Cause of Servant of God Andrew Majcen Advances

The Cause of the Servant of God Andrew Majcen Advances

(ANS – Vatican City – October 2, 2026) – On October 1, during the special meeting of theological consultors at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, a favorable opinion was expressed regarding the heroic exercise of the virtues, the reputation for holiness, and the signs of the Servant of God Fr.. Andrew Majcen, SDB (1904–1999), a missionary in China and Vietnam.

The theological consultors were called upon to examine the Positio super virtutibus and to address the question regarding the heroic exercise of the Christian virtues practiced by the Servant of God, together with his reputation for holiness and the signs. The Positio super virtutibus, submitted on June 5, 2025, had Fr. Praskiewicz Szczepan, OCD, as rapporteur; Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, as postulator; and Dr. Lodovica Maria Zanet as editor.

The favorable opinion of the theological consultors marks a significant stage in the progress of the cause. The Positio and the conclusions of the meeting will be submitted for examination by the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Andrew Majcen was born in Maribor, Slovenia, on September 30, 1904. A Salesian priest, he devoted much of his life to the mission in Asia. Following his missionary experience in China, he arrived in Vietnam in 1952, where he carried out intensive work in evangelization, formation, and the support of the fledgling Salesian presence. In total, he spent 44 years in missionary service in China and Vietnam.

On his return to Slovenia in 1979, he continued his service for some 20 years as a missionary animator, spiritual director, and confessor, maintaining a close link with the missions and guiding numerous people on their spiritual journey. He died in Ljubljana on September 30, 1999, on the day of his 95th birthday.

An important testimony to his human, Salesian, priestly, and missionary journey is provided by his personal writings: over 6,000 handwritten pages of diaries, in which an inner life marked by the search for God’s will, fidelity to his Salesian and priestly vocation, and a profound missionary zeal emerges.

The favorable vote of the special meeting of theological consultors thus marks a new stage in the progress of the cause of the Servant of God Andrej Majcen, whose memory remains particularly vivid in Slovenia, China, and Vietnam – countries in which he carried out his long missionary service.

It is highly significant that this milestone was reached on October 1, the liturgical memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Fr. Andrej Majcen had a deep and constant spiritual bond with this young saint, regarding her as a true guide and “godmother” of his missionary vocation.

The “Little Way” of spiritual childhood was, in fact, the lens thru which he lived out the entire Salesian charism in the mission fields: “I owe everything to the grace of God and to the protection of Mary Help of Christians and Saint Therese, who taught me to make myself small among the little ones in order to win them over to Christ.”

Salesian Missions Funds New Hall for Zambian Preschool

Salesian Missions Funds a New Hall
for the Laura Vicuna Preschool

(ANS – Mansa, Zambia – September 29, 2026) – The Laura Vicuna Preschool, located in Mansa, Zambia, has a new school hall thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions of New Rochelle. The funding was used for the construction of a kitchen, dining room, sleeping room, and bathroom.

With construction nearly completed, the parents are happy that their children have better facilities at the school. As a result of the project, enrollment has increased. The projected number of boys has increased from 75 to 83 and the number of girls from 80 to 96.

In the region, many families rely on small subsistence farming for maize, cassava, groundnuts, and vegetables. Fishing and small-scale aquaculture are also important. Seasonal flooding can spoil crops and damage infrastructure, creating challenges for the local population.

There is high youth unemployment and limited vocational and technical training available. There are under-resourced schools, insufficient healthcare, and a lack of water and hygiene services. Salesian education helps youths start with a firm foundation for future learning.

Musumali Esaya, a local man who spoke on behalf of the parents, said he was happy for the new school hall for the children. He expressed gratitude to Salesian Missions for the project. Esaya noted: “Before the building, there was a concern about where the children would rest and be fed, and there was no area for play activities. With the new hall, the children have a better school environment in which to learn. We are all grateful for the support from the donors who made this possible.”

Salesians in Zambia provide a range of social development programs and education to aid youths who are poor and at risk so that they can have a healthy, productive life. Early education helps youngsters gain a foundation to allow them to advance later to skills training for employment. Basic needs are met along the way, ensuring that youths focus on their education.

