Dear Friends, on this feast of St. Francis of Assisi, in addition to the Sunday message of “bringing in a harvest,” let us express our gratitude for the beautiful world in which we live–for all of creation as Francis and his followers did. Let us realize that we must be the change that we want to see! Peace and love, Pastor Kathy

P.S. Always remember that I am here for you, if I can help in any way–email-aaorcc2008@gmail.com.

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Entrance Antiphon

O God, you have given everything its place in the world and no one can make it otherwise. For all is your creation, the heavens and the earth and the stars:  all is your family, O God.

Let Us Pray

Opening Prayer

O good and gracious God, Creator of the world to come, your goodness is beyond what our spirit can touch and your strength is more than our minds can bear. Lead us to seek beyond our reach and give us the courage to stand before your truth.  We ask all of this of you, of Jesus and of Spirit Sophia—one God who lives and loves us forever and ever, Amen.

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Readings:

• Isaiah 5: 1-7
• Philippians 4: 6-9
• Matthew 21: 33-43

Homily–Friends, the following homily comes to us this week from Pastor Dick Dahl–he gives us a good deal to think on–do enjoy!

In this time of widespread anxiety, illness, continuing racial injustice, evictions, job losses, bitter political division, and failed leadership we implore God to help and guide us. We live in God’s all encompassing presence. God has revealed his/her self in the gift of the natural world of which we are living members. God’s self-revelation began with creation and has continued in every part of it, in the lives of every person who has ever lived and, we believe, through the Covenant with Israel and the New Covenant sealed in the blood of Jesus.

I suggest we listen and reflect on some of the ways God has and continues to speak to our hearts and minds. In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the same image of a vineyard that Isaiah had used 800 years before him to tell the religious leaders of his time that they had refused to listen to the prophets his Father had sent them, including himself whose death they were about to demand.

Let’s begin then by listening to one of those messengers or prophets.  In the ancient history of Israel the prophet Samuel strongly advised the Israelites against their desire to be ruled by kings, but they persisted. About 300 years into this experiment the prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading vividly expresses God’s disappointment and anger at those leaders who were supposed to care for his people but instead governed unjustly and cared mainly for themselves. They were soon to be invaded and experience devastation by the neighboring Assyrian army.

We also live in a similar time of widespread anxiety and suffering and lack of just leadership. I recently came across an article written by Dr. Amitha Kalaichandran, an epidemiologist and physician, that addresses our situation honestly but with a perspective that you may find helpful. 

Despite the deaths of about 210,000 fellow Americans from the Covid pandemic in just the last seven months (half as many Americans who were killed in four years of fighting in World War II), Dr. Kalaichandran writes, “we know that the grieving has only just begun. It will continue with loss of jobs and social structures.  Routines and ways of life that have been interrupted may never return. For many, the loss may seem too swift, too great and too much to bear, each story to some degree a modern version of the biblical trials of Job.”

“Job, of course, is the Bible’s best-known sufferer. His bounty — home, children, livestock — was taken cruelly from him as a test of faith devised by Satan and carried out by God. He suffers both mental and physical illness; Satan covers him in painful boils.

“Job is conflicted — at times he still has his faith and trusts in God’s wisdom, and other times he questions whether God is corrupt. Finally, he demands an explanation. God then allows Job to accompany him on a tour of the vast universe where it becomes clear that the universe in which he exists is more complex than the human mind could ever comprehend.

“Though Job still doesn’t have an explanation for his suffering, he has gained some peace; he’s humbled. Job became a fundamentally changed man after being tested to his core. He has accepted that life is unpredictable and loss is inevitable. Everything is temporary and the only constant, paradoxically, is this state of change.

“The Book of Job, however,  isn’t just about grief or just about faith. It’s also about our attachments — to our identities, our faith, the possessions and people we have in our lives. Grief is a symptom of letting go when we don’t want to. Understanding that attachment is the root of suffering — an idea also central to Buddhism — can give us a glimpse of what many of us might be feeling during this time.

