Author: Kathy

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Kathy Weekly message

It always appears exciting when someone seems to be able to read minds. In today’s Gospel, Jesus, in addition to reading a mind, reads a heart. The mind belongs to Simon, a proud Pharisee who thinks he knows the heart of the woman who wipes the feet of Jesus with her tears. Simon, in fact, marvels that Jesus himself came to see this woman for who she obviously is. But Jesus has read the heart of the woman much better than the presumptuous Simon. So Jesus offers Simon and his guests a parable that bears directly on the scene unfolding before Simons own table. Of two debtors forgiven different amounts, he asks, who will love the creditor more? The one forgiven more, says Simon.

 

Now Jesus sets the spotlight on the woman, noting how she, a sinner and an outcast, has shown him all the expected gestures of hospitality that Simon failed to provide. Her many sins have been forgiven and in response, she shows Jesus such great love. Just like the debtors of Jesus parable, she is forgiven, and then shows through her act of washing Jesus feet, her great love. Jesus has not only seen her many sins, he has already forgiven them and the woman can’t help but weep and perfume his feet in gratitude. Jesus’ point is that those forgiven much will love much and those forgiven little will love but little. That’s not an invitation to sin mightily, but to realize that no matter what our sins or state of life, we all have been forgiven much!

 

We are good at enumerating our sinfulness; perhaps the challenge of today’s readings is to enumerate all the good in our lives. And then take some time to utter a prayer of loving thanks to God who is so merciful and gracious to us. To God who loves us even when we sin.

Fr. Henry SAC


Coming Soon!

Vacation Bible School – June 20-24

Once again St. Valentine will be offering VBS to the youngsters in the parish and other parishes.

Please consider registering your child for our Vacation Bible School. This year’s theme is “Happy Saints”.   VBS will be held in the School Gym, the School Meeting Room, and on the grounds of St. Valentine Parish.  Mrs. Joan Ricotta and Mrs. Amy Davis will be heading up these 5 days of sharing God’s love with your child. All children between the ages of 4 thru 5th grade are welcome. Each day will include crafts, healthy snacks, songs, and fun lessons to help the children learn and grow in our Catholic faith!

If you have any questions or would like to help out, please call Bonnie in the Parish Office 313-532-4394 x101.

June Devotion:  The Sacred Heart

Kathy Weekly message

sacredheartSince the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of June is set apart for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion.” These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.

The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.

An Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

 Most sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Thy feet, we renew the consecration of our family to Thy Divine Heart. Be Thou our King forever! In Thee we have full and entire confidence. May Thy spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words and our deeds. Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials, and in our labors. Grant us to know Thee better, to love Thee more, to serve Thee without faltering.

 Prayer: O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

 

Divine Mercy Vestment from Rzeszow, Poland

  On Sunday, May 22 at the 12 noon Mass St. Valentine Parish was presented with a Divine Mercy Vestment. This beautiful vestment comes all the way from Rzeszow, Poland and is a gift from Adam and Anna Kurdziel of Rzeszow who were in Redford visiting their cousins, Bob and Eleanor Bielenda. We thank the Kurdziel Family for thinking of our parish and for their most generous gift. We look forward to wearing this new vestment on Divine Mercy Sunday.

 

Congratulations!

At the 12 noon Mass today we are  honoring those who have graduated from high school and college. We congratulate you on your accomplishments. Congratulations to the graduates of 2016!

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Kathy Uncategorized, Weekly message

2015corpusChristieaToday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This solemnity – known in Latin as Corpus Christi — has its origins in the efforts of Saint Juliana of Liege, a medieval nun who had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Holy Thursday is certainly a day that celebrates the institution of the Holy Eucharist, but St. Juliana argued that an additional day was needed to promote Eucharistic devotion with those unable to attend Holy Week services. Her bishop agreed, and so did Pope Urban IV, who promulgated Corpus Christi as a feast for the universal Church in the year 1264.

   Over the centuries, this feast has been celebrated in a number of different ways. It became quite popular for parishes to have a Corpus Christi procession after the Sunday liturgy, with the Blessed Sacrament reverently showcased in a monstrance held by the priest as servers and parishioners led the way through neighborhood streets while singing Eucharistic hymns.

   Nowadays, with the renewed interest in Eucharistic Adoration, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is an opportunity for Catholics to reflect on the meaning of the Eucharist in today’s fast-paced world.

 Today on this solemn feast we will be having a procession with the Eucharist after the 12:00 noon Mass. I would like to encourage as many as possible to take part in this celebration. This is a time when we as faithful Catholics can show our love for Christ in the Real Presence by honoring Him in a very public way. It is also a wonderful way in which we can show our love for our neighbors by bringing Our Lord and Savior closer to them. So many conversions are a result of Eucharistic Adoration experienced from inside the Church. How many more there would be if we could reach those who only drive by the church by demonstrating our love for the Eucharist, by devoutly taking part in this procession. Children who have received their First Communion this year have been encouraged to attend in their suits and dresses. It will be even nice to have as many altar servers dress up in their altar servers robes. Please join me in making this solemn procession a very important occasion for our parish.

If you attended the Saturday 5:00 pm Mass or today’s 9:00 am Mass, please feel free to come join us in the procession.

Attention High School and College Graduates Class of 2016class 2016

 The St. Valentine community congratulates you on your graduation! We would like to recognize your accomplishments at the noon Mass on June 5, 2016. We are inviting you to attend Mass and join the community afterwards for coffee and doughnuts in the School Meeting Room. Please call the parish office (313.532.4394) if you will be attending and if you would like to participate in the Mass as a lector or Eucharistic Minister, let the office staff know when you call.