St. Catherine of Siena

In a nutshell, the Catholic meaning of “humility” is a virtue that acknowledges God as the author of all good, emphasizing Hs greatness over our own. St. Augustine states that the most important virtue is “humility, humility, humility.” (Eph 118.22) Our gospel this weekend, Luke 18:8-14), calls us to reflect deeply on humility and the disposition of our hearts before God. We hear a parable by Jesus that tells of two men who go to temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector.

All Soul’s Prayers Prayers for the faithfully departed are part of the Catholic faith and Tradition. Here at St. Catherine, we continue each year, especially in November, to remember the dead and to pray for their noble souls into Eternal Life. On Sunday, November 2, at the 11 a.m. Mass we shall remember and pray by name for those who were buried from our parish between November 2024 and November 2025.

Our gospel’s key theme is about the power of persistence in prayer and the timing of God’s response; it is also about the motivating factor behind God’s Love versus the reason why today’s judge finally gives in to the persistence of the widow.

How many times have we all blurted that request/demand out in our mind or even out loud? In the midst of a crisis or in anger or in fear…Lord, why can’t I believe… Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess. Even for the apostles— and most likely right down through human history—this just might be the most often asked question among mere mortals. In today’s Lukan Gospel we hear those closest to the Jesus Himself were at odds with their faith. So, what is going on in today’s gospel and what are we to learn from it?