Dear Parish Family,

As we near the end of the liturgical year, the readings become more 'apocalyptic'. Apocalyptic means unveiling of the eternal plan of God, or how things will be in the 'coming age'. The readings today orient us towards the Paschal Mystery of Christ which is the reality that draws a line between this age and the coming age. 

The Gospel begins with the Sadducees, who don't believe in the Resurrection (and that's Sad-You-See?), asking a question about marriage in the coming age. Jesus makes a distinction between the children of "this age" who marry, and the children of "the coming age" who do not marry. In God's plan for marriage, He invites the spousal love between a man and a woman to become an image of the gift of His own divine love in the creation and development of family life. Nonetheless, as good and holy as earthly marriage is in itself, it is meant for 'this age' only.

As the Sadducees rightly remark, the event that marks the end of marriage is the death of a spouse. Death is thus the end of 'this age' which dissolves even the most sacred bonds of an earthly marriage. As Jesus unveils, the resurrection is the beginning of the 'coming age' where all of our relationships give way to our heavenly marriage with the Lord. Speaking about heavenly marriage might strike us as odd and perhaps even off-putting unless we realize this heavenly union with God granted to us in the resurrection allows us to become the fullness of ourselves in perfect freedom and receptivity to the Lord. We will retain all our memories and relationships we had in this life, but they will be purified of all the wounds of sin and participate in the communion of saints in the Kingdom of God.

Our Scriptures today call us to reflect on how we are handling our close relationships in 'this age' and also how we are preparing for the 'coming age'. If you were to find out today that you or any member of your family were to die later this week, what might you do to begin or deepen the process of forgiveness and healing? Remember not to get caught up in the obstacles of sin in 'this age' but rather let the 'coming age' of resurrection infuse this time you have to restore what sin has stolen and broken. The time of grace and salvation is now. Seize the moment today.

As you faithfully prayed for me a few weeks ago on my silent retreat, please pray now for Fr. Spisak as he prepares for his annual priest retreat this week. 

Funeral Pre-Planning
This month of November where we commemorate our faithful departed, I would like to focus on funeral pre-planning. I am working with our office to create funeral pre-planning folders with information you need to begin planning your Funeral Mass and final arrangements. These folders will be available in the gathering space and will continue to remain available in our parish office and in our info racks. The folders contain an introductory letter from me, funeral guidelines, cremation guidelines, a funeral liturgy planning form, and a pamphlet on leaving a legacy gift to the parish. Pre-planning a funeral can help family members know your wishes and the wishes of the Church when it comes to important questions like cremation, burial, and having a Funeral Mass. Your family will appreciate you taking the time do the planning, and it will give you the peace of mind that your final arrangements are in order and in keeping with the teachings of Christ and His Church. Visit https://stpatrickthompson.org/funerals for more information.

Communion Cup
Last week, Bishop Malesic lifted the restriction on the use of the Communion Cup at Mass. This restriction was implemented during the pandemic as a precautionary measure to protect the public health. Later this month, I plan to discuss bringing back the cup with our deacons to find a suitable time to bring back the cup. We will need to retrain and schedule ministers for the host and cup positions at Mass. If you are a certified EMHC, or would like to be certified and trained to distribute communion at Mass, and would not mind serving in this role to distribute the host or the cup, please let me or one of our deacons know. This will be helpful to know which parishioners we can count on to assist with liturgical roles as we look to bring back the cup. Remember that when we receive communion under either species (host or cup), we receive the fullness of Christ's Body and Blood. Parishioners will need to decide for themselves whether or not they would like to receive from the cup at Mass.

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow