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Weekly Reflection
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November 8, 2026 - Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Burying the Dead
Throughout the month of November, our faith offers us opportunities to reflect on the Christian understanding of the mystery of death. For my pastor's reflection this week, I thought it might be good to offer some practical insights on this topic.
The Church expresses its understanding of death succinctly in the prayer that the priest offers at the graveside of the deceased. "Lord Jesus Christ, by your own three days in the tomb, you hallowed the graves of all who believe in you and made the grave a sign of hope that promises resurrection even as it claims our mortal bodies. Grant to all that they may sleep here in peace until you awaken them to glory, for you are the resurrection and the life." Every grave is a reminder of Christ's resurrection and a foreshadowing of our own. For this reason, the Church has always encouraged reverence for human remains, especially in their repose. Traditionally, this meant that Christians practiced full-body burial in a location that would be convenient for loved-ones to visit and pray at. Even today, when the Church permits cremation, it remains Church law to inter all cremains in consecrated ground or a blessed crypt. This is how the Church best understands our responsibility to treat the body and the grave as a sign of the resurrection.
Catholic custom also encourages prayers for the dead and visits to cemeteries to reflect on our own hope in eternal life. At Gesu Parish, Masses on almost any day of the year can be offered for deceased loved ones. Just call or email Vicki in the parish office to set that up. Likewise, throughout the month of November, an old Catholic tradition encourages a visit to a cemetery and the recitation of the Apostles' Creed and the Our Father. It's a simple act, but it can go far in reaffirming our own faith in Christ who will raise our bodies on the last day.
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
Pastor
November 1, 2026 - All Saints Day
The great mystery that the Church celebrates today is the call to become like Christ and, in doing so, to become like God. The Church refers to this as the "universal call to holiness." Those who respond through faith “truly become children of God and sharers in the divine nature” (Lumen Gentium XX).
The Gospel passage for today’s celebration, called "The Beatitudes," provides a method for responding to this call. When we live according to this vision, we accept a life with struggles as a way of coming to be like Jesus Christ. This is not an easy task. Each beatitude leads us to God, but only through suffering. To encounter the grace we desire, we have to face things we might otherwise have prefered to avoid. Some are the struggles of human existence: poverty, grief, humiliation. Others are struggles we take on to reveal God's kingdom: living righteously, making peace with and among enemies, showing mercy. Although some of these actions might require exceptional effort, none require extraordinary insight. Opportunities to live the beatitudes appear each day. We only have to accept the grace that’s offered.
The beatitudes are insights from Jesus’ own spiritual life. He struggled in all the ways he describes. In each struggle, he found the grace that he promises us. The great saints illustrate the truth of this promise. St. Francis of Assisi, son of a wealthy family, founded an entire spiritual tradition around poverty – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven! St. Catherine of Sienna braved an assassination attempt and worked tirelessly to end division in the Church – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God! St. Ignatius Loyola, whose dynamic interior life both fascinated and frightened him, developed spiritual techniques to keep his attention fixed on God – Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God! St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who lived in obscurity, has shared her love of Christ with people all over the globe – Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land!
The Church understands the fundamental ministry of the saints to be holiness itself. This is holiness as Jesus taught it. To stand with the poor and meek, to mourn and show mercy, to burn with a desire to set the world aright and establish peace, to struggle and suffer for God and for each other, and in so doing to become a little more like God, who became like one of us.
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
Pastor
October 25, 2026 - Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus’ commandment to love often confuses people. Authentic love cannot be commanded; it is given freely or not at all. The language of Deuteronomy and Leviticus from which Jesus drew his teaching assumes such freedom. When the books of the covenant speak of love, they speak of something that emerges from feelings of wonder. Israel stood in awe of God on Mt. Sinai. God’s people were astonished by forty years of care while they wandered the desert. Their eternal response was service and devotion. When Israel followed God’s laws and called on God in prayer, they expressed through such actions the kind of love Jesus commands today. When later generations recited the accounts of these wonders, they kindled the same awe in their own hearts, and they sought out acts of service and devotion to express their own gratitude.
Part of Israel’s genius was to find in fellow humans a similar source of devotion. The nation was strongest when Israelites bore each other’s burdens and held each other in high esteem. Prophets struggled to maintain this ethos, and its collapse heralded invasion and exile. The survivors of these catastrophes recognized the miracle of human life. They expressed their gratitude for the nation’s survival in an awe-inspired love for neighbor as well as God.