Source: MissionNewswire

Homily for Thursday, Week 26 of Ordinary Time; St. Therese of Lisieux

Homily for Thursday
Week 26 of Ordinary Time
St. Therese of Lisieux

Oct. 1, 2026
Luke 10: 1-12
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Jesus sends out the 72 disciples (James Tissot)

“Jesus appointed 72 other disciples whom he sent ahead of him…” (Luke 10: 1).

Jesus first sent the 12 out as missionaries (ch. 9); now he dispatches 6 times as many from the larger circle of his disciples.  Their mission is to announce “the kingdom of God is at hand” (10:11); it’s coming in the person of Jesus, for the 72 are sent “to every town and place he intended to visit” (10:1).  Evidently that includes a lot of territory—36 places.

Assembled in the 2d Vatican Council, the Church emphasized her missionary nature and purpose.  The post-conciliar Popes have reaffirmed that.  All Jesus’ followers are missionary because they follow him and they want to—they must—announce his presence:  “the kingdom of God is at hand.”  They must prepare humanity for his coming.

He comes when his word is preached.  He comes in his sacraments.  He comes when his followers practice the works of mercy, as the 12 were explicitly commanded when Jesus sent them out:  “He gave the 12 power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (9:1-2).  He will come again with his angels on the Last Day to complete the redemption of his people.

St. Therese at the crucifix within the Carmel cloister

Little Therese in her cloister knew that.  If she couldn’t go to China, Vietnam, or Algeria as so many of her French contemporaries were doing, she could exercise the mission of prayer and of correspondence.  That she did, so fervently and so effectively that, as you know, Pius XI named her patroness of the missions.

It’s no coincidence that John Paul II canonized 120 Chinese martyrs on her feastday in 2000.  More than a dozen of them were French missionaries.

There was a time, brothers, when you were like the 72, on mission not in pairs but in apostolic communities, announcing the Lord Jesus who came among us as Savior 20 centuries ago and who will come again in his glory to share that glory with all of us.  Now you’re like little Therese, not quite cloistered but missioned to imitate her example by praying for your active brothers and all the members of the Edmund Rice Network, and your past pupils, their families, and the Brothers’ present pupils and families.  May peace rest upon your houses and the homes of all whose lives you touch (cf. 10:5-6).

Message of the Rector Major for October

THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR

Fr. Fabio Attard, SDB

Do Not Be Afraid

A reflection on Matt 10:26-33

Christ the Consoler (Carl Bloch)

When Jesus invites his disciples “not to be afraid,” we must be careful not to reduce this invitation to a superficial slogan. It’s a call—a word spoken by a Master to those who’ve chosen to walk and be with him. For all their shortcomings, Jesus’ disciples are the ones who’ve already left everything to follow him. Jesus is speaking to people who are gradually discovering what friendship with him means, and that it’s worthwhile to take him seriously. It’s precisely within this friendship that the command not to be afraid carries its full weight.

I. “Do not be afraid” – not a choice, but a discovery

We’re tempted to read these words as a call for courage that we must summon from deep within ourselves, through willpower or positive thinking. That’s not the case.

Jesus’ invitation isn’t based on human calculations. It’s not empty optimism. The disciples, whom Jesus sends out like “sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt 10:16), face real dangers and opposition. What, then, does “Do not be afraid” truly mean?

“Not being afraid” is possible only because “something” has happened to those who follow Jesus. A relationship has been formed. A friendship emerges—in the deepest sense of the word—one that’s taken root in the depths of the disciple’s heart. Friendship with Jesus is unlike any other friendship. In him and with him, we discover that we are known and therefore are supported. This relationship isn’t a sentimental metaphor. It’s the language of intimacy.

The absence of fear, then, is a discovery we slowly realize over time through the practice of remaining close to him: in prayer, in listening to his Word, in sacramental encounter, and in service to the poor and the young. We realize that, little by little, what began with effort develops into trust. What began as a discipline becomes love, and in that love, fear doesn’t vanish—it loses its grip. We’re no longer slaves but free persons because Jesus’ love has embraced us.

II. Following Jesus: a journey that enriches our humanity

Jesus is sending his disciples forth, yet he isn’t abandoning them. The entire movement of this passage is one of a mission taking place within the context of accompaniment. He tells them what they’ll have to face. He tells them who their Father is. He promises to give testimony on their behalf before the Father. In other words, he doesn’t give merely instructions; he gives himself.

