October 4-5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     How very brazen is the prophet Habakkuk when he calls out to God and scolds the Lord for not listening to his cries! We would not be so bold or would we? When things don’t go our way or we are perplexed by the “insanity” in the world around us we may have a similar response though not so dramatic.  Generally, in this day and age people like the prophet shut down, tune out, or just don’t care.  There is a lot of that going around.  The “silence” of God often leads to despair.

    But deep down we know that God is not silent, it’s just that we are not listening.  The encounter with God is in the still, small voice that we often miss because of the raging sirens around us.   How, then, do we extract ourselves from the endless cacophony?  

   Perhaps the best way of all is spending time SILENTLY before the Blessed Sacrament in our Eucharistic Chapel or even some moments of prayer following Holy Mass to contemplate the awesome wonder of the Lord Jesus Christ entering our humble, broken human flesh.  This mystical commingling prefigured in the Offertory Rite of the Mass when the priest or deacon pours  drops of water into the wine while preparing the chalice is rich for contemplation and meditation.  Perhaps it is rarely given a thought but its significance is profound.  God is commingling with lil’ ol’ me. Can you believe it?  You must, because that is why Jesus came.  Silence is the only way we can come to appreciate what Christ has done for us and it is in that sacred silence that we are preserved from despair and doubt realizing that God is God and we are not.

     In this respect life month of October, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, may we increase our efforts to promote the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death, praying for the conversion of hearts.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

September 27-28

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Autumn has sneaked up on us and perhaps we are not quite ready for the jackets, scarves and hats but time moves on whether we are ready for it or not.  With the seasonal change we often find ourselves in a mood change as well,from being out in the sunshine to being inside with the warmth.  And how blessed we are to have that secure warmth and protection.  Unfortunately, there are those among us who do not have that same security like poor Lazarus whom we encounter in today’s Gospel.  It wasn’t so much that Dives, (the rich man), was belligerent to Lazarus, he was not.  But the sad circumstance was that the poor man was ignored.

    Not recognizing a fellow human being in distress or danger is becoming more and more the tragedy of our day.  Acknowledging the dignity of every living person is the foundation of our moral life as followers of Jesus Christ. Dare we ever ignore a brother or sister in need?  Of course not.  So we examine our conscience and review the many ways we can and must reach beyond ourselves. Our Annual Appeal for the Ministries of our diocese is one of the important ways for our outreach. Another way is joining in prayer for the unborn child and his/her parents.  We have the wonderful opportunity to do so with our Rosary Rally next Saturday, October 4th in Central Park.  We begin with Mass and devotions at 11AM in St. Mary Magdalen Church after which we proceed to the Park for our public witness that we are disciples for LIfe.  Come join us as we respect the most vulnerable among us and pray for their life and their future.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Though this feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross  is celebrated only every seven years on a Sunday it is the powerful reminder that the Cross is the most recognized symbol of our Christian Faith  We see, in whatever setting these two crossed beams are found, and instantly recall the event that  transformed the cruelest instrument of torture into the triumph over sin and death.  He, Who with His foster father, fashioned necessities out of wood for families now fashioned the Table of Sacrifice from which we receive the Bread of Life and the Blood of Redemption.

      So singularly important was and is the Cross that it stirred the Roman Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, to travel, in her advanced years, to the Holy Land in search of this treasure beyond gold.  Miraculously she found the Cross and brought it back to Rome where she had a church constructed for the purpose of protecting this sacred relic and making it  available for the veneration of the faithful.  Over the centuries miniscule slivers have been shaved from the Cross and these relics have traversed the globe.  Your pastor is privileged to have guardianship over one of these relics.  Following several of this week’s Masses you are invited to be blessed with the relic following Mass.  Those who do not receive the blessing this Sunday may do so the following week.

With Blessings,

Father Langan