Amos was a simple, hard working man who lived under the reign of King Uzziah of the kingdom of Judah in the 8th century BC. He was a shepherd and a harvester of fig trees. In the Southern Kingdom of Israel, the upper classes prospered and amassed great wealth, not caring about the lives of the poor. Corruption, injustices, and unscrupulous business practices were commonplace in that society. God called Amos to be his prophet in the midst of the reality around him, to call attention to the way the people had broken their covenant with God, to the way they were unjust and corrupt. Amos called the people to mercy, compassion, and integrity. Amos declared that God would not accept the exploitation of the weak and vulnerable of society.
Like our reading from the prophet Amos, the other readings today help us reflect upon the way we are called to be good stewards as disciples of Christ. Stewards of our treasures, our gifts, and our talents. Stewards of the covenant God has made with us. We cannot be good stewards as disciples of Christ unless we grow and learn constantly in our faith. Indeed, we are called to be life-long learners in the faith. Today, the third weekend of the month of September is the day in which we recognize Catechetical Sunday in our Church’s liturgical calendar. We recognize the importance of religious education and faith formation in our lives of faith and the men and women who serve our community as leaders in these programs. Those who our community of faith has chosen to serve as catechists and teachers will be called forth today at Mass to be given a blessing and to be commissioned in their ministry.
Catechetical Sunday is a great opportunity for us to reflect upon the role that each of has, by virtue of our baptism, to hand down the faith to others and to be witnesses to Christ’s Good News. It gives our community of faith here at Holy Savior Clinton and Immaculate Conception Raymond an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to that mission, which is a foundational mission we have as a Roman Catholic parish.
The theme our bishops have chosen this year for Catechetical Sunday is : “This is my body given for you,” taken from Luke’s Gospel. Many of us just assume that all Catholics understand what the Eucharist is all about. I feel like I preach about the Eucharist and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist a lot, but perhaps we do not speak about it enough. The Catechism states the the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. As the source, this means that the heart of our Christian spirituality should flow from the Eucharist as its source, the way light streams forth from the sun. As the summit, this means that Christian spirituality has the Eucharist as its high-point-that to which all of our actions should ultimately be directed.
The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word “eucharistia” meaning thanksgiving. In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present -- body, blood, soul, and divinity -- under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist.
Perhaps this is a good opportunity to state that the host you receive at Mass in the Eucharist contains that true presence of Christ’s body and blood. I know that we have missed receiving the cup in the Eucharist since the pandemic began. There are still safety concerns about bringing back the cup, which also includes the priest having to purify the vessels, with many of our priests having underlying health issues or compromised immune systems. We are not sure when we are going to bring back the cup, if we ever will, but just be assured that we all receive the fulness of the Eucharist when receive the host.
As you know, the Church is the midst of a Eucharistic revival and Eucharistic congress which we are celebrating throughout these next couple of years. You will hear more of this theme throughout this time period.
Our catechists and teachers of religious education will receive a special blessing today at Mass. We the parish have a big responsibility in our program of religious education and faith formation. But I would like to close by stating this which the Catholic Church teaches, which is stated so beautifully in our Diocesan Catechist Companion: “Parents are the primary religious educators of their children.” The parents are to be the first teachers to their children in religious education, and the best teachers. The Diocese states in the Catechist Companion: “Parents and Parish act in partnership in the sacramental preparation (and religious education) of children (and youth).” Indeed, we all must collaborate together in this mission in order for our program of religious education will never succeed. As pastor here, I really feel it is important to celebrate Catechetical Sunday here in our parish, to speak about the important of religious eduction in our life of faith.
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