27th Sunday of the year B – October 6, 2024

“ It is not good for man to be alone.”…

The first reading and the Gospel today speak about marriage: that God created man and woman in his own image and likeness, to be companions thru life, and for life, to be equal to each other, and to be United in the bond of marriage, a beautiful image of God’s love for us. God is love, and he created us to love one another. Conjugal love is a special expression of that love, which joins the spouses in a lifelong union of love, mutual respect, and fidelity; of openness to children, and of teaching them about God, how to pray, and of raising their children as active members of our church family.

• Engaged couples: you can see me or another priest or deacon for preparación for marriage
• those civilly married or living together without being married: we encourage you to make a commitment before God and the Church, to make your union a sacred unity, and to give witness to the world of the sanctity of human sexuality, and the sacredness of marriage …
• Couples that have a good or "decent" marriage can make their marriage even better by attending a Marriage Encounter weekend. For more information, contact the Diocesan Family Life and Spirituality office https://sdcatholic.org/office-for/family-life-and-spirituality/ or worldwide Marriage Encounter https://wwme.org/
• See the brochures in our literature rack at the entrance of the church for more information.

Gospel: “The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,

"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"”

Jesus said: “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. “

• Church teaching on permanence of marriage…

This is the goal to strive for, the ideal, but we realize it doesn’t always work out in the real world.

• for couples with issues in their m: retrouvaille retreat for reconciliation and healing

• divorced and separated, can still be active members of our church,

• Divorced persons who want to remarry can apply for an Annulment from the Diocesan tribunal

• LGBT community also welcome in our church… call to live chastity, fing wholesome relationships, and to be an integral part of our Catholic Community. Deacon Jim Keeley – ministry to LGBT members and their parents or other family members.

Today ( Saturday) I had a wedding, and as I was waiting by the altar for the bride to walk down the aisle, everybody was in place, and the bridesmaids were making sure she was ready. It reminded me that the wedding, the Sacrament of marriage, is an image of Christ and the church: in heaven we, the church, will be United with Christ for the wedding Feast of the Lamb. So everything we do in this life: it’s to prepare ourselves and others for that day, for the wedding Feast of the Lamb, of Christ and his church, just us everything had to be ready for this beautiful wedding day when the bride walked down the aisle.

In the First Reading today the Lord says: “it’s not good for man to be alone”.

Pope Francis says something similar at the synod on Synodality in Rome. he says that it’s not good for the bishop to act alone. He says we need a new way of being Church. and that’s why this synod is not just a Gathering of the Bishops alone, but also other clergy, religious, and lay people, including many women, and not-ordained men.

At Synod on Synodality, pope says Church needs new ways for bishops to be ‘synodal’

By Hannah Brockhaus

https://www-catholicnewsagency-com

Vatican City, Oct 2, 2024

The pontiff said this approach “expresses a way of exercising the episcopal ministry consistent with the living tradition of the Church and with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council.”

““Never can a bishop, or any other Christian, think of himself ‘without others,’” he continued. “Just as no one is saved alone, the proclamation of salvation needs everyone and requires that everyone be heard.”

““Differing forms of a ‘collegial’ and ‘synodal’ exercise of the episcopal ministry” in dioceses and in the universal Church, Francis said, “will need to be identified in due course, always respecting the deposit of faith and the living tradition, and always responding to what the Spirit asks of the Churches at this particular time and in the different contexts in which they live.”

““…the Church — ‘semper reformanda’ — cannot pursue her journey and let herself be renewed without the Holy Spirit and his surprises, without letting herself be shaped by the hands of God the Creator, his son, Jesus Christ, and his Holy Spirit,” Francis continued.”)

( end of quoting from this article)

Fits w R2 today:

By the way: today we begin reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. It is an Chridtian exposition of the Jewish day of atonement. “To fortify Christian beliefs, the author describes the perfect priesthood of Christ, who, unlike the Jewish high priest, offered but one sacrifice as God’s own Son, thereby redeeming all of humankind once and for all.” ( from www.brittanica.com.)

“ Brothers and sisters: He ( Jesus) "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels…

….He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”

So in the Synodal model of being church, even those who are consecrated Bishops, while having high status in the church, are being called to lower themselves, to be at the same level as the laypeople, by gathering to listen to them in true dialogue, and to let them share in the governance of the church.

“It is not good for Bishops to act alone.” “It is not good for man to be alone…”, or for any of us to feel isolated from God or from the church or from one another.

So let us all seek unity, communion, and dialogue with each other and to help each other feel connected and not alone.

We recently became active members of the CAC, which offers events and activities for Catholic Adults of various age groups to get together and find friendship and support and not feel isolated in their faith.

Nancy Wesslen will be speaking about this at the end of Mass next weekend. See the bulletin or website for a list of upcoming CAC activities.

And if you have questions about, or want assistance with, any of the points I made today, please contact me by email frbrian. Or if you know others who may like assistance with this, let them know.