From the Pastor's Desk | October 15, 2023

Apology

The older I get, the better I become at saying, “I am sorry,” because, by now, I have so much practice at it. As I said at the end of Masses last weekend, my sincere apologies to Deacon Carl and Deacon Jim for not including them in my words of thanks to the staff and faculty of St. Martha Parish in last weekend’s bulletin. It was unintentional but inexcusable, and I am very sorry! I am most appreciative of their service to the Lord, His Church, and to St. Martha Parish! I am very impressed by both of them - for their sincerity of heart, Love of the Lord, and service to His people. 

Deacon Dave Drayton

Speaking of our deacons, Bishop Boyea has assigned Deacon Dave Drayton to St. Martha Parish! Deacon Dave comes to us from St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Student Center in East Lansing. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and connections within the local and greater Lansing outreach organizations including St. Vincent de Paul, St. Vincent Catholic Charities, Cristo Rey, and Holy Cross Childrens’ Services.

Since arriving here in Okemos, I have been impressed with our commitment to outreach. We have a very dedicated group of volunteers in the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Our Council of Catholic Women take on various outreach projects including our giving tree, holiday food baskets, funeral luncheons, and more. Our Knights of Columbus also take on several outreach projects. Soraya Nowland is working nonstop (literally) helping women and children in crisis, working for greater awareness of our pro-life initiatives, and the bread ministry.

One thing I think is lacking, however, is a point person on staff to help organize, focus, and move our outreach programming forward to make it more visible within the community. I have charged Deacon Dave as the Director of Outreach for our parish. Our goal and vision is to create a plan that will allow us to organize our efforts, create more visibility within the community, foster the relationships within our parish ministries, build relationships with the area outreach organizations, and ultimately help more people in need. I am thankful for Deacon Dave for taking on this endeavor! I am also very thankful for everyone who gives of their time, talent, and treasure in helping God’s people! 

Life Chain

Thank you to Soraya Nowland for organizing and leading our efforts for Life Chain on October 1. There was a good group of us who stood along Grand River Ave. advocating for the unborn and the right to life while praying silently. We ended at the memorial for the unborn where we prayed for those who have died because of abortion, those who see abortion as the only option, and those who suffer the effects of abortion.
As we continue to move through the month of October, please remember that October is both the month of rosary and the month of respect for life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law…” (par. 2271).

Fr. Mike Murray

I sit on the board of directors of the Michigan Association of Nonpublic Schools (MANS). Last week we held our annual Administrators Conference at Shanty Creek in Bellaire, MI. Each year MANS awards the Fr. Zwers award to pastors and leaders from MANS constituencies for their support and involvement with faith-based schools. The criteria for this award is a person who has a strong history of support for faith-based schools; is able to articulate the importance of faith-based schools; has ongoing connections to their school community, its parents, teachers, and students; and has demonstrated support for all work in leading the school community.

This year’s recipient is our very own Fr. Mike Murray! Fr. Mike worked tirelessly when he stepped into St. Martha Parish and rightly saw the strengthening of the school as a top priority. He also has worked hard to ensure that Catholic education in the area remains affordable, accessible, and available so that anyone and everyone can gain an authentically Catholic education both in the faith and in academics. Congratulations, Fr. Mike!

(For the record, I recused myself from the vote, knowing Fr. Mike was a candidate; it was legitimate.)

Gospel Reflection

We find ourselves in the 28th week of Ordinary Time which means we are nearing the end of the liturgical year. There are seven weeks left until the First Sunday of Advent when we begin a new liturgical year. As we move toward the end, the Church asks us to reflect on just that - the end. We will notice that the readings from Holy Scripture will take on a tone of eschatology, meaning, the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind. As we move further into November, we will reflect on the four last things - heaven, hell, death, and judgment culminating in the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe.

We hear some of this in our readings this week, particularly the Gospel - the parable of the wedding feast. The Church Fathers saw the invited guests as the people of Israel - those to whom Christ was sent to gather around himself. But, many of them refused to come. The Church Fathers saw in the second attempt to gather invited guests the Gentiles - those outside the Jewish community to whom the Gospel was preached. But, some ignored the invitation and went away. Finally, there was a third attempt to invite whomever the servants found in the streets - the good and the bad alike. This shows us God’s intention and desire that all might be saved. Yet, God respects our freedom and will never impose himself. Rather, he invites us into a relationship with Him. We read or hear that word invite five times in this particular passage.

In the marriage imagery, St. Gregory the Great saw the wedding of Christ to His Church and the wedding garment as the virtue of charity. The person without a wedding garment is a person who believes in the Church but does not robe himself/herself with the virtue of charity. The disposition of charity in addition to belief is necessary for our continued relationship with the Lord.

I was recently talking with someone in my office who said something similar to, “Sometimes it just seems like we are so concerned about commands and rules.” While that is partially true, that understanding of the faith misses something. The best word I can think of for the spiritual life is relationship. When we enter into any relationship, there are certain boundaries or guardrails meant to protect the relationship. We see this most certainly in marriage. There are certain things we just don’t do because the relationship means everything. The same holds true in the spiritual life. Our Father invites us into a relationship, and our disposition of love for Him and for our neighbor is necessary in addition to our belief in Him and His Church. As we move through this week, I pray that we take some time to reflect on our relationship with the Lord or our understanding of that relationship and what role the Church plays to help foster and protect that relationship.

Know of my prayers for you all!
Fr. Ryan