I have to admit that at times I can be tempted by a certain negativism that wonders if maybe in the not too distant future the church could once again come under open attack. Usually a good night’s sleep quickly dispels such fears for me. This is not to dismiss often more subtle forms of persecution in our own age and even the open persecution of Christians in some parts of the world today. But the prospect of a direct, widespread, much less systematic persecution seems unlikely. The late Cardinal George of Chicago once said, “I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.” This was often misquoted and taken out of context by some in the church who took it as a prophetic statement. Clarifying these words in a later interview the Cardinal said that he was simply “trying to express in overly dramatic fashion what the complete secularization of society could bring,” and “to force people to think outside the usual categories that limit and sometimes poison both private and public discourse.” He also insisted that the entire quote should be used which concluded, “His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.” Even with the clarification, I can see why these statements caused a stir. In the Gospel for this next to last Sunday of Ordinary Time, Jesus seems to be pushing a similar button. He speaks about a time when “all that you see here - the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone,” and he further warns his followers that they will be seized, persecuted, led to prisons and before kings and governors. Of course, much of this seemed to come true in short order with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 AD and successive persecutions of the “followers of the way,” as the early Christians were known. But Jesus adds that all this “will lead to your giving testimony.” We don’t have a clarifying interview from Jesus about these statements to know exactly what he meant, but read in the larger context he seems to be telling his disciples that whatever may come to pass, they are to rely on the Holy Spirit and give witness to their faith by their lives. What, we may ask, is the best way to “give testimony” in our own time? I would propose that it is by an unflinching love, rooted in the truth and goodness of God, creation and humanity. At this point, I expect (many years from now, please God) to die in my bed. But whatever may come, above all I pray that I will give testimony to the one who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. --Fr. Thom
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We have a lot of weddings at Christ the King Chapel - 9 so far in 2019 with 2 more before the year is done and 16 already booked for 2020. We are now booking into 2021. That’s a lot of wedding homilies for me, and usually on the same handful of readings. As you can imagine, it gets difficult to come up with original material. I try my best to work in what I know of the couple, but even that is a challenge as most of the couples I am marrying here were students after my time as a student and before I became chaplain. I mention all of this because the Gospel for this Sunday calls us to reflect on the nature of marriage, as the Sadducees ask Jesus about a woman who marries 7 brothers one after another as each preceding husband dies off: “At the resurrection whose wife will she be?” This is a particularly loaded question, as the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or any kind of afterlife as we understand it in the Christian tradition. As always, Jesus out maneuvers his opponents. He reminds them that marriage is something for this life: “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age of the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.” The correct answer to the question then is: “She will be no one’s wife in the resurrection.” To remind couples of this reality on their wedding day may be a bit of a downer, so I usually avoid it in my wedding homilies. What about eternal love after all? Love itself may be eternal, but marriage is simply a lifelong commitment (“until death do they part”). This is not to say that people who were married will not recognize their spouses as such in heaven and be grateful for them (for helping them get there), but they will no longer be married. Rather, we will all be part of a much bigger wedding as the collective “bride of Christ” at the wedding feast of the Lamb, the marriage of God and humanity. As someone who has chosen not to be married “for the sake of the kingdom,” it is good for me to be reminded of this too, as priestly celibacy is not merely or even primarily practical, but spiritual, to serve as a kind of witness to that day when we will “neither marry nor be given in marriage.” Whatever our marital status, let’s not forget whose we are above all else. --Fr. Thom
Busy Student Retreat November 10-14
Find yourself too busy? Need to take a break, but can't find the time? Join in our Busy Student Retreat! Commit to four days of just two 1/2 hour periods per day, one spent in prayer, and one in discussion with a spiritual guide, built around your schedule. We encourage you to sign up for a simple, yet powerful, retreat experience!
