September 29 - October 6, 2024
Friar's Footnotes by Fr. John Prenger, OFP
Hello. Love and blessings to all.
Well, this is really our special Franciscan Week as we in the fraternity celebrate TRANSITUS on October 3rd (along with Franciscans worldwide). It is the day that St. Francis embraced sister death and entered fully into eternal life. Of course, the 4th is the FEAST of St. Francis. Also, we are in the years of the 8th Centenary of St. Francis' life and teaching on the earth. You will remember that he died on October 3, 1226.
First, Here are the texts for the upcoming weekend Eucharist for any preparation you may wish to do: Genesis 2: 18-22; Psalm 8; Hebrews 2: 10-13; and Mark 10:2-16. The first reading is the account of the creation and partnership of woman and man. The gospel is where Jesus strongly addresses the call, the beauty and fidelity of marriage, chiding the religious community at His time for allowing the easy dissolution of the creation bond that God intended. The Hebrews reading calls Jesus (our very brother) the captain of our salvation as he was perfected in His faithful suffering for us.
Chapel Schedule
Tuesday Noon Eucharist (October 1), Fr. John presiding
Thursday Noon Eucharist (October 3), Fr. John presiding
Thursday evening (October 3) celebration of TRANSITUS at 7 pm.
(Friday retreat studying the Rule of the Order of Franciscan Penitents beginning at 9 am on Feast of St. Francis, October 4)
Saturday 5 pm Eucharist (October 5), Fr. Jim presiding.
Please pray with Jane Gonzalez, whose husband Eugenio Gonzalez, served our cathedral parish for several years as one of its priests. He died suddenly in mid September. I had the honor of presiding at their wedding and introducing them to our Charismatic Episcopal Communion.
SAYINGS OF THE SAINTS.
"Do what is necessary, then do what is possible, then suddenly, you will be doing what you once thought was impossible." St Francis of Assisi. (I had never seen this saying before but it was quoted in a rather reputable source.)
"If you find grace in prayer, pray; and if you don't find it, still pray." And "People imagine God the way they want God to be, but God is always just the way God is." (St. Giles, one of St. Francis' earliest followers.
"Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by example." St (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta.
Again, love to all as we celebrate during this week the gift to the Church that St. Francis was and with all who follow his way of being a disciple of Jesus, our Lord.
Fr. John ofp
Padre’s Pontifications by Fr. Jim McNeely
September 2024
1. I plan to restart my blog in October. It will be a place where I discuss ideas and memes from my life with God in the world as a Christian vagabond. I will make a weekly post each Friday whenever possible. Check in regularly to https://drjimbomac.wordpress.com/
2. The last third of the year is Fall. I spent much of my life in school…and the start of the Fall Semester just seems to usher in that “Fall” feeling. As we look to these months, there are two words I want to drop into your mind. The first word is “urgency”. If you are like me, you think you will “have time” to get things done. Don’t be so certain. We need to “redeem the time, for the days are evil.” The second word is “healing”. There are two aspects of this word worthy of consideration: Our own need for deeper healing in our lives AND that we need to pray for each other (and especially those in need of healing NOT a part of our community).
3. Let me suggest a new word for your vocabulary: “Business As Usual” which Is now “BAU”. Don’t BAU! Don’t BAU to complacency. Don’t BAU to mediocrity. And most of all, don’t BAU to limited visions of what God can do in our lives.
4. Finally for this month, remember an important principle of community: Ignore the noise. We have too much to accomplish to spend our time in stuff that doesn’t move us forward. For example, the world is all caught up in politics as we consider who we vote into office locally, in the state, and on the federal level. We need to ignore the nonsense and stay focused on Kingdom priorities. And remember that a big part of “ignoring the noise” is a deep, heartfelt loyalty to each other in our community. If issues emerge that require conversation, make sure we are talking TO each other, not ABOUT each other.
Dr. Jim McNeely+
Parent, Priest, Person
