Dr. Ida Pennella presented a talk on the subject hosted by the Orange Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.
8 COUNTING HER BLESSINGS
New mother and entrepreneur Jaritzy Marquez reflects on the recent changes in her life.
STRIKES, SPARES AND MOTHER & SON TIME
St. Serra School's annual Mother & Son event took over Lucky Strike in Ladera Ranch
ST. CECILIA SCHOOL BRINGS THE FUN
Havana Nights event raises $90,000 for funding operating costs. 12
Reflection and remembrance lead us to salvation. 14
JESUS, RE-MEMBER US IN YOUR KINGDOM
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT
The Orange County Catholic Newspaper seeks to illuminate and animate the journey of faith for Catholics within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange – building solidarity among the faithful and inviting a deeper understanding and involvement in the mission of Christ – through the timely sharing of news, commentary and feature content in an engaging, accessible and compelling format.
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC
The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840
Publisher: The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange
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Delivered weekly to parishes and homes throughout Orange County, Calif., Orange County Catholic is published by SCNG Custom Content, a division of Southern California News Group that offers content development and design expertise to businesses and nonprofit institutions. The Orange County Catholic editorial staff and editorial council are responsible for the content contained herein. Events and products advertised in Orange County Catholic do not carry the implicit endorsement of the Diocese of Orange or SCNG Custom Content.
ROSARY BEADS
READER CALL-OUT
Praying the Rosary before the tabernacle is where I find deep peace and strength—resting in His Presence, heart to Heart. Each bead becomes a moment of grace. —Liz Hurtado, Holy Family Parish in Orange. If you would like to share a photo of your Rosary Beads with our readers, please send a photo and brief description (include your name and parish) to: editor@occatholic.com C
“ Mary is always ready to respond.” — Pope Leo XIV
SAINT PROFILE
BLESSED MARY ANNA SALA C. 400-461
THE FIFTH OF EIGHT children in an Italian family, Mary Anna went in 1842 to a boarding school operated by the Sisters of St. Marcellina. She earned a teaching diploma in four years and wanted to join the order, but had to wait because of her mother's illness and father's financial reverses. After assisting her family, she entered the congregation in 1848 and professed her vows in 1852. Over a 40-year teaching career in the order's schools, she was both popular and successful; one of her students was the mother of Pope Paul VI. She died of throat cancer and was beatified in 1980.C
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
DANIEL 1:1-6, 8-20; DANIEL 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56; LUKE 21:1-4
TUESDAY
DANIEL 2:31-45; DANIEL 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61; REVELATION 2:10C; LUKE 21:5-11
WEDNESDAY
DANIEL 5:1-6, 1314, 16-17, 23-28; DANIEL 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67; LUKE 21:12-19
be a uniquely American holiday, as many other countries have festivals to celebrate harvests and such.
But for Catholics and Christians, Thanksgiving holds deeper and more profound roots beyond one-off holidays, celebrations and occasional days of service.
Giving thanks for God’s blessings is a core belief steeped in the Bible.
As Fr. Christopher Smith, rector emeritus of Christ Cathedral, explains, “gratitude is the basis of Christian life.”
Fr. Christopher shared that the Thanksgiving holiday is “the day that we celebrate, but what makes it happen is an attitude of gratitude.”
BEYOND THE HOLIDAY
The day isn’t what matters, although family, feasts and football, not to mention feeding the poor, are all important aspects of the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving isn’t a holy day of obligation. It isn’t associated with a saint. Furthermore, the original “American” Thanksgiving origin tales and claims are debatable.
The first Pilgrim Thanksgiving, to which the holiday is most connected, was celebrated in 1621 between late September and early November, and not at all the following year. The first event was based on the similar English and Wampanoag harvest festivals and traditions. It was a secular event with a three-day feast celebrating a successful harvest. Truth be told, Pilgrims and Puritans of the time were more likely to fast than feast.
The term “thanksgiving” was first used
in writing in relation to the celebration in 1623, when gratitude was expressed for rains that saved their crops from drought.
Although the Pilgrims’ claim to the original Thanksgiving may be a product of Northeast bias, these were the first such celebrations to continue annually.
Catholics can also lay claim to the inaugural Thanksgiving in America, when Spanish settlers and military landed near St. Augustine, Fla. in 1565, or another expeditionary landing in Texas in 1541, both in which priests purportedly conducted thanksgiving services.
