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October 2, 2020October 4th falls on a Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and not even the popular saint takes precedent over the Lord. So, St. Francis whose Feast Day is October 4th gets bumped from the Liturgical calendar. Even so, normally, I’d be headed over to the front lawn of All Saints Episcopal Church to join with the Rev. June Johnson in the annual blessing of the pets. But of course, this is not a normal year, because of the pandemic the Annual Tybee Blessing of the Pets has been cancelled. However, on Monday Rev. June and I will head over to the TIPD Head Quarters to bless their mascot, Rocky. He is a beautiful black German Shepherd who will represent all the pets of Tybee this year. And you can pray for and bless your pets and animals at home too. A verbal blessing and a sprinkling holy water can be offered in your backyard or garden.
St. Francis was born in the 12th century and lived in Italy. He is remembered for his generosity to the poor, his willingness to minister to the lepers, and for his love for animals and nature. He is the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals and the environment. You can use this Pet Blessing:
Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures.
On the fifth and sixth days of creation, you called forth fish in the sea,
birds in the air, and animals on the land.
You inspired St. Francis to call all animals his brothers and sisters.
We ask you to bless this animal.
By the power of your love, enable [him or her] to live according to your plan.
May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation.Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.Each October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October is observed as Respect Life Sunday. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between. During the month of October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.
Because of the Pandemic, my grandnephew, Alexander, has not been able to receive his First Holy Communion at St. Ann’s in Arlington, VA. I rejoice that Alexander and his family are visiting this week and I will be able to give him the real presence of our Risen Lord in Holy Communion for the very first time. In these difficult times this brings me great joy!Alexander Elias will receive this First Holy Communion at the 6pm Vigil Mass. Congratulations!!“Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” – St. Pio of Pietrelcino. I’ve already turned in my vote for the upcoming elections. It brings me some peace to have done so. Last week, I offered some guidelines that the Bishops of our Country have offered in making your decisions for whom to vote. For the next few weeks, in this space, in my homilies and Tuesday notes, I am going to try to be silent about the current state of our Nation out of respect for those who have a different political outlook than I do. But I don’t believe issues in the public square can ever be separated from the Gospel and how we live out our faith. If you are really interested in some of the values that influence my (and many other Catholics’) perspective on issues in the public square, you can look at my Twitter posts, @FrJerryRagan. But be forewarned, if you are not open to a respectful and honest dialogue, if you’re comfortable with your own worldview and don’t want to hear any other perspective, for your own peace of mind, please don’t follow me on Twitter.
Taking the Gospel Home – The world is God’s vineyard and God asks us to produce its fruit. What one specific thing can I do this week to produce fruit in the vineyard I call home?
