Home

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

I craved four things as a teenager: success in sports, food, fun and the attention of popular people. However, I noticed that as I acquired them, I was more unsatisfied than before. So, I’d strive even more energetically, achieve more, and the sense of emptiness was greater still. These four things started to feel like burdens or even curses. Soon after, I encountered Christ in my high school youth group. Experiencing His love was totally different than anything those four things previously produced. It produced a lasting happiness. Jesus utters a kind of four-fold curse in this week’s Gospel of Saint Luke’s “woes”: “Woe to you who are rich…who are filled now…who laugh now…who are well-spoken of” (cf. Luke 6:24-26).  How marvelous that these correspond perfectly to the four things that obsessed my teenage soul: riches, food, laughter and good reputation. The “woes” the Lord speaks are warnings: when those things are the purpose of your life, you’ll be miserable. He is saying, “You’ll be happy, or blessed, in the measure that these things do not determine the shape of our lives, and the kingdom of God does.” To some degree, we’re all spiritual teenagers, addicted to one or more of those four “woes.” How splendid that the Lord wants His to bless us — that is, to satisfy us, make us laugh with joy, and in the kingdom of God, offer us what will truly satisfy us. But first let’s admit what is causing our “woes.” — Father John Muir 

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I often have people ask me to pray for them which I suspect does not surprise you. I am also happy to do so, which I hope also does not surprise you. However, there are a couple of things that do surprise me. Often, when I tell people that I would be more than happy to pray for them I also ask if they pray for themselves, and the surprise is how often they say no! The reason often is that God will listen to me quicker or that they don’t know how to pray. I will answer in reverse – first prayer is talking to God so there is no such thing as doing it wrong or not be able to do it at all – if you can talk to others you can talk to God about anything, and it is prayer. There are formal prayers of course but they are not the only way to speak with God. Second, God hears you as much as He hears me and He will answer according to His will no matter who asks – the only benefit, for a lack of a better word, for asking me or any priest to pray is not that God will quicker hear and answer us, but rather we tend to spend more time in prayer than others so the prayers will be said more often. The other thing that often surprises me is the fact that people often think that praying is enough, and they should not have to do anything other than pray. What I mean by example would be someone who asks me to pray that they find a new job, but they do nothing to find that new job. They don’t apply for a new job, or look for a new job etc. Yes, God can of course answer the prayer and have the new job call this person out of the blue, but it is not very likely to happen. God answers prayers but He also expects us to do our part. For God helps those who help themselves. 

God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Blessed are you when people hate you…exclude and insult you, and denounce your name…on account of the Son of Man.” 
All of us have been in situations when someone has made a negative comment or joke about God or our Catholic faith. How did you respond? Did you stay silent or pretend to go along with the crowd because you didn’t want to cause waves and then, later, you felt bad? Know that God is with you all the time; the Holy Spirit will put the right words in your mouth. Pray for the strength and courage to proclaim our faith to others, especially during uncomfortable situations. 
PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health. Please pray for Please pray for:Kelly Chinchar, Jessica, Daniel Breslin, Stanley, Helen Traina, Joseph Marrone, Bill Marshall, Anthony, Michael, Joseph, Jessica Esopo, William, Steve, Audra, Bernadette, James Weiss, Jim, Baby Ford, Rosemary Malangone, Elizabeth Malangone, Sue West, Danny, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Manny Scarangella, Cheryl Prinjinski.

ANNUAL APPEAL

Devotions, Explained!
Examination of Conscience
 
In Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, the apostle writes that it is imperative for a Christian to reflect on his conscience before he partakes of Holy Eucharist: “Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28). The practice of examining one’s conscience before seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation thus dates to the very beginning of the Christian faith and was encouraged as a regular practice by many saints and founders of religious orders as a means of growing in virtue. An examination of conscience, when it relates to the sacrament, simply means reflecting on one’s actions (and particularly the intentions behind those actions) since the penitent’s last absolution, making note of lapses in judgment that should be confessed. A good basis for this reflection can be the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and the seven deadly sins.

The Sanctuary Lamp for the month of February has been given in memory of John Jashembowski by Linda J. Sylvestri. 
The gift of Bread & Wine for the first two weeks of February has been given in memory of Leonard Sebastian Falato by his family. The second two weeks have been given in memory of Carmela & John Uzzalino by Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Roman. 
Please consider sponsoring our Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, and the oil for the Sanctuary Lamp.

Opportunities for Parish Support

There are several ways you can help support our parish and honor loved ones at the same time. As you may have noticed on the first Sunday of every month in our bulletin, we thank the donors of our Altar Gifts. You can donate the Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, or the Sanctuary Lamp in a two-week block for $50 in someone’s memory. We have blocks open for this year. We also need to purchase a new Easter candle each year (the tall candle on the altar) for $300-$400 which can also be donated in someone’s memory. You do not have to fund the entire amount, anything you wish to donate towards the purchase of our Easter candle is appreciated. We also have masses available for your intentions. If you wish to honor someone in any of these ways, please call the rectory.


Prayer for our Nation
God our Father, giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people. Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will. Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death.” Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Praying the ROSARY

The Rosary is a meditation, a time to recall and think about the life of Jesus as seen and experienced by Mary. As the model of faith, Mary’s life sets a pattern that we strive to follow: saying ‘yes’ to God’s will in our lives and sharing His love and message with others. The Mysteries of the Rosary form a mini lesson of faith, using the highlights and significant moments of the life of Jesus. Like paging through a family scrapbook, we see in brief the events of salvation history that are the core of our belief and the hope of our eternal life.

OUR ADVERTISERS OF THE WEEK


WE NEED BULLETIN ADVERTISERS!!

We would like to thank all the advertisers who have supported us throughout the past year. Our parish benefits greatly from the ads you see in the bulletin. The revenue pays for the printing which is an important means of communication for the parish. If we do not have enough advertisers, the cost of our bulletin goes up. We thank the local businesses that advertise with us especially in these tough economic times. We have some spaces on the back of our bulletin that need filling so if you would like to advertise your business as well as benefit your church, please contact John Patrick Publishing at 1-800-333-3166.

Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.