Dear Friends,

We continue to walk with our brother Jesus, and that walk is not always easy, but each of us, as the Scriptures say, this week, “are called by name,” to choose the right, the just, the good. Jesus, our friend and brother, is always with us–let us not forget to ask for his help each day, to be our best for the good of the world. Peace and love, Pastor Kathy

P.S. Please call 507-429-3616, or email, aaorcc2008@gmail.com if I can be of help in any way, or you just need a friend to talk to–don’t hesitate!

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Entrance Antiphon

We call upon you, God, for you will answer us; bend your ear and hear our prayer. Guard us as the pupil of your eye; hide us in the shadow of your wings.

Let us pray:

Opening Prayer

Loving God, you guard us under the shadow of your wings and search into the depths of our hearts. Remove the blindness that cannot know you and relieve the fear that would hide us from your sight. We ask this of you, through Jesus, our brother, and the ever-renewing Spirit, who all live and love us forever and ever—Amen!

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Readings:

• Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6
• 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5
• Matthew 22: 15-21

Homily:

My friends, there is much to reflect on this week in [Extra] Ordinary Time as is often the case—if we have eyes and ears open. 

   First, a bit of my past week as I always feel compelled to unite what is going on there with the message/s in Scripture.  I believe, much like the Persian king, Cyrus, who was used by our God, even though he was unaware of it, to show love and compassion to the Israelites in captivity, inviting them to return home; we too aren’t always aware that God works through our actions to bring “good” and not bad to our world.  I think it does help if we are prone to live in the “mind of Jesus” so as to be about love and not selfishness in our actions for our world.

   This past week, many have been talking about Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All), if we translate it, word for word.  In response to the objections of prominent women within the Church that the title is “exclusive,” we have been told that Pope Francis meant it to be read, “Brothers and Sisters, All.” 

   In an editorial in the National Catholic Reporter, (NCR) this week, the exclusive title is named as, “very serious,” even though, as they said, “It might be heard by modern Italians as “brothers and sisters.” 

   So, we might look at this example and say that our God is using this questionable title to address the fact that women are constantly left out of the language by the hierarchy of the Catholic church, i.e.; still the use of “men” in the creed which apparently, is meant to include us all as well.

   I made the attempt through a group of Franciscans that I am part of to address this issue of exclusive language within an otherwise, fine treatise by Pope Francis on how we should be in our world as followers of our brother, Jesus, and really didn’t get too far.  While a few in the group, were, as we say, “on the page” with me, the majority kept shifting the discussion to the “good” of the document, which I will too, in a bit.  I would only say, that when it comes to changing from something a group has done for so long, it is extremely difficult to change and no longer enable that which simply, does not include us all, no matter the objections.

   Some within the discussion thread couldn’t understand, I think, why I would spend so much effort on the language and not get to the, “meat” of the document, to which I said, “Language does matter!”  If we as women have no words to name us, it is indicative of having no real place, nor real importance, except for what men decide is acceptable for us and this is played out quite succinctly within the Catholic church—we have nothing to say in any decision making, nor can we truly minister at the altar because the men guard and control the discussion. 

   Even Pope Francis could not find it within himself to quote any women theologians within this otherwise fine document on economics—for the good of all, discussion against the death penalty and war, “as ever a solution,” and peace.  He did, although, quote 8 times from a document on, “Human Fraternity.”

   All of these issues—a fair economy, death penalty, war and peace, are “front and center,” an editorial in the NCR reads this week, as opposed to the “single issue of abortion” as uplifted by U.S. bishops, for Catholics to consider going to the polls this year.

   So, my friends; I will conclude this discussion on Fratelli Tutti in all fairness to Francis, for the “real meat” of the encyclical by giving you some quotable quotes and thoughts: *(the following quotes are from an NCR editorial this week)

• Pope Francis uses the model of the “Good Samaritan” as a prime example of how we should be in our world, “paying attention to the suffering around us rather than looking away.”
• “We can no longer think of war as a solution, because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits.”
• “Individualism does not make us more equal, more fraternal.” [Shall we say, “Sisterly,” either?]
• The Pope doesn’t name our president directly, but makes a statement concerning world leaders that definitely makes one think of him. [Leaders who] “are able to exploit politicians and peoples’ culture under whatever ideological banner, for their own personal advantage or continual grip on power.”

