I WANT TO highlight three important takeaways from this Sunday’s Scriptures that have direct, urgent, and practical significance for us. Each of us is baptized into what we refer to as Jesus’ threefold office: priest, prophet, and king. Today’s readings help us understand: what does it mean to be a prophet?
Saint Clement is committed to raising funds to send three Inmaculada Concepcion parishioners and three members of the Jean Donovan Foundation from our sister parish community in El Salvador to attend the canonization of Oscar Romero in Rome on October 2.
Our goal is to raise $20,000 to cover their transportation and lodging expenses. Any surplus funds raised will be contributed to our sister parish and the Jean Donovan Foundation.
People change, for better or worse. Many situations can happen in someone’s life that causes them to reevaluate for the good, or to slip into habits that are detrimental. We all have times that we change to some degree. High school students graduate and move to college. Often within the time of one semester, something changes. Maturity sets in, minds are opened, world views are molded, and life experiences shape personality and actions. When a loved one passes away, things can change. When one moves onto a new vocation in life, things can change.
Chicago Catholic, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago, wrote about the prayer vigil held last weekend, Saturday, June 23 to pray for the children and families affected by the "zero tolerance" policy being enforced on the US southern border.
To read the full article, click here.
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
This week we celebrate the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. In the Gospel from Luke, we hear an account of the occasion of his birth, with a focus on his naming. During that time, one’s name indicated one’s lineage, and the name John was not found within his family. John the Baptist’s parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, were of old age yet were favored by God and had a child. Because of this great blessing, Elizabeth and Zechariah chose to name their son “John,” which means “the Lord has been gracious” (At Home with the Word 2018).
Pope Francis recently announced that Oscar Arnulfo Romero (fondly referred to as Monseñor Romero), the Archbishop of El Salvador who was killed on March 24, 1980 while saying Mass in San Salvador, will be made a saint. His canonization will happen on October 14 in Rome. Monseñor Romero spoke out against poverty, social injustice, and the repression and torture suffered by many Salvadorans during their civil war.
Today's reading tell us much about sin. From the fall of Adam and Eve, to the Psalmist crying for mercy, and Christ becoming the victim of accusation and name calling. Sin has become something of a norm for us in public discourse. We have experienced a crisis in truth over the past years. Facts have been challenged with “alternative facts,” science has been denied, and lies are so prevalent in our political and social media spheres that finding the truth is hardly easy. We have also seen an erosion of what is appropriate public decorum in the rhetoric that comes from our leaders.