Beloved in Christ,
  
What's God's plan for us after death? Eternal life in His presence. God sent us his Son, Jesus, to save us for everlasting life with him in heaven. However, he also gives us the freedom to choose otherwise. An eternity of separation from God is what we call hell. We were not called or chosen for hell. When God chose or called us in Christ Jesus, He intended for us to see him face to face after death. We find this claim in the verses from this Sunday's gospel, John 6:37-39. Jesus says to us the following words of comfort: "I will not reject anyone who comes to me" and "I should not lose anything of what he (God) gave me." Jesus never dismisses anyone or sends them to hell. Those who choose eternal life can have it, but they cannot choose to live against God's will at the same time.
 
As I said earlier, verses from this Sunday's pericope are encouraging and consoling to us who remember and mourn loved ones. We pray for our departed brothers and sisters because we know God will not abandon those who lived for Christ while alive after death. God will not reject those who follow Jesus. If they followed the path of salvation, we have in God's promise "hope that does not disappoint (Rom 5:5). How does this work? Jesus describes the path to eternal life when he says: "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life."
 
As it turns out, the popular aphorism, "Seeing is believing," is false. Some see and do not believe. To have everlasting life after death, we must see and believe in Jesus. What does this mean and entail? What does it mean biblically to "see" and "believe"? Let us turn to that. In biblical spirituality, seeing Jesus is recognizing him as God and developing a desire for a relationship with him. It is a desire for communion and friendship with him. To believe in Jesus is to have absolute faith and trust in his power to save us. In other words, believing in Jesus is to entrust oneself totally to Him who died and rose to save us. A life of trusting in Jesus, with whom we have a relationship, is the guaranteed pathway to eternal life with God after death.
 
Why do we pray for our dead friends and relatives if they belonged to Jesus; if they believed in Jesus while they lived? We pray for them because, though they might have died in a state of grace and in friendship with God, it is possible that their will and heart were still attached to the sins they had repented of and forgiven. There is a likely scenario in which our righteous loved ones in Christ are not fully purged and purified of attachment to sin. While they may be on their path to God's presence, the beatific vision, there may still be a need for purification from temporal punishment due to sin. Our prayers, penances, and almsgiving hasten their purification. Purgatory is the word that describes this process of purification that advances them into heaven. If we must express our charity to our faithful departed, our belief in the communion of saints gives us reason to pray for the repose of their souls. 
 
Pray for the souls of your dead loved ones that they may attain God's plan for them post-mortem. God chose them for eternity with him. Help them achieve this purpose. We remember them at our 10:30 am mass and at Eucharistic adoration at 3:00 pm.
  
In Christ,
 
Fr. Alayode, OP
 

Beloved in Christ, 
 
"Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, my soul; I will praise the LORD all my life, sing praise to my God while I live." These words of praise from Psalm 146, from which our responsorial Psalm for this Sunday's Mass is derived, clearly express the ongoing emotions in my heart since the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of my priestly ordination on September 23rd.
 
 Praise is the apt word for the feelings I felt when I celebrated Mass at the grotto of St. Michael the Archangel last Tuesday. I praise God for the privilege of the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, which He bestowed on me, his unworthy son. My soul praises God for the pilgrims of praise and many others who gathered in the pews of the sacred space at Monte Sant'Angelo to celebrate with me. I am particularly grateful for the choice gift of a grape-engraved chalice from the Pilgrims of Praise in honor of my priestly ordination anniversary.
 
I praise God for demonstrations of sincere affection from all of you, my beloved ones of St. Peter Catholic Church in Elizabethtown. I'm eternally grateful to God for bestowing the awesome grace of ministerial priesthood on me, "To him be honor and eternal power. Amen" (1 Timothy 6:16).
 
In Christ, the Eternal High Priest,   
Fr. Alayode, OP 
 
The collage of pictures from San Giovanni Rotondo on my anniversary gives you a picture of why my soul praises the Lord.
 

​The dishonest steward in Jesus’ parable is no hero. He does not use the talents he is given to earn more or to forgive the debts of a person in dire straits. No, he discounts the debts of his masters debtors because soon he will be out of a job looking for help from them. He is a wily self-centered manipulator who cannot be trusted with his master’s wealth, cannot be trusted with his own wealth, and cannot be trusted with what Jesus calls true wealth. True wealth, as Jesus hints in the final verse, is found in the kingdom of heaven. It is not money, or assets, or the accumulation  of material possessions. In fact, it is neither material nor a possession. True wealth is spiritual; it is a share in what is God’s. Jesus himself gives us a model to follow when he places all his “wealth” in the service of others, whether feeding the thousands, healing the sick, or suffering for us all. This is how we serve God, not mammon.
 
How can you find a prudent steward of your material possessions, aware that true wealth is found in God? (Lect.135)
 

​Beloved in Christ,
 
Our parish, St. Peter, will embark on a spiritual pilgrimage to Italy this Sunday as part of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope. We hope it will be a springtime of new and living hope in our Catholic faith. I am humbled to lead a group of pilgrims, thirty-one in total, parishioners and non-parishioners. Pilgrimage, especially during the Jubilee year, is a grace-filled time and action to seek after the things above, even as we walk on and about this earth. Please pray for us to have a safe, spiritually renewing, and transforming pilgrimage.
 
Let me briefly describe what our pilgrimage entails. As part of our pilgrimage itinerary to Italy, we walk through four holy doors, celebrate Masses in basilicas, grottos, shrines, and chapels, visit sites of Eucharistic miracles, and in the process grow in our knowledge and understanding of our Catholic Christian faith. Our pilgrimage will offer us opportunities to encounter the Lord in all His grandeur and majesty in the eternal city.
 
As we celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross this Sunday, and as I write this reflection with a frequent gaze on the Crucifix in the sanctuary of the Historic Church of St. Peter, I would like you to know that our itinerary is also marked by contacts with the cross of Christ. For example, on September 17, the group of pilgrims will walk to bring the Cross from Piazza Pia to St. Peter Basilica, the biggest, grandest and most beautiful of all world's churches; on September 16 we shall proceed to the Church of San Marcello al Corso to see the miraculous Crucifix, which in 1522 was carried in procession through the city's districts to end the "Great Plague of Rome; and On September 21, in Assisi, we shall see the cross that spoke to  St. Francis, "Rebuild my Church." The Christian must walk the way of the Cross; it is the path of love.
 
May we embrace the Cross of Christ on which hung the Savior of the world. On the cross is our victory achieved, and on it we ascend to heaven.
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Alayode, OP
 

 Beloved in Christ,
 
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:27).
 
The high cost of discipleship. Do we truly understand what we are getting into when we choose to follow Jesus? Following Jesus will cost us everything that we own. Is there any demand of Jesus that we will say no to? If there is, then we are not yet ready to carry our cross and follow Jesus. It means we have not contemplated and counted the cost of followership. Following Christ sincerely demands prioritizing him above everything, including people and things that are most dear to us. 
 
To be a true disciple of Jesus is to give absolute, infinite, unlimited, unflinching loyalty to Him. There is no room for compromise here; Jesus demands the totality of our commitment to him and over others. We must love him above all persons or things. We must love him alone with all of ourselves: with all our heart, mind, soul, and body. Nothing, not even dearest and nearest family members or things, must compete with our total surrender to the demands of Jesus. Following Jesus is either everything or nothing; He does not accept choosing between them.
 
It is essential to take time out to consider the cost and renew our commitment to Jesus if we wish to continue the process of discipleship. Ask questions and ponder over statements of faith. Am I willing to make Jesus the absolute leader of my soul? When my family and friends that I love stand in the way of my total surrender in conscience and action to the demands of Jesus, would I idolize them and say no to Jesus? What in the world would make me say "no" to Jesus? These are questions we should engage in recollection and retreat. 
 
As I prepare to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of my priestly ordination during our parish pilgrimage to Italy, which begins next Sunday, I intend to engage with these and similar questions. Are there things or people I have loved or preferred over Jesus? These are questions that need to be answered during spiritual retreats (which I don't get to do as often as necessary because of pastoral needs). I encourage you to take time out to be alone to address these questions: Do I love Jesus above my family, friends, and things, or am I addicted and possessed by them? I conclude with words borrowed from Keith Nester: "What would make you say 'No' to Jesus? This could hurt." With Mary, whose nativity and holy name we honor this week, let us dare to say and mean "God, thy will be done."
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Alayode, OP