The first reading and the Gospel this Sunday present us with vivid scenes where the Prophet Elijah and the Apostles, in particular St. Peter, encounter God. In the first reading from the First Book of Kings, Elijah stands at the mouth of the cave on Mount Horeb to witness God who will be passing by; however, God is not found where Elijah expects to encounter him, not in the power of the wind, or an earthquake, or fire, but in the tiny sound of a whisper. In the Gospel passage as recorded by Matthew, the disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee being tossed about by a night’s storm when they encounter the Lord Jesus coming to them on the water amidst the wind and the waves. When the Lord Jesus calls Peter to come to Him, Peter begins to sink because he turns his focus to the chaos of the storm instead of on Christ.
Both passages from Scripture show us that God appears both in the expected and unexpected. We expect God to appear in the storms of life but sometimes we forget that God will also appear in the silence, in the quiet and gentle moments of our lives. He wants us to see Him, to know that He is present to us always, whether we perceive our need for Him or not. Our challenge is to look for Him and, when His presence is made known to us, to keep our focus on the Lord.
School Masses
During the school year our students gather for Mass on Wednesday mornings at 8:30AM and all are welcome at this Mass. When I first arrived at CTK we could not make the Mass public for the first two years because of COVID restrictions. Starting the week of August 20th, we will begin publishing the 8:30AM Wednesday Mass time in the bulletin as a way to let you know if the Mass is canceled that week because the children are not in school or if the Mass is moved to another day because of a holy day or special circumstance that week, such as the beginning of Thanksgiving or Christmas break.
August 15th: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Holy Day Masses
Masses on holy days are not attended like they used to be, and the Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption is probably the least attended holy day along with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on New Year’s Day. Apart from Christmas, Easter, and Mary, Mother of God (New Year’s Day) only three holy days happen in the U.S. that are not also secular holidays: Assumption (August 15th), All Saints (November 1st), and Immaculate Conception (December 8th); in the dioceses of Illinois, the Solemnity of our Lord’s Ascension was permanently transferred to the 7th Sunday of Easter over twenty-five years ago. For those last three holy days, depending on what day of the week they fall on each year, also depends on if the obligation is lifted for that year.
For those three days (Assumption, All Saints, and Immaculate Conception) our norm at CTK will be to offer three Masses on the day: 7:00AM, 8:30AM, and 5:30PM. Since the Solemnity of the Assumption falls before school begins this year, Masses for the Assumption will only be at 7:00AM and 5:30PM. Given that holy day attendance is sadly low, and that our church can seat approximately five hundred people comfortably without adding chairs, this should not be a problem, especially if previous attendance numbers are any indication of what to expect. If it is a problem, then I will happily admit my error and correct it moving forward! So, Masses for the Solemnity of the Assumption, on Tuesday, August 15th, will be offered at 7:00AM and 5:30PM.
Blessing of Backpacks
Next weekend is the last weekend before school starts here at CTK and so it’s time for the annual “Blessing of Backpacks.” All children at any level and from any school are invited to come forward and receive a blessing for the beginning of the new school year. I will offer the blessing at the end of each Mass next weekend, August 19th/20th.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House