This is the heart of the Christian life: not the observance of a code, but the journey of entrusting oneself to a Person. “Following Jesus” is a phrase so familiar that we risk stripping it of its extraordinary nature. “To follow” means to get moving, to leave behind the security of what once was, and to walk toward what’s being made new—never alone, but with him, in him, and through him.

The beauty of this journey is that it doesn’t diminish us; it doesn’t flatten the human person. On the contrary, it’s the path of becoming fully human. When we entrust ourselves to Jesus—when we dare to surrender to him—we’re like the child who abandons himself in his father’s arms. We find ourselves again. We discover a capacity for love, resilience, joy, and solidarity that we didn’t know we had.

This is what the journey of faith teaches us, slowly but surely: that we’re supported, that our humanity is precious in his eyes, that we’re worth more—infinitely more—than we sometimes dare to believe. And it’s from that certainty of being known and loved that we draw the strength to face the challenges of the mission—without fear.

III. Declaring oneself for Jesus: a mature personal identity

“The one who confesses me before men, I, too, will confess him before my Father who is in Heaven.”

This is the culminating movement of this excerpt. Let’s listen to it attentively because it’s easily misunderstood. Declaring yourself for Jesus isn’t a political act. It’s not the adoption of an ideology, a flag to carry, or a cause to defend in the public arena. The language of “declaring oneself” could suggest a time of public commitment, a sort of strategic positioning. This isn’t what Jesus asks of us.

When the disciples speak about Jesus in the light of day, when they proclaim from the rooftops what they’ve heard in the shadows, they’re not acting. They’re simply sharing what they’ve become. They talk about him because they belong to him. They bear witness because their lives were shaped by his.

Declaring oneself for Jesus, therefore, means approaching the deepest truth of what one is. It’s not a time of religious enthusiasm or emotional social belonging. It’s the recognition, matured through friendship with Jesus, of having allowed oneself to be formed by prayer and abandonment: my identity is rooted in my “dwelling” in Christ Jesus.

Conclusion

“Do not be afraid”: not because the world has become safe. Not because the mission is easy. But because we are known, loved, and supported by Christ Jesus. We are accompanied by him who has counted every hair on our head and who calls us by name before the Father.

We ask that we may never lack the grace of this freedom, the fruit of our friendship with Jesus.

 

Homily for Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

Homily for the Feast of
Sts. Michael, Gabriel, & Raphael

Sept. 29, 2026
Rev 12: 7-12
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

St. Michael at Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome

“Michael and his angels battled against the dragon” (Rev 12: 7).

The Scriptures refer many times to angels, God’s messengers and protectors of his people.  As messengers, they help us receive and understand God’s word and his will.  As protectors, they defend us against powerful forces that oppose God and his will that everyone should be saved (1 Tim 2:4).

We need the help of the angels to know what God expects of us and then to do it, like our Mother Mary listening to Gabriel or St. Joseph heeding the unnamed angel who came to him 3 times.

St. John Paul understood the “ordinary evil” that lies within the human heart and too easily leads us astray; and the “extraordinary,” incomprehensible evil that so often bursts upon humanity.  Permit me a quotation from George Weigel’s biography of the Pope:

John Paul II knew that “evil” was no abstraction and that the world was an arena of spiritual and moral combat between light and darkness; for him, these were not biblical metaphors, but realities of everyday life.  Modern psychiatry and psychology—in which he had long been interested—might explain some facets of the human propensity for wickedness; it could not explain the kind of evil he had encountered in Nazism and communism, or the kind of evil that had produced 9/11.  Every Tuesday night, … John Paul read a brief biblical passage during Compline, the day’s last prayer:  “Be sober, be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5.8-9a).  The presence of the ancient adversary had been all too real to Karol Wojtyła for decades.[1]

We need “Michael and his angels” to defend us against the malice of Satan and his fiendish assistants, in hell and on earth, coming at us in unspeakable forms.  We need their help to stand fast in Jesus’ way of acting and speaking, to resist our own frailties and passions as well as the demonic falsehoods and violence that abound on this earth.

Join me if you wish:  St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.  Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

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[1] The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II—The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy (NY: Doubleday, 2010), p. 343.

