23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

09-07-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Abraham Orapankal, Pastor

Dear OLP Family,

I wish to share with you brief reflections on three matters:

One: Today is the canonization of Carlo Acutis by Pope Leo XIV. This first millennial saint in the Catholic Church lived only for 15 years as he died of leukemia in 2006. Carlo’s childhood was typical of his generation: loved Pokémon and played PlayStation, wore Nike and played tennis; enjoyed hiking with friends.

But he attended Mass regularly and spoke passionately about his faith. He was very computer savvy and so his pastor asked him to design a website for their parish. Carlo soon began work on the defining project of his life: an online repository of some 200 Eucharistic miracles that have occurred all over the world which he completed just weeks before his death. Carlo Acutis, who is likely the first saint to learn how to code and enjoy Nintendo Game Boy, is truly an inspiration to all, especially to our young tech-savvy generation. It will beneficial to all to learn more about his life just by googling. St. Carlo Acutis, Pray for us.

Two: Today is also ‘National Grandparents Day’ - a time to honor grandparents and grand- friends for their contributions to our families, neighborhoods and communities. You may remember we had already celebrated this in June with “the World Day for grandparents and elderly” that Pope Francis had instituted. It was on the Sunday closest to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. The US bishops Conference had postponed it to coincide with our national celebration of grandparents which is on the Sunday after Labor Day. Celebrating it again is simply another reminder for us all to show greater understanding and respect to grandparents and elderly who are often ignored by many. It is an opportunity to publicly affirm the identity and importance of grandparents who play a vital role in families.

We know that Pope Francis had been championing the cause of all the marginalized of the society. He had condemned the “throw away” culture that tend to push aside the grandparents and the elderly instead of respecting them and learning from their wisdom. His exhortation is worth listening to: "From the elderly we received the gift of belonging to God’s holy people. The Church, as well as society, needs them, for they entrust to the present the past that is needed to build the future. Let us honor them, neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours. May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside!"

Three: This Thursday is 9/11 Anniversary. For most of us, Sept. 11 remains a lived experience. We have our stories of that fateful day that we might recall today on this 24th anniversary of 9/11. But there is a whole new generation, born after 9/11, for whom 9/11 holds no memories. It has become a history lesson that could become folklore with the passage of time. That is all the more reason for us to keep this anniversary as an opportunity to enlighten our younger generation about this historic tragedy that struck our nation. They need to be present at the anniversary ceremonies so that they can understand the pain and agony – physical and emotional – of those who suffered and continue to suffer. I am requesting our parents to attend with their children this year’s 9/11 Memorial Service in our towns.

Your brother in Christ.