Dear beloved sisters and brothers in Christ,
In the gospel for this Sunday, Jesus told the story about a property manager called into the boss’ office for his incompetence. The boss demanded, “Prepare a full account of your stewardship.” The property manager did nothing of the sort. Right away he sat down with his customers and cut bizarre deals. Kind of like Oskar Schindler.
The 1982 novel “Schindler’s Ark” and the more famous film adaptation “Schindler’s List” tell how Schindler was an unlikely good guy. Born in 1908, he joined the German army in 1936 and the Nazi Party in 1939. He spied in Czechoslovakia and in Poland.
In 1939, he acquired an enamelware factory in Krakow, Poland. He used his army connections to protect his thousand Jewish workers from deportation to the Nazi concentration camps. To keep his workers safe, he paid Nazi officials ever larger bribes and luxury gifts.
By July 1944, Germany was losing the war. The Nazis deported POWs, Catholic priests, and Jews to gas chambers in the Auschwitz concentration camps. Schindler moved his factory and workers to Moravia, sparing them from certain death. By the end of World War II in Europe, Schindler had spent his entire fortune on bribes and black market supplies for his workers.
After the war, Schindler’s business ventures failed and he went bankrupt. He and his wife Emilie relied on financial support from “Schindler Jews”, the very people he had saved from the gas chambers.
Like the incompetent property manager in the gospel story (Luke 16:1-13), Schindler had boldly used his wealth and connections to save others. In doing so, he provided for his future and saved his own skin.
Next week, Jesus will tell a story about a rich man and Lazarus. The rich man was sent to the eternal flames because he ignored the poor man Lazarus who begged at his gate.
Now is the time to invest in the one future that matters—heaven! In the Last Judgment you and I, like the incompetent property manager, will have to give an account. We will stand before the Lord. He will look at his accounts and look at us. “When I was hungry, did you give me to eat? Did you worry about money or did you worry about the poor?”
Oskar Schindler died in 1974 and was buried in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, the only former member of the Nazi Party to be honored in this way. He and his wife Emilie were named “Righteous Among the Nations” by the Israeli government in 1993.
In Christ,
Father David
CINDY MACIEL, RIP
The funeral Mass for Cindy Maciel is Monday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m. Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her.
EARLY CATHOLIC FAMILY LIFE
New this year! 8 fun-filled sessions empowering parents to raise their children in the faith. For families to attend together who have at least one child between the ages of 0-5 years old. Starts Saturday, September 24. Call JoAnn Elder 407-322-3961.
SISTER DIOCESE
Next weekend September 25, Katie Seymour will speak about our sister diocese in the Dominican Republic. We will take up a second collection. She will dive deeper into our mission work with a special presentation from 10:15-11:15 a.m. Sunday September 25 in the overflow room in the church. Check out the three minute video.
IMMIGRANTS ARE PEOPLE
“Any action to transport persons under false pretenses and leave them stranded with no assistance, if this proves to be the case, fails to respect their human dignity and objectifies them.” The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote, “Immigration is not just a political issue, but a fundamental human and moral issue. For immigrants are not faceless numbers – but human persons. They are our brothers and sisters.”
DIGITAL CALENDAR
Our parish calendar is now online. See what’s happening in the parish this week and all of next month.
BULLETIN
For everything else happening in the parish this week, check out the bulletin online.
