Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our first reading in today’s Mass was from St. Paul to the Galatians. He was recounting his conversion of heart and wrote: “But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me…” Once again, we see the humanity of the person in the womb. With last Sunday being Respect Life Sunday, I think it is fitting that we take a closer look at St. Paul’s words, written with such poetic beauty. Also, on the topic of abortion, I often hear about Catholics who are struggling with how they should vote when it comes to a party whose basic platform they agree with, but who are pro-life (and their party is not.) These people feel that if their intent is to further what they feel are the good things about the platform, maybe that makes it okay to support this party with their vote. So, with this in mind, let us take a look at the sanctity of life and the issue of intent. As luck would have it, we have many intelligent and learned people in this parish, and one of them has recently written an excellent article in a magazine about this very issue. I’d like to share a few excerpts from the article here, and encourage you, when you have a minute, to read it in its entirety here.
“By voting we elect politicians to represent us. We empower them to act on our behalf and therefore we bear responsibility for what they do once they are in office. If an elected official promotes abortion, the voters who put him in office are indirectly responsible. That is true even if a voter doesn’t personally agree with the pro-abortion stance; even if he or she was motivated primarily by the candidate’s positions on other issues or simply by a dislike for the opposing candidate. The abortion issue will also necessarily outweigh issues like immigration, health care, the environment or race issues, which may be very important but are still secondary to the outright killing of millions of unborn babies through abortion. “Material cooperation” is when someone participates without sharing the evil intent. Material cooperation is still morally wrong when there are not “proportionately serious” reasons to reluctantly tolerate the evil result. Can there ever be “proportionately serious reasons” to justify voting for a pro-abortion candidate? No, there cannot. There is no proportionality between an innocent baby’s right to life and the other current political issues since the right to life is the first and primary human right, categorically and qualitatively different from any others.”
So, to sum it up: A good intention can never justify an action that is evil.
—Fr. Epperson
Announcements
FIRE IN SONOMA COUNTY Once again, the geographic zone of our parish has been hit by wildfire. In the 2017 Tubbs fire, many of our parishioners, including several employees in our parish office, lost their homes. At that home, we all hoped that this would be the “once every 50 years” fire and that we would all get back to “normalcy” soon. Alas, that was not to be. Another parishioner has lost a home in the “Shady” fire and many more went through the trauma of evacuation. We offer our prayers and sympathy to all of our brothers and sisters who lost their homes, and pray that our Lord offer them solace and strength in these trying times.
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY Please join us either in person or in spirit, tomorrow, Wednesday, October 7th, the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary, for a Rosary and Litany at 6:30 p.m, outside next to the Fatima Grotto. The Rosary is the only effective weapon we have to combat all the many evils in the world today, so please pray with on this day.
WE ARE BLESSED WITH GREAT VOLUNTEERS We have so many unsung heroes who do so many things behind the scenes. Just to name a few, as there are many more, Dn. Russ Bowden who has selflessly given so much of his time to ensure we have the ability to offer our Masses on YouTube as a live stream. He has been so helpful with IT projects around the parish. Also, a big thanks to Kelly Righetti who has assisted Dn. Bowden on Monday’s so that he can have a day off. A big thank you to Vince Buettner who has given so much to all of us, but especially his organization and skill in helping us relocate the bookstore. Thanks also to John Kennedy who has shown his talents in building. Thanks to all who have given so much of their time to the parish as volunteers. God bless our wonderful volunteers.
Parish Finances in the Age of Covid
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September Finances
Income $39,001.18
Short fall $-1,484.61
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