Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On the weekend, of October 13 and 14, we are fortunate to have Bishop James Wall with us for all the Masses. Many of you knew him as Fr. Jim Wall because he was assigned here at St. Joan of Arc for a few weeks. He is a personal friend of mine as well as the bishop for the Diocese of Gallup.

When then Fr. Jim lived in Phoenix, we would often get together to see a movie, enjoy a meal or go mountain biking. That is how we thought our friendship would continue for years to come. Our Lord obviously had very different plans for him. As a faithful servant of the Church, we are called to go wherever and whenever we are needed. This is done in obedience and is part of the promises we make to God when we are ordained.

Bishop Wall has been called by Our Lord to serve the people of the Diocese of Gallup and he does so with heroic virtue, humble patience, and a willing heart. His diocese has many needs and many hopes. Some of our parishioners are familiar with the poverty that many families in Gallup experience. Our annual St. Michael Adopt-a-Family program goes a long way to assist those in need but still much has to be done. Bishop Wall has the opportunity and challenge to continue to enable our brothers and sisters to encounter the living Christ.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On Monday, October 17, 2011 Pope Benedict XVI reminded the world about the New Evangelization the Blessed John Paul II spoke about so often. This is at the heart of the bringing others to an encounter with the living Christ. This needs to be our focus as Catholics for the Year of Faith. We are a missionary Church. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that we are living in a new missionary age that is called to proclaim the life giving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Catholics ARE missionaries. We bring others to Christ and Christ to others!

The term "New Evangelization" is a favorite and powerful phrase of Pope Benedict XVI - as it was of his predecessor, Blessed John Paul II. The secular and Catholic world is in desperate need for a new evangelization. Those who were once influenced by Christianity have rejected the faith and believe religion is a thing of the past. Tragically, many Catholics do not know what the Catholic Church actually teaches and have left the Church for all the wrong reasons. Others practice a "cafeteria Catholicism"- choosing what parts of the faith they like and rejecting those parts that do not fit into their lifestyle. Some wrongly think that going to Mass is all they need to do to get to heaven. This had led many to wrongly believe that there is a separation between faith and life. This sort of thinking has led some have rejected God completely!

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our Lord reminds us today, and everyday that his mission involves the cross. Suffering, rejection and death was central to Our Lord's mission. This is not an attractive mission. But that is not the whole mission. We have hope because we know that Our Lord is to "rise after three days." Jesus offers us an invitation to walk in his footsteps. "Follow me," he says. Take up your cross and follow me. This is not an easy invitation to respond to. No one likes to suffer. So how do we find the hope and the courage to respond to Our Lord's invitation like the millions of Catholics who have gone before us?

I sometimes read about Christian martyrs and ask myself if I would be able to do what they did for Christ. If you have seen the movie "For Greater Glory" then you saw the martyrdom of Blessed Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio. The federals tortured the boy by cutting off the soles of his feet and forcing him to walk on stones. The torture would stop, they said, if he would say, "Long live the government." Through his tears, Blessed Jose Luis said, "Viva Cristo Reyo - Long live Christ the King."

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This week I would like to offer you step three of three steps to being a good steward.

Step 3Treasure: Here it comes, right – the money pitch. Wrong!We have to understand that giving money is one of the vehicles by which we can exercise our Christian call to respond to God’s generosity. There is a sacramental aspect there–using something earthly, something human to exercise our call to be disciples of Christ.

I know people find it hard to pledge what they will give in the up-coming year, but look upon it as discipline or training for giving. Like athletes exercise to strengthen themselves for their sport, so disciplined giving helps us grow in generosity. When we discipline ourselves in the ways of Our Lord,we grown in holiness. Discipline helps us to focus on what is truly important. When people complain about church related issues, it is often a sign that they have not practiced discipline in their own life. This story helps explain what I mean.

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