There are also accounts of French Huguenots holding a service of thanksgiving in 1564 and Virginia and Maine have also
claimed to host Thanksgiving in earlier years.
As a national holiday, Thanksgiving unfolded in steps from the Continental Congress to activist Sarah Josepha Hale and Abraham Lincoln, to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
ABOUT A BELIEF, NOT A DATE
However, historical arguments overlook the notion of thanksgiving, which in Catholicism and Christianity is about something more basic than a day or date.
In the Bible, even when thanksgiving isn’t explicit, as in Psalm 100 where we are instructed to, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving,” it is implicit.
As Fr. Christopher noted, “All of Jesus’ life is based on gratitude. He always preceded everything with a prayer of thanks.”
Fr. Damien Giap, O.Praem, school rector at St. John the Baptist School in Costa Mesa stated, Thanksgiving is really an everyday aspect of Catholic life.
“When we celebrate Mass, the word eucharistia in the Greek (and Latin) language literally means thanksgiving,” Fr. Damien noted. “So, we are constantly giving thanks as a universal Church, because Mass is offered up at every moment somewhere in the world.”
Fr. Timothy Peters, an assistant professor of biblical studies at St. John’s Semi-
AVALYN DE LA PAZ, 10, A FOURTH-GRADE STUDENT, DONS TURKEY GLASSES DURING THE ST. PIUS TURKEY TROT AND JOGATHON FUNDRAISER ON NOV. 20 2024. PHOTO BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
nary who leads the diocese’s Catholic Bible Institute, looks at King David maintaining gratitude both in victory and defeat as instructive.
“We can learn much from King David when it comes to Thanksgiving and giving thanks,” he responded in writing. “This is because David lived through excruciatingly difficult trials and was always able to give thanks to the Lord, even in the most difficult moments.”
Fr. Christopher likes to reflect on Colossians 3, particularly 12-17, which he says speaks beautifully on “dedicating yourself to thankfulness.”
Part of Colossians 3 reads: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
And “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Even when David lost everything and lived among Israel’s enemies, Fr. Tim wrote: “David was able to comprehend
the Lord’s goodness and recognize that God has been gracious to him, and in this context, he composed Psalm 34.”
In the psalm, among other things, David offers thanks to God for his protection, saying “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be always in my mouth.”
According to Fr. Damien, the same should be true of Catholics, writing “we're called to offer up every moment of the day to pray unceasingly.”
TAKING ACTION
Catholics are also compelled to express their gratitude through their deeds and actions. That is the second part of Thanksgiving celebrations, extending to Advent and beyond.
As Fr. Christopher said, if we were truly to take in and inhabit the notion of thanks, it would lead naturally to giving to others.
“Gratitude breeds generosity and we would have no choice but to want to share,” he said. “We wouldn’t have to do it one day, but we’d do it every day, and we’d talk about gratitude all the time.” C
A MAN PRAYS DURING THANKSGIVING DAY MASS CELEBRATED ON NOV. 23, 2023 AT ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR CATHOLIC CHURCH IN DANA POINT. PHOTO BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
GRAPHIC BY PATTY BROOKS
A HISTORY OF THE ROSARY
BY BRITNEY ZINT
EVERYONE IN THE ROOM knew and prayed the Rosary, but its full history and many miracles were a subject that left many with something new to consider.
The Orange Diocesan Council of Catholic Women hosted a luncheon with a lecture by Dr. Ida Pennella on “The History of the Holy Rosary” this fall at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Irvine. The talk was the second of eight events planned for the Orange Diocesan Council of Catholic Women’s 50th anniversary. The council is an organization dedicated to bringing others to Christ through spirituality, leadership and service and is an affiliate of the National Council of Catholic Women.
“You think you know about the Rosary, or you think you know about apparitions, but there’s always so much more,” said Council President-elect Carol Palmer to the audience.
A former Chapman University Professor, Pennella, 83, delivered the lecture to almost 50 women and included her own experiences with the Rosary and personal healing miracle of surviving terminal cancer.
The history of the Rosary starts with the Virgin Mary’s history. From a young girl told she was carrying the child of God, to a mother who watched her son crucified and then resurrected. The idea behind the Rosary started in the 10th century with a string of beads over which 150 psalms were said, Pennella said. This became 150 Our Fathers and then in the 12th century, 150 Hail Marys were added. In the 13th century, the first Rosary was given to St. Dominic and in the 16th century, Jesus’ life was attached to each Hail Mary, and the Rosary was developed to consist of 50 mysteries — joyful, sorrowful and glorious.
