On this Third Sunday of Lent we hear the parable about the fig tree that had not yielded any fruit for three years. The natural response is to cut it down, but the gardener asks for another year when he will cultivate the ground and fertilize it and hopefully, it will bear fruit. All parables are meant to teach us something. What about God’s dealing with us? How patient or impatient is God with us? We all have moments of insight and “ah ha” experiences. We may lose patience with ourselves, but God deals with us differently. Remember the Scripture passage in which God says “my ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.” In our prayer we try to put ourselves “in line” with God and have God’s view and patience. This is not easy for us. This is part of our Lenten homework.

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

Chapter 3: In the Light of the Master

We often hear it said that with respect to relativism and the flaws of our present world that the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser one. Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue… the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children.

Can we not realize that this is exactly what Jesus demands of us when he tells us that in welcoming the stranger, we welcome him…(we read) in the Old Testament: “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.” “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

This is not a notion invented by some pope or a momentary fad. In today’s world too we are called to follow the path of spiritual wisdom proposed by the prophet Isaiah to show what is pleasing to God: “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn.”

Chapter 3: In the Light of the Master

I regret that ideologies lead us at time to two harmful errors. On the one hand, there is the error of those Christians, who separate these Gospel demands from their personal relationship with the Lord, from their interior union with him, from openness to his grace. Christianity then becomes a sort of nongovernmental organization stripped of the luminous mysticism so evident in the lives of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Teresa of Calcutta and many others. For these great saints, mental prayer, the love of God and the reading of the Gospel in no way detracted from their passionate and effective commitment to their neighbors; quite the opposite.

The other harmful ideological error is found in those who find suspect the social engagement of others, seeing it as superficial, worldly, secular, materialistic, communist or populist. Or they relativize it, as if there are other more important matters or the only thing that counts is one particular ethical issue or cause that they themselves defend.

We cannot uphold an ideal of holiness that would ignore injustice in a world where others revel, spend with abandon and live only for the latest consumer goods even as others look on from afar, living their entire lives in abject poverty.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all our Irish Sisters and Brothers! I hope you enjoyed the parade yesterday. The Feast of St. Patrick will be celebrated throughout the Archdiocese of New York on Monday. Many blessings to you!

We are at the Second Sunday of Lent and the Gospel is traditionally about the Transfiguration of Jesus. He travels with Peter, James and John up a mountain to pray. What a better place to get away and gain perspective. It is easy to lose sight of what is important and how God is part of our lives. Some retreat centers are on a mountain and there is nothing better than to take time to get away; it is interesting how you begin to think clearly and rearrange some priorities when you are on the mountain. Moses and Elijah appear to the disciples and then a voice is heard: “This is my chosen Son; listen to Him.” If Jesus’ followers remembered anything of the experience after that came down from the mountain, hopefully was “Listen to Him.” This is a good message for us: listen. It’s not easy.

In just a few weeks on Friday, April 12 the program “Encounter: From the Heart of Pope Francis” will take place here in the church. This is an evening with song, story and prayer meant to lead us into a deeper relationship with the Lord. There will be special music from noted church composers throughout the service adding to the message of the evening. Click here for more information and for tickets. Perfect for Lent!

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

Chapter 3: In the Light of the Master

In the 25th Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus expands on the beatitude that calls blessed the merciful. If we seek the holiness pleasing to God’s eyes, this text offers us one clear criterion on which we will be judged.

“I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was in prison and you visited me.”

Holiness, then, is not about swooning in mystic rapture. As Pope John Paul said, “If we truly start out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he himself wished to be identified.” …In this call to recognize him in the poor and the suffering, we see revealed the very heart of Christ, his deepest feelings and choices that every saint seeks to imitate… Our Lord made it very clear that holiness cannot be understood or lived apart from these demands, for mercy is “the beating heart of the Gospel.”

The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent shows Jesus being tempted. Jesus resists the temptations by showing that what Satan offers does not satisfy Him in any way. His hunger is satisfied by His relationship with the Father; He knows that people worship other gods but God alone He adores; He uses His power and authority to heal, to forgive, to cure, to include everyone. Aware of His mission, Jesus resists each attempt of Satan to lead Him on a dead end path. Giving in to temptations makes us less than what God wants us to be. There might be an immediate thrill, but it is short lived. The temptations: what a way to begin Lent.

