Bob Jensen

As I write this column I am enjoying my first weekend off in a year. I’m not sure if I am bragging or complaining. I have enjoyed reading the latest David Baldacci novel, the latest collection of short stories by Stephen King, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. A few hours earlier I learned of the results of our presidential election. My prayer is that genuine healing takes place in our country in the weeks and months ahead. I take hope from the words of our president-elect when he says that he wants to be president not only of the blue states but of the United States. There has been too much judgment, too much finger pointing. May genuine peace break forth.

I have reflected a lot on my deceased loved ones during this month of All Souls. I remember an episode when my mother asked me to pick up a cheeseburger for her when I went to Kidd Valley at Coulon Park in Renton. For some selfish reason I didn’t. That was one of my first recollections when she died in 1999. I relived the guilt. And yet because she is among the communion of saints she is still alive and is linked to me in such a way that I can continue to talk to her, that my relationship with her can continue to grow, and that reconciliation over an undelivered burger can occur. Yes, our deceased loved ones are still with us. Death washes some things clean. This is not the stuff of fantasy, but of solid dogma. We know its truth because we experience it.

This weekend we welcome our founding pastor Fr. Jack Walmesley who will preside at all three masses and hear confessions on Saturday. May our gracious God bless him in every way.

 

During the month of November we traditionally remember our faithful departed who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. This Sunday marks the Solemnity of All Saints. These are the canonized and uncanonized who continually praise our eternal God around the throne of heaven. On November 2^nd we celebrate All Souls’ Day. We pray for our deceased loved ones that their transition between this life on earth and their life in the fullness of the Kingdom goes well. When we stand before God at the end of our earthly life we are overcome by the unconditional love that God has for us. We are aware of the sin that still clings to us. God purges us of that sin so that we may enjoy the fullness of that love. This is known as purgatory. We will have a special mass on Monday at 9 am where all the names of those who have died in our parish the past year and those for whom we have prayed in the Prayers of the Faithful will be read aloud. We will also have the Book of the Names of the Dead placed near the baptismal font. For those who can’t make it to Mass you may want to make a list of all your faithful departed and pray for them as you participate in our live-streamed mass. May our gracious God take all our loved ones to himself.

 

Congratulations to the twenty one high school students and three adults who are to be confirmed this Monday evening by Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg here at St. John’s.  Because of the pandemic, the celebration of this sacrament was moved from May to this particular time.  May our candidates be open to the wondrous gifts of the Holy Spirit and may we too.  They are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and wonder in God’s presence.  These gifts are especially necessary in this most difficult and chaotic time.  O Lord, bless our young people and give them all that is essential to them living out your love in their lives.  May we support them in every way.

We begin as a parish community our  stewardship of treasure campaign. As I signed more than a thousand letters inviting you to be a part of this pledge campaign I prayed for you and your family in this era of Covid 19. It has been a difficult, confusing time. I couldn’t help but be gratified at how many of you give so generously to our parish community. I also invite those for whom we have no record for giving to either sign up for envelopes or Faith Direct which is an electronic fund transfer service. In giving of your income in a prepared proportionate and sacrificial way you are supporting some eighty parish ministries. Thank you for your genericity. May the Lord bless you in every way.

 

Here’s a sample of my fall reading list: All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny; Sontag by Benjamin Moser; the eleventh and twelfth books of The Wheel of Time series, Dead Souls by Nicolai Gogol; My Dog Tulip by J.R. Ackerley; Goldfinger by Ian Fleming; The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie; Whose Body? By Dorothy Sayers; Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens; As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, and Wayfarers in the Cosmos by Fr. George Coyne and Alessandro Omizzola.