“It is a spiritual weapon against evil,” said Pennella. “How many know that if
you pray the Rosary daily it's a weapon against evil?”
The lecture also covered the many historical events where the power of the Rosary was utilized, such as the war with the Albigensians in 1209, where Mary appeared to St. Dominic after he prayed for the crusaders to win, said Pennella.
Mother Mary gave St. Dominic a Rosary as a weapon to win the war.
“The Rosary has been used for many, many miracles throughout the years,” Pennella said.
Pennella also gave the history of the Rosary in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the 1917 Miracle of the Sun during World War I and the Bubonic Plague in 1349. She recounted how the Virgin Mary appeared to Blessed Alan de la Roche and told him to revive the Rosary during the Bubonic Plague.
The lecture included Marian apparitions from the well-known, like Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Lourdes, to the less well known, such as Our Lady of Knock in Ireland and Our Lady of Litmanová in Slovakia.
Regarding Litmanová, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has granted a nihil obstat. According to Vatican News, “nihil obstat does not imply the recognition of the supernatural authenticity of the alleged apparitions, but ‘nevertheless permits the approval of public worship and the communication to the faithful that, if they wish, they may approach this spiritual proposal without risk.’”
“The lecture was amazing,” said Evelyn Flores, whose home parish is Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ladera Ranch. Although Flores prays the Rosary, she said some of the information was new to her. The Rosary’s relationship to historical wars and the miracles especially connected with her, she said.
“I never knew the history of the Rosary,” Flores said. “I pray the Rosary, but it was a lot of information. It was beautiful and I enjoyed it very much.”
After learning the history, Flores said she doesn’t pray the Rosary enough and now feels compelled to step forward and pray the Rosary for families and friends who are suffering.
“It’s kind of like an awakening,” she said.
The Orange Diocesan Council of Catholic Women’s 50th anniversary celebration continues with a talk by Fr. Chris Heath on Jan. 20 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Irvine. For more information, go to odccw.org. C
DR. IDA PENNELLA SHARES A PRESENTATION “OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY” A HISTORY OF THE ROSARY, DURING THE ORANGE DIOCESAN COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN’S MEETING AT ST. THOMAS MORE CHURCH IN IRVINE ON OCT. 21. PHOTOS BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
THE BOARD OF THE ORANGE DIOCESAN COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN, FROM LEFT, CAROL PALMER, PAT MARTIN, SUSAN NAVARRETE, IDA PENNELLA, KAY EHRET AND GAIL LEFEBVRE POSES FOR A PHOTO.
COUNTING HER BLESSINGS
A YOUNG MOTHER & ENTREPRENEUR REFLECTS, GIVES THANKS
BY LOU PONSI
THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS A time for Catholics to pause and reflect with gratitude for the blessings in their lives.
For Jaritzy Marquez, 18, of Seal Beach, this year’s celebration is especially meaningful as she embraces her role as a first-time mother.
The sense of gratitude and unconditional love she feels for her 7-month-old daughter, Lily, her family and Lily’s father is profound.
Yet, months ago, Marquez was frighteningly close to making a choice she would have come to regret—a choice that would have deprived her of the fulfillment she experiences today. At 17, Marquez was a first-year college student with plans for a career.
When Marquez discovered she was pregnant, the news felt like a barrier that would jeopardize her future.
“How can I finish school and pursue a career while raising a child?” she wondered.
Reflecting back, Marquez spoke candidly about the fear and uncertainty she felt—so much so that abortion became an option.
“I was like, how am I supposed to take care of a baby when I don't have any babies around me?” Marquez recalled. “I never had that connection to babies.”
She went as far as making an appointment with Planned Parenthood, scheduling an abortion for the day after her 18th birthday.
On the day of her scheduled abortion, her partner Sebastian encouraged her to first talk with someone at the Life Center of Santa Ana — a nonprofit serving mostly teens and young adults at risk for abortion by providing mentoring and pregnancy-options information.
“He told me, ‘Let’s go in the morning. And if you don’t like what she has
to say, then think about it. Just cancel your appointment,’” Marquez said. “I felt like God was calling me to go. I knew deep down it was the wrong thing to go through with the abortion.”
At the Life Center, Marquez found support and gained clarity.
