October 1 - 2, 2011
Dear Cathedral Community,
With the beginning of the month of October, we recognize to themes that are actually connected. The month of October has traditionally been known as one of two months (the other is May) that observe a special attention on the Blessed Mother. October 7 is the Feast of the Holy Rosary. This would be a great time to renew your use of the Rosary as a tool for personal prayer. In observance of this month, we will sing a brief Marian song during the meditation time following the distribution of Holy Communion and before the concluding prayers of the Mass.
The role of Mary in the economy of Salvation is important for us to note. As the first of all disciples, Mary exemplifies for us one who gave herself over to receiving the Lord in our lives, and sharing Him with the world. The Easter or Byzantine Church celebrates Mary as the THEOTOKOS, that is, the “God-Bearer.” We are called through baptism to bear Christ to the world. Mary’s discipleship is founded in her special role in giving birth to the Savior. Willing to listen to God’s Word, and have the Word take shape within her offers us a role model for discipleship.
The other major theme for the month of October is RESPECT FOR ALL LIFE. As the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago has taught us that this observance must represent the “seamless garment” of Christ. This means that we must consider all the issues of life. We cannot have an abhorrence of abortion and not recognize the other life issues. While abortion has a significant place in our awareness, it is part of the “culture of death” that appears in so many other areas.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has prepared this year eight pamphlets that represent the spectrum of life issues. These include: Abortion, the Death Penalty, Persons with Disabilities, Reproductive Technologies, Embryo Research, Love and Marriage, End of Life issues, and Contraception.
I want to encourage you to visit the USCCB web site for further clarification and teaching on these matters. Happily, our awareness of these issues has developed over recent years. These issues invite us to further reflection on how each of us as persons as well as a community of faith recognize the sanctity of life in all its dimensions. We begin by the appreciation of our own life given by God, and entrusted to us in sacred stewardship. Stewardship is often seen to focus on our fiscal responsibilities, and that certainly, as we will see in these weeks of the Annual Appeal for the Archdiocese, is part of our commitment. However, the beginning of Stewardship takes place within our own hearts. We are recipients of God’s love and breath, and are invited to be good stewards of these gifts in the way we live each day, our self-care, our paying attention to the quality of life in which we live each day. Monitoring abusive language, “road rage”, the manner in which we relate to spouses and family members, anticipating one another’s needs in the home are the issues of respecting life. When we begin with these smaller yet significant awarenesses in our immediate sphere of living, we are better prepared to see the issues on the societal level. We respect life in welcoming one another and the stranger to our liturgies, offer the Sign of Peace, volunteer and support the Cathedral Kitchen, assist the St. Vincent de Paul Society, keep the environment of our parish clean and pray for one another.
Today, Sunday, October 2, is Respect Life Sunday. As I have mentioned to you in recent weeks, all are invited to participate in the Life Chain event that takes place along Meridian Street from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The parishioners of the Cathedral will be assigned the block immediately in front of the Cathedral. All that is requested is our participation in silent prayer standing along the sidewalk in our block. This simple, prayerful witness is one way in which we stand for all of life’s concerns. Come, and join us. For those who cannot stand, you are welcome to bring a folding chair. If you have never done this, you will find a grace of prayer in a fresh way.
We pray for the intercession of Mary, the Mother of Life, to guide us in our respect for all of life.
Sincerely yours in the Lord,
Father Noah