“We can recall the early days of the pandemic with precision; jobs, celebrations, trips now canceled. In our minds we see loved ones who will never return. Even our mourning is subject to this same grief, as funerals are much different now.

“So, where does all of this leave us now? Dr. Kalaichandran suggests “it leaves us with a challenge, to treat our attachments not simply as the root of suffering but as fuel that, when lost, can propel us forward as opposed to keeping us tethered to our past. We can accept the tragedy and pain secondary to our attachments as part of a life well lived, and well loved, and treat our memories of our past “normal” as pathways to purpose as we move forward. We still honor our old lives, those we lost, our previous selves, but remain open to what might come. Creating meaning from tragedy is a uniquely human form of spiritual alchemy. 

“As difficult as it is now in the midst of a pandemic, it is possible…that we might emerge with a greater understanding of ourselves, faith, and our purpose….and begin to choose whether it propels us forward or keeps us stuck in pain, and in the past.

Dr. Kalaichandran’s words strike me as a way she tries to help us face and deal with our challenges, similar to the way St. Paul strove to help the struggling Christians at Phillipi deal with the conflicts internal and external to their community.

Another person we might turn to is Francis of Assisi who died at the age of 44 or 45 on this day almost 800 years ago and was canonized only two years later. His life and words have resonated with millions of people around the world since then. We might well ask why, and what meaning they may have for us today.

Francis was born into a very wealthy family. He was spoiled and renowned for drinking and partying as a teenager. He left school at age 14 and dreamt of becoming a Knight. This was the Middle Ages after all!

When war broke out between Assisi and Perugia, Francis got an expensive suit of armor and went off to battle. Warfare was hardly what he had envisioned. Most of his comrades were butchered and killed. He and others who were obviously rich were thrown into a miserable dank prison and held for ransom. After a year he was finally released but his outlook on what mattered in life was changed forever.

Instead of having wealth and comfort taken from him, he freely gave it up. He actually embraced poverty. Concern for the poor became a central theme of his life. His example drew others to join him. His life and message were uncompromising and simply: greed causes suffering for both the victim and the perpetrators.

When the local bishop was horrified at the hard life of Francis and his followers, Francis said, “If we had any possessions, we would need weapons to defend them.” He reasoned, what could you do to a man who owns nothing. You can’t starve a fasting man. You can’t steal from someone who owns no money. You can’t ruin someone who hates prestige. They were truly free.

Toward the end of his short life he was becoming blind. At this time he composed his Canticle of the Sun that expressed his and our kinship with all creation. Francis responded to God’s nearness in all of nature and especially in people who live on the margins of life, such as the leper, whose sores had repulsed him but whom he embraced and in so doing discovered Jesus. 

So, yes, many of us are anxious, some desperately hurting and uncertain how they can survive the present. Most of us, I suspect, wondering how we will survive the future, not only from the political turmoil, but the paroxysms our beautiful planet is going through, in part at least, from the abuse we have inflicted on it. However, we trust that we remain in the presence of God, more loving and powerful than all of us combined. In the metaphorical embrace of God, we pray to be attached to our Mother/Father God and his/her will more than anything else and trust the Holy Spirit to strengthen and guide us every step of our way.

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Prayers of the Faithful

Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

1. Help us O God, to strive to be grateful people to you who has loved us beyond all imagining, we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For each of us praying today, give us the strength to be people of justice, mercy and compassionate love for your 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 who are living with cancer, and other life-threatening conditions, 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 with each of us, we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For our president and first lady, as they experience COVID 19 personally, may they come to show more compassion for others suffering from this virus, 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 due to COVID 19 and enable us to be open and welcoming to all, even those we might consider to be, “unlikeable,”  we pray—

Response: “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• For all in our midst who suffer from mental illness, that each would find understanding and compassion in their daily lives, we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• That each of us would strive to elect leaders who show us that they care of all of us, we pray—Response:  “Loving God, hear our prayer.”