Frs. Comini, Capelli, and Marchioni Beatified

The Mass of Beatification for Frs. Elijah Comini, Martin Capelli, and Ubald Marchioni

(ANS – Bologna, Italy – September 28, 2026) – On Sunday, September 27, in the basilica of St. Petronius in Bologna, Frs. Elijah Comini, a Salesian, Ubald Marchioni, a diocesan priest, slain by Nazi soldiers in the Monte Sole massacres, were beatified. The beatification ceremony took place during a solemn Mass presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, in the presence of around 350 concelebrants. Among them were Cardinal Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime, SDB, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, Fr. Fabio Attard, SDB, rector major, and Fr. Carlos Luis Suarez Codorniu, superior general of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians).

It was with great emotion and a sense of profound excitement that representatives of the archdiocese of Bologna and of the 2 religious families concerned witnessed the rite of beatification, which took place at the beginning of Mass.

Profiles of the 3 priests: shepherds who did not abandon their flock

Following Cardinal Zuppi’s request for the beatification of these venerable servants of God, the postulators profiled the 3 priests: Fr. Simone Nannetti for Fr. Ubald Marchioni; Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni for Fr. Elijah Comini; and Fr. Ramon Dominguez Fraile for Fr. Martin Capelli. Cardinal Semeraro then read, on behalf of the Pope, the apostolic letter enrolling the 3 in the register of the blessed and establishing their liturgical memorial for October 13. At the foot of the altar lay the relics of the 3 priests: a Bible and a pen for Fr. Marchioni; a personal diary for Fr. Comini; and a personal writing entrusting himself to the Mother of God for Fr. Capelli.

The 3 new blesseds were presented as shepherds who, out of love for Christ and their community, chose not to abandon their flock, even when they could have saved themselves. They were not heroes, but defenseless men, deeply in love with God and their neighbor, capable of giving themselves completely to the very end.

Cardinal Semeraro then emphasized that their martyrdom sprang from a love that empties itself. It was precisely that emptiness that became the place where charity blossomed. Their witness remains an example for a wounded world yet thirsting for hope, and calls upon us to build a civilization of love and communities founded on fraternity.

Lives brought to fulfilment by love

In outlining the profiles of the new blesseds, the cardinal went on to recall that “their lives were not cut short by evil, but brought to fulfillment by love. For this reason, their blood does not cry out for vengeance but proclaims Christ.”

“Fr. Ubald chose to remain with his people,” said Cardinal Semeraro, “and fell on the steps of the altar, almost as if offering his own life together with the Eucharistic sacrifice.” As a lasting memorial to his martyrdom, the monastic community of Dossetti preserves a ciborium riddled with bullet holes, found amid the rubble of the church in Casaglia. Fr. Ubald’s father was among the few who did not oppose the plea for clemency put forward by Walter Reder, the SS major who had coordinated the Monte Sole massacre.

Fr. Elijah Comini, explained the cardinal prefect, “after celebrating what would be the last Mass of his life, truly allowed himself to be broken, like the Eucharistic bread, for the salvation of his people.” A Salesian, he was killed on October 1, 1944, at the Canapiera reservoir in Pioppe di Salvaro, after being captured while accompanying Fr. Martin Capelli to administer the last rites to the dying victims of the Creda massacre.

The latter, a Dehonian, “remained present as a shepherd,” explained the cardinal, “as a brother and as a man of God.” “His priestly fidelity became a testimony to the Open Heart of Christ.” Before becoming a priest, Fr. Martin asked the Virgin of Guadalupe for the grace to be a martyr. He died, imploring forgiveness, alongside Fr. Elijah after their arrest by the German SS and their execution by firing squad. Subsequently, their bodies were desecrated by hand grenades thrown by the soldiers. Their blood, Cardinal Semeraro concluded, is “the fragrance of a Church that does not flee, that does not abandon, that stands in solidarity alongside those who suffer.”

Homily for 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sept. 27, 2026
Matt 21: 28-32
Ezek 18: 25-28
Ps 25: 4-9
The Fountains, Tuckahoe
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“Which of the two did his father’s will?” (Matt 21: 31).

I suppose most parents have had to deal with a willful child at one time or another.  Probably most of us have at one time or another been that willful child.  In Jesus’ short parable, one son turns from his willfulness to obedience, and one pays lip service to obedience but practices willfulness.

