Dear friends in Christ,
As the November days grow shorter and the nights get longer it is an appropriate time to turn our hearts and minds to what lies beyond us. We have already celebrated All Saints and All Souls this past week, and the whole of the month of November is a time of remembrance. Our liturgical year is drawing to a close (it will end on Nov. 26, the Solemnity of Christ the King), and our calendar year will also soon be over.

Dear friends in Christ,
Our Gospel today is one that has entered into popular speech with the famous line, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” But before you get to that verse, I think something even more striking occurs. The Pharisees attempt to “butter up” Jesus by commenting that he is a “truthful man” and that he “teaches the way of God in accordance with the truth.” They go on to say that he is “not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status.” As usual, the Pharisees’ strategy backfires on them.

Dear friends in Christ,
Our Gospel today is one that has entered into popular speech with the famous line, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” But before you get to that verse, I think something even more striking occurs. The Pharisees attempt to “butter up” Jesus by commenting that he is a “truthful man” and that he “teaches the way of God in accordance with the truth.” They go on to say that he is “not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status.” As usual, the Pharisees’ strategy backfires on them.

Dear friends in Christ,
We are in a stretch of Sundays of Ordinary Time where we have been reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians for the past four weeks. The readings culminate today with one of the most powerful lines of Scripture that St. Paul ever wrote: “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” That’s a quote that we might consider taping to our bathroom mirror or putting on our refrigerator so that we see it every day. Like Paul, we too can do all things in Christ, not because of any power of the self, but only by the grace of God who gives us strength. Never forget that, my friends!

After returning to the Catholic faith from a 35-year hiatus, I burned with the desire for more. I joined multiple ministries, trying to learn things I had forgotten since childhood. In the midst of searching, I heard an appeal for catechists from the Religious Education Department. The staff members were very helpful in training me and guiding me to resources. Several of my friends were teaching already so I felt I had a built-in support group.

Dear friends in Christ,
It’s been six weeks since Hurricane Harvey came ashore and inundated southeast Texas with record amounts of rainfall. In addition to the terrible destruction done to Rockport and other small communities along the Gulf Coast, we in Houston suffered devastating amounts of flood waters in the days that followed. The waters have receded now, but those whose homes took on water still have a long way to go to put back together their lives.

Dear friends in Christ,
On this first day of October we mark the beginning of Respect Life Month. Each year the Church in the U.S. designates October as the time to focus on the dignity of all human life, and the first Sunday of the month is Respect Life Sunday.

Dear friends in Christ,
Our Gospel this weekend is one of my favorites, but it’s also one that always leaves me scratching my head. The story of the generous landowner who pays the “usual daily wage” to all those hired to work in his vineyard strikes a chord in me because it just doesn’t seem right. Some labor all day in the hot sun while others put in just a couple of hours of work, yet all are paid the same. How can that be? It doesn’t seem fair. That, of course, is the entire point of Jesus’ teaching – the generosity of God’s mercy goes beyond our own understanding. It’s freely given and as recipients of that mercy we should accept it as a pure gift, not counting the cost of who “deserved” more. None of us deserves anything, yet God blesses us in abundance. That too “doesn’t seem fair” but we don’t have a problem with accepting it, do we? In response to such generous love we can only hope that we say, “Thank you, Lord.”

Dear friends in Christ,
Today is Catechetical Sunday in the Church in the United States. It’s the day set aside to mark the beginning of the new Religious Education year for children, youth and adults. It’s also our first day of the new R.E. year at CtR as classes begin this week for our children and youth.

Dear friends in Christ,
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the devastating flood waters that followed, we look to our God for comfort and peace. We also look to Him for direction as we move forward. Our New Testament reading from Mass this Sunday gives us a perfect sense of that direction. It comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans: “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ... The commandments are summed up in this saying, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Dear friends in Christ,
Wow, what a week! I’m writing this bulletin column on the fly as we are all reeling from Hurricane Harvey and the aftermath of the flood waters in our area. Please forgive me if it is a bit more jumbled than usual.

Dear friends in Christ,
We’re happy to welcome two new faces to our CtR community this week. First, Joe Russell has joined us as our new principal organist. Joe comes to us from Philadelphia and is a student at Rice University studying Music and Organ Performance. Rice has an excellent reputation for those wishing to study organ. You may recall that Joe’s predecessor, Dorothy VanDine, also came to Houston to study at Rice. She completed her undergraduate and then stayed to finish a master’s at the University of Houston (another great school for music performance), and has moved to New York City to continue her education and career. We’re happy to have Joe with us, and he’s fitting in fine with Bridget Wenk, our Director of Music Ministries, and the choir. He’ll be playing at the Saturday evening Mass and at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday mornings. Welcome, Joe!

Dear friends in Christ,
Welcome back! With the new school year underway (CtR School began this Thursday, Aug. 17 with 440+ kids enrolled in grades Pre-K through 8) and with the local Cy-Fair schools preparing to open next week, I welcome all who are with us this weekend for the first time or perhaps the first time in several months. The start of a new academic year always brings a spike in our attendance at Mass as people make their way back to church after various summer trips and vacations. I pray that this coming school year will be a blessing to our children in the community. May they be filled with gifts of wisdom and understanding. May it also be a time of joy and peace for the many teachers and administrators from our parish who do such good work in our local schools. God bless you all!

Dear friends in Christ,
This Tuesday, Aug. 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a Holy Day of Obligation. Our Masses will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14 (vigil) and at 9 a.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 15. I encourage you to join us as we honor Our Lady’s assumption into the heavenly realm.

Dear friends in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which always falls on Aug. 6. When that day is a Sunday like it is this year it’s a chance for us to highlight the beauty and joy that emanates from Jesus as He was transfigured high upon the mountain in the presence of Peter, James and John. The voice from upon high that called out “Listen to him” should still ring in our ears today. Do we hear it?

When I first decided to volunteer in the Religious Education Program, my son was entering 4th grade. The program needed volunteers (as always!) and I thought I could at the very least be an aide in his classroom. I felt I wasn't strong enough in my faith to teach it to children, but certainly I could help someone else while spending time with my son! That year was amazing!

Dear friends in Christ,
Allow me this week to give you an update on the progress of the Redeemer Activity Center construction. As you drive around our campus it is clear that we are well underway with the new building. The trailer for the General Contractor (Paradigm) is onsite and there are plenty of big trucks bulldozers, and other equipment on the back 10 acres that we formerly called “the field.” Drive further around to the back of the Parish Life Center and you'll see additional work being done on the outside of the second floor of that building. From the driveway, however, it's difficult to see just what all is going on.

Dear friends in Christ,
I wrote in last week’s bulletin how we are in the middle of a long stretch of readings at Mass that all come from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. On this 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time we read a snippet (it’s only two verses) from Chapter 8 of one of the most well-known passages of the letter. Here it is in full: “Brothers and sisters: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches the hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.”

Dear friends in Christ,
Throughout this summer at the Sunday liturgies, we are hearing from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans in the Second Reading. In fact, we are in the middle of 16 weeks of reading from this particular letter. Get used to it as you’ll be hearing it until well into September!

Dear friends in Christ,
Our gospel reading on this 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time is one of the most comforting in all of the New Testament. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30). I don’t know about you, but every time I read that passage my heart is filled with an inner peace. It’s like being wrapped in a big warm hug by Jesus. If you are burdened by life – and all of us are at some time and in some way – then let these words of Jesus be your comfort and strength. Then go and bring that same comfort and strength to others.