October 27, 2019 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I.  Solemnity of All Saints:  for me or you to be a saint, we must show others the face of God. Sister Carla Mae Streeter, O.P. proposes we translate the Beatitudes (Mat-thew 5:1-12) as “beautiful” in addition to “blessed” or “happy.”  She contends, “What moves us is the beauty of someone’s life” (Foundations of Spirituality, 2012).  This is particularly true when we look at the stories of the saints. Each contains beauty that calls to us, that attracts us. Within this beauty, we see the face of God revealed in new ways. Each saint’s life could be considered one facet of an infinite diamond.  As we celebrate the saints, we remember that this is what we are called to as well: to lead lives of beauty, blessedness, sanctity, and justice, and to show the face of God to all those we meet.  Our Mass schedule on this holy day of obligation (opportunity), Friday, November 1, All Saints Day is: 7:00am and 12:00noon at the Cathedral, and 6:00pm at Blessed Sacrament Chapel (7th & Sycamore Streets). 

II.  All Souls Day (Commem-oration of all the Faithful Departed): praying for the dead reaches deep into our human history, and has been our custom from the earliest days of the Church. Every time we profess the Nicene Creed: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come,” we acknowledge the destination we are all journeying to, Heaven, and our desire to join this eternal community of faith. A wonderful way to remember our deceased loved ones is at Mass, in which there is built into our liturgy, a commemoration of the dead. So, regardless of the particular Mass intention, we have an opportunity to remember our deceased loved ones at every Mass. All Souls’ Day Mass schedule on Saturday, November 2nd, at Saint Stephen Cathedral will be at 9:00am. 

III. Linking Life Issues: if one contends, as we Catholics do, that the right of every fetus to be born should be protected by civil law and supported by civil consensus, then our moral, political and economic responsibilities do not stop at the moment of birth. Those who defend the right to life of the weakest among us must be equally visible in support of the quality-of-life of the powerless among us: the old and the young, the hungry and the homeless, the undocumented immigrant and desperate refugee, as well as the unemployed and underemployed worker.

       Such a quality of life posture translates into specific political and economic positions on tax policy, employment generation, welfare policy, nutrition and feeding programs, and healthcare. As this Respect Life month, with our theme “Christ our Hope, in Every Season of Life,” comes to a close,  let us  reflect on what happens to a child, born into less than ideal circumstances, who reaches “day one” of life? Resources can be found at respectlifeprogram.org/october

IV.  Remembering Our Deceased Loved Ones: Solemn Vespers for the Dead (vespers or “evening prayer”, the official prayer of the Church). This remembrance will be held Monday, November 4th, at 6:00p.m., followed by a reception in our  Community Center. Everyone is invited, especially those who have lost loved ones this past year. A special candlelight service will be part of our evening prayer for ALL our deceased loved ones, especially those buried from the Cathedral.

V.  Be A Link in the “Life Chain” on Sunday, October 27th, 2:30-3:30pm. Sponsored by Owensboro Respect for Life, this “Life Chain” will run along Frederica Street from Brescia University to Towne Square Mall. Signs will be available at 2:00pm at Our Lady of Lourdes. Be a peaceful, prayerful witness!