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
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In these months since my parents’ passing (my mother in February and my father in April), I have discovered that everything I ever heard about grief is true. It really does come in “waves.” I’ll be going along fine, and then find myself tearful at the oddest moments. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of them and even the smallest things - a song, a smell, a phrase, the way I fold my hands - will remind me of them. I also have to say that on a fairly regular basis it is like I can feel their presence, not in a spooky, haunting way (happy Halloween, by the way), but in a “communion of the saints” kind of way. I’m not canonizing them, but I have every hope that they are with God, first and foremost because of the gift of God’s love in Jesus Christ, and because I know firsthand how beautifully each of them received that gift and tried to live accordingly. Also, I was blessed to offer them everything the Church has to offer for their journey home on the day each of them died. This month of November is set apart as a time of remembrance for our beloved dead, beginning with a celebration of all who are in fact alive in heaven (some of whom have been officially recognized by the Church), “All Saints Day,” followed by the commemoration of “All Souls,” a day in which we remember and pray for all those who have died, commending their souls to God. In all of this, I am reminded of the introductory words of the vigil service from Catholic funeral ritual: “We believe that all the ties of friendship and affection which knit us as one throughout our lives do not unravel with death.” How true. There is more than this life. How we live this life matters in the next. And the bonds we have forged in this life with our loved ones transcend time and space. Be sure to take some time this month to think about, pray for, and give thanks to God for all those you have loved and lost. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual shine upon them. --Fr. Thom
Sunday, November 3 10:30am Christ the King Chapel
All Faiths are welcome! Mass will include a blessing for families. Then stick around forcoffee & doughnuts after Mass!
Family Weekend Service Project: River Bend Food Bank - Backpack Party! Saturday, November 2 Pick from two times: 8:00am - 10:00am (Meet at Chapel Gathering Space at 7:45am) 10:30am - 12:30pm (Meet at Chapel Gathering Space at 10:15am)
The River Bend Food Bank has a volunteer activity for a family or group of friends. This is an assembly-line style activity to put together bags of food for schools within our service area to send home with students in need to feed them throughout the weekend. The food bank is trying to get the entire month's worth of menus made in one day! All ages are welcome.
Find yourself too busy? Need to take a break, but can't find the time? Join in our Busy Student Retreat! Commit to four days of just two 1/2 hour periods per day, one spent in prayer, and one in discussion with a spiritual guide, built around your schedule. We encourage you to sign up for a simple, yet powerful, retreat experience!
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
Follow us online for news, events, prayer and spiritual resources, plus much more:
I have to admit that at times I can be tempted by a certain negativism that wonders if maybe in the not too distant future the church could once again come under open attack. Usually a good night’s sleep quickly dispels such fears for me. This is not to dismiss often more subtle forms of persecution in our own age and even the open persecution of Christians in some parts of the world today. But the prospect of a direct, widespread, much less systematic persecution seems unlikely. The late Cardinal George of Chicago once said, “I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.” This was often misquoted and taken out of context by some in the church who took it as a prophetic statement. Clarifying these words in a later interview the Cardinal said that he was simply “trying to express in overly dramatic fashion what the complete secularization of society could bring,” and “to force people to think outside the usual categories that limit and sometimes poison both private and public discourse.” He also insisted that the entire quote should be used which concluded, “His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.” Even with the clarification, I can see why these statements caused a stir. In the Gospel for this next to last Sunday of Ordinary Time, Jesus seems to be pushing a similar button. He speaks about a time when “all that you see here - the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone,” and he further warns his followers that they will be seized, persecuted, led to prisons and before kings and governors. Of course, much of this seemed to come true in short order with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 AD and successive persecutions of the “followers of the way,” as the early Christians were known. But Jesus adds that all this “will lead to your giving testimony.” We don’t have a clarifying interview from Jesus about these statements to know exactly what he meant, but read in the larger context he seems to be telling his disciples that whatever may come to pass, they are to rely on the Holy Spirit and give witness to their faith by their lives. What, we may ask, is the best way to “give testimony” in our own time? I would propose that it is by an unflinching love, rooted in the truth and goodness of God, creation and humanity. At this point, I expect (many years from now, please God) to die in my bed. But whatever may come, above all I pray that I will give testimony to the one who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. --Fr. Thom 