  Friends, I said earlier that our God works through all that is part of our lives, whether we know it or not, to bring good into the world; simply put, LOVE, just because God can, and because, that is Who God is! Just as Cyrus didn’t realize that he was being, “called by name” to show God’s love in his world; we too many not ever know how much of God’s love was bestowed through us, simply because we, “showed up.”

   The beautiful message from 1 Thessalonians this week continues this theme:  Paul is thanking the people for their faith, “their laboring in love and their constancy of hope.” He tells them and us, by extension that we “are chosen” too, to ultimately be about the goodness, the love of God in our world.

   The example of “the coin and paying the tax,” in the gospel, meant to trip up Jesus, is just another way the he is able to cut through what really isn’t important in this life, the material, but rather, showing what is—that we share what is good with all, that we live justly in our world—loving as we have first been loved.  Amen?  Amen!

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Prayers of the Faithful

Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

1. Help us O God, to be accepting of all your people and be willing to return the gift of love that you have so generously given to us, we pray—      Response: “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For each of us here and for our entire Church, help us to be the change we want to see in our Church and world , we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For all who are suffering here today or in our wider community,  in body, mind or spirit and especially for those in our area completing their life journeys at present, we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For those who are currently suffering from the ravages of weather, storms, flooding, fires—give them the strength to know that, somehow, “All will be well,” we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For our world and its people, that peace would reign in our hearts and that we would do all in our power to bring peace to our world, remembering that peace begins first and foremost within each one of us, we pray—Response: “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• May the wisdom and grace of the Spirit overshadow all elected officials and those who seek office, that they will truly work to care for the least among us and strive to bring peace to our world, we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For our community, All Are One, continue to send your Spirit upon us, especially during this time of separation, to enable us to be an inclusive  community, open and welcoming all, we pray—Response: “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For all in our world who are called to suffer because they are seen as different—open our minds and hearts O God to be accepting of all your people, we pray—Response: “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• Loving Jesus, be with all families who have lost loved ones this week, especially from COVID 19 and all other causes—give them your peace, that they may find their way through their grief, we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

***Let us pray for the silent petitions on our hearts—pause—then response

Let Us Pray

Gentle God, you who loves us beyond all imagining—be close to us each and every day, shadow us under your wings and be the strength that we need to live as you did, conscious of being inclusive of all, loving others when it is easy and when it is not so easy. Give us your deep and abiding peace that we would not worry, but trust and believe that you will always be with us. All of this we ask of you who are God, living and loving us forever and ever—Amen!

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Let Us Pray—Again, we are without the physical presence of Jesus on the altar, but we remember that our brother is with us always!

Prayer after Communion

Dear Jesus, remain in our hearts and prompt us to always share the gift of love which is you with all that we meet. We ask this in your loving name—Amen!

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Dear Friends, we keep, “keeping on” in this time of pandemic when we can’t be together, but we trust in the support of each other, of love shared across the miles. We must keep our eyes on Jesus in all our frustrations and joys and commit to living our baptisms, our confirmations as he would, in his footsteps. My greatest wish for each of you is that you would have peace, love and joy in your lives. I am grateful for each one of you and for all that you do in our community and our greater world. Later, I will be sharing the minutes and the financial statement from our board meeting earlier this week completing the third quarter of our church year. In those statements you will see the generosity of this community which allows us every quarter to share our surplus with others in need and this quarter, it was substantial!

May each of you stay safe and well during these trying times. Please, never hesitate to be in contact if I can help in any way. By phone, 507-429-3616 or by email, aaorcc2008@gmail.com. Gratefully, Pastor Kathy

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Entrance Antiphon

O good and forgiving God, through you my life is at peace; I give you thanks for your goodness and willingness in calling and inviting me to your eternal banquet.

Let Us Pray

O God, our help and guide, make your love the foundation of our lives. May our love for you express itself in our eagerness to do good for others. Grant this through Jesus, your first-born and our brother who lives and loves you along with the Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

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Readings:

• Isaiah 25: 6-10
• Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20
• Matthew 22: 1-14

Homily

My friends, in this fall-time of 2020 in the Midwest that has been graced, of late, with such beautiful weather as the earth is preparing to go dormant—all too soon; we are met with a God who wants us to know that we, each-one-of-us, is welcome at the table!  Something, really, that we shouldn’t take lightly, as our whole mission at All Are One is about this very idea!

