Fr. Kondik shared with me that when he gave a tour of the
church to your classes a few weeks ago, he brought you into the sacristy and
showed you all of the different vestments the priest wears for the celebration
of mass. He said that many of you were able to name the different colors of the
vestments, and explain why we have the different colors, and when the priest
wears them.
Last week, when you came to mass as a school, the priest was
wearing the color green. The color green is worn during the ordinary days of
ordinary time. That color green reminds us of growing things. The green leaves
growing on the trees in the springtime, and flourishing in the summer, the
green crops that grow in order to become our food and nourish our bodies.
During ordinary time, we focus on how we are called to grow as followers of
Jesus—how our faith is always supposed to be growing, how our hope for the
things God promises is always to be growing, and how our love—becoming more
like Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions, is always meant to be growing.
Today, the priest wears, not the color green, but the color
red. Red is the color of fire and is the color of blood. Red vestments are worn
to remind us of the fire of the Holy Spirit—we wants to stir up the flame of
faith among us, and enflame us with enthusiasm and conviction for the work God
has for us, especially the building up of the church and the spread of the
Christian faith.
Red, being the color of blood, also reminds us of those
great saints known as the martyrs, whose blood was shed for Jesus and the
Church. The martyrs were killed by those who hate and misunderstand Jesus and
his message. There have been martyrs up and down the centuries—Christians who
have been killed in Europe and Asia and Africa and even in the Americas—in Canada,
Mexico, and the United States—and not just from a long time ago, but in recent
years—killed by those who want to see Christians wiped out.
Today, we honor two of the early martyrs, Saints Simon and
Jude, who were among the twelve apostles of Jesus. After the death,
resurrection, and ascension of Jesus into heaven, saints Simon and Jude took
the Gospel to Iraq, Libya, Persia, and Turkey.
Legend has it that they had been very successful in sharing
the Gospel with the people of Persia, who had a false religion of worshipping
the sun and the moon as gods. All of this conversion angered the leaders of
that false religion, and they had Simon and Jude arrested and killed.
Thanks to the courage of these apostles, the Christian faith
took root in those places, and to this day, there are still Christians in these
places, though they are often persecuted.
These dear Apostles and Martyrs remind us to have courage in
doing the work of God, especially when we face misunderstanding and hatred from
those who do not want to hear the message of Jesus. They remind us to turn away from our pagan idols--of anything we value more than God and Christ Jesus.
May the holy example and heavenly prayers of Saints Simon
and Jude help us, to be filled with courage, faith, hope, and love, for the
glory of God and the salvation of souls.
May the example of the holy martyrs whose blood was shed for
Christ deepen our conviction for the work of God.
That the Christian faith and love for God and Jesus Christ
may take deep root in the hearts of all people.
That our parish and parish school may be places where the
Christian faith is shared, cherished and lived out with courage and love.
That the sick, suffering, overburdened, and destitute, may
know the help of the Lord who made heaven and earth.
For all who long to see the face of the Father, for all our
departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this
Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord,
and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through
Christ our Lord
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