Today, October 16th , Confirmation candidates from St. Peter and St. Hubert Parishes will celebrate the Rite of Election, their formal declaration that they wish to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Rite of Election takes place at the 11:00 A.M. Mass. Today, Confirmation candidates will also participate in a Day of Retreat. I ask that you keep the Confirmation candidates in your prayers. The Sacrament of Confirmation will be administered on Monday, November 7th by Archbishop Alfred Hughes. All parishioners are invited to attend.

We come together today to give praise and glory to God in a spirit of gratitude. We are grateful to God for the gift of faith that blossoms within us and for God’s healing presence in each one of us and in the world, which makes us whole again. During the pandemic there have been times when collectively or individually we have not been able to gather. Our Scripture Readings invite us to reflect on our gratitude for what God has done for us, particularly through Christ. It begins with acknowledging that it is the Lord who has acted on our behalf. Take a few moments during this week and ask yourself, “what am I grateful for?” Then thank God for the gift of gratitude.

Each October the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October is observed as Respect Life Sunday. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, at every point in between. During the month of October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.

Today, Sunday, September 25th is FAMILY DAY in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. This year, the theme for Family Day is “Rise to the Occasion.” To “Rise to the Occasion” means to take responsibility for what is right in front of us. Like a small amount of yeast in a huge mass of flour, we make the whole dough rise and reach its full potential. We “rise to the occasion” when we encourage each member of our family to be the person God calls them to be. We “rise to the occasion” when we contribute to our church parish’s life that needs our presence and participation.

Today, the second collection will be for the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC). Your support helps CCC engage and build Catholic communities in the United States and around the world using the internet, television, radio, and print media. Half of the funds we collect remain in the Archdiocese of New Orleans to support local efforts. Be a part of this campaign to spread the Gospel message.

As Catholics, we belong to a liturgical church. One aspect of this is the observation of the Church Year—a fixed, three-year (Sunday) calendar. In other words, we follow the Lectionary. We do not freely choose the readings, but rather, subject ourselves to the discipline of a Lectionary that proclaims the same message to all members. This is part of being a universal Church. That being said, on 9/11, today’s celebration just happens to proclaim stories of God’s mercy in each of the readings, as well as the responsorial Psalm 51. It is the great penitential psalm known as the Miserere. This anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy becomes even more significant in the light of subsequent terrorism in our country. Today’s Second Reading from Saint Paul to Timothy expresses the evangelist’s gratitude to Christ for being treated with mercy and patience. The Gospel’s parable of the prodigal son completes the mercy and forgiveness circle.

The Holy Spirit draws us here today to worship our Lord—to listen to God’s word, and to celebrate the Eucharist. On this Labor Day weekend, as we recognize the blessings of human labor and of all those who work, whether paid or unpaid, we are also inspired to take part in the Lord’s work. May our celebration of the Eucharist strengthen us as we labor in the vineyard—helping to bring Christ’s saving message to a hungry world.

Humility is essential to the Christian life. It is the disposition and virtue that recognizes our ultimate dependency on God for all things and seeks to live in that truth and reality. It is expressed in the daily events of life—particularly in how we behave toward others and conduct our affairs. We are guests at a feast today, invited by our Lord to this wonderful Eucharistic meal. We come with humility, acknowledging our imperfections and sinfulness. Jesus also tells the host to invite those who are not well-off, who cannot repay him in any kind. Our host today at this feast is Jesus, who offers His very Body and Blood for our redemption. There is no way we can truly repay Him for His generosity and mercy.

St. Peter School is looking for substitute teachers and a choir director. If interested, please call the school office. (985)536-4296.

The Liturgy today gives us a chance to step back and to think of our journey as disciples. This journey is not a short sprint, but a marathon. Its urgency is always there. The narrow gate is always there. We are not alone, and we have food for the journey. Our Eucharistic celebration strengthens us and gives us the grace to continue our journey to be faithful disciples.

This week we take up The Catholic Relief Services Collection to reveal Christ’s love to our brothers and sisters in need. This collection helps six Catholic agencies to provide relief and support for struggling communities and to work for peace and reconciliation among our marginalized brothers and sisters here and around the world.

Be Prepared! It’s not only the Scout motto, but also good advice for daily living. In this hurricane season, thankfully, the tropics have been quiet this year, we are told to make initial preparations at the beginning of the season so that we are not overwhelmed in the event a storm is headed our way. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples to be prepared for the Son of Man will come like a thief in the night. This is our challenge now. Are we prepared for the day when our time here on earth comes to an end? Will we be prepared if it comes this year, this week, or even this day? Today, let us pray that with God’s grace we may always be ready for that day when we see the Lord face-to-face. May the Eucharist nourish and strengthen us as we grow as disciples of the Lord Jesus.

One of the most challenging points of conversion for those seeking a deeper relationship with the Lord has to do with how we handle material wealth. Today’s Gospel could not be clearer. Jesus points out that the rich man in today’s Gospel is a fool for thinking he can control the rest of his life through wealth.

Welcome to Father Richard O’Nyamwaro, S.J., director of the Mission Office for the Apostles of Jesus Missionaries. They were founded in 1968 by two Comboni Missionaries in Uganda for the purpose of the Evangelization of Africa and other parts of the world. Father Richard will speak at all the Masses this weekend about the needs for his religious community, the Apostles of Jesus.

This weekend, parishes throughout the Archdiocese of New Orleans and in the United States will take up the 138th annual National Black and Indian Mission Collection. The support of this collection helps build the Church in African American, Native American, and Alaska Native communities from coast to coast. The Archdiocese of New Orleans does receive grants from this collection.

We come today to listen to God’s Word and celebrate the Eucharist. Gathered in this place, we look around and see our neighbors. Many of them are people much like us. The neighbor in today’s Gospel—the Good Samaritan—is not. Samaritans were seen as outcasts by the Jewish people who frequented the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. It was this foreigner, this outsider, this stranger, who is the true neighbor to the Jewish victim. As we hear Jesus tell us this parable, may it expand our understanding of “neighbor” as it moves our hearts to reach out to those not like us.