Jesus offers Israel's wisdom to the whole human race. Every life is a miracle. Every display of love we receive should transfix us with awe, and inspire a response of the deepest generosity. Christ dreams of a church so loving that it holds the world spellbound in wonder, and reveals a God whose mighty deeds are worthy of profoundest devotion. Those who live out Jesus’ simple words bring this dream to fulfillment.
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
Pastor
October 11, 2026 - Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This Sunday's parable has a surprise ending. A guest shows up without the proper wedding garment and is thrown out into the night. This action does not match the king’s generosity or Jesus' mission of mercy. It helps to remember that Jesus lived in a very formal and highly ritualized culture. Wedding celebrations especially were ceremonial events that required strict etiquette. The king's invitation was indiscriminate but not compulsory. Anyone who said "yes" would have known that they were going to an affair that required appropriate dress and courteous interaction. The etiquette added to the joy; each element of the wedding fest had its own ritual action, and these made the event memorable (even in our own less formal culture, the ritual of the "best-man’s toast" can sometimes be the most memorable part of a wedding reception).
Jesus’ culture was hierarchical as well. Guests at a wedding owed their host a debt of gratitude. They repaid that debt with tokens of respect. A close reading of today’s Gospel shows that the crisis peaked not over the man’s attire (which the host may have felt compelled to lend him), but over his failure to respond to the king. This lack of courtesy was the grave insult that led to his ejection from the feast.
Early Christian authors believed that the wedding garment was a symbol of Christian love. The garment makes us resemble Christ, the divine bridegroom. To participate in the feast, one must say "yes" to God's invitation and then arrive "clothed like the bridegroom," by making his Gospel mandates our own. Many claim to be Christians. Only those attired with a love like Christ’s will experience the joy of God’s feast.
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
Pastor
September 27, 2026 - Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
St. Vincent de Paul
September 27 is the memorial of St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), patron saint of outreach to the poor. The son of Gascon peasants, he lived most of his life in France except for the two years he lived as a slave in north Africa. Upon escaping back to France, he returned to his work as a priest and became renown for his care for the poor. He was canonized in 1737, only 77 years after his death, a pace that was considered rapid at the time (we recognize saints much more quickly today).
St. Vincent de Paul’s memory lived on, and in 1833 a group of students in Paris, led by Bl. Frédéric Ozanam, formed the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Paris in their day was recovering from decades of revolution and war. It had swollen in population as refugees streamed in from the countryside during the Napoleonic wars. Ozanam and his fellow students began the practice of visiting friends and neighbors who needed help, assessing how they could best serve, and then seeking the resources to address the need. The efforts grew quickly, and by the time of Ozanam’s death, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul extended throughout France and in many other countries as well.
Gesu's own chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is one of our most vigorous ministries. Volunteers from the parish go out to visit neighbors in need every week. Last year, they made 248 visits and helped 566 people. The material resources they provide are only one part of the visit, however. Members of the Society provide a listening ear to countless people who are otherwise ignored. The gift of their attention and companionship is, in many cases, an important part of the healing that Christ brings them. So many people treat the poor with disregard or condescension. Just listening quietly and attentively to their stories can restore some of the dignity on which a new life can be built. I thank God every day for the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
If you have an interest in the work of the Society or think you might like to volunteer, email or call the parish office and we will connect you.
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
Pastor
September 20, 2026 - Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
To Welcome the Stranger
The Catholic bishops of the USA have named September 21-27 "National Migration Week," culminating on Sunday, September 27 with the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The Church's teachings on immigration appear in paragraph 2241 of the Catechism.
The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.
Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject
to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to
respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, obey its laws, and assist in carrying civic burdens.
The Church takes a moderate position, recognizing that people have a fundamental right to migrate in search of livelihood even as they follow
the just laws of nations. The Church does not advocate for open borders or contempt of the law. The Catholic Church in the USA does call for a
thorough reform of US Immigration law, however. The US Bishops have offered six principles as a basis for this reform
(https://www.usccb.org/resources/immigrationreform.pdf.
* Enforcement should be targeted, proportionate, and humane.
