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But we are also horrified by the naked display of outright racism by the participants in the so-called “unite the right” rally. We condemn in the strongest terms this evil and sinful attitude that professes that one person or group of people is better than any other because of their race.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church rightfully condemns racism and racist attitudes in the strongest terms:

“The equality of human beings rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: ‘Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God’s design.” (CCC 1935)

Racism is a sin that must be eradicated. This begins with examining our own hearts and minds to search ourselves for any racist attitudes, it then moves outwards to our families, and friends where we must have the courage and love to confront this sin, and then it moves outward in ever growing circles to our community and our society where we must work for peace and justice based on the equal dignity of all of God’s children.

Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. Any attitude, philosophy, or ideology that seeks to deny this fundamental truth is antithetical to the Gospel and the Christian faith.

We pray for the victims tonight, but we also pray for our nation and for all people of good will, that we will all work for justice and for peace for the good of all.

The Christian ideal will always be a summons to overcome suspicion, habitual mistrust, fear of losing our privacy, all the defensive attitudes which today’s world imposes on us. Many try to escape from others and take comfort in their privacy or in a small circle of close friends, renouncing the social aspect of the Gospel.

For just as some people want a purely spiritual Christ, without esh and without the cross, they also want their interpersonal relationships provided by sophisticated equipment, by screens and systems which can be turned on and o on command. Meanwhile, the Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others, with their physical presence which challenges us, with their pain and their pleas, with their joy which infects us in our close and continuous interaction. True faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self- giving, from membership in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others. The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness.

It’s amazing the number of people that approached Jesus during his time on earth. Today’s Gospel tells of a Canaanite woman who keeps following Jesus, pleading that he do something to help her daughter: “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Even though he tells her that his mission is to the lost sheep of the Israel, it doesn’t stop her. In today’s second reading, Paul speaks to the Gentiles as the apostle to the Gentiles. Thus, we see that the mission of Jesus is for all people. Many had been excluded up to this point; many did not think they were worthy to approach Jesus. The truth that Jesus shows so clearly is that God’s love and concern is offered to all people – not just one group. No one is excluded if they are willing to open their heart to what is offered.

Next Saturday, two of our Friars will make their solemn profession of vows here at St. Francis at 11 AM. Br. Ramon Razon, who is here at St. Francis, and Br. Casey Cole have completed their years in formation and now vow to live the Franciscan way of life for the rest of their lives. Congratulations to Ramon and Casey and thank you!

I would like to welcome Fr. David McBriar to St. Francis Church. Fr. David has been ministering at St. Francis Chapel in Loudonville, NY recently, but previously he has been Pastor of St. Francis Church in Raleigh, NC and Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Durham, NC. He comes with much pastoral experience and we are happy to have him here at St. Francis.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

 

Why did Jesus walk on water to the disciples in the boat? Did he want to scare them? No, his first words to them were “Do not be afraid.”While they were being tossed by wind and waves, he showed them that he was not affected by the storm. If they had had faith, they might have realized that if Jesus was safe, they would be, too. We too must make that leap of faith, especially when we are afraid.

Peter seemed to be willing to take the leap as he stepped into the water. But when his attention was distracted by the strong winds, he began to falter. This is where we can apply the story to ourselves.

Our growth in faith is not a steady progression. For every two steps forward, we may take one step back. For example, we receive God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation and rejoice in God’s loving mercy, but later we fall back into sin. We ask God’s help in prayer and when our prayer is answered, our faith in God grows. Then we become ill or wreck the car, and think that God has abandoned us. But isn’t that a natural reaction?

It is natural to doubt God in times of trouble, but we are choosing to live in the supernatural when we become followers of Christ. Like Peter, we need to keep our attention on the Lord. As long as Peter looked to Jesus, he could walk on water. Only when he focused on the wind did he loose his nerve and begin to sink.

In a similar way, we can lose our focus on the Lord. We see someone we love who is gravely sick. We make a serious mistake that gets us in trouble. We lose our job and have no leads to a new one. We are frightened by news of terrorist activity. These seem more real than faith in an invisible God. That is when we must remember that true faith allows us to believe when it doesn’t seem to make sense. Faith tells us that though apparently invisible, God is more real than anything we can see. Remember Jesus on the cross saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The Father never abandoned his Son and God will never abandon us.

-Tom Schmidt

As we extend a heartfelt welcome to all our visitors, we invite you to take something home with you. We have several beautiful items for sale in the lobby of St. Francis House which you might want to give as a gift or keep for yourself.

In 1957, Viennese sculptor Betti Richard was commissioned to design a bronze statue of St. Francis of Assisi for the entrance courtyard on 32nd Street. The life-size figure shows St. Francis kneeling in prayer before the large stone crucifx over the doors. Through the years, the hands, knee and heel of St. Francis have been worn to a bright shiny finish from being touched by countless passersby. The rest of the statue, however, has taken on a warm dark bronze patina.

Reproductions of the St. Francis statue (7.75 inches high) are $55.00.

We have a beautiful, full-color guide book with dozens of photos of the stained glass windows, mosaics, statues and shrines of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, along with a brief history of the church and archival photos. Want to know who all those  figures are in the Great Mosaic? They’re all identified in our guidebook which is available for just $5.00.

We hear Peter say the following in today’s Gospel: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus said, “Come.” We remember that even though Peter sounds rather determined when he asks Jesus to have him come on the water, soon he begins to lose his nerve and begins to sink. It’s not easy to walk on water and there are many circumstances in our lives where we may feel that the Lord is asking us “to walk on water.” There is something of St. Peter in all of us – strength at times and fear at other times. Fear is something real and we always have to be aware of what it can do to us. That’s why we must stay close to Jesus who is with us even at the times when we think that we are going to drown. 

This week we have a Holy Day of Obligation: the Assumption of Mary. Remember that the 4:30 and 5:30 Mass on Monday afternoon will fulfill your obligation, in addition to the Masses on Tuesday. This is a day for us to honor the Blessed Mother for being the Mother of the Church and our Mother.

Next week we will have our Week of Prayer in honor of Our Lady, Untier of Knots. This has become a popular devotion at St. Francis and we invite you to participate in these special days. All of us have things that tie us “in knots” and Mary is a wonderful example of one who had to deal with many complicating factors in her life and yet remained a Woman of Faith. Please join us!

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.