Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of Saint Benedict:

Hard to believe it is November already! This is the month of All Souls, when we are reminded of our obligation to pray for those who have passed before us. Many have already submitted names of loved ones to be placed before the altar as a prayerful intention for the month. I encourage all of us to remember to offer simple prayer or sacrifice for those who have died. We also want to especially remember those who have no one praying for them. We should all be conscious that someday we will also rely on the prayers and intentions of others for our own souls.

I guess this can lead to a discussion on fasting and sacrifice. Most of us associate fasting and sacrifice as penances of the Lenten Season. It is true that during Lent we especially focus our attention to fasting, abstinence, and sacrifices as a personal penitential act. However, we are not excused from other acts of fasting, abstinence, and sacrifice during the rest of the year (aside, perhaps from solemnities and the Easter Season when we are celebrating instead.)

We are reminded first of our need to develop a habit of regular Confession. This is a struggle for all of us, indeed even often times for priests. As we are considering the Formed program “Forgiven” we are drawn to think more deeply of God’s Mercy in our own lives. Shortly we will be celebrating our Advent Penance Service allowing for the Sacrament to be received by many people with the presence of many priests to facilitate the process. I must admit that it is often discouraging to sit in the Penance Room (Confessional) on a Saturday afternoon to hear the confession of one or two people. While it is awesome that that one or two persons chose to receive the grace of penance, there are thousands who have chosen not to at the same time. There are other acts of fasting, penance, and sacrifice that we can accomplish in our lives. While some people dismiss such practices as pre-Vatican II (or even worse as medieval) the church has not dispensed from such pious practices – and even obligations – in the post-Vatican II period.

In the New Code of Canon Law (1983) we read: (Canon 1251): “Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.” As you can see, we are still required in Canon Law to abstain from meat on Friday. Now, in the US, and for the past fifty-two years, the obligation has been strictly lifted, while we are still obliged to do some form of penance, or charitable acts during normal Fridays.

I am encouraging each of us to develop a pious practice of fasting, abstinence, penance, or charitable work this coming Advent Season. We will benefit as individuals, as a parish, and certainly as the people of God.

In Peace,
Fr. Garry Koch