While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. (Lk 15:20) * * * When we hear the Gospel for this Sunday, our mind immediately identifies it as the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.” It’s so familiar that we could probably recite it from memory and likely explain it to others. We call the son “prodigal” because what he did was “prodigious” meaning “extraordinary in size and degree.” Calling someone a “prodigious” spender means they are a person who spends a lot of money. And the son is call “prodigal” because he spent his money with a wasteful extravagance.
Our eyes tend to be fixed on the prodigal son rather than on the father or the other son. He’s the protagonist. He’s the one who carries the action of the parable by demanding his inheritance, skipping town, spending all of his money and then finding himself in the lowest place possible – the one who feeds the pigs. We keep our eyes on him with a small sense of scorn. “How could he do that to his family?” we wonder. And we begin to compare him to other “prodigal sons” we might know in our own lives. But there’s something else about the son. We might also see a little bit of ourselves in his conduct. We might recall how we’ve “squandered” gifts given to us by our family and by God. And we might then shift our gaze to another character in the parable: the father.
In the “return home” of the son, we can visualize the sad father looking out across the fields, longing for the return of his beloved son. Then we see his eyes widen he recognizes the distant figure of his son walking downcast toward the family home. And then we see the joy on the father’s face and the tears in his eyes, as he jumps to his feet and runs out with abandon to embrace his lost son!
How can the father be so forgiving? Why doesn’t he condemn the scurrilous conduct of his son? It only makes sense because Jesus is talking about our heavenly Father, who isn’t concerned about His own pain. He is concerned about us – how we are hurting ourselves by taking the gifts of God and turning away from the giver, as if the gifts alone can bring us happiness. That’s what we do when we sin. And sin puts us in the mud with the pigs.
Sure the story is rightly called the “Parable of the Prodigal Son,” but it could also be the “Parable of the Prodigious Father” because of the extraordinary way that the Father forgives us. His is not a conditional forgiveness putting us on a “restrictived allowance” so it won’t happen again. He doesn’t “clip our wings” but restores us to the same status we had before. And that’s when we realize how generous He really is. Lent is a good time to realize how much Our Father wants to restore us to our souls to their original, unstained status through the Sacrament of Confession. Don’t forget your “Easter duty”!
Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty
St. Joseph Altar
Our altar will be blessed at Mass at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, March 19 (the Solemnity of St. Joseph) and food will be served from noon - 6:00 p.m. Donations will help defray the cost of the food. If you can help on March 19 to cook, clean up and serve, please contact Hunter Harris at 417-6066. Read the story of the altar on the reverse side!
Our parish and the St. Vincent De Paul Society are sponsoring Food Baskets for the needy for Easter. We are also working with the Volunteers of America Veterans Program to provide personal hygiene items for their clients. Please visit the “Lenten Tree” in the back of church and pick an ornament. Fill out the card attached to the ornament and bring the item to the rectory by Monday, March 29 so that baskets can be assembled! May God bless your generosity!
When is the Cross Going Up?
We received another delay because the crane that will be used had to be repaired. Now we’re shooting for Easter week – the first week of April. Maybe if we all say a prayer to St. Joseph on his Feast Day next Friday. After all, he is the patron saint of builders!
Palm Branches Needed
The parish will be buying yellow palm strips to be distributed at the Masses on Palm Sunday (March 27-28, 2010). However, if any parishioner has access to leaf palms (the kind pictured above), we would love to get some for decorations in the church, and also to give away. Please call the parish office at 899-1378 if you can help.
Tradition of the St. Joseph Altar
The tradition of a St. Joseph Day altar came to New Orleans from the Italian people of Sicily. During the middle ages, Sicily faced a severe drought, and the people were reduced to eating fava beans, which were usually given to the animals. They prayed for the intercession of St. Joseph, and their prayers were answered: the rains came! In thanksgiving, the people of Sicily developed a tradition to decorate the St. Joseph Altar on the right side of most of their churches (or to make a small private altar at home) with flowers, fruit, candles, wine, fava beans, specially prepared cakes, breads, fish and cookies. Since the Feast of Joseph (March 19) almost always occurs during Lent, no meat is allowed on the altar.
How did the tradition come to New Orleans? Through immigration. Although many Italians emigrated to the United States from Naples to New York, most of the Italians from Sicily entered the United States through the Port of New Orleans. Between 1850 and 1870, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there were more Italians in New Orleans than in any other U.S. city. By 1910, the population of the city's French Quarter was 80 percent Italian. Today there are 200,000 Americans of Italian descent living in New Orleans and its suburbs, making Italian Americans the largest ethnic group in the city. And the Italian people of Sicily carried with them their wonderful food, open hospitality and strong Catholic faith.
World Economy General: That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking into account the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest.
The Churches in Africa Missionary: That the churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent.
Fasting for Lent
Abstinence from meat is to be observed by all Catholics 14 years or older on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent. The determination of certain days as obligatory days of penance should not be understood as limiting the occasions for Christian penance. The spirit of penance should be maintained throughout the weeks of Lent. The obligation to observe prescribed penitential days of the Church is serious. Although no one should be scrupulous in this regard, people should seek to do more rather than less, since fast and abstinence on the days prescribed should be considered a minimal response to the Lord’s call to penance and conversion of life.
St. Katharine Drexel - March 3
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 26, 1858, Katharine Drexel was the second daughter of Francis Anthony Drexel and Hannah Langstroth. Her father was a well-known banker and philanthropist. Both parents instilled in their daughters the idea that their wealth was simply loaned to them and was to be shared with others.
When the family took a trip to the Western part of the United States, Katharine, as a young woman, saw the plight and destitution of the native Indian-Americans. This experience aroused her desire to do something specific to help alleviate their condition. This was the beginning of her lifelong personal and financial support of numerous missions and missionaries in the United States. The first school she established was St. Catherine Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico (1887).
A BIG THANK YOU to all of the volunteers who helped set up and break down the Mardi Gras tent. We had a great little oasis of calm (especially Bacchus night!) with some great food and drinks. Next year we’re considering widening our oasis by putting up a small fence on parish property so that we’re not invaded completely!
Thanks to the Men of Bacchus!
Many of you at last Sunday’s 10:00am Mass knew that I said Mass for many of the members of Bacchus before their parade rolled. I must admit that wading through traffic to the Convention Center isn’t one of my favorite things to do on a Mardi Gras Sunday. Well, I want to report that the men of Bacchus were very good to us as they took up a collection and made a generous donation to Good Shepherd Parish. I have been friends with a number of the members of Bacchus for years, and this year’s parade was surely exceptional – especially having Drew Brees as King! But one of the rewards for wading through traffic was when Pip Brennan, the captain of Bacchus, came into the luncheon carrying the Lombardi Trophy. Yes, the photo above is real. Congratulations to Bacchus and the Saints!
While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. (Lk 15:20)
Our altar will be blessed at Mass at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, March 19 (the Solemnity of St. Joseph) and food will be served from noon - 6:00 p.m. Donations will help defray the cost of the food. If you can help on March 19 to cook, clean up and serve, please contact Hunter Harris at 417-6066. Read the story of the altar on the reverse side!
We received another delay because the crane that will be used had to be repaired. Now we’re shooting for Easter week – the first week of April. Maybe if we all say a prayer to St. Joseph on his Feast Day next Friday. After all, he is the patron saint of builders!
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 26, 1858, Katharine Drexel was the second daughter of Francis Anthony Drexel and Hannah Langstroth. Her father was a well-known banker and philanthropist. Both parents instilled in their daughters the idea that their wealth was simply loaned to them and was to be shared with others.
