"In you, O Lord, I have found my peace."  I found this refrain, from this weekend's Responsorial Psalm, to be helpful for me given all the events in the past several weeks. If we deep-dive into the news, we will inevitably find darkness and be tempted to despair. But, do not be upset. Do not give in to, what St. Pope John XXIII spoke about at the dawn of the Second Vatican Council, "the prophets of doom." Rather, "the Church is ever renewed, she is always reborn" (Pope Benedict XVI, "Statement to the Seminarians of Rome," 8 Feb. 2013).

We Catholics may sometimes be critiqued as having a morbid fixation with the dead. After all, we have an entire month (November) where we, unofficially, remember them. I would like to counter that the Church has not a morbid fixation, but a holy reverence for those whose we love who have passed beyond this world into eternity. Our love is alive and deep for those already in heaven. This is what we celebrated on All Saints Day. We are celebrating the greatest gift God has bestowed on his faithful short of our mere existence. This is another reason to have peace. So, please consider writing the names down of your departed loved ones in our Book of Remembrance.

Related, I had several people ask where the Book of Intentions went last week, as it was no longer present in the Narthex. Being that I am still new-ish to the parish, I had no response. After inquiring at the office, the Book of Intentions was removed in lieu of the Book of Remembrance. The office staff also confirmed that this has been a tradition for many years. No worries. Again, be at peace. It will return after November.

The war in the Holy Land continues, as of this writing, which is another call for us to pray to our Lord for peace. We can pray for the political mechanics to turn for a change in direction, but know that our prayer for a birth of peace by supernatural mechanics is even more powerful. Remember, "the future really belongs to God: this is the great certainty of our life, the great, true optimism that we know" (ibid.).

So, do not be upset. Do not let sadness overcome you. Each of us are responsible for our own joy and peace, and it is a sure bet that such joy and peace can only be found in our Lord. May you have a blessed week. Go out and share your joy and peace that comes from our Lord, for our world and community are in serious need of it and of Him!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor