Pastor's Corner

As our country honors work and workers on this Labor Day, enjoy a good read from Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church.

•    Deuteronomy  14:28-29  

         The Lord blesses our work  so that we may share its fruits with others.

•    Deuteronomy 24:14-15  

        Do not withhold wages from  your workers, for their livelihood depends on them.

•    Isaiah 58:3-7  

         To observe religious practices, but oppress  your workers is false worship. 

•    Jeremiah 22:13 

         Woe to him who treats his workers unjustly.

•    Matthew 20:1-16  

         All workers should be paid a just and living  wage.

•    Luke 3:10-14 

          Practice integrity in your work.

“It is clear from the very first pages of the Bible that work is an essential part of human dignity; there we read that 'the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it' (Gen 2:15). Man is presented as a laborer who works the earth, harnesses the forces of nature and produces ‘the bread of anxious toil’ (Ps 127:2), in addition to cultivating his own gifts and talents. Labor also makes possible the development of society and provides for the sustenance, stability and fruitfulness of one’s family: ‘May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children’s children!’ (Ps 128:5-6).” (Pope Francis, The Joy of Love [Amoris Laetitia], nos. 23-24). 

"I would like to remind everyone,  especially governments engaged in boosting the world's economic and social assets, that the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is man, the  human person in his or her integrity: 'Man is the source, the focus and the  aim of all economic and social life'." (Pope Benedict XVI, Charity  in Truth [Caritas in Veritate], no. 25, quoting Second Vatican Council, The Church in the Modern World [Gaudium et Spes], no. 63).

"The obligation to earn one's bread by the sweat of one's brow also presumes the right to do so. A society in which this right is systematically denied, in which economic policies do not allow workers to reach satisfactory levels of employment, cannot be justified from an ethical point of view, nor can that society attain social peace." (St. John Paul II, The Hundredth Year [Centesimus  Annus], no. 43).

"As the Church solemnly reaffirmed in the  recent Council, 'the beginning, the subject and the goal of all social  institutions is and must be the human person.' All people have the right to work, to a chance to develop their qualities and their personalities in the exercise of their professions, to equitable remuneration which will enable them and their families 'to lead a worthy life on the material, social,  cultural and spiritual level' and to assistance in case of need arising from sickness or age." (St. Paul VI, A Call to Action [Octogesima Adveniens], no. 14).

You might look at the article in the Leaven this weekend to read about the special morning we held here at Nativity on August 13th, the Memorial of Blessed Michael McGivney. Archbishop McKnight joined us for the First Public displaying of three first class relics: The Blood of St. John Paul II, and the hair of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Blessed Michael McGivney. All displayed in a custom reliquary made in Italy and given by the Knights of Columbus. These will eventually be permanently enshrined in our Chapel.

What makes this particularly meaningful is that the three relics together tell a remarkable story of modern Catholic holiness. The uniqueness is not simply that Nativity possesses relics, since many churches do, usually in the altar as we ourselves have, but which saints are represented, why they belong together, and the opportunity they give our parish to encounter the Church’s call to holiness in a very tangible way.

John Paul II, Mother Teresa, and Michael McGivney are not figures from the distant past. They lived among us. They prayed in churches like ours, walked streets like ours, dealt with the pressures of modern life, served people with very real needs, and responded to the circumstances God placed before them.

Their relics remind us that sainthood is not an impossible ideal belonging to another age. It is the vocation of every Christian. And just as each of us experience our uniqueness in diversity, each of these three saints can show us how we might seek holiness by their unique example.

St. John Paul II — holiness through teaching, courage, leadership, prayer, and an unwavering proclamation of Christ.

St. Teresa of Calcutta — holiness through charity, compassion, sacrifice, and seeing Christ in the poorest and most forgotten.

Blessed Michael McGivney — holiness through priesthood, family life, parish community, and bringing the Catholic faith into ordinary people's lives.

In other words, they demonstrate that there is no single mold for becoming a saint.

A child can look at John Paul II and think, I can be courageous. A young person can look at Mother Teresa and think, I can serve. A husband or wife can look at Blessed McGivney and think, I can make my family and community holy. A priest can look at all three and ask, how is Christ asking me to give myself to His people?

Mother Teresa and John Paul II are universally recognizable Catholic figures. But Blessed Michael McGivney has a particularly compelling connection to parish life. He was a diocesan priest who founded the Knights of Columbus and understood the parish as a place where faith, family, charity, and fraternity come together. His life should remind us that holiness is not something that just happens somewhere else, but right here in the life of our parish.

Since we are using the theme: "Building on the Heart of Nativity," as our theme this 40th Anniversary year for our parish, we are reminded that the heart of a parish is ultimately Christ. The saints are people who allowed Christ to take possession of their lives. So the relics can become part of the larger story of what you are trying to build at Nativity:

We are not simply building buildings. We are building a community of disciples who are striving for holiness. The school, parish, ministries, capital campaign, liturgies and programs all have their ultimate purpose in forming people who know Christ and, like these three witnesses, learn to give their lives to Him. We are thankful for the gift of these relics that remind us of our common relationship in Christ.

-Fr. Jerry