Wealth: Help or Hindrance? Reflections on the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Beloved parishioners,
This weekend we have the opportunity as a parish to honor of one of our own – our very dear Deacon Greg Gerhed. We thank him and his beloved bride, Pat, for their dedicated years of service to our parish and people of South Bend. Deacon Greg was trained as a physician, but felt called by the Lord, like St. Luke the evangelist, to minister not only to bodies, but also to the souls of the people entrusted to his care. Deacon carried out his duties as deacon for 18 years with perfect dedication and with a heart of compassion like Jesus the Good Shepherd. He was relentless in his service to those shut-in and homebound as well as to the inmates at the county jail. He served our Lord Jesus in his brothers and sisters, because “whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren you do unto me” (Matthew 25:40). As Deacon Greg now retires from active ministry, we will have the opportunity to come together as a parish to thank him for his ministry among us. We will have a brunch in his honor after the 11:30 a.m. Mass this weekend. Everyone is invited.

This weekend also, the men of our parish will be conducting their Men’s Welcome Retreat. We go on retreats to respond to Jesus’ invitation, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Retreats are always times taken from one’s regular and busy life to spend some intentional time with the Lord, and to find rest in him. Retreats afford us time for introspection, reflection and resolution. I ask that we join our sons, husbands, fathers, brothers and friends in prayer as they seek to listen to and follow Jesus closely through this encounter.

Next weekend, September 24/25, we will once again have the opportunity to show our love and support to our beloved bishop in the Annual Bishop’s Appeal (ABA). The ABA affords us the opportunity to participate in the various ministries, apostolates and services the bishop is carrying out within our diocese. These include support for catholic education, seminarians education, parish support, charities, and many more. We will be invited, in the words of Pope Saint John Paul II, to “Go to the mission by giving.” The Lord has blessed us so that we can in turn bless others. What we have received is a gift, and the Lord needs us to be charitable towards others. Through the mission of the church in our diocese, lives are touched in profound ways. This year, the theme for the ABA ties with the 3-year Eucharistic revival to increase faith in and devotion to our blessed Lord in the Eucharist. The goal for our parish this year is $78,563.93. I thank you immensely for your generosity in the past. Last year we exceeded our goal and the overage was used to support our parish bell project. Please help us realize this goal by your generous donations to this year’s ABA.

Finally, I ask that you ponder on the readings for this weekend. Both the First and Gospel readings challenge us to evaluate our attitude to money or material possession. Money is the major contender with God for human hearts. Jesus said, “you cannot serve both God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). The recipients of the message of the prophet Amos saw the Sabbath as a hindrance to their inordinate desire to acquire illicit wealth by exploiting the poor. They were impatient for the new Moon and the Sabbath to be over so they could display their grain and alter the measuring scales to their own advantage. They saw nothing wrong with selling the poor who could not pay their debt for a pair of sandals. Despite all of these evils, they were very religious people, unwilling to change their ways. But the Lord stands in solidarity with the poor. He never allows their cries to go unanswered. Hence he sends the prophet Amos, who was from the South and not a prophet by trade, to go to the north and warn the people of the north to change or face with the wrath of God. So, let us again evaluate our attitude to wealth.

Does wealth help us serve God and neighbors or is wealth a hindrance?

May Jesus bless you, and may Our Lady protect you!