Pastoral Messages
Together We Bring Hope
As Francis of Assisi grew in his faith but was not yet fully converted, he suffered from an extreme disgust of those who suffered from the disease of leprosy. Even seeing a leper at a distance would cause him to double over with nausea.
He would go well out of his way to avoid the places where they lived.
One day, while riding home on his horse, there was suddenly a leper in his path. The leper stood there with his hand out and with pleading in his eyes, begging for alms. Francis, made stronger than himself, got down from his horse and not only gave the man alms, but also kissed the open sores on his hands.
Francis turned and got back on his horse and when he turned back to the path, the leper had vanished.
This is my favorite story of my favorite saint. I have always loved how the Grace of God transformed Francis’ heart and made him “stronger than himself”.
Another way that God helps us to be stronger than ourselves is when we come together as a faith community.
Joyfully living the Gospel of Jesus, we can do so much more when we journey through life together. We do this as St. Rita Parish and as the Diocese of Rochester. When we realize our unity as a diocese, we are literally made stronger than ourselves. The work and love extend so much further and bear so much more fruit than we could ever hope to accomplish on our own.
Please support our parish and our diocese. Please give generously and early to the Catholic Ministries Appeal.
For six straight years, we have finished before Christmas. The CMA is important and deserves our attention and energy. But we also have other important things that God is calling us to do. So, let’s do the CMA well, complete our responsibility before Christmas, and move into the new year able to devote ourselves to other ministries.
And also, if at all possible, please increase your ongoing regular contributions to St. Rita. In your envelopes, or even better, online, support all the ministries that St. Rita is involved in. There is so much more happening and being accomplished than any of us could hope to do on our own. But it all does happen. It happens by the grace of God and because together we are made stronger than we are on our own.
Thank you for all that you do. I am so proud of the people of our parish.
Yours in Christ,
~Fr. Tim
Scripture
An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings - October 12, 2025
“Stand Up And Go, Your Faith Has Saved You”
Our Readings this Sunday continue our discussion from last week about the importance of faith. But also this week, we hear of God’s healing touch in response to our faith and then, our
response to God’s healing.
Our first reading from the Second Book of Kings (2 KGS 5:14-17) compliments today’s Gospel reading very nicely. It is the story of Naaman, a pagan army general who was healed of his leprosy by the Prophet Elisha. In the pagan world, there were many local gods, but no overarching God of all. Naaman, in his gratitude, recognized the Lord as the one true God of all the earth. Naaman’s response to his healing went beyond gratitude to actual conversion.
In our Epistle reading (2 Timothy 2:8-13), St. Paul reminds his readers of the Gospel he preached and his suffering in prison for preaching the Gospel, gladly on their behalf. He offered encouragement to remain faithful despite their current sufferings. But he also offered a word of caution of the consequences of denying that which they knew to be true—that Christ brought salvation to the world through His death and resurrection. “If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with Him.“
In our Gospel reading (Luke 17:11-19), we hear the story of ten lepers who came to Jesus begging to be healed. Jesus sent them off to show themselves to the priests. On the way, they were healed. One of them, a Samaritan, realized he was healed and immediately returned to the Lord in thanksgiving. The others, presumably, went on to show themselves to the priests. The Samaritan, though, had his priorities straight—first, give thanks and praise to God. As a result, he was not only healed physically, but spiritually. "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
The Greek word used for “Thanksgiving” in today’s Gospel reading is, “Eucharist”. Coming to Jesus in the Eucharist could be our surest way to give praise and thanksgiving to God for His healing touch in our lives. Today, it might be good to take stock—in what ways have we been healed by God? Has there been healing in our lives where we haven’t even noticed? How have we responded to God?
This is a good thought to have in our minds the next time we come to Jesus in the Eucharist.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101225.cfm
Upcoming Events
- Women Enjoying Rediscovering Our Catholicism - Tuesdays at 9:00 am in Room 1
- Altar Server Training - October 14 and 16
- Companions in Grief - Thursday, October 16 at 6:30 pm
- Free Community Dinner - Wednesday, October 22 at 5 pm
- The Gospel of Matthew - Wednesdays and Sundays, starting October 1
Latest News
- CYO Basketball - online registration is open until October 15 for grades 3-12
- Are you interested in becoming Catholic? - Contact us today!
- St. Rita Business Directory - check out these businesses or add your business
- Liturgical Ministers - schedules and info here
- Beware of Scam Requests - if you recently received a text or email from Fr. Tim asking for gift cards or a favor, please be aware that this did not come from Fr. Tim
- Hands of Christ - nominate a high school senior
What's Happening This Week
Faith at Home
- 3 Minute Retreat - from Loyola Press; take a short prayer break right at your computer by spending some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage
- The Family Zone - a weekly Family Zone Newsletter, provided by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Diocese of Rochester
Help
- How Can We Help You? - let us know!
- Helping Those in Need - "Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters..."