   This fall-time of 2020 also finds us living through such turbulent times in our country as we battle a virus that we can’t as a nation, seem to get our arms around and apparently, this is so because of lack of leadership at the highest level to address the seriousness of this threat. 

   Our country has also been called this year, to face the truth, in the death of one more black man in May, of the inherent racism that underpins all that we are as a nation.  This death in May seemed to finally be the “straw that broke the camel’s back” after 400 years of slavery and its affects upon our black sisters and brothers in our country.

   Apparently, the perfect storm of the coronavirus and its overwhelming toll on the poor, on people of color, along with the brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer while three other policemen, one of them—non-white, looking on, was enough for blacks and whites alike to finally, finally—demand change. Our Scriptures today, in two of the selected readings, one from the prophet, Isaiah, and the other from our brother, Jesus in Matthew’s gospel, say, in no uncertain terms, that we are all called to the table, each, and every one of us, and it is up to each of us, to rise to the occasion, if we can, if we desire, in fact, to do so! 

   First of all, the afore-mentioned Scriptures, starting with Isaiah, show us a God not often enough uplifted in the run-of-the-mill Catholic churches.  Isaiah’s God is “preparing a place, for all of us” and if our God can, “include all of us”—each one of us, why would we not see it as our duty, our call in fact, to do the same? 

   In the last four years; I have often wondered why so many Evangelical “Christians” and Catholics would support a man who in so many of his actions has advocated against immigrants in general, Muslims, and women.  The rhetoric and the writing and the excuse, even though some of these so-called Christians, said they, “had to hold their noses and vote,” was that he apparently would end, Roe v. Wade.  Somehow, for me, this is unconscionable, because life is life—all across the continuum.  If one is “pro-life,” that means you are for life in every instance!

   Apparently, I was not the only one who thought this way, because of late; I have been reading articles and book reviews tying these so-called “Christian” voters to the underpinnings of racism and misogyny and not just the issue of abortion as originally thought, thus the connection to the current president.  This is, of course, a whole other discussion for another time, but probably sufficed to say, history has proven through the concept of Manifest Destiny in American expansionism that the idea of white supremacy was driving this, coupled with the history of slavery prior to that and the patriarchal stance within our country supported by most churches, that the ideas of racism and misogyny are underlying reasons for so-called “Christians” and Catholics to vote as they did in 2016.  A new book, recently reviewed and critiqued by the National Catholic Reporter, The Sin of White Supremacy: Christianity, Racism and Religious Diversity in America, by Jeannine Hill Fletcher, documents all of the above and more.  But, as I said earlier, this is another homily.  

   Looking back to today’s readings then, I believe we all can find a way forward.  Continuing on a note I began earlier, that of seeing our God as one who truly cares about all of us—each one of us, in fact; we hear the prophet Isaiah say, “Our God will wipe away all tears…take away all shame,” to say nothing of feeding us with the best food and wine at the banquet being prepared for us.  As I have said in the past, this is a far cry from the God we created in our own image who, for some, is authoritarian, distant and cold, just waiting to punish us for some misstep. 

   Our God’s goodness toward each of us is further displayed in the Church’s choice of the 23^rd psalm, as a response to Isaiah’s words, to which we might sing Marty Haugen’s beautiful refrain, “Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from death into life.” 

   Paul, as he persists in prison, one of many times in his life of ministry, speaks to the Philippians and us with assurance that whether he lives in “poverty or plenty,” it doesn’t really matter because he knows the “strength” he has in Jesus, the Christ and basically, keeps on, keeping on!

   Paul’s example, in the times in which we live, is so very important to keep front and center, as we navigate our lives, which some days seem without hope of better times to come.  We must keep holding on, doing our part, striving to be our best amidst so many conflicting messages. All of us, I believe, look for leadership from without, but these present times are wanting for that and so we must turn within and find the “strength” of Jesus that Paul speaks of.

   Today’s gospel from Matthew gives us the familiar parable of the wedding feast and the desire of the ruler that his house would be filled to share the joy of his heir’s wedding. From the start, we have to refrain from the temptation to read the story literally, or we will miss its true meaning.

   The image of a wedding feast is a familiar one that Jesus uses to tell us of the joy—of all the good that has been prepared for us once we come to understand that as our God invites each of us; we must in turn open our lives and hearts to others—some would say, “this is heaven”—not so much a place as an attitude.