Jesus was a willful child for one instance, the time when he stayed behind in the Temple in Jerusalem while Mary and Joseph started for home.  When they finally found him, he seemed a startled that they were upset, asking, “Why were you looking for me?  Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Nevertheless, he turned from his own desire and, St. Luke tells us, “went down with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them” (2:43-51).

Thruout his public ministry, Jesus met all kinds of people.  By his preaching, his kindness, and his miracles, he invited everyone into his Father’s vineyard.  We heard a parable about that last Sunday (Matt 20:1-16), altho that parable raised a different issue than today’s tale of the two sons.  Today one son chooses to go to the vineyard and work as his father asked, and one son doesn’t.

Similarly, Jesus’ invitations to all kinds of people met with different responses.  Many weren’t leading good lives.  Jesus references “tax collectors and prostitutes” (21:31) because the chief priests and elders often objected to his speaking with them and eating with them.  But he welcomed those, like Matthew the tax collector, who wanted to be his disciples.  They accepted John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ own calls to repentance—to change their minds and their behavior, like the 1st son in the parable.  So the “kingdom of God” was opened to them.

Jesus doesn’t tell the chief priests, the elders, and others who refused to believe John or himself that they’re doomed.  He says only, “tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you” (21:31).  There’s still a chance for them to change their minds (21:32).

When sinners change their minds and begin to believe and follow Jesus in obedience to God, then the kingdom of God opens up for them.  Six centuries earlier, the prophet Ezekiel had preached the same thing:  “If someone turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life, since he has turned away from all the sins he has committed” (18:27).  The door to God’s kingdom remains open to all who decides to enter by repenting their sins and trying to live virtuously.

For Jesus, that includes chief priests and elders, scribes and Pharisees.  It included the criminal crucified next to him on Calvary (Luke 23:39-43).  Now it includes you and me; Jesus risen and alive stands ready to forgive, to wipe our slates clean of anything we’ve done, said, or failed to do.  The responsorial psalm reminded us:  “Your compassion, O Lord, and your love are from of old.  The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not; in your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord” (Ps 25:6-7).

“Remember me” is exactly what that crucified criminal pleaded to Jesus.  And Jesus promised him paradise that very day.

We must be mindful of our sins.  But the moment we hand them over to our Lord Jesus with a repentant heart, with an intention of changing our minds and our behavior like the first son in the parable—in our case, by making a sacramental confession—then Jesus wipes out those sins, ceases to remember them, and rejoices to have us in his company.  “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need to repent,” (Luke 15:7) Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes when they complained that “tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him” (15:1).  That’s when he told the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son—“the prodigal son.”  That last story ends, “We must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (15:32).

The Reliquary of Fr. Elijah Comini

The Reliquary of Fr. Elijah Comini

(ANS – Bologna, Italy – September 25, 2026) – The small notebook belonging to the Salesian priest who was killed in Pioppe di Salvaro during the Monte Sole massacre is kept in a reliquary that combines the palm of martyrdom with the face of Don Bosco.

There are relics that speak thru the silence of the bones, and others that speak with the very voice of those who left them behind. The new reliquary dedicated to Blessed Elijah Comini, who is to be beatified on Sunday, September 27, in Bologna alongside Fr. Ubald Marchioni and Fr. Martin Capelli, belongs to this second category. It holds his diary, a small notebook filled, page after page, with dense, minute handwriting from December 31, 1927, to July 22, 1944. Seventeen years of inner life condensed into a few dozen sheets of paper are presented for the veneration of the faithful on the occasion of the beatification.

A diary in place of a body

Because the priest martyr’s body was never recovered, the diary takes on a unique significance. It is the most intimate thing Fr. Elijah left us: not an object touched by chance, but the daily record of his faith, his resolutions, his struggles, and his fidelity. The first page is dated December 31, 1927, the last day of the year, the day on which the Church sings the Te Deum in thanksgiving. Young Elijah, 17, a Salesian professed for just over a year, began writing right on the threshold of a new year, at a time for taking stock and making resolutions: as if he had wanted to place his life, right from the start, under the sign of gratitude and surrender to God. The last page, July 22, 1944, falls in the midst of the wartime summer in Salvaro, just over 2 months before his martyrdom.

