St. Libory Catholic Church

Last Sunday was the First Sunday of the new Church year, Advent. As I have mentioned in the preceding weeks we are going to “journey” together, drawing closer to our Lord through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I want to recap some things I said in last Sunday’s homily about preparation. Advent season is a season of preparation, preparing for the coming of the Lord as remembered at Christmas and our personal preparation for when He comes again, either due to our personal death or His second coming at the end of the age. So here is a question concerning Mass. Are you preparing to meet the Lord in the Mass? How would I do that you might ask. What are you thinking about when you come to Mass? Are you arriving early enough to get “recollected”? Focused? Do you have a proper intention for your presence at Mass? Do you need to go to Confession? Have you come to say thank you, to praise and worship God? These small observances can make a huge difference in your spiritual life. They prepare us to listen more closely to the audible words we read and hear and also to the quiet, gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit. If you are not preparing, I challenge you to commit to it before your next Mass. It will make a difference! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.

I want to talk about our Advent penance service that will take place Wed., Dec. 1st. We did not have any penance services last year due to Covid. Opportunities were offered by extended availability in the confessional. Very few parishioners utilized it. However, non-parishioners did. I realize that folks sometimes prefer to go to a priest who is not their pastor and that’s okay. Perhaps many of you did that last year. But I also suspect that being the creatures of habit that we are, most would prefer the penance service. So, I want you to be encouraged to attend. We will conduct it in the manner we did in the past. Once you have gone to confession you may leave. Children and youth who attend with their parent(s) or grandparent(s) may also leave with them. Otherwise, they need to remain until 7:30 PM, the normal dismissal time of CCD. There will be multiple priest available to hear confessions. I want to also remind you that besides attending to the good of your own soul you are also being a fine witness for our youth. Seeing you going to Confession helps them to realize that this is a practice that needs to continue throughout their life. So please mark this date on your calendar. It will begin at 6:45 P.M. If you are late to arrive, no worries. Confessions will be heard as long as anyone is present desiring the Sacrament. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

This Sunday marks the end of our Church year. The new one begins next Sunday with the beginning of Advent. With this beginning we will be starting the new year with an attempt to engage the Mass at a greater depth. What do I mean? We have a very enculturated misconception of the Mass. We fail to appreciate the many unique ways the Lord reaches out to us through the Mass. I know through conversations that many feel they are not getting much out of Mass. I suspect this is because we have embraced a very narrow view picked up from non-Catholic Christians. They put a huge importance on good preaching and music. Now don’t get me wrong, those items are very important and can powerfully hold our attention in an ideal world they would both be good. But in reality, they are not always so. But here is what must be understood for us as Catholics, preaching and music are not the focus of the Mass. Jesus is, His eternal sacrifice made present for us in every valid Mass. The attention is and should always be Him! Whose attention? Ours! Each one of us! Good preaching and music make it easier, but they are not essential for us to be personally present to the Lord, to worship Him with loving affection. So, during the season of Advent, a season of spiritual journeying, we will utilize the new missalettes and strive to personally engage our Lord’s presence in the Mass by participating and listening through the readings, prayers, and yes, the preaching and hymns. Through the Mass the Lord wants to minister to your body, soul, mind, heart, and the whole of your life. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.

Indulgences (From the National Catholic Register). Did you know that you can get a plenary indulgence any day this November? It’s true. The Vatican has decided to grant Catholics who visit a cemetery to pray for the dead on any day in the month of November a plenary indulgence. Usually, the Catholic Church only grants this plenary indulgence for the souls in Purgatory to those who pray in a cemetery on Nov. 1-8, which is the week of the Solemnity of All Souls’ Day. Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree that extended the availability of some plenary indulgences because of concerns about avoiding large gatherings of people in churches or cemeteries. The Vatican has issued the same decree this year during the month of November. The specific Nov. 2 plenary indulgence one can receive for their own soul by visiting a church or an oratory and reciting an Our Father and the Creed, can now also be done on any day in November. What is a plenary indulgence? A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary, and all the saints to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. The indulgence cleanses a person of all temporal punishment due to sin. However, it must always be accompanied by a full detachment from sin. Conditions to receive a plenary indulgence in all cases: Detachment from all sin, even venial, (If there is no detachment from all sin the indulgence becomes partial but still highly beneficial for the departed soul.) Sacramental confession, Holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the pope. Sacramental confession and receiving the Eucharist can happen up to about 20 days before or after the act performed to receive a plenary indulgence. (However), It is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed. (If possible) One sacramental confession is sufficient for several plenary indulgences. However, for each plenary indulgence one wishes to receive, a separate reception of the Eucharist and a separate prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father are required. The Vatican decree issued due to the pandemic allows Catholics who are unable to leave their home, such as the sick or elderly, to still obtain a plenary indulgence by reciting prayers for the dead before an image of Jesus or the Blessed Mother. Examples of prayers homebound Catholics can pray include the rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, lauds, or vespers of the Office for the Dead, or by performing a work of mercy by offering their pain to God. (Since St Libory’s has its cemetery next to the church it is very easy to make a visit when attending Mass. The soul you assign the indulgence to does not need to be buried in the cemetery you visit.) Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.