Catechetical Sunday: We Are Transformed by the Holy Spirit
September 21, 2016
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) In these words, Jesus promises the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who are open to his transforming love. This week, as we welcome back our children and their families for a new season of faith formation, we are grateful for all those witnesses who evangelize by passing on the Catholic faith to a new generation of believers.
Anniversaries are special occasions. And what a weekend this is! For we celebrate not just one, but three anniversaries of priestly ordination: for Fr. Adelchi Bertoli, on July 8, 1951, at the Duomo SS. Ermacora e Fortunato di Udine; for Fr. Gerald Westphal, right here at St. Monica’s, on September 17, 1976; and finally for myself, Fr. Raymond Lafontaine, at Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, on August 30, 1991. Combined, that makes a total of 130 years of service in the priesthood of Jesus Christ – 63 spent right here at St. Monica’s!
This year, the theme for our adult faith program is “Transformed by the Holy Spirit.” What a beautiful account of transformation we find in today’s Gospel! In the timeless story of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we meet a Father who waits, unconditionally loving, arms outstretched, for the return of two sons who have drifted away from him: one physically, the other spiritually.
St. Teresa of Calcutta: Carrier of God’s Tender and Merciful Love
September 3, 2016
The canonization of Mother Teresa invites us to look to her as a Christian hero, an outstanding model of the Christian life. Pope Francis has chosen to have Mother Teresa’s canonization during this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, particularly during the Jubilee celebration for workers and volunteers of mercy. The whole pontificate of Pope Francis is marked by attention and love for the last, the least and the lost, for the marginalized, for those at the peripheries of human existence – the poorest of the poor.
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