Dear Parish Family:
Welcome to the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the first full week of the Season of Autumn! In this weekend’s Gospel, we meet an unnamed rich man and a poor man named Lazarus, who dreams about eating the scraps of food from the rich man’s table. Every parable of Jesus is really a story about us and we are invited to discover a part of us in both characters. Today’s readings are meant to provoke us to sharpen our senses and sensitivity. What do we choose to focus on and what do we intentionally block out? When we see need, do we evaluate the one in need or do we evaluate our own response? May this weekend’s readings, heighten our awareness to take care of those in need!
In 1989, I was Knighted as a member of the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The Order’s mandate originates from the time of the Crusades over 1000 years ago, who under a Pontifical decree were ordered to protect the Christian pilgrims, traveling to the Sacred Sites in the Holy Land. We are a Pontifical Order consisting of 30,000 members working in 60 countries around the world. We support the Catholic Church and Christian communities in the Holy Land through prayers, financial aid for religious and charitable institutions, and efforts to preserve the Christian presence in the region. Every year our Western Lieutenancy of the United States meets to discuss our financial support to the Latin Patriarch for distribution to parishes, churches, seminaries, clinics and humanitarian aid for food and medical supplies in the Holy Land, which includes the territories of Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories. Each year we rotate the meeting hosted by one of the 10 dioceses in our west coast Lieutenancy. This year, the Diocese of Honolulu is hosting, and our meeting will be held in Kona, Hawaii. The situation in the Holy Land is dire since tourism, the major source of economic sustenance has been nonexistent since that fateful day on October 7. Many Christians have fled the Holy Land seeking a better way of life for their families in the midst of war and economic deprivation. The Christian presence is now less than 2%. Last year, our Western Lieutenancy with over 1,200 members contributed over $1 million to the Latin Patriarch in support of the Church’s good works in the Holy Land. Please pray for all of us during next weekend’s meeting and pray especially for the Peace of Jerusalem.
I’m praying for you and your families,
Msgr. Kevin