Dear Friends of our Pastorate,
This weekend, we celebrate the Twenty-Six Sunday in Ordinary Time. Have you ever considered yourself to be a prophet? I don’t know if that is a word many of us would use to describe ourselves, but we hear it mentioned in our first reading from the Book of Numbers. In response to some people “complaining” to Moses about Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp… doing something they have never done before… and maybe challenging others with their words. Moses responds by saying if only “all the people of the Lord were prophets. Would that the Lord might bestow his Spirit on them all.”
Well guess what? The Lord has bestowed his Spirit upon all of us! We have all received the Spirit of the Lord beginning with our baptisms, when we were anointed prophets. Therefore we have been entrusted with a participation in the prophetic mission of Christ AND His Church. As Jesus says in the Gospel today, all of us who call ourselves Christians are given the grace to perform mighty deeds in the name of Jesus—to speak his prophetic words and perform his mighty deeds.
The Maryland Catholic Conference has published information concerning Question 1—“The Right to Reproductive Freedom” constitutional amendment that will appear on the November ballot. Catholics are encouraged to vote “No” to this amendment. Information published by the Maryland Catholic Conference which explains the reasons for this decision can be found in this weekend’s bulletin, or by going to www.mdcatholic.org.
As the November election approaches, please take time to review the U.S. Bishops’ teaching document called: “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” The purpose of this document is to help all of us understand the Church’s positions on key moral issues. The Church does not endorse one candidate over another, and no candidate embraces 100% of the Church’s teachings; therefore, we are asked to understand what the Church teaches so that we can make informed decisions on election day. A link to the document can be found at www.archbalt.org/faithful-citizenship.
In the coming weeks, our Pastorate will be launching our Fall stewardship program called “Forward in Faith.” Your contributions to our parishes are essential in order for us to maintain our worship, our programs, and our outreach ministries. Thank you in advance for your weekly financial support!
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!
God Bless,
Father Steve