She canceled the appointment at Planned Parenthood and chose life for her baby. Throughout her pregnancy, Marquez felt a deeper level of faith and learned about the importance of family.
Jaritzy was also the first recipient of the Life Center’s Benevolence Grant, a grant families at risk for abortion can apply to receive.
At eight months pregnant, she started a pop-up coffee business with her sister Jannet, 33. They aptly called the pop-up Cup of Faith, a name that came to them during Mass.
For Jannet, who helped raise Jaritzy, running Cup of Faith with her sister and being part of Lily’s life has been a full-circle experience.
“Seeing the baby is like seeing my sister again,” Jannet said. “I didn’t know my love for her would grow even more.”
Jaritzy’s brother helps by transporting the cart, espresso machine and supplies in his truck.
Their mother babysits Lily while Janet and Jaritzy serve guests.
As the doting father, Sebastian watches Lily while Jaritzy goes to school or work, or even just to give her some “me-time.”
“They've been a big help throughout this journey,” Marquez said of her family. “It’s a privilege that a lot of moms don't have. I'm really grateful for that.”
As the name implies, their coffee business is steeped in faith.
Customers who purchase a cup of coffee are welcome to close their eyes and pick from a stack of miniature stickers marked with a Bible verse to affix to their JARITZY
MARQUEZ, 18, HOLDS HER BABY LILIANA JAIME MARQUEZ AT HOME IN SEAL BEACH ON NOV. 5. PHOTO
BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
cup of coffee.
“We tell them, ‘What is God telling you today?’” Jaritzy said. “And sometimes they say, ‘That’s exactly what I needed.’” They have also committed to giving back to the church community by sponsoring Catholic retreats.
Jaritzy and Jannet hope to turn their
coffee business into a brick-and-mortar operation, while still keeping the faith element at the center.
“I just love serving coffee to people and making them happy,” Jaritzy said. “Because coffee makes me happy. And now I get to do that for others.”
https://www.instagram.com/cupoffaithcoffee/ C
JARITZY MARQUEZ, 18, LEFT, AND HER SISTER JANNET MARQUEZ POSE FOR A PHOTO WITH THEIR COFFEE CART BUSINESS CALLED CUP OF FAITH. PHOTOS BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
STRIKES, SPARES AND MOTHER & SON TIME
BY BRITNEY ZINT
ANGELA MERCHANT LINED up her green bowling ball and let it fly, knocking all but five pins down. But this mom doesn’t have to worry about her next turn — her 11-year-old son Nicholas has her back. With bowling shoes on and an orange ball in his grasp, he picked up three more pins, earning cheers from his friends.
Angela and Nicholas Merchant were just one of many mother-son pairs filling up all 42 lanes at Lucky Strike in Ladera Ranch on Nov. 8 for St. Serra Catholic School’s annual Mother & Son event. The Rancho Santa Margarita campus took over Lucky Strike on that Saturday after-
noon to give moms and sons a chance to spend some quality time together.
“I feel like these events really shape these boys into little men, because they feel like they’re taking their mom out, and it’s a really special day,” Angela Merchant said. “We’re already close, but these kinds of things really solidify our relationship even more.”
The music was blaring as boys and moms bowled. Half-eaten pizza and cups of soda and water were spread about the tables at each lane as boys laughed with their friends and moms chatted. One mother and son duo battled it out at the air hockey table, while another pair held up toy guns to shoot down aliens in an arcade game.
The event — which brought out 260
children and family members — was a chance to bring the community together in camaraderie and a shared vision, said St. Serra Senior Principal Tim Tolzda.
“You can see there’s a great vibe right here, a lot of energy and a lot of fun,” Tolzda said, adding that he hopes the students take away from the event how important their mothers are.
“You never forget your mother,” he shared. “You take that moment to recognize your mother, but it’s also about community and coming together as friends — as Jesus would want us to do — and just enjoying life.”
St. Serra’s commitment to family time is one of the reasons Angela Merchant chose the school for all four of her children’s education.
“Family values are so important and it’s seen throughout the school in the way they prioritize events for the family: fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, grandparents,” she said. “They want everyone to be welcomed at the school, and although we are a big campus, we’re family-centered. Faith and family are really important.”
As far as remembering to appreciate his mother, that’s not a problem for sixth-grader Nicholas Merchant, who said it’s really special to get this one-onone time with his mom. Although the two like to go to dinner together, watch movies and especially go skiing together, Nicholas said there isn’t enough mother and son time.