   Recently, I was reading some of the writings of Father Richard Rohr and he spoke of the notion of, “experiencing heaven on earth,” which he said, we can do, if we have such an attitude—he mentioned those who did, Francis of Assisi, Therese of Liseiux, Harriet Tubman and others. 

   Today’s gospel gives us the image of the “wedding garment” and its importance that each of us “acquires” such a garment and again; we must get beyond the literal meaning.  The “cloth” of this garment is basically the “attitudes” we develop throughout our lives toward all of creation, toward all of life, that we then “clothe” ourselves in.

   So our “wedding garment” should be made up of the virtues of mercy, justice, long-suffering and patience, to name some, and all together, they “create,”  “love for our world” in its entirety.

   COVID 19 has reminded us all that we are in life together—that in order to conquer this virus; we must be of one mind.  I believe the hopelessness comes when we witness a singlemindedness that sees only what is important to one, instead of—to all. 

   Today’s parable reminds us to, “check our own houses,” who we are—in fact, not just for ourselves, but for others.  We do want to “rise to the occasion,” unlike the guest in today’s gospel. 

   So, my friends, there is much to consider today, which basically comes down to, as we say so often—“being our best selves.” I have been acquiring some good quotes of late of ways to be, “our best selves” and I will conclude with those today for our reflection:

• We cannot close our eyes to any form of racism or exclusion, while pretending to defend the sacredness of every human life.—Pope Francis
• Let us not seek the Republican or Democratic answer—but the right answer.  Let us not try to fix the blame for the past.  Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.—John F. Kennedy
• Fight for what you believe in, but do it in a way that others will follow you.—Ruth Bader Ginsberg
• Everything is supernatural for those who know how to see.—Paul Tillich, Protestant theologian
• There are a 1,000 ways to kneel and kiss the ground.—Rumi, 13^th Century Persian poet, Sufi mystic and theologian
• Additionally, from Rumi, “You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens.”
• If we had been holier people, we would have been angrier, oftener.—John Templeton, investor—who believed in a higher purpose beyond profit for profits’ sake
• And finally, from Sister Joan Chittister, Benedictine speaker and writer, “Do you want a test to know if your work in life is over, the philosopher asked?  If you are still alive, it is not!”  Sister Joan continues—as the rabbi and the disciple both well know, God needs us to complete God’s work. Now! Amen? Amen!

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Prayers of the Faithful

Response:  “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

1. Help us O God, to strive to live justly in your world and with your people,  we pray—

       Response:  “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

• For each of us here and for our entire Church, help us to be the change we want to see in our Church and world , we pray—

       Response:  “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

• For all who are suffering here today or in our wider community,  in body, mind or spirit and especially for those afflicted with COVID 19, we pray—

       Response:  “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

• For those who continue to suffer from storms, flooding and fires, we pray—Response:  “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

• For our world and its people, that peace would reign in our hearts and that we would do all in our power to bring peace to our world, remembering that peace begins first and foremost, within each one of us, we pray—Response:  “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

• May the wisdom and grace of the Spirit overshadow all elected officials and those who ask for the privilege of elected office, so that they will truly work to care for the least among us and strive to bring peace to our world, we pray—Response:   “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

7.  For our community, All Are One, continue to send your Spirit upon us, especially during these months of separation, to enable us to be an inclusive community, open and welcoming all, we pray—Response:  “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

• Loving Jesus, be with all families who have lost loved ones this week, from COVID 19 and all other causes—give them your peace, that they may find their way through their grief, we pray— Response:  “Good and generous God, hear our prayer.”

***Let us pray for the spoken and silent petitions on our hearts—pause, then response

Let Us Pray

Good and gentle God, our source of all strength and wisdom.  We ask that you would give us peace—filled and loving hearts—help us to be merciful to all and accepting of all in our lives and in our wider world. Help us to be the change we want to see in our world, realizing that all and any change begins with my change of heart. We ask all of this of you, our good and loving God, who is Creator, Savior and Spirit, one God, living and loving us, forever and ever.  Amen.

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Let Us Pray—Again, we are without the physical Eucharist, but we remember that Jesus is always with us—always! 

Prayer after Communion

Dear Jesus, we are grateful that you enable us to share your love with all that we meet. We ask that this may always be the case—you are our Creator, Savior and Spirit, One God, living and loving us forever and ever. Amen.

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