Can you believe it—it’s late September already. And this weekend’s gospel, Matthew 21: 28-32, calls us to consider our choices in life, especially the faith choices we make, and to see how all choices we made may either lead us closer to Christ or divert us from His grace and blessings, His way of life. The first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel tells us that we need to make a sincere commitment about turning from sin and evil and walking toward Good and the Lord.

Congratulations to our new Confirmed teens and their families! Overdue since April, we gathered in our church for this Sacrament of Initiation for 59 parish teens. The Holy Spirit was animated through these teens and their families as they affirmed their faith in Christ Jesus and His Church:

Today Jesus speaks of a landowner who needs to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. The Master hires workers at all times of the day but pays them each the same wages. That in-and-of-itself might be considered unjust by some in today’s culture—after all, does the landowner have a right to own a vineyard and to expect others to work in it…for his profit, even for pay?

A unique opportunity presents itself for the women of our parish and for the St. Catherine of Siena Women’s Club Ministry. As you know, since the founding of our parish in 1974 many dedicated and devoted women have belonged to—and led—this organization which is an integral part of our parish, historically and for our parish’s future

It is an understatement to say “that forgiveness can be difficult” but it can be because certain kinds of pain or grief linger in the human heart and create a form of “forgiveness reflux,” as the anger or grief just keeps “repeating” on you. We also live in a culture where many will often say that “they forgive, but they will not forget” or that “revenge is a dish best served cold,” which because of insults, perceived and real offenses, tensions, and diverse opinions, i.e., the right of everyone to hear and accept my opinion, makes pardoning and reconciliation sometimes impossible to obtain.

I want to take this time and space to make a very happy announcement about Deacon Joseph MacNeill, newly ordained a Deacon in the Catholic Church last 27 June 2020. The Deacon was anticipating returning to Rome this September to finish his seminary training and then he would be ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ next May or June 2021.

“…You are an obstacle to me…” There is no guessing about what God considers faith “obstacles” in our minds toward God’s ways. The very next line in this Gospel lays it out as clear as can be: “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Merriam Webster defines ob·sta·cle | \ ˈäb-sti-kəl as “something thatimpedes progress or achievement.”

On this 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time we hear from the Prophet Isaiah, St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and from the Gospel of Matthew. The readings speak to us first about the human person and how an abuse of authority can lead delusions of “self aggrandizement”. Our second reading addresses the immensity of God, His ways and our human inability to fully grasp His goodness, mercy and plan; while the gospel as our third reading talks to us about the Kingdom of God, how God’s power and authority flows to His Church, and the meaning of the Magisterium and its relationship with the Body of Christ--you and me.

In February 2020 Archbishop Leonard Blair affirmed my recommendation for the Parish awardee of the Archdiocesan St Joseph Medal of Appreciation, the Hartford Church’s highest award recognizing members of the laity for their good works at the parish level—good works which promote the ongoing mission and ministry of Christ. This year our parish recognizes, congratulates and thanks Mr. and Mrs. Kevin and Mary O’Bryan as our recipients of the St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation.

This weekend we celebrate the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and we hear from the Gospel of Matthew, 1 Kings and St. Paul in the Letter to the Romans. As imperfect disciples—which we all are—we must ask ourselves 3 questions based on the key messages of today’s readings: (1) Where do we search/look for God—where do we hear Him speak to us; (2) Do we believe that God makes Himself present to us today; and, (3) How how much Trust am I willing to put into growing my faith?

In these uncertain times amid the pandemic, there are lots of fears—both founded and unfounded—about the dangers, transmissibility, infection rates, and more—about returning to in-person school and parish faith formation programs. Understandably, parents are concerned as well as teachers, but the only remedy to this fear is truth—truth based in data-driven facts. Far too much of the “news” today is emotion-drive, for many reasons—politics being one—and that emotion-drive misinformation produces no good.

A good question—one that we must answer if we want to “get” anything out of the story or parable itself. Over the next three weeks we will hear in the Sunday Gospels from Matthew, specifically from chapter 11 and the parables of Jesus. So, as Julia Andrews in the Sound of Music told us, start at “the very beginning,” and with the parables this is most important to their understanding and meaning—so we can begin with the question: “What are the parables all about?” before we go deeper into their meanings and applicability to our faith lives.

The maintenance of our facilities is important—and like your homes—ongoing, and we all know that it is less expensive to keep up with repairs than to replace items before their life expectancy ends. A couple of items for your information: This coming week you will notice all of the OUTSIDE DOORS in Russell Hall are being replaced with doors similar to the ones on the front entrance to the atrium

In the second reading today from Romans we hear “Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” What does it mean for us today as Christians to have “the Spirit of God dwell in us?” What must we think about “Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him”?

With great joy the people of Saint Catherine of Siena Parish welcome newly ordained Transitional Deacon Joseph MacNeill of the Archdiocese of Hart-ford to our parish for a summer internship. Archbishop Leonard Blair ordained Deacon Joe on 27 June 2020 at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford. Deacon Joe will serve here at Saint Cath-erine of Siena from mid-July (July 18) until mid-September,

In the Gospel of Matthew this weekend we see the beginning design of Jesus’ Church: personally Jesus can only reach so many people so He needs disciples to continue and expand His personal mission and ministry into the world, thus He will need His disciples to travel in His Name and proclaim His Love to the world, continuing to this very day calling us—you and me—to be His disciples. Thus the gospel is meant to be read closely and taken to heart.

That’s right, on July 4 and 5 our parish along with all parishes in the Archdiocese of Hartford are able to offer in-person public Masses on the weekends. This is in addition to our regular 8:30 a.m. Daily Masses. Our summertime Mass schedule is the Saturday Vigil at 5 p.m., and Sunday Masses at 8 and 11 a.m. How do we return to the Public Mass? CLICK TO READ MORE!

As we celebrate Father’s Day—and in remembering Mother’s Day, since “the two become one”—our faith calls us to recognize the importance of parenthood on this weekend. It becomes clear in the Rite of Baptism’s closing prayer as the priest proclaims the Church’s hope for the parents in these prayerful words: that “He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith. May they be also the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

These last few months certainly have been challenging and difficult times. We all have had our work- and home-lives changed, our social lives too have been turned upside-down to say the least. We’ve learned to grocery shop differently, to greet and say goodbye in new ways, Zoom or GoToMeetings have become new ways of communicating; and what can we say about distance learning and the workload added to being a mom and dad.

So a good starting point for us to consider might be this: How essential is Christ to me and my life? As Catholic Christians we believe that we have been made in the image and likeness of God; that we share in His Divine Attributes: that we are comprised of His Mercy, His Compassion, His Love and His Charity. And that is a wonderful starting place—and enough for us to be sure that to God, and hopefully to one another, we are “essential.”