32nd Sunday In Ordinary Time
My first instinct upon waking is to grab my phone and start scrolling. Sometimes I do it for 20 or 30 minutes, and it makes me feel distracted and agitated. I feel guilty, too, for wasting my first moments of the day. So recently, I committed those minutes to reading a book that would focus my mind on Jesus. I enjoy the fact that I am not scattering my attention as much. I feel more peaceful and focused on God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about attention. He contrasts wise and foolish virgins, and then sums up the teaching by saying, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13). The basic currency of the human heart is attention. The foolish bridesmaids are not immoral or malicious; they are unfocused, distracted, and unprepared. They assume that borrowed oil will suffice, that someone else’s readiness can make up for their own lack. But the attention which is love cannot be outsourced. A relationship with God requires personal attentiveness cultivated over time. This Gospel leaves us with an honest question. What am I giving my attention to each day, and am I forming a heart that is awake, watchful, and ready to meet the Lord when He comes? How can I use key moments of my day to focus my attention where I need it to be? — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I struggled with whether I should write this article or not, however, with All Souls Day having just been celebrated this past Monday I thought this would be the time to write it. I have over the years heard many people in response to someone’s death that “it was their time.” This would imply that the date of their death was predetermined that when they were born God had already decided when they would die. This would be false. We are not a gallon of milk that comes with an expiration date. I hesitated to write this article for I know some people take comfort in thinking their loved one was going to die at the date that they died no matter how they lived their lives. I hated to take comfort away from anyone; however, I have seen the downside in people thinking this way and it is why I must correct the error. The first downside to this kind of thinking is the fact that it would mean why should we bother with healthy habits? Why should we see doctors? Why not have unhealthy habits? After all it really doesn’t matter what we do for the date of our death is predetermined. You see what I am saying here, knowing that the date is not predetermined should encourage us to live good and healthy lives to preserve our lives to make them long lives. The second downside is it leads people away from prayer. After all, if the date of our death is predetermined there would be no point in praying for someone who is sick for it is “their time” they will die no matter if we pray or not and if it is not “their time” they are going to live whether we pray or not! But this would be false because there have been miracle healings that occurred due to prayer not because it wasn’t their time. My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us live safe and healthy lives and ones filled with prayer for others and ourselves knowing it does make a difference for even though we all die, the date for that to happen is not set at our birth. God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael
SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP
“Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Many of us have put off doing something because we think we are too busy. We’ve all said, “I’ll do it later when I have time.” Unfortunately, too many of us apply this attitude to our Faith. Jesus’ call is urgent, in the here and now, in your current circumstances. How is God calling you to use your gifts today? Don’t delay. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow.
Everyday Saints
Growing up I thought saints were larger than life people with extraordinary stories. The thought that I could one day be revered as a saint by anyone seemed crazy. I wrote my essays on different saints every year in Catholic school right around All Saints Day. These were stories about people I had never met, and I assumed I would never meet anyone like them going forward. Now that I am older, I realize that I was wrong back then and my immaturity of both mind and heart did not allow me to see that there are saints among us all the time. I have met many people in my life that I would call living saints. They are holy people who give of themselves to God and others in profound ways. Their relationship with Jesus is evident and they live their lives in ways that people witness the transformative power of love. As a child I was wrong about saints, but even more importantly, I didn’t fully realize that all of us are called to be saints! Me, a saint? Holiness is not something simply studied in books. It is the way of life we are all called to live. The call comes from Jesus Christ and each of us must respond. If we are still thinking like children, we may choose to stay silent and live accordingly. If we are more mature in our faith then we might not only respond, we might one day have a school child write a report about us.— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
Prayer for Autumn
Dear God, As the weather changes, the birds migrate, and autumn’s flowers, colors, and clouds make their entrance. We thank You for the gift of this beautiful season! Help us use this season to draw closer to each other and to You. Amen.
Prayer for Vocations
Dear God, Give us the courage and strength to answer when You call! Give us clarity and trust to hear Your soft invitations. Give us the love to respond, and the bravery to take the steps that will bring us ever closer to You. Amen.
PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health. Please pray for: Kellie Salata, Kelly Chinchar, Jessica, Daniel Breslin, Stanley, Joseph Marrone, Anthony, Michael, Joseph, Jessica Esopo, Steve, Audra, Bernadette, James Weiss, Baby Ford, Rosemary Malangone, Elizabeth Malangone, Sue West, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Cheryl Prinjinski, Stephen West, Bryan Westfall, Cathy Bruno, Anne Trainor and Lheny Sunga.
Holy Name Medical Center is looking for Eucharistic Ministers, volunteers, who are willing to help out in giving out Holy Communion to their patients. If you are interested, you can email them at pokafor@holyname.org or call their office at 201-833-3243 or stop by their Pastoral Care Office, behind the chapel, lobby/ground floor at Holy Name Medical Center.
Attention families of 8th grade students planning to attend Catholic High School in Fall 2027!
The High School Placement Test (HSPT) administered as part of the Cooperative Admissions Program for Catholic High Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark will be given on Friday, November 6, 2026. Registration information for the HSPT exam is online at www.njcoopexam.org. The deadline to register for the HSPT is October 23, 2026. For more information about the Cooperative Admissions Program, go to www.catholicschoolsnj.org/hs-admissions.
THANK YOU
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.
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.
Attention families of 8th grade students planning to attend Catholic High School in Fall 2027!
The High School Placement Test (HSPT) administered as part of the Cooperative Admissions Program for Catholic High Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark will be given on Friday, November 6, 2026. Registration information for the HSPT exam is online at www.njcoopexam.org. The deadline to register for the HSPT is October 23, 2026. For more information about the Cooperative Admissions Program, go to www.catholicschoolsnj.org/hs-admissions.
Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.