The language of the reliquary

On the glass protecting the notebook is an image of the palm of martyrdom, an ancient Christian symbol of victory over death. In the Book of Revelation, the saved stand before the Lamb holding palms in their hands. Placed above the written pages, the palm seems almost to seal them, as if to say that this life, recorded day by day, found its fulfillment in the blood shed at Pioppe. Set within the glass is a medal bearing the face of St. John Bosco and the coat of arms of the Salesian Congregation, featuring the anchor, the burning heart, the star, the figure of St. Francis de Sales, and the motto Da mihi animas, cetera tolle: “Give me souls; take all the rest.” It would be hard to find a more faithful summary of Fr. Elijah’s life, for he truly allowed everything to be taken from him, even his life, so as not to abandon the souls entrusted to him.

The image of Don Bosco, alongside the diary of his martyred son, reminds us that Salesian holiness is a family story, passed down from master to disciple. This charismatic sonship is lived out in the docility that Don Bosco demanded of his Salesians, exemplified by the handkerchief held in his hands – symbolized in the reliquary by a red cloth – a sign of obedience even unto martyrdom. Just as a handkerchief allows itself to be folded, put away, or moved by the hands of the one who holds it without offering any resistance, so Fr. Elijah showed total and trusting docility in the hands of God. Standing before this reliquary, pilgrims will find more than just a memento. They will find a voice: that of a young man who, in 1927, began to write about God and his own vocation, and who, in 1944, wrote that vocation with his very life.

The display case was designed by Corrado Bianchi and crafted by Massimo Rossi.

Homily for Friday, Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Friday
Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Sept. 25, 2026
Eccl 3: 1-11
Salesian HS, New Rochelle

“There’s an appointed time for everything” (Eccl 3: 1).

The sacred reading from Ecclesiastes catalogs a lot of ordinary and extraordinary activities of human life.  Circumstances and one’s place in life determine what’s the right time, e.g., for joy or sorrow, for work or rest.

The reading tells us, “I have considered the task that God has appointed for people to be busied about” (3:10).  At any point in our lives, at any point in our day, what does God expect of us?  Knowing that and doing that is holiness.

We speak of Salesian as a home, school, parish, and playground.  There’s a time for each of those.  We act as brothers, as family when it’s time for that; sometimes in combination.  This Sunday there will be a family Mass; that’s a time for us to be both family and parish, to come together to praise God, to thank him, to ask for blessings.  At other times, we’re in school, in a classroom; it’s time to listen to a teacher, to discuss or solve problems, to take notes, to study.  There’s also a time for homework.  We have plenty of time for play:  recess after lunch, the end of the school day, sports, hanging out with friends.

St. Dominic Savio, one of St. John Bosco’s best pupils, knew and did all that:  making friends with his schoolmates, helping them with schoolwork and chores, praying at Mass and other times of the day, receiving Communion, taking part in games at recreation time, studying his school lessons.

Whenever we do what’s right for the moment, what we’re supposed to be doing, then we’re doing the task God has appointed for us, and we’re on a path of holiness.

Homily for Thursday, Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Sept. 25, 2026
Ps 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17
Eccl 1: 2-11
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“You turn man back to dust” (Ps 90: 3).

Psalm 90 reminds us, if we need the reminder, that our days are limited, and their meaning depends on our “wisdom of heart” (90:12) and the kindness of the Lord (90:14).

Wisdom of heart helps us to see the world around us in perspective.  It seems unchanging and permanent, and our labor has little impact on it, dust that we are.  What we do and what we say vanishes quickly.  Even the great—or those who think they’re great, like Herod Antipas—are perplexed (Luke 9:7-9) if they ground themselves on the world around us.  All of it is vanity; our lives are short.

The kindness of the Lord, however, enables us to “number our days aright” (Ps 90:12), to number them not by counting them out but by using them profitably.  Qoheleth asks skeptically, “What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?” (Eccl 1:3).  That depends on what we labor at, for whom we labor.  If for ourselves, if aiming at being remembered (1:11) as great in fame or fortune, then yes, “All things are vanity!” (1:2).

If, however, our aim is to be remembered by the Lord, then “the work of our hands” prospers because we work for him; human labor, toiling under the sun, draws a profit (1:3).  The Lord advises us, “Store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves break in and steal” (Matt 6:20).  In heaven our eyes will be fully satisfied, with seeing, our ears with hearing (cf. Eccl 1:8) because we’ll see and hear him who made us to be happy with him, with him who is “the way, the truth, and the life” of the human race (Gospel verse).