2018-03-16-eEdition

MARCH 16, 2018 THE CATHOLIC WEEK PAGE 3 Thu., Mar 15 National Catholic Education Association Meeting in Mobile Fri., Mar 16 6:30 a.m. Forty Days for Life, Mobile 5:30 p.m. St. Joseph Seminary College, Covington, LA, Supper with Mobile Seminarians Sat., Mar 17 10:00 a.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, St. Patrick’s Day Mass Followed by Parade 5:00 p.m. St. Catherine Parish, Mobile, Mass and Confirmation Sun., Mar 18 2:00 p.m. St. Lawrence Parish, Fairhope, Mass and Confirmation Tue., Mar 20 4:00 p.m. St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Deanery Meeting with the Priests of the Baldwin-Escambia Deanery Wed., Mar 21 7:30 a.m. Archdiocesan Finance Council meeting 1:30 p.m. Presbyteral Council Meeting 6:30 p.m. St. Maurice Parish, Brewton, Mass and Confirmation Thu., Mar 22 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, Visit Theology Classes Fri., Mar 23 Lenten Afternoon of Reflection with Archdiocesan Employees Sat., Mar 24 10:30 a.m. St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Auburn, Mass and Confirmation 6:00 p.m. McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, Dancing with the Stars Event Sun., Mar 25 10:30 a.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord Mass Tue., Mar 27 11:00 a.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Chrism Mass Thu., Mar 29 5:15 p.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper Fri., Mar 30 10:00 a.m. Living Way of the Cross through Downtown Mobile Beginning at Spanish Plaza and Ending at the Cathedral. 3:00 p.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Good Friday Passion of Our Lord Service 6:00 p.m. Outdoor Way of the Cross, Spanish Plaza Sat., Mar 31 8:00 p.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Easter Vigil Mass Sun., Apr 1 10:30 a.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Easter Mass Archbishop’s Schedule March 15 - April 1 Work is about servingGod and others FROM THE ARCHBISHOP Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi M DAILY READINGS MARCH 18 - MARCH 24 Sun., March 18 Jer 31:31-34 Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15 Heb 5:7-9 Jn 12:20-33 Mon., March 19 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16 Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29 Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22 Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a Tue., March 20 Nm 21:4-9 Ps 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21 Jn 8:21-30 Wed., March 21 Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 Jn 8:31-42 Thurs., March 22 Gn 17:3-9 Ps 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Jn 8:51-59 Fri., March 23 Jer 20:10-13 Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7 Jn10;31-42 Sat., March 24 EZ 37:21-28 Jer 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13 Jn 11:45-56 Sun., March 25 Mk 11:1-10 Is 50:4-7 Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 Mk 14:1—15:47 Mon. March 26 Is 42:1-7 Ps 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14 Jn 12:1-11 Tue., March 27 Is 49:1-6 Ps 71:1-2, 3-4a 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17 Jn 13:21-33, 36-38 Wed., March 28 Is 50:4-9 A Ps 69:8-10, 21-22, 31 and 33-34 Mt 26:14-25 Thurs., March 29 Is 61:1-a, 6a, 8b-9 Ps 89:21-22, 25 and 27 Rv 1:5-8 Lk 4:16-21 Fri., March 30 Is 52:13—53:12 Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25 Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Jn 18:1—19:42 Sat., March 31 Gn 1:1—2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a Ps 33:4-5, 6-7, 12-13, 20 and 22 Ps 118:1-2, 16-18, 22-23 Mk 16:1-7 March 25 - March 31 ost of us work. People who are employed spend about 25 percent of their week at their job. We start work sometimes in our 20s and work until 65 or later. No human ac- tivity accounts for more of our time than sleeping. Yet many people of faith consider their jobs as some- thing separate from their life of faith. There is a tendency to compartmentalize our lives.We tend to think that God is a part of this aspect of my life but not in that aspect. For example, we may be aware that God is to be a part of our Sunday morn- ing life, or our family life, but somehow our job seems too mundane or secular for God to be invited into our work, or even that God is interested in the job we do. Sunday morn- ings belong to God but Mon- day mornings begin a part of our life where God is distant or absent. But if our work is done separate from God we work as functional atheists. We can have the attitude that work is only a necessary evil in life, es- pecially when our work seems monotonous or tedious. But the Lord who gives us the vo- cation to be saints also gives us the vocation to work and to cooperate with Him in the sanctification of ourselves and of our world. We are called to sanctify the world through our work. In other words, to make the world a holier place because of the way we perform our job. Our work is a means by which we work out our redemption. Work not only produces something in the marketplace of our economy, it is a means for us to come to our poten- tial as a human being, no mat- ter the tediousness of the job. Some jobs form the brain, oth- ers the muscles, other the heart. Saint Gregory of Nyssa once said that through our work we become in a certain way our own “parents.” In other words, work forms our character for better or worse. We “father” or “mother” ourselves by working hard or poorly. Jesus spent most of His time on this earth, not in preaching, but in working as a carpenter. He made items which people needed. He had a job in the economy of His time. His work as a carpenter was not some- thing He did until it was time for Him to begin what He was really sent by the Father to do. Rather, He redeemed human work as part of redeeming the whole human person. One of the great saints wrote: “For that which Christ has not assumed He has not healed; but that which is united to His God- head is also saved.” Jesus spoke of laborers often. The Gospels are filled with His references to shepherds, farm- ers, doctors, sowers, housewives, servants, stewards, merchants, laborers, soldiers, tax collectors, and scholars. A friend of mine offers three suggestions of how to work prayerfully keeping in mind God’s presence is with us throughout the workday: First, we can view our work as an offering to God similar to the of- fering of Abel.When we do anything for God we do it better. Perhaps to carry a rosary or a medal of a saint in one’s pocket during the day may help us to remind ourselves of this. Second, we can offer our work for a special intention. Perhaps offer an hour of our work for a person for whom we have promised to pray and begin the hour with a brief silent prayer for them. Third, we can bring our work to prayer and our prayer to work. As we begin the day we can remember what is wait- ing for us at our job and to ask God to help us do our job in a way pleas- ing to Him. Then in the evening to examine in prayer how we did our job and how we treated the people with whom we came in contact dur- ing the day. As my friend said: Many of the virtues we learn at prayer — perseverance, humility, do- ing everything in Jesus’ name, and seeking God’s will — are the same virtues that help us to sanctify our work. And the vir- tues we learn at work — punc- tuality, dependability, diligence, doing the best we can — can all help us to pray better. Work is not merely mak- ing a paycheck. It is also about serving God and others. Our desk, keyboard, kitchen, oper- ating room, workbench, class- room, field, or boat can become an altar on which we offer our- selves, together with our work, to God.