TAYLOR WHEELER OF RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA TAKES HER TURN BOWLING DURING A ST. SERRA SCHOOL MOTHER/ SON BOWLING EVENT AT LUCKY STRIKE IN LADERA RANCH. PHOTOS BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
STEPHANIE PESHTAZ OF TRABUCO CANYON HOLDS A VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET FOR HER SON, SEBASTIAN PESHTAZ, 11, AS HE PLAYS AN ARCADE GAME ON NOV. 8.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
“I just love her,” Nicholas said. “She’s taught me a lot — how to be a good person and to respect and love all people. She’s just the best!”
At a lane on the other side of the alley, kindergartner Thomas Holm, 5, said he was having fun bowling with mom, especially because he was beating her 85-82.
“I’m in the lead of her,” Thomas said with a big grin.
“You’re in the lead,” added Kaitlin Holm, smiling. “You’re beating Mom today.”
The event is one the pair had been looking forward to all year since they attended their first one last year.
“We are feeling great today,” Kaitlin Holm said. “It’s exciting to have some
St. Catherine’s
LAURA VOZEK OF LAKE FOREST STANDS WITH HER SON, MAX VOZEK, 12, BEFORE TAKING HER TURN BOWLING.
MOTHERS AND SONS BOWL TOGETHER AT LUCKY STRIKE IN LADERA RANCH ON NOV. 8.
ST. CECILIA SCHOOL BRINGS THE FUN AT HAVANA NIGHTS
BY BRITNEY ZINT
THE NIGHT MAY NOT have been sweltering, and the cigars were made of chocolate, but the evening came to life with women in flowing floral dresses, flowers tucked behind their ears and men looking dapper in fedora hats — arrived ready to have a good time.
Parents, alumni, teachers and sponsors gathered to raise money for St. Cecilia Catholic School in Tustin during its 36th annual gala, Havana Nights, on Nov. 7. Held at Orange Hill Restaurant, the event raised more than $90,000, according to Diana Anoc, coordinator of marketing, admissions, advancement and alumni.
“We wanted to bring a fun vibe and change it up from the super-formal galas,” said gala co-chair Rhea Allen. “We want-
ed to bring some color to the night and really bring out the spirit in everybody with the dancing and partying — all the fun parts of the gala.”
Parents mingled on the balcony of the restaurant, overlooking the sprawling cities lit up like jewels below as they chatted and bid on rows upon rows of silent auction items. From giant gift baskets bursting with family games to baskets offering relaxing spa amenities or a certificate to attend Servite High School’s football camp, there were baskets for all wants. Parents also bid for their children to have special experiences at school with teachers, such as learning to decorate cakes, eating kimbap and listening to K-pop.
The live auction also offered Rams tickets, vacations and more, but the
biggest earner was the ultimate graduation package. Not one, but two families donated $7,000 to the school for front row seats and reserved parking at this year’s eighth-grade graduation.
All the money raised goes toward needs like operating costs, increasing tuition assistance, teacher professional development and more, said Principal Mary Alvarado.
“Our facilities were built in 1961, so it always needs some TLC,” she noted.
This year’s named-projects revolved around safety: a privacy screen that attaches to the school’s fence to keep outsiders from looking in, and an updated security system with more cameras and a live feed. Since the Catholic school shooting in Minnesota that occurred on the first day of school, St. Cecilia has been re-examining its own security, said Alvarado.
“Unfortunately,” said Allen, “we are living in a different day and age, and if there is something we can do in our power to keep our children safe, I will do
PARENTS RAISE THEIR BIDDING PADDLES TO START THE AUCTION DURING THE ST. CECILIA SCHOOL’S 36TH ANNUAL GALA, HAVANA NIGHTS, AT ORANGE HILL RESTAURANT ON NOV. 7. PHOTOS BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
MOTHERS OF EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENTS POSE FOR A PHOTO BOOTH PICTURE DURING THE ST. CECILIA SCHOOL’S 36TH ANNUAL GALA, HAVANA NIGHTS, AT ORANGE HILL RESTAURANT.
HECTOR BLANCHET RAISES HIS BIDDING PADDLE DURING THE AUCTION PORTION OF ST. CECILIA SCHOOL’S 36TH ANNUAL GALA, HAVANA NIGHTS, AT ORANGE HILL RESTAURANT ON NOV. 7.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
it. We will do it.”