I hope that the Lenten booklet that was given out last week will be a companion for you during this Lenten season. The author is well known for his spiritual insights and has written previous Advent and Lenten booklets. There are other Lenten books in the lobby of the Parish house. It is good to have something to read and think about each day of this important season.

Congratulations to our Catechumens who will become the “elect” as they participate in the Rite of Election at St. Patrick’s Cathedral today. Cardinal Dolan will preside at this ceremony at which all of the catechumens throughout the Archdiocese come together for this important step toward their full participation in the life of the Church. Congratulations and thank you to Joe Nuzzi and the RCIA Team for guiding our catechumens and candidates!

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

Chapter 3: In the Light of the Master

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus himself warns us that the path he proposes goes against the flow, even making us challenge society by the way we live and, as a result, becoming a nuisance. He reminds us how many people have been and still are, persecuted simply because they struggle for justice, because they take seriously their commitment to God and to others. Unless we wish to sink into an obscure mediocrity, let us not long for an easy life, for “whoever would save his life will lose it.”

In living the Gospel, we cannot expect everything will be easy, for the thirst for power and worldly interests often stands in our way. In such a society, politics, mass communication and economic, cultural and even religious institutions become so entangled as to become an obstacle to authentic human and so- cial development. As a result, the beatitudes are not easy to live out; any attempt to do so will be viewed negatively, regarded with suspicion and met with ridicule. Whatever weariness and pain we may experience in living the commandment of love
and following the way of justice, the cross remains the source of growth and sanctification.

Although neither the weather nor the calendar indicate that Spring is in the air, Spring 2019 Adult Education courses begin this week at the St. Francis Adult Education Center.

You will find brochures at the entrances of the church that describe the 18 different programs the Center will offer between February and April. Course and registration information is also available online here.  Online registration is now open.

You may also click here for a pdf list of the courses that are available.

Please note that ‘Saints, Mystics and Martyrs: 20th Century Carmelite Women,’ a course offered by Mary Gennuso, Ph.D. and listed in the brochure as a three-hour class beginning at 1:00 PM,
is actually a six-hour class beginning at 9:00 AM on March 22.

Jesus deals with blindness in the Gospels. He deals with physical blindness and he is able to cure it. In today’s Gospel, he confronts spiritual or moral blindness, and this proves to be more difficult to deal with. This blindness comes from the heart. He uses examples from things that the people of his time would see daily: fig trees, thornbushes, brambles, grapes. They know that good fruit comes from a healthy source. He is urging conversion to those in his audience, but unfortunately, many do not “see” the need to make a change. This is some of the rejection that Jesus experiences as he moves around. One sentence in the Gospel says much: “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good…” This is what Jesus urges people to grow into over time.

This weekend we announce the 2019 Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal. Many of you have already received a letter from Cardinal Dolan with information about the Appeal and how the money that is raised will be used. The $20 million goal for the Archdiocese will direct half of this to churches that are poor and cannot afford major repairs. Buildings are old and many churches in the Archdiocese are located in poor neighborhoods. Those Pastors have to turn to the Archdiocese when their roofs need replacing, boilers break, windows leak, plumbing breaks down. Their weekly collections don’t cover these costly repairs. The funds also support administrative and pastoral programs, Catholic schools, and retirement facilities for diocesan priests.

While 230 individuals or families gave to Renew and Rebuild, with a parish of over 2,000 members, now is the time for those who did not give to Renew and Rebuild to help reach our $113,500 goal set by the Archdiocese. Envelopes are available at the doors of the church for your donation.

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

Below is a table comparing December 2017 collections to our current December 2018 collections.

We are grateful that our collections are up from last year, but as you can see we still are not reaching our budgeted goal.

We need everyone to do their part to keep St. Francis on firm financial ground.  The best way to use this is to make your offering using our online giving system.

You can sign up for online giving HERE.

We ask all of our members and visitors to offer the equivalent of ONE HOUR of their weekly salary per week to support the mission of the church.

Thank you to all of you who are already doing your part.