30th Sunday in Ordinary time -Year A
When I was in seventh grade, like most boys of that age, I was constantly hungry. I could eat at any hour of the day. Then I fell head over heels for a classmate named Kristin. One evening, while lying on my bed and pondering her perfections, my mom called me to dinner. For the first time in my adolescent life, I remember thinking: “I’m not hungry.” My heart longed for Kristin more than my stomach for food. Now, I wouldn’t confuse adolescent infatuation with mature love. But it was an experience of how love can reorder everything in our lives. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart” (Matthew 22:37). He is not issuing a burden or a moral goal for high achievers. He is naming the deepest orientation of the human heart. We were made for love so great that it gathers every other love into itself. Jesus does not ask us to love less the persons or things that attract us. Rather, He wants our love for God to be so total and intense that we love everything and everyone else because we love Him so much. Do we believe that such a love is possible for us? Because of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it is! It is readily available to us. Let’s repent of our half-hearted love for God and ask Him to fill our hearts to the brim with divine love. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I had noted that everything I receive from the diocese has the initials M. Div after my name which stands for Master of Divinity. This would be correct for I do hold that master’s degree. However, it should also state ThM after my name for I also hold a master’s degree in Theology. I was going to reach out to the diocese to correct this fact. However, I started to ask myself the question of why? What is my motive to correct the record and have the additional initials added after my name? I happened to be thinking about this on the feast day of St. Teresa the little flower, who lived a very simple humble life. I started to think that I was correcting the record strictly out of pride. It really doesn’t matter if they have it correct at the diocese or not for that matter correcting the record could even get me transferred to a new position and away from this parish which is something I would not want to happen. My brothers and sisters always remember that pride goeth before a fall. Let us always remember to be humble.
God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael
SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Do you put other “gods” before God? Is your love of money, power, status, comfort or some personal possession greater than your love for God? Do you recognize that everything you have and that everything you are is a gift from God? Putting God first in everything helps keep us from becoming a slave to our possessions and to our pride.
Everyday Stewardship
Calculating Love
Have you ever Googled the word “love”? If you did you may have come across something called the Love Calculator. It is a website where you can supply two names, and the percentage chance of a successful relationship is calculated. Curious, I entered my name and my wife’s. Twenty percent! I hope my wife doesn’t read this! I then decided to add my name and God. A whopping thirteen percent! Then for the last attempt, I put in my name and Jesus. A very disappointing zero percent! Am I that unlovable? Of course, then I read the small print at the bottom of the page: “Please note that this site has no serious intention whatsoever.” Shocking! The truth is, the modern world increasingly seems to have no real idea what love is or how to determine when love is real. That makes the seemingly simple words of Jesus about loving God and your neighbor very complex indeed. How can you love God with your all your heart, soul, and mind when you have no idea what the act of loving means? And then, what constitutes loving a neighbor? To make it more complicated, Jesus commands you to love them like you love yourself. I bet you can agree with me that there are a lot of people out there who do not even come close to loving themselves. Knowing what love is in modern times is just not that easy. How is a well-meaning person able to find out the true meaning of love?- 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.
