need to address you who are not part of them.
I now speak to all the rest of you, the parishioners of St. Mary’s
Cathedral Parish. You are the faithful and loyal disciples that the Lord Jesus
desires.”
Dear Bishop Zurek, in light of today’s reading—“that goes into a person from #outside cannot defile”—and Pope Francis’s reminder that “everyone, everyone, everyone!” should be included, do you truly believe a priest celebrating two weekday Masses is more defiling than your keeping a public letter labeling me among “the few” as unfaithful, or allowing a memorial erected by a convicted pedophile priest to remain, while ignoring the spiritual needs of those who long for the Eucharist—especially as I pray for my son Daniel’s miracle through the intercession of the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen❓ Nonetheless, will you, therefore, personally cover Father Tony’s 7 AM Mass at your own Cathedral this Friday, February 14, so that Father Avitus need not be “defiled” by saying two Masses in one day, or the laity led to believe that their Service can substitute for a Daily Mass❓
Gospel
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding❓
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine❓”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
Lectio Divina Reflection on “outside“
Standing outside of the Church, looking in, I sometimes wonder how I got here. I was not always treated as an outsider, yet now, because I dared to speak the truth, I am among “the few” cast outside the circle of the so-called faithful. It is painful to see a letter on the diocesan website that keeps me outside the fold, labeling me as someone unworthy of belonging. But then I think of Christ, who was also led outside the city to be crucified. He, too, was rejected by those who should have known Him best.
Even Pope Francis has warned of the dangers of creating artificial sanctuaries that close people outside. In Laudato Si’, he speaks of neighborhoods designed to ensure “artificial tranquility,” where certain people are excluded for the comfort of others. Yet, the Church, which should be the most welcoming place of all, keeps me outside, while allowing a convicted pedophile priest’s memorial to remain standing. What kind of peace does such exclusion bring❓
missing. Everyone, everyone, everyone! Nobody left outside: everyone.”
I have tried to cling to the Eucharist as my source of strength. When our son Daniel was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Father Tony told me to let him know if there was anything he could do. My response was simple: “Keep feeding me the Eucharist.” But now, even that is kept outside my reach. Bishop Zurek‘s strict interpretation of Canon Law means that on days when a priest celebrates a funeral, the faithful are left outside—without the daily Mass that sustains us. Even on the day of my mother’s funeral, the morning Mass was canceled, leaving those who rely on it to turn to a lay led service or venturing to another parish.
Jesus called His disciples from the outside, from fishing boats and tax collector’s booths, telling them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Yet here I stand, begging for something as simple as a Mass to be said for my son’s healing, while policies and politics keep me outside. Is the health of a priest truly threatened by saying two Masses in a day more than it is by the burden of denying Christ’s presence to those who long for it❓
So I ask: Is it truly more defiling for a priest to celebrate two weekday Masses than for a bishop to keep a public letter condemning one of his own, to ignore the removal of a monument erected by a convicted pedophile, or to deny the faithful the Eucharist they seek❓ Can we really justify keeping some outside, while excusing the sins within❓ Or do we forget the words of Christ:
In some places, rural and urban alike, the privatization of certain spaces has restricted people’s access to places of particular beauty. In others, “ecological” neighborhoods have been created which are closed to outsiders in order to ensure an artificial tranquility.
FROM PARAGRAPH 45 of ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME