Dear St. Anthony Families,
In this Sunday’s Gospel we will hear Jesus telling the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Luke’s Gospel prepares us for this parable by telling the money-loving Pharisees who had made fun of Jesus’ teaching that “you cannot give yourself to God and money.” We read this teaching in last week’s Gospel. But Jesus also speaks to us today as he describes the eternal reward of Lazarus and the punishment of the rich man.

As we prepare to listen to this gospel message we must ask ourselves these questions. Do we notice the marginalized? Do we share the excess of what we have? Jesus did come back from the dead to tell us! Has it made a difference or are we blind to that as well? Having too many ‘things’ is not a sign from God that we are blessed and loved. It is a sign that we are workaholics or very clever or very lucky. The ideal expressed by Luke over and over in his Gospel is that we share what we have with those who don’t have in order to level the playing field on earth. It means giving up money, power, property, status and becoming known for what we do for others. We need to use our resources to fight for justice in society and not ignore the needs and injustices others are subject to. We need to be real Christians. And Luke is very clear on what that means in our daily lives. It is a challenge. It is hard to be humble in a society where humility is not much valued. It is hard to be giving in a society where having is more important. But if we are to really follow Christ, we need to do more than come to Mass on Sundays for one hour. Let us reflect on this as we prepare for this Sunday’s gospel.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the great news that St. Anthony’s school received on Friday. As you all know we have been working very hard to establish a Pre-School Program on our campus. Well our dream became a reality and our pre-school is now open. It is a true blessing and we look forward to welcoming our new students and parents to our school. There will be a formal dedication at a later date. If you know of a family seeking a pre-school program please recommend our program.

Next week, we will begin the IOWA Basics test. The Testing period is for 2 weeks. It is very important that no doctor’s appointments are made during this time. It is very hard for students to make up these Tests. Please ensure that your student(s) have a good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast and arrive to school on time. Working together will ensure great test results.

Once again thank you for all your support and efforts in making our school successful!

Have a great week!
Blessings,
Deacon Henry Barajas
Principal