It is the tradition of the Archdiocese of New Orleans to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confesson) near the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. This year confessions will be available in all Catholic Churches of the Archdiocese of New Orleans on Wednesday, September 11 from 5:00 P.M.-6:30 P.M.

This week the U. S. celebrates Patriot Day, also know as 9/11 or September 11. It is the annual observance commemorating those who were killed or injured during the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001. Let us remember this day in prayer and all those who lost their lives and for their families. Let us pray for peace and healing within our community, state, nation, and world.

We gather around the table of the Lord on this Labor Day weekend to share a meal. Our invitation to the eternal banquet of the kingdom begins with our Baptism. Like all invitations, it comes with an RSVP. Our response is found in the way we live our lives—in our gratitude for all that God has done—in our desire to serve God by serving others, and in our life of prayer and worship. In today’s Gospel, we listen to Jesus tell a parable about invitations to a banquet while He Himself is a guest at a dinner—let us consider our hospitality toward others.

 The liturgies over the last several weeks have allowed us to journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem.  The readings have been serious, urging us to put our priorities in order, to discipline our desires, to live Gospel values, and most of all, to pray.  In today’s Gospel, we are given fair warning by Jesus that we should strive earnestly to enter the kingdom of God, and not simply assume a place will be reserved for us. 

Jesus outlines many of the ways in which His coming into the world will cause division, and not peace. He comes, as He says in today’s Gospel, to set the earth on fire—not to destroy it, but to emblaze it with the fullness of God’s love for us. Jesus’ mission was to challenge us to remain faithful to our merciful, loving, forgiving God.

In whom do you trust? Our Scripture readings today assures us that we can always trust in God. Abraham and Sarah were an elderly, childless couple living in a foreign land, but Abraham trusted God’s promise that one day he would have descendants “as numerous as the stars.” How could he believe this? The second reading from Hebrews provides the answer to us. Hebrews says it was because “the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.” In a challenging and uncertain world, let us put our trust in our loving God.

For the next four Sundays, the Gospel ask us to look seriously about getting ready for the return of the Master. What is worthwhile? Is it the accumulation of wealth? See today’s Gospel reading. How can we do the right thing? We should try to be good stewards! See the 19 th Sunday’s Gospel. Will it be easy to live the mission of Jesus? See the 20 th Sunday’s Gospel. Will there be struggles and tribulations? See the 21st Sunday’s Gospel. In summary, these readings are about the end of times.

“All Churches, both young and old, are called to give and to receive in the context of the universal mission, and none should be closed to the needs of others,” (John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio). All church parishes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans participates in the Missionary Cooperative Plan which is three-fold: 1) to educate the people of the Archdiocese regarding the missionary work of Christ, 2) to solicit prayers and financial support for the missionaries and 3) to harmonize missionary efforts and guarantee a fair distribution of aid.

ST. CHARLES CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL It is not too late to apply for admission for the 2019-2020 school year at St. Charles Catholic High School. Our faculty and staff are called to educate students – both academically and spiritually while offering our students the opportunities that will maximize their potential. This responsibility is supported in our school’s mission statement, “St. Charles Catholic High School educates our students in a supportive, diverse, Christ-centered environment while inspiring them to excel in faith, academics, extracurricular activities, and service.” To apply on-line or to learn about the St. Charles Catholic High School experience, visit our web site at www.stcharlescatholic.org. For more information, or to schedule a tour of the school, please give us a call at 985- 652-3809 or 504-628-2641.

Today, our parish along with all Catholic churches in the U.S., will take up the 134 th 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. Schools, parish religious education programs, and diocesan ministries depend on the support of us all to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

very religion has its book of the law, and today’s First Reading from Deuteronomy emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the voice of God in those commandments and statues. Today we are challenged to love God with our entire being and our neighbor as ourselves. On the face of it, these are difficult commandments to live out day after day, but Moses reminds us that they are written in our hearts. Our task is to listen to God’s Word and carry it out at each moment, in each situation we face.

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, promulgated by Saint Pope Paul VI, proclaimed the Church is the People of God, and the people belong to a royal priesthood. “For those who believe in Christ, who are reborn not from a perishable but from an imperishable seed through the word of the living God. (88) not from flesh but from water and the Holy Spirit, (89) are finally established as a “chosen race a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people…who in times past were not a people, but are not the People of God” (90). These words come from Sacred Scripture, 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

The Christian life is one of following the way of Christ. Jesus calls us out of our “worldliness,” out of our habits and attachments to follow His way. God’s call is a daunting invitation and demands a wholehearted commitment. After we encounter the Lord, He sends us out to proclaim the truth of His kingdom.  

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Second only to Holy Thursday, today’s feast offers us an opportunity to focus on the meaning of the Eucharist. As Vatican II has told us, “the Eucharist is the source and summit” of our Christian life. The Eucharist brings the Church together as it sustains it. The Eucharist makes real the basic mystery of the Christian faith— namely, the saving death and Resurrection of Jesus the Christ. The Eucharist provides spiritual food and empowers believers to follow Christ. In the Eucharist we encounter Christ’ love and healing; here we are strengthened and nourished to live the Gospel and to hope for a share in His eternal life.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! To our Dads, may you share God’s greatest gift in your life—your children. May you have a most relaxing and enjoyable day with those you love. I will remember all Dads today at Mass with a special blessing for all father’s before the final blessing at Mass this weekend.