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HOLY
FATHERS PRAYER INTENTION
October
2018
Universal
In Service of Peace
That the language of love and
dialogue may always prevail over the language of conflict.
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OUR SACRISTAN HAD
AN ACCIDENT and is unable to
help at this time therefore we are in need of a sacristan as soon as
possible. If you are willing to help, please contact the office.
BUILDING/MAINTENANCE
MEETING: Tuesday, November
13th at 7:00pm in the Coffee Room.
FOOD DRIVE: St. Peters Thanksgiving Food Drive will be
accepting donations in the Hall from Sunday 11/4 to Sunday 11/18.
SPECIAL COLLECTION: The special collection today was for the
Campaign for Human Development.
IF YOU LOVE TO SING and are interested in joining the Parish choir,
please join us at our practices that are held every Wednesday at 6:30pm in
the Church. We would love to have you!
CCD HELP NEEDED: If you are interested in helping with CCD please
contact Devin at 928-245-5382.
COMUNIDAD LATINA: Se acerca la celebracion de Nuestra Senora de
Guadalupe (Mananitas y la Santa Misa), invitamos a la comunidad a organizarse
para esta importante celebracion. Favor llamar a la oficina parroquial si estan interesados. Gracias.
PRAY
FOR THE SAFETY of our brothers and sisters in Nicaragua,
especially the priests and bishops who are risking their lives to try to keep
so many safe from harm during this difficult time.
Lets give a very special thank you to
all those who have served
and those who are currently serving our
country!
May God bless you all!
Thirty-Second
Sunday in Ordinary Time
It is amazing
what people will do to be successful. In his book Outliers, Malcom Gladwell
makes the claim that if we would deliberately practice an activity for 10,000
hours, we will become experts in that activity. This makes sense, for many of
us have practiced something for hours-a sport, an instrument, a skill, or a profession-and
have seen the hard work pay off.
Of course,
knowing that you need to put in the time and actually doing it are two
separate matters. Many of us are susceptible to the old sin of sloth. Yet,
there are always those people who are driven to succeed and will do whatever
it takes to achieve their goals. These are the kinds of people our world
loves to celebrate (with the hint) that you too can attain your dreams if you
only have the desire to do so and put in the necessary time.
Let us consider one
such overachiever from the middle ages. He was a young man growing up in a
hill town in Italy. He came from a rather prosperous family by the standards
of his day. His father was in the cloth business and was quite important in
town. Despite this, the young man wanted more. Being a prosperous merchant
simply made you a big fish in a small pond, this young man wanted to swim in
deep waters. Those waters were those dealing with the world beyond the town
walls and involved the affairs of princes, popes, and kings.
His ticket to
that life, he believed, was to become a knight. He first embraced the
romantic aspects of knighthood by playing the part of a troubadour, wearing
brightly colored clothes and composing songs. Then he went on his first
military expedition outfitted with a horse, armor, and weapons. This did not
turn out so well, and he was taken prisoner. On his release he tried again,
being the driven man that he was. He journeyed to southern Italy with the
intention of joining up with a certain Count Walter who was conquering the
region. With any luck, he could be rewarded some land and a title for his
service. Yet, on the way he lost his nerve.
His ambitions
changed. Instead of striving to be somebody in the world, he strove to be the
lease in all things. He gave everything away, spent time repairing churches,
and begged not for himself but for others. The ambition was still there, but
it was now for God and not the world.
As you have already guessed, this young man was Saint Francis of
Assisi, and he had an ambitious soul. Francis was ambitious just like the
scribes in our gospel today. The scribes wanted to be somebody as well. They
had spent their lives studying the Mosaic Law and they wanted to be rewarded
for their efforts. To them it was only jus that they should be recognized for
their knowledge of the law. Should they be asked to perform a service, then
they should be compensated properly, even if it is for a widow. Wealth was a
sign of Gods favor after all, and God must surely favor them.
God did not favor
the, however. Instead, God favors a different kind of ambition. The kind of
ambition showed by the poor widow. Whereas we would expect such a poor widow
to hold onto any money that came into her possession, she instead joins in
the same line as the rich people to give her gift to the temple. In doing so
she shows us a couple things. First, that she refuses to live under fear. She
places her trust in God to keep and preserve her. Second, that despite all
appearances, she is just as much a daughter of Abraham as the rich people in
line with her. The rich in their pride may look down on her for her poverty
and misfortune. Remember that in Jesus time misfortune was seen as a
consequence of sin. Yet, it is she who exceeds them. Her small gift was
greater than theirs, and god notices.
God notices when
we give of ourselves. Saint Francis in giving up all won the crown of eternal
life and our continued admiration. His ambition was turned from worldly
pursuits to pursuing those things that last forever. A widows ambition to
show her dignity inspired Jesus to use her as a model to his disciples. In
the same way we too can direct our ambition toward pleasing God.
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