Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,
St. Paul is the great theologian of the New Testament. St. James, whose letter we have been reading from every Sunday, is much more frank and straightforward in his writing. This Sunday, he admonishes us for our tendency to privilege the wealthy and the well-to-do over the poor and humble. This reminds me of an old practice of charging “pew fees.” The wealthy would pay a hefty amount to have pews nearer the altar, while those with less money sat towards the back of the church. It may have been a way to increase revenue in the parish, but it was also a way of showing social standing. Thankfully, we don’t have that practice anymore. In Catholic social teaching we affirm the preferential option for the poor. This means that our attention and energies should primarily be towards those who live in material, moral and spiritual poverty. Our Blessed Mother (whose birthday we celebrate on September 8) expresses this attitude most powerfully in her Magnificat: “[The Lord] has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.” May we always strive to give the poor, humble and forgotten the pride of place over the ostentatious and haughty.
As we get back into the swing of things after summer break, I invite you to a mini-mission this weekend. Fr. Kisito is a priest from Benin with a powerful priestly ministry. He will offer confessions beginning at 5:30pm on Friday evening, September 13. After the 7:00pm Spanish Mass, he will offer a blessing and veneration of a relic of the true cross, followed by Eucharist adoration until 10:00pm. On Saturday, beginning at 10:15am, he will give a few talks, offer Mass at noon, have Eucharistic adoration and end with healing prayers. I hope that many of you will attend and benefit from Fr. Kisito’s deep love of the Lord and powerful ministry.
In Christ,
Fr. Dave
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