• Loving Jesus, be with all families who have lost loved ones this week, from COVID 19 and from 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 each other’s needs, then response

Let Us Pray

          Dear God of us all…you know what we need before we ask…give us what we most need today.  Help us to keep our eyes on you that we wouldn’t get lost in the material things of this world, but ever strive to make our world a more just place in which to live for all your creatures.  Give us the wisdom to grow strong and beautiful vineyards in gratitude to you who has so generously given to each of us.  We ask this of you who are our God and who lives and loves us forever and ever. AMEN

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Let Us Pray—My friends, once again, we must be without the physical presence of Jesus through the bread of the altar, but trust and believe that Jesus is always with us….

Prayer after Communion

Loving Jesus, let your presence, which we share always, fill us with your life—may your love which we celebrate here touch our lives and lead us to you.  We ask this in your wonderful name, Amen.

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Dear Friends,

Twenty-three of us met via Zoom today to celebrate Mass and our love for God and each other. If you weren’t able to join us today, hopefully you can next month, October 25, 2020! I hope this finds you all safe and well. Please call me, 507-429-3616, or email me, aaorcc2008@gmail.com. if I can help in any way, or if you just want to chat. Peace and love, Pastor Kathy

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My dear friends, the last couple of Sundays I have concentrated on the virtue of hope being that the times in which we live have in many ways shown us a lack of leadership in our nation and our Church to truly address and lead us as our country struggles with a world-wide pandemic, systemic racism and an economy that benefits the rich on the backs of the poor. 

   Hope is that virtue that allows us to go on in the midst of much that feels without hope because we believe that there is more good than bad all around us. We believe even though we live in this country that is so divided and this division is encouraged by those who are our supposed leaders.  We, each of us, dare to hope because of our faith in a God who loves us all—beyond measure and asks us to be our best.  And by our baptisms and confirmations in this faith; we are committed to that, “very best” in our world.

  This past week; I shared a prose piece, by Elaine Griffin Baker on social media—a reflection really, on the general feeling or tone within our country at the present time—a sense of division that seems to experience little direction or healing from the powers-that-be, especially in Washington. The author went on to express feelings of past times when occupants in the White House, from both political parties, showed us, on a regular basis, through the arts, times with family and general tone what is good in our country and uplifted that even though everyone didn’t agree on all policies or how things were necessarily done.  The author then reflected on our present—where we as a nation are, lamenting that any and all good of past times is now gone and that we are bereft for lack of that good as we are constantly divided instead of united in any way.

   While I earnestly try in my homilies, as your pastor, to not take sides where politics are concerned; I thought this piece was worth sharing as it seemed to name the heaviness that lies upon our nation, our very hearts, regardless of political party in this September-time of 2020.   Jesus, while with us, always said, “Check the fruits”—you will know then, how to judge right from wrong.  While it is neither my place, nor right to tell you how to vote, be assured that I will always tell you to, “check the fruits” and go from there.

   While most who read the piece that I shared, agreed that it did reflect the somber, unhappy and divided tone in our country at present, one person challenged me by saying that, “She was surprised that I would share such a piece given my line of work.” Precisely because of, “my line of work,” I know that I have a responsibility always, always, to direct my parishioners to “check the fruits” and go from there.

   Today’s Scriptures seem to validate this stance from first to last. Beginning with the prophet, Ezekiel, who speaks of the struggle that we all face—day in and day out—between good and evil with our God desiring always, our best—that we would follow the correct way, by once again, “checking the fruits” and proceeding from there.  And this desire of our loving God, comes from One who will always love and accept us—this  we know from our brother Jesus—no matter what we do or how far we may stray. 

   Paul, in his beautiful letter to the Philippians today, shows us the way to be our best selves in the example of Jesus’ life among us.  I believe that Paul would agree with Elaine Griffin Baker as he says to the Philippians, “be united in your convictions, in your love—with common purpose and mind…having no competition among you, no conceit…having humility,” [in all things].

   And Paul continues, “Each of you, must think of the interests of others, not your own [alone].  Baker seems to be suggesting that the somber tone in our country appears to be about this very idea—“thinking only of oneself.”  Paul goes on, [our brother Jesus] “was emptied of himself—he was God, but did not cling to that truth, but instead, became like us.”  More on this in a bit. 

