All Saint's Day

Dear Friends in Christ,

This weekend we celebrate All Saints (Nov. 1) and All Souls (Nov. 2). All Saints is preceded by All Hallows Eve (commonly called Hallowe’en). This celebration, which has degenerated into a commercialized and very secular event, has a Christian tradition.

In the early Church all major feasts like All Saints were celebrated with a vigil the evening before. All of us are familiar with Christmas Eve which precedes Christmas. We also have the vigil of Sunday celebrated on Saturday evening with Masses and Evening Prayer I of Sunday. All Hallows Eve was not always about witches, ghosts, and wild parties. The original meaning, the true meaning of Hallowe’en lies in its connection with the feast of All Saints. Early Christians used to go in procession from one church to another dressed like the Christians who had died for their faith in Christ. These processions would conclude with a prayer vigil that often lasted well into the night. That’s why we have celebrations like Christmas midnight Mass and the Easter Vigil.

It was only later that the pagans, who had a feast at the same time of year, began to incorporate their customs with the Christian celebration. Here at St. John the Baptist School we encourage our children to dress up like their favorite saints on Oct. 31. Prizes are awarded to the best saint costumes. This is an opportunity for all who have children to restore the “holy” to Hallowe’en. Since it falls on a Sunday this year, we all have the opportunity to remember our faithful departed on All Souls Day (Nov. 2). This commemoration reminds us of our mortality and of our connection with friends and relatives who have died. While we may hope that some are in heaven already, we also believe that our prayers, works of charity, and other sacrifices can be offered for their benefit. All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification. (Catechism of the Catholic Church §1030-1031).

Let us remember all of our loved ones next Sunday at Mass so that they will soon join their brothers and sisters in the Communion of Saints in heaven.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Life Month

Dear Friends in Christ,

October is respect life month. As followers of Christ we are called to respect human life at all of its stages. Jesus showed great respect for all persons. He welcomed little children. He comforted the elderly widow and restored her son to life. He healed the blind man and the paralyzed man. He had a real sense of the value of human life. As the Creator He sought to preserve, protect and restore his creation.

The book of Genesis tells us that when God created Adam and Eve He gave them dominion over the material world. They became stewards of the gift of life. While human beings are responsible for all creation, they are especially charged with protecting human life. In the complementary relationship of marriage, man and woman become one for the sake of mutual love and so that children may be born through that love. Every human being possesses an immortal soul, destined for eternal life with God. Every human life is sacred from the moment of conception until natural death.

As we begin to finalize our decisions in the coming election, we may find ourselves faced with a dilemma. We like a certain candidate, but we are aware that he/she is in favor of abortion. Can we vote for this person in good conscience? In 2004 a group of United States Bishops, acting on behalf of the USCCB and requesting counsel about the responsibilities of Catholic politicians and voters, received a memo from the office of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope
Benedict XVI, which stated:

“A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.”

In other words, the reasons are more compelling in the moral sense. Could a Catholic in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports legalized abortion when there is a choice of another candidate who does not support abortion or any other intrinsically evil policy? Could a voter’s preference for the candidate’s positions on the pursuit of peace, economic policies benefiting the poor, support for universal health care, a more just immigration policy, etc. overcome a candidate’s support for legalized abortion?

In such case, the Catholic voter must ask and answer the question: What could possibly be a proportionate reason (more compelling reason) to vote for a candidate that supports abortion when we consider the more than 45 million children killed by abortion in the past 35 years? Let us pray for those seeking public office; let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we make our decision this November 4.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Election 2008

Dear Friends in Christ,

In a little over three weeks we will go to the polls for one of the most crucial elections of our nation’s history. In the next three weeks I hope all of you will take time to seriously reflect on your obligations as citizens to seek the greater good for our country. Presently the media is full of bad news about our economy, but this should not prevent us from focusing on even more important issues that involve the very foundations upon which our American society is built, namely the right to life and the family. There are three propositions on the November ballot that need our attention.

First, there is Proposition Four. Here is an excerpt from the California Bishops’ statement supporting this proposition:

Proposition 4 contains public policy that is both sensible and realistic and which will benefit not only our families but our society as a whole. It is a sensible policy to encourage a minor girl faced with a serious decision like an unexpected pregnancy to go to her parents or family for their love, their wisdom, and their counsel. It is a realistic policy that her parents or family be notified of her request for an abortion whether or not she chooses to consult them. Society will benefit because similar involvement laws in other states have the effect of discouraging irresponsible sexual behavior and teenage pregnancies. In addition, individual rights and unborn babies will be protected because a minor girl will be afforded support in the unfortunate circumstance that she is being coerced to have an abortion.

Secondly, Proposition 6 involves retribution not rehabilitation for criminals. The Bishops of California oppose this proposition. Here is an excerpt from their statement:Communities do have a right to establish and enforce laws to protect people and to advance the common good. At the same time, our Church teaches us to not give up on those who violate these laws. Despite their very different claims on society, the lives and dignity of both victims and perpetrators should be protected and respected. As bishops, we oppose Proposition 6 because it advances a retributive rather than a restorative justice model for dealing with crime. Proposition 6 would create multiple new crimes and additional penalties, some with potential for new life sentences. Proposition 6 could also curtail the participation of nonprofit organizations in community councils that determine county-level policy for juvenile justice. Although Proposition 6 was introduced in good faith by those with legitimate concerns about“ safe neighborhoods,” it offers more of the same criminal justice policies which have failed in the past—and it will cost Californians billions of dollars without increasing public safety.

Finally, Proposition 8, which restores the true definition of marriage, also has our Bishops’ support. Here is what they say: We need to recall that marriage mirrors God’s relationship with us—and that marriage completes, enriches and perpetuates humanity.. We must support traditional marriage as the source of our civilization, the foundation for a society that can be home to all human beings, and the reflection of our relationship with God. We need to remember that we are all children of God possessed of human dignity and that each of us is created in God’s image. Protecting the traditional understanding of marriage should not in any way disparage our brothers and sisters—even if they disagree with us.

God bless you and have a great week.