems in the vineyard. “God must be calling you to
convert those Catholics.” She went on, “They believe they are really eating the
body and blood of Jesus at the Lord’s Supper.”
He
answered “I believe the Catholic Church is God’s true Church.” “I believe in the real presence in the
Eucharist. Let me show you in the Bible.” He opened his St. Joseph’s Bible and
then he stopped. “Take your King James Bible. Go to John Chapter 6 and start
reading where Jesus says ‘I am the bread of Life’ ”
She
read saying I thought it was all symbolic. “How did you learn this?”
“Bible
Study in the protestant Church,” Cody answered and then he said to me, “Deacon,
I may not have converted her put I planted a seed.”
He
came back to the Church because “The God that surpasses
all understanding had protected his heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”
Cody
keep doing what you’re doing, replanting the vineyard one seed at a time.
Remember
another prayer, Our Lady taught at Fatima- Oh
My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls
to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
She
said, pray a lot, pray for
sinners and souls that have no one to pray for them.
Paul
wrote it first – Keep on doing what you’re doing. “Keep
on doing what you have learned, received, heard and seen. The God of peace will
be with you.
In
other words, keep on keeping on.
Y’all be good. Y’all be holy. And, preach the gospel by
the way you live and love. Amen
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