March 28, 2024

The Jubilee Year of Mercy comes to a close on Sunday, November 20, the Solemnity of Christ the King. While the Door of Mercy at the Cathedral will be closed at the 11 a.m. Mass that day and physical pilgrimages will end, our personal need for mercy and our call to be merciful toward others will not. The theme for the Jubilee Year, “Merciful like the Father” should inspire us to continue on a daily spiritual pilgrimage with grateful hearts.

November is a time when we remember in special ways. In the Church the month is dedicated to recalling those saints and souls who went before and in whose legacy we live. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

As a nation we pray together in thanksgiving for the blessings we have received, including the gift of life. As someone said, “Life is the greatest bargain, we got it for nothing.” In response we ought to recommit ourselves to defending life for others, especially the unborn and the vulnerable elderly. And we ought to gratefully live our lives praying for and helping our brothers and sisters in need.

Pope Francis speaking to doctors noted, “There is no human life more sacred than another, just as there is no human life qualitatively more significant than another. The credibility of a healthcare system is not measured solely by efficiency, but above all by the attention and love given to the person whose life is always sacred and inviolable. Never fail to ask the Lord and the Virgin Mary for the strength to accomplish your work well and to bear witness courageously to the Gospel of life.” That encouragement applies to all of us whatever our vocation or work.

We also pray in thanksgiving for the gift of freedom we enjoy in a unique way in our country. Sadly this blessing is not secure as some in government, education, media and business seek to restrict it by the heavy hand of law or intimidation. Let us recommit ourselves to defend religious liberty and freedom of conscience which is the bedrock on which a stable society is built.

This month may we also remember and give thanks to all those who help and support us every day.

Recently such recognition took on special meaning for me personally. Racing down the steps in the bishop’s house at a pace reserved for those younger, I slipped, fell and hit my head on the railing, causing a deep cut. In a time of vulnerability I experienced the steady and professional hands of first responders, emergency room personnel, and the concern and support of staff and friends. With embarrassment and bruised pride (I was not able to wear a mitre for several days) my gratitude towards those who accompany me every day in so many ways is deeper than before. This Thanksgiving you might reflect on those who stand by you each day, especially in those times when vulnerable.

There is a story I like which reminds us that we do not need to do great things to have a lasting and consoling impact on others, but as Saint Mother Teresa suggested, by doing little things with love, seeing Jesus in others: “The pastor received a letter marked, ‘Please give to Harry the Usher.’ This is what was in it.

“Dear Harry, I’m sorry I do not know your last name, but then you don ‘t know mine. I’m Gert, Gert at the ten o’clock Mass every Sunday. I’m writing to ask you a favor. I don’t know the priests too well, but somehow feel close to you. I don’t know how you got to know my first name, but every Sunday you smile and greet me by name, and we exchange a few words: how bad the weather is, how much you like my hat, and how I am late on a particular Sunday. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to remember an old woman, for the smiles, for your consideration, and for your thoughtfulness.

“Now for the favor. I am dying, Harry. My husband has been dead for sixteen years. And the kids are scattered. It is very important to me that when they bring me into church for the last time, you will be there to say, ‘Hello Gert, good to see you.’ If you are there Harry, I will feel assured that your warm personality will be duplicated in my new home in heaven.. With love and gratitude. Gert.” (Bausch)

Thank you Gert for your example of gratefulness and for your reminder about those to whom we ought to share our own gratitude.

There is an old amusing “prayer” written by the ever popular anonymous: “Lord, bless us for our thank-less-ness, lest Thou bless us for our thank-ful-ness, and we starve.”

May this November be one filled with good memories of those who have touched our lives in the past and with gratitude for those who touch our lives each day.

May we also with grateful hearts thank God the Father for the gift of life, God the Son for his saving sacrifice, institution of the Church, and his presence in the sacraments most profoundly in the Holy Eucharist, and God the Holy Spirit for his guidance and protection.

We give thanks to the Lord when we are “Merciful like the Father.”