Dear Parish Family,
In our Scripture this weekend, we have the occasion to reflect on the one flesh consecrated union of marriage between man and woman. In Genesis, the original gift of creation to man and man to creation is enhanced by the gift of woman to man and man to woman. The Letter to Hebrews shows that God is willing to go to all lengths of suffering in order to consecrate man and woman to one another and to Himself. In Mark's Gospel, Jesus reminds the Pharisees of God's original consecration of marriage amidst the pervasiveness of divorce.
Living in a fallen world, we can be easily misled like the Pharisees into undervaluing the unitive relationship of marriage that God has made sacred. Jesus insists that a man and woman joined together in holy matrimony are "one flesh" and that "what God has joined together, no human being must separate." The Church follows her Lord in this teaching in order to hold up the ideal of marriage to help spouses understand the meaning of their commitment and to seek the grace of our Lord to live their vows faithfully each day.
In a special way today, we pray for all engaged couples discerning this beautiful vocation of marriage, that they may understand the sacred union they are preparing to live. We pray for all married couples who faithfully seek the grace of our Lord and commit themselves to their spouse and family every day. We also pray for all couples who are suffering hardship or separation in their marriage, and all who have experienced divorce, that they may remain faithful to Jesus and seek His healing and reconciliation in all aspects of their lives.
A pastoral question that often comes my way is whether or not a divorced person can receive communion. As we know, our "Amen" to receiving the Eucharist means that I am reconciled to Christ and His Church by being free from mortal sin, and that I strive to live out His teachings in their fullness. Therefore, a divorced person who is not remarried should follow the prescription above, just like anyone else. A person who is divorced and remarried without an annulment of the marriage should talk with their pastor about their situation to talk about their status and path to reconciliation and communion in the Church. Working with couples in this way, I know that talking this out with one's pastor can be very helpful in their spiritual and relational journey. God is with us in our struggles in this fallen world, and His grace is ever ready to assist us!
As we begin the month of October, I encourage you to pray a rosary each day. The rosary is a powerful prayer that helps center us in the Lord's grace. Whether you pray the whole rosary during your prayer time or in the car, or just have time for a decade between meetings or as you walk, you allow time to commune with Jesus and Mary and open your hearts to receive the gift of the Spirit from the Father.
Please note that our votive candles have gone up in price. Our new suggested donation for a votive candle is $4.00 and helps us cover the cost of ordering and shipping these candles. These are high-quality 7-day candles, so when you light one you can be assured that it will burn for a full week!
The priests of our diocese will be away from Tuesday afternoon through Friday morning for our priest convocation. Please pray for us as we enjoy some fraternal time together and reflect on the gift of our priestly vocation. It's an honor to be a priest for you! Please note that we have communion services in place of Mass on Thursday and this week at the usual Mass times
I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow