Dear Parishioners and Friends,

When we pray, we ask for different graces and gifts, but our cry should be a petition to strengthen our faith, so we can fully believe what is revealed in the Scriptures.

When we listen to today’s readings, we should cry out with the Prophet Habakkuk: “How long, O LORD, must I cry for help and you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ and you do not intervene? Why do you let me see iniquity? why do you simply gaze at evil? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and discord.” (1.2-3).

But to be able to pray this way, we should think about whether our cries to God will be able to reach Him. Do we cry out from the bottom of our hearts with confidence, or just making noise? This is the fundamental difference. And, after all, we should send our prayers to God not only with our requests for assistance, but we should trust Him, thank Him and praise Him in our prayers.

Consider also our prayer and our testimony to the faith. We realize that it is often the case that as long as we are in the Church, then we pray  and in our heads, different words are addressed to God. This becomes problematic when we are among people of different faiths and cultures and it is hard to manifest our faith,  even by doing the sign of the cross before eating.

Saint Paul said to Timothy: “So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,^* nor of me, a prisoner for His sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.” (2 Tim 1.8).  Today, these words are for us all.

The month of October has already started, and in the tradition of the Church, during this month we honor Our Lady of the Rosary. I encourage all to common or individual recitation of the Rosary.

Mother of God, Our Lady of the Rosary, by Your intercession, we ask Your Son for a life of faith on a daily basis and for the grace to be witnesses of faith.

I invite all of our parishioners and guests to join in the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of our parish. The invitation is printed in the newsletter, so you all are invited and you all should feel that you are hosts of this beautiful ceremony. May the Lord bless you all!