WE REMEMBER

We begin each November with the Feast of All Saints on the 1st. Actually it begins with the setting of the sun the evening before, Halloween or All Hallows' (Saints') evening. After the harvest, people rested and gave thanks to God which included remembering those who had gone before them.

Each year we at St. Edwards recall those connected with our parish community who have passed away over the last year. We display the Book of Life in the church sanctuary next to the Christ candle and have special prayers of remembrance. Even in our sadness we can be filled with thanksgiving for these beloved people who have gone before us. Most especially, we find hope in our Christian faith in the victory of Christ over death itself.

Last January a wonderful man whom I was privileged to know from a previous parish died after a long struggle with cancer. Tim's wife Cathy had the following message in his prayer card. It speaks very powerfully to me about what many of us experience in the face of death.

      Do not remember the suffering
            Remember the fruits
                  Which have grown out of this:
                        Courage, loyalty,
                              Humility, generosity
                                    and greatness of heart.

WORLD MISSION WEEKEND

This weekend we celebrate World Mission Sunday. We as a parish have a special mission connection through our sister parish relationship with Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Nicaragua and the Teresa Toda Girls Orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Each summer we also have a visit from a missionary who appeals for some particular mission. This past July we had Brother Jim Miller from the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart who spoke to us about his religious community's work in New Guinea.

This weekend we pray for the general mission ministry of the Church to share the message and love of Jesus Christ. We also take up a collection to support this effort. Part of the collection is used for our Archdiocesan mission work in Venezuela but most of it is sent on to the Vatican's Propagation of the Faith Office. This money is dispersed for mission work throughout the world and is based on need. I believe that it is very effectively used.

Much more information can be found at the Archdiocese's Center for Mission website at: www.catholicmissionmn.org

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"We will forgive you."

From unnamed Amish neighbor, while embracing the father of Charles Carl Roberts IV, the gunman who killed five Amish schoolchildren and injured five others before taking his own life last week.

Over the last few weeks there have been a number of senseless attacks upon school girls. But in the face of such tragedies the power of goodness overcomes evil.

One of the murdered Amish girls, the oldest, who was only age 13, told her attacker to kill her hoping that she could spare the other children. Afterwards the Amish families reached out to the family of the man who killed their children with concern for them.

And in Bailey Colorado where another school was attacked, the family of the one girl murdered, 16 year old Emily Keyes, asked that people respond to this act of violence by doing a random act of kindness in memory of their daughter.

As on the cross, forgiveness has the last word, love is more powerful than death.

NOT GOOD TO BE ALONE

This weekend the gospel passage is from Mark's gospel and concerns divorce. But whether we are married or not, Jesus' teaching is challenging to all of us. Indeed, if we look at Matthew's gospel for the parallel passage to this one in Mark, we notice that it can be found in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus lays down other difficult teachings about: loving enemies; living the Beatitudes, the ideal of nonviolence; turning the other cheek; giving without expecting return. In the light of these ideals that Jesus places before us we must admit that we all fall short. Perhaps the teaching about marriage and divorce should be treated as we treat his other ideals; we fail in so many ways to live the life that Jesus has described for members of his kingdom and we are always in need of mercy from our compassionate God.

A wise priest has written the following: "Pastors, in their care of the faithful, come across couples who may not be able to receive official church declarations of nullity of previous marriages. These people have decided on remarriage and live good family lives, trusting that God will forgive whatever responsibility they bear for the failure of a previous marriage. They hunger to participate in their parish community and its sacramental life. These people, aware of their situation regarding the laws of the church, have decided, with sincere consciences and even the advice of their pastors, to return to the sacraments. Obviously this is not the official teaching of the Church; but still, it is not an uncommon pastoral practice and has been an opening to a renewed spiritual life for probably many divorced Catholics. Other Christian churches have decided to allow second marriages under similar conditions and the Roman Catholic church accepts some of these practices." Interestingly, Pope Benedict has acknowledged that the Church's teachings and practices regarding divorce and remarriage should be further reconsidered.

Our first reading of scripture in this weekend's liturgy from the book of Genesis presents the first time in the Bible when God declares that something is "not good." This is the reality of a human being living alone and not a violation of one of the commandments. Human beings were not created for isolation and the Church has always taught that we should honor life in community and in a special way, marriage whether it is a church sanctioned union or not.

GARDEN OF EDWARD

The beautiful new garden at the South entrance of the church was designed by parishioner Marian Luisi, who was assisted by her husband, Joe. Thanks so much for sharing your love of gardening with all of us. Building and Grounds Committee member Bill Campbell headed a crew that prepared the area for planting. Thanks to them too.

RESPECT LIFE IN ITS FULLNESS

The church has a special theme of Respect Life during the month of October. As we begin the month this weekend the above mentioned garden is a lovely reminder that the respect life theme is to encompass all of God's creation and that we are called to be good stewards of the gift of life. Our Gospel reading today contains an incentive to build bridges with people of good will as we face the difficult challenges to human life and to life itself on our planet. Jesus said it powerfully, whoever is not against us is for us. Even if we do not agree completely with others we can find common ground and work together in many positive ways.