Catechetical Sunday was actually last week but we had to launch our ‘one by one’ campaign, so we are celebrating it this week. Catechetical Sunday is the time for all Catholics to rededicate themselves to the mission of passing on the faith. We thank all Catechists who volunteered last year and for committing to help this year I now  ask our Catechists to please stand so we can acknowledge the commitment they make for our young people so they can grow in their faith. Thank you for all you do. Many of you are aware of the Shrine in Champion known as Our lady of Good help when our Blessed Mother spoke about the importance of teaching the children the faith. She appeared to Sr Adele Oct 9^th in 1859 when she was on her way back from Church. She said: I am the Queen of heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning, but you must do more. Make a general confession and offer communion for the conversion of sinners, If they do not convert and do penance my Son will be obliged to punish them. Adele’s companions unable to see Our Lady asked her: Who is it? Why can’t we see her as you do? Kneel said Adele: the Lady said she is the Queen of Heaven.

Our Blessed Lady gazed kindly upon them and said: Blessed are they who believe without seeing. Then looking at Adele she asked What are you doing here in idleness while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son? What more can I do? asked Adele weeping, Our Lady said: “Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation” Adele replied but how can I teach them when I know so little myself? Mary said: “Teach them their catechism how to sign themselves with the sign of the cross and how to receive the sacraments that is what I wish you to do. Now go and fear nothing, I will help you” Linda Cummer, our Faith Formation Coordinator said: It’s sad that many Catholics who promised Our Lord at their children’s baptism to bring them up Catholic are not carrying out their promise Catechetical Sunday’s a reminder to parents that they are the 1^stcatechists of the faith for their children. 

Mrs. Cummer said the enrolment of our children has been declining over the last ten years. Last year we had 50 students, this year only 35 signed up. Faith formation classes begin Oct 5^th, please take the time to enroll your children. Help them learn about Jesus. We don’t want them going through life without knowing about Jesus’s love and mercy. We were fortunate to start a youth program last year. We now have twelve teenagers going to world youth day in Fatima next summer, all of them were confirmation this year. There’s also a program called Entrust. It’s a wonderful way for Adults to become renewed in their faith. It teaches them how to listen to others who may be struggling in their faith and meet them where they are. We learn the scriptures, how to worship together and have a deeper relationship with Jesus. We offered the entrust in our parish last Spring and thirty people attended    

In today’s reading from St, Paul we hear about the importance of virtue and striving to know our faith but as I was reading todays passage and it began with: ‘but you people of God, I’m wondering what St. Paul said prior to what we hear in today’s reading, so I looked up the passage and read that St. Paul had just previously reprimanded those who were not following the teachings of Christ as he warns them: Whoever teaches something different and doesn’t agree with the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ and his teaching is conceited and understands nothing and has a morbid disposition for arguing and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicion and mutual friction among people with corrupt minds because they are deprived of the truth. (We need to remember that only Jesus is the way and the truth and the life) St. Paul then warns us that those who want to be rich can easily fall into temptation and into foolish and harmful desires which can plunge them into ruin and then reminds us that the love of money is the root of all evil and that people in their desire for money, can easily stray from the faith. St Paul is trying to warn those who are not following the teaching of Christ.

In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he affirms those are following the teachings of Jesus as states: But you people of God pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. (did you ever think of yourselves as competing for the faith or trying to know as much as you can about it because of the joy that comes from it by knowing just how much Jesus loves you. St. Paul continues: Lay hold of eternal life for which you are called when you made a noble confession in the presence of many witnesses (In other words when you shared with others what you believe in) St. Paul goes on to say: “I charge you before God who gives life to all things and before Christ Jesus.. to keep the commandments without stain or reproach until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ -so the blest and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time the king of kings and Lord of Lords To him be honor and eternal power. Amen. In other words St Paul is telling us is that if we live out our faith one day we will be united to our Lord and God the king of kings Jesus Christ. But this is also where the responsibility is place on the parents who are referred to in the baptismal rite as the 1^st teachers in the ways of faith may they also be the best teachers by bearing witness to the faith in what they say and do in Christ Jesus Our Lord, We all need to think about the responsibility we have not only for our family and friends but for ourselves

Now we come to today’s Gospel which should be an eye opener for all of us, myself included, if we are living our lives too comfortably. Do we ever concern ourselves with those who are struggling. The rich man has everything anyone could possibly want but is unwilling to share with someone less fortunate. Those who are living out their faith and are followers of Jesus - get this. We can’t be like the rich man and be so far removed from the world that we don’t see those suffering around us. I do commend our parishioners for all they do with the food pantry and St Vincent de Paul and all the other ministries that help those less fortunate but we need to ask ourselves what role am I playing in all of this? How are we going to teach our young children about the mission of Christ if we are living out the mission or if they aren’t learning about their faith. We celebrate Catechetical Sunday every year so we are reminded of the great responsibility we have as teachers of the faith. We also can’t use the excuse that we don’t know how to teach them because Sr Adele used that same excuse as we recall the words of Our lady to Sr. Adele when she told her to Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation. Adele replied but how can I teach them when I know so little myself? Mary said: “Teach them their catechism how to sign themselves with the sign of the cross and how to receive the sacraments that is what I wish you to do, Now go and - fear nothing I will help you

I think we all need to live by those words now go and teach them and they will have a life of faith and eternal reward. This weekend a young man was confirmed because he chose for himself to take religious instruction over the summer because his faith means a lot to him so he could be confirmed with his classmates, He’s accompanying the other teens to world youth day. I ask parents to set an example for their children by attending mass regularly so they will be set on the right path and establish a relationship with our lord. Our Lady of good help spoke about the importance of our children knowing their catechism and the sacraments. What I found interesting is when she emphasized the importance of them learning how to sign themselves with the sign of the cross and how we always need to call upon the father and the Son and the holy Spirit. I wonder how often we overlook the importance of that practice. A few years ago I was having dinner with my nephew and his wife and their daughter who was just learning how to pray and I began the meal prayer without making the sign of the cross and my nephew said to me “If you would have started with the sign of the cross, she would have remembered and I thought what a lost opportunity.  I pray that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the way and the truth and the life will help us grow in our faith so that we too can enjoy eternal life. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen