Homilies, Videos

23rd Sunday Ordinary Time – Homily (Msgr. LoPinto)

| St. Charles Borromeo

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #A-730437.

Transcript:

The selection of the Gospel today comes from a section of Matthew that is referred to as the fourth of the great sermons, and it is about church order. And at the heart of what Matthew is presenting is that the church order is build not on cutting anyone out, but it is built on reconciliation, and the heart of reconciliation is the ministry of love. 

But if you look at the two readings – the first reading by the prophet Ezekiel, and the second, the gospel we heard, the gospel of Matthew – we find that there is a certain starkness to it. The first reading, Ezekiel, is made responsible for the behavior of others. In the third reading, there is the sense that if the person doesn’t listen after efforts have been made to make that person aware of the need for reconciliation, they should be then cut off.

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Events

Upcoming Parish Events Next Sunday, Sep. 13

| St. Charles Borromeo

1. Leadership Meeting – The Parish Pastoral Council invites any interested parishioners to the fall parish leadership meeting. It will take place in the church immediately following the 11:15 AM Mass on September 13. You can also attend via Zoom.

We will discuss plans for next year and would love to hear your input on what areas the parish should focus on, suggestions for new things you would like to try, and/or old things you would like to resume.

As a safety measure, we ask that you try to sit towards the front of the church for Mass that day so we can hear one another during the after Mass discussion without having to move around. Thank you.

2. Book Club Meeting at 12:30 PM in Rectory Garden – The Sunday book club will have its annual preparation meeting to select the books that will be read next year. The meeting will be held in the rectory garden (31 Sidney Place) at 12:30 PM on Sunday, September 13.

New members and suggestions for new books welcome. The Sunday book club meets once a month following the 11:15 a.m. Sunday Mass.

Events

Giussani Series on Faith and Modernity on Sep. 19

| St. Charles Borromeo

Since many parishioners have enjoyed attending past events put on by Communion and Liberation as well as Crossroads, we wanted to highlight an upcoming online talk that will be held on Saturday, September 19:

“Christians in the US are facing the dramatic question of how to engage with major social issues like racism. Some feel that they have a duty to “do something,” while others fear the ideological and destructive mindset of some of the protest movements. Holding an original and creative Christian position is hard, and the temptation to align with one of the two major political sides is strong. Continue reading “Giussani Series on Faith and Modernity on Sep. 19” →

Events

Diocesan Mass for Racial Justice and Solidarity on Wednesday

| St. Charles Borromeo

The US Catholic Bishops have dedicated Wednesday, September 9, the Memorial of St. Peter Claver as a day of prayer for racial justice and solidarity.

A special Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph at 7:30 PM. The faithful of the Diocese are welcomed to attend and priests are invited to concelebrate. The Mass will be televised live on NET TV. Bishop Neil Tiedemann, C.P., will serve as the Main Celebrant and Father Alonzo Cox will be the Homilist.

Events, Videos

Community Mass – 23rd Sunday Ordinary Time – 9/6 11:15 am EDT

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please join us for our Community Mass for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, September 6 at 11:15 AM EDT. It will be a public Mass celebrated in the church and also streamed online.

Instructions to view the Mass are available here. You can also watch the video via YouTube Live in the window here.

Messages from the Pastor

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – The Faces of Our Brothers and Sisters

| Fr. William Smith

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Shows Pope Francis the Golden Rule mosaic at the UN on September 25, 2015 (UN Photo) (more about this image)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the 2nd Reading
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Romans 13:8–10
September 6, 2020

For the past few weeks, we have seen Paul as a poet and preacher. He has urged us to “offer our very bodies to God” (Rom. 12 1) and exclaimed “the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom. 11:33). These are beautiful and profound statements, but we must remember that they are at the service of Paul’s main intent. He is showing the Roman Church how to live together and how to live in general. As we have seen the Church in Rome was mixed with some born Jews and others born gentiles. They all accepted the Lordship of Jesus but differed on what this meant. Paul has spoken eloquently to them about the meaning of Baptism and Life in the Spirit. This is the basis of harmony; a life well lived together. Yet what about the daily tasks of life? How does one live?

Paul grasped in his very being that accepting the new life Jesus offered was a new way of being human. His expression however has sometimes been, to be kind, imprecise and culturally tone-deaf. He told the Corinthians, a very mixed congregation, that “All things are lawful for me” (1 Cor. 6:12) Those born Jews understood this to mean that they were freed from dietary laws and could eat pork. Some gentile Christians, not understanding the Jewish background, thought they could marry near relations (1 Cor. 5:1-7) Paul needed to clarify this and spent a good deal of time doing this.

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