   Today’s psalm response, number 25, gives us even more advice on how we are, “to be” in this world, among our sisters and brothers—in the largest sense, as our God is and can continue to be, through us.  The psalmist writes of God’s, “steadfast love, humility, goodness and mercy”—we can’t go wrong following such “fruits” as these!

   And finally, our gospel from Matthew today, gives us the piece of advice that as followers of our brother, Jesus; we must always take.  It is such a simple response that it is probably no wonder that we miss it from time to time.  Jesus tells us, “If you say, ‘yes’ to God, then live that out.”  And my friends, for most of us, at our baptisms, our “yeses” were spoken for us and at our confirmations; we each affirmed those original yeses, so that our path is clear, whether we always acknowledge it or not. 

   Jesus’ counsel about “checking the fruits” refers not only to others, but to ourselves—we have to look for what is good and true, noble and upright, about what is reflective of our very best, what is just, merciful and loving—what brings out good in others and not bad—what includes everyone—truly, every one and when for the most part, we can see that these things are present; we can more clearly know how to proceed—that in fact—it is the way to go.  And conversely, the opposite is true as well—where there is belittlement, disregard for others and their needs, for justice and equality, abuse of all kinds for the betterment of self, lying and the pain that each of these causes; we can be equally sure, that these are “bad fruits” and should not be followed. 

   For those who regularly read my homilies; you know that I have recently been quoting from Father Richard Rohr’s book, The Universal Christ wherein he lays out for his readers, a God big enough to be meaningful to all in this world.  I would like to conclude this homily with a very hope-filled message for all of us in these seemingly, hopeless times. 

   Father Rohr’s words are indeed a challenge to each of us, but they are hope-filled in that if we, more often than not, attempt to follow them, our world, in its entirety—people, animals, plants and on down to the smallest possible element of life will become a shining example of God-with-us and in us and all around us and this is what he and others mean when they speak of the “Cosmic Christ,” a God big enough for us all.

   Father Rohr says and I will paraphrase in order to say more in less time and space, in a chapter entitled, “Original Goodness” as opposed to the concept that humans bound on the law came up with, “original sin,” that is, that basically from the beginning, each of us was “goodness” as only our God can create.  To quote Rohr exactly, “The Christian life is simply a matter of becoming who we already are [!]”  I think we can see that starting out in a negative vein (sin) is not the most conducive to ever thinking well of ourselves or others nor treating either with dignity. 

   Paul told us in the letter to the Philippians today, that at the name of Jesus, “every knee should bend.”  Considering that Jesus chose to become part of humanity, it would follow that he saw it as “good” and not as “sin” as Rohr would say.  Again, to quote Rohr directly, “In every age and culture, we have seen regressions toward racism, sexism, homophobia, militarism, lookism and classism.  This pattern tells me that unless we see dignity as being given universally, objectively and from the beginning by God, humans will constantly think it is up to us to decide.”  Additionally, Rohr says, “To try to build on no is, in the imagery of Jesus, to ‘build on sand.’ ”

   Rohr differentiates between law and love and basically says that because God always relates to us from the standpoint, first and foremost, of love, that we should do likewise in the ways that we relate to our world. Rohr says of it, “human commandments, [in Jesus’ mind] far too often took the place of love…mere obedience is far too often a detour around actual love. Obedience is usually about cleaning up, love is about waking up.”  Incidentally, this was why Jesus often didn’t follow many of the Jewish laws and was always getting into trouble because of it.

   So, my dear friends—these times it would seem, are calling us to a full “waking-up”–being true to our senses—to see and to hear and to discern with our hearts, not our heads entirely where good is being advocated for, where there is unity and not division—all basically uplifted in the original piece I mentioned as well as through our Scriptures today.  I might suggest that if we could, more often than not, let love stand before law, we could, and would, not only “bend our knee” at Jesus’ name, but in the presence of others and all of creation, too.  Amen? Amen!  

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