* Humanitarian protections and due process should be ensured.
* Long-time residents should have an earned pathway to citizenship.
* Family unity should remain a cornerstone of the US system.
* Legal pathways should be expanded, reliable, and efficient.
* The root causes of forced migration should be addressed.
Many bishops have expressed dismay with recent immigration enforcement actions, especially because of an apparent lack of due process and
manifest disregard of family unity. Many recent migrants to the USA are Catholic, and even though they are not from this country, the US
bishops have a responsibility to advocate for them once they reach these shores. All Catholics, meanwhile, have a responsibility to inform
themselves about this topic and advocate for just laws governing migration to the USA.
There are many opinions on this topic and many approaches to a solution; all political perspectives will offer something important to any
reform. To learn more about the issues and about National Migration week, visit the US Bishops' website: https://www.usccb.org/nmw
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
Pastor
September 13, 2026 - Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This weekend we welcome Fr. Frank Rouleau from the organization Outreach to Haiti. He will be at all the Masses to give an update on our twin parish, Saints Simon and Jude in Mon Opital, outside of Port-au-Prince (https://maps.app.goo.gl/VUbpCFrzRDvpj6A59).
SS. Simon and Jude is a pillar of support in a region that has been abandoned by the Hatian government. The parish provides education, health care, community, and spiritual support to thousands of people in the Mon Opital area. In this, the Catholic Church in Haiti continues to provide the kinds of services that it had provided worldwide for centuries before the modern state took over. In Haiti, the development of the modern state has been thwarted by corruption and natural disaster, but even in the midst of such difficulties, our fellow Christians work hard to reveal the kingdom.
I consider Gesu's work in Haiti to be fundamentally important to the parish. It is far more than a transfer of funds or a work of mercy; it is a work of stewardship. Our twinning arrangement strengthens us as a church. Although we do support SS. Simon and Jude financially, we do so because we recognize the unique way that God is revealing the kingdom through the parish there. The parishioners at SS. Simon and Jude are fellow Catholics who received the same religious instruction that we received and pray the same words every Sunday that we pray. Those same ideas and prayers have inspired them to build a community of hope even in the midst of forbidding obstacles. What they have done, we can do as well in our own corner of the world.
SS. Simon and Jude has a new pastor, Fr. Yves Ettienne. He has recorded a wonderful video message to us, which is available here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/I1v4hNq1e1g. Please watch his video, come hear Fr. Frank, and be as generous as possible with your prayers and resources. SS. Simon and Jude are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we owe them our deepest bonds of Christian affection.
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
Pastor
September 6, 2026 - Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Labor is a gift from God. It expresses our love of God and neighbor. The Church says a great deal on this topic in paragraphs 2426-2436 of the Catechism. Labor supports the life of individuals, of families, and of communities. Developing our talents gives thanks to God and expresses neighborly love to others in the exchange of goods and service. Labor has a mystical nature. God shared with Adam and Eve the responsibility of cultivating and caring for the garden of Eden (Gn 2:15, 18). God remains the master gardener, but humanity has a role in fulfilling God's plans. (CCC 2427).
Given the spiritual nature of labor, the Church is careful to define the individual and social relationships that affect it. Labor exists for the good of individual human beings, to support their life and sanctification. Just economic systems recognize this. Systems that treat humans as interchangeable cogs in an impersonal economy violate the Catholic understanding of the dignity of the individual and the spiritual nature of labor. Likewise, people should expect from their labor a just wage that allows them to thrive as a child of God. The Church protects the right of laborers to organize and negotiate a just wage and even to strike, when necessary, in order to receive it (CCC 2430; 2435).
The Judeo-Christian tradition also makes a distinction between labor and toil. Toil is work that neither supports life nor yields spiritual benefit. Toil was part of Adam's punishment (Gn 3:17-19) and was historically the work of slaves. The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that free people can also toil when they work for self-centered goals. "For what profit comes to mortals from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which they toil under the sun? Every day sorrow and grief are their occupation; even at night their hearts are not at rest. This also is vanity" (Ecc 2:22-23).
Labor, by contrast, is to stand at God's side in the continuing work of creation. Our gifts and talents bring into being things the world has never seen. To do this is God's gift and is one of the highest forms of human love. Happy Labor Day, everyone!
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
Pastor