Remembering 9/11, celebrating Canonization of Blessed Acutis and Blessed Frassati, and reflecting on Discipleship
Remembering 9/11, celebrating Canonization of Blessed Acutis and Blessed Frassati and reflecting on our Discipleship
Abraham Lincoln was debating whom to hire as the Indian Commissioner. He called his advisors Ben Wade and Senator Daniel Voorhees for assistance in selecting the right man. “Gentlemen,” said President Lincoln, “I want an honest, decent, caring, moral Christian man, a man frugal and self-sacrificing!” “Mr. President, I feel certain you won’t find him,” said Voorhees. “And why not?” asked the President. “Because he was crucified more than eighteen hundred years ago,” said the Senator.
During the ordinary season, readings highlight the formation of discipleship. In the Gospel, Jesus says, “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). The senator may be right in a certain sense; however, the church proves again and again that there are people who follow him diligently and faithfully. This Sunday, September 7, Pope Leo XIV is canonizing two young people who lived the faith remarkably: Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, born in 1991 and raised in Milan, utilized his technical skills to evangelize and was noted for his joyful faith and compassion for others before dying of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. Blessed Acutis' mother, Anthonia Salzano, publicly shared on several occasions that she and her husband, who were not devout Catholics, grew in faith because of their son. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in 1901 into a prominent family in Turin, Italy. He was admired for his deep spirituality, love for the poor, and enthusiasm for life. He was a member of the Dominican Third Order and served the sick through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He died at age 24 after contracting polio, most likely from one of the people he served.
In the Gospel of Luke 14:25-33, Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem. Luke says that a great crowd was following him. He knew his destination and was fully aware of the cost he would have to pay. It is a total commitment. At the same time, the crowd expected him to liberate them from the Romans and regain control of their land. He would be their Messiah and savior. Jesus turned around and told them they cannot follow me unless you hate your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even your own life. Did he really mean hate? It is an idiomatic expression, “To love less.” We read in the Gospel of Matthew 10:37, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me , and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Jesus is not asking his disciples to “hate” their families but rather to make him their first love. There should be nothing to stop us from our commitment to the Lord.
Let us take a moment this week to think about the moments I/you profoundly lived his teaching. This week, we remember September 11, 2001. Let us try to imagine what it would be like if we were on the ground, running to save someone else. What will be our mental and emotional condition? It is hard to explain, isn’t it? It is about call, it is about commitment.
Discipleship is a commitment. Jesus says, “Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?” (28). We read in the Gospel of Matthew 10:38, “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” Since Romans used crucifixion to torture the criminals, Jews needed no explanation. The difference is that before Jesus’ crucifixion, the cross was a sign of shame and rejection, and afterwards it became a sign of victory. Christ clearly instructed his listeners about the call to discipleship.
The first reading from the book of Wisdom (9:13-18) reminds us that as disciples of Christ, we need the gift of wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Wisdom cannot be acquired by human effort alone; it requires correct disposition of humility and openness. God gives us this Divine Wisdom directly in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and the Spirit empowers and instructs us through Divine Revelation in Scripture and Sacred Tradition. We need the gift of wisdom to understand God's way and to live a life of discipleship.
We are disciples of Christ through our baptism. It is a journey to grow in our discipleship. Pope St. John Paul II began to emphasize the New Evangelization, and since then, every Pope has developed this process. You read in the bulletin and Catholic Herald regarding the Evangelization process in our Diocese. Our Diocese produced a booklet called Parish Discipleship Pathways. It notes four steps of the discipleship process: Pre-Evangelization, Evangelization, Discipleship, and Apostolate. These four steps can be summarized in two: share our faith with others and invite them to join us, and grow in our discipleship by taking it to the next level through carrying out the Christian mission in our sphere of influence, known as apostolate.
In our cluster, there is a great opportunity on September 21st and 22nd , the Parish Mission Apostolate. It starts with a meal at 4:30 both days and a program from 6 to 8:30 pm. We have great speakers for adults and youth, music, time for Adoration, and opportunities for confession, among other things. It is an opportunity for everyone to pray, reflect, and grow in our discipleship and invite others to join with you. Please register by calling the office or scanning the QR code and registering online.