Both security upgrades were fully funded, said Anoc. A St. Cecilia parent herself, Anoc said the community comes out to support the school because, like its tagline, it’s more than a school.
“They focus on the whole child, and
DEACON JOHN REZA SAYS A PRAYER DURING THE ST. CECILIA SCHOOL’S 36TH ANNUAL GALA, HAVANA NIGHTS. PHOTOS BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
they build that faith foundation,” Anoc said. “It’s just a special place. We’re more than a school for a reason. I think we give even though our pockets aren’t very deep, because we know our children are safe. We know our children are getting the best education they can get, and that this is their home away from home.” C
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Our senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests need your help. Decades of caring for others with little or no pay have left many communities without sufficient retirement savings. Over 20,500 elderly religious depend on the Retirement Fund for Religious for health care, medication, and daily living expenses. Your gift helps ensure they receive the care they deserve. Please give back to those who have given a lifetime.
Please donate at your local parish, December 13–14, or by mail at: National Religious Retirement Office/ORAS 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20017-1194 Make check
JESUS, RE-MEMBER US IN YOUR KINGDOM
BY DEACON KEVIN DUTHOY
IHAVE A BOX FILLED with old letters, postcards and photos of people who have come and gone in my life. I don’t look at them often, but when I do, I feel a bittersweet ache. These memories fail to satisfy; they reveal a hole in my heart I cannot close. Loss of life, relationships, health, hope, faith, love— these leave us feeling broken, in conflict with ourselves, unsettled and uncertain. True healing of the heart—true re-membering—belongs to God alone. As St. Augustine wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
A priest friend of mine keeps his office filled with religious gifts—artwork and Scripture verses from friends. When asked if he looked at them often, he said no, but he feels the love behind them. His favorite, he said, is a small, framed card with only these words: “Remember, you are going to die.”
Today’s Gospel (Lk. 23:35-43) about the Crucifixion and the exchange between Jesus and the two thieves may seem out of place as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yet it perfectly concludes the Church year and leads us into Advent, a new beginning. Today we celebrate Christ the King—the only one who can truly, perfectly re-member us, as He did the repentant thief who knew he was going to die.
The thief wasn’t asking Jesus merely to recall him hanging on a cross, ending a life marked by sin, when he asked Jesus to remember him. He was asking for something greater—something he could not do for himself. He was praying to Jesus, face-to-face, to put his fractured body and soul back together, to restore him to the wholeness God intended. It was a final prayer of
humility that became the meeting place with God.
In Scripture, to be “remembered” has two profound senses: First, it means for God to act in favor of the one being remembered; here, granting salvation. Second, it means for God to re-create the person into perfect wholeness. “Remember” usually means to recall the past. But biblically, it means to re-member—to return the members, the parts of a person, into a harmonious whole. The thief was imploring Jesus to restore him in communion with God. And Jesus
abandonment, Jesus opens heaven to the thief, never again to be forgotten, forever re-membered.
Jesus did for the thief what He came to do for all of us—restore what sin and death have dismembered. He re-membered brokenness into eternal life through healing, forgiveness and love. “Behold,” He says, “I make all things new (Rev. 21:5 )”— for all time, all the time, outside of time. And so, we return to the priest’s plaque: “Remember, you are going to die.” Missionary Jim Elliott once wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” May our lives join with the thief’s prayer: “Jesus, our King, re-member us when you come into your Kingdom.” C
responded not with a promise of memory, but of presence: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
When God remembers, He restores His order through salvation into a new creation. The thief asked for and received eternal healing—perfect reunification, a re-membering of body and soul fully reconciled with God. Jesus closed the hole in his heart.
This is a regal act of nonviolent love from the Cross: taking the thief with Him into Paradise. What humanity condemns, God can redeem through grace. We are not saved by the violence of the Passion, but by its loving non-violent acceptance by Jesus. Out of mutual isolation and
PHOTO BY DANIST SOH ON UNSPLASH
OC Catholic Afar
Mark Kreyche visited Bemidji, Minnesota, where the headwaters of the Mississippi River begin at Lake Itasca.
—Mark is a parishioner of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Irvine.
We want your photos! Send your pictures of “OC Catholic Afar” — of you, family or friends visiting Catholic churches and other interesting places — to editor@occatholic.com. Please include a brief description of the photo, the name of the person(s) featured in the photo and their home parish.
