If Today You Hear His Voice

Mary Parish Activities, Upcoming Event, Weekly message

The readings today condense much of the Scriptures to “the one thing necessary.” In the Gospel the rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. When the young man says, I have kept them all my life, Jesus tells him that he is lacking in one thing: “Go sell what you have and give to the poor. Our immediate response is that this is not possible. We know that the first Christians did not take this literally; they did not all go out and sell their possessions. In fact, Matthew’s Gospel qualifies the saying by having Jesus say, “If you would be perfect, go sell …”

What are we supposed to get out of this passage? Most of us are perhaps like the rich young man. We keep the commandments. We are not guilty of terribly bad actions but we may at times be very complacent. We may wonder if that is all we are supposed to do. At times like this we need to remember the words of Wisdom: “I pleaded and the spirit of wisdom came upon me and in her company all good things.” Jesus is the embodiment of God’s wisdom and he says to us, “One more thing you must do.” It may be that he is calling us to greater self-giving. It may be something as simple as reconciling with a brother or sister, doing some volunteer work, being more patient with those who annoy us, more generous in sharing of our time and resources. In short, He says to us one more thing you must do; in short he, calls us to greater self-giving.

Lord Jesus, you gave yourself completely on the cross for us. Give us the grace and strength to give more generously of ourselves for others.

Fr. Henry Rebello SAC

Communion Cups and Chalice

Communion Cups and Chalice

   On behalf of St. Valentine Parish, we would like to extend a very special thank you to Linda and Bob Rybka for their donation of four very beautiful gold “Communion Cups” and Chalice. From now on we will be using these new cups. These cups are donated in memory of Bob Rybka’s mother, Helen Rybka. We thank the Rybka’s for their generosity. God Bless you.

 

Workers Needed Please!!!

 Our Fall Rummage sale is one  week away, please help us, we need workers on Friday, October 16th from 7 AM- 7 PM and Saturday, October 17th from 9 AM to 2 PM, if you are working on Saturday all workers need to be in the school gym by 8:30 AM.  Anyone that would like to work can call me on 313-531-3220.

We need YOU in order to make this a successful fundraiser for the church. Thank you and God Bless!

 Cecilia Gallagher – Rummage Sale Coordinator

 

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

Mary Weekly message

RCIA, or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, is the process by which people who are interested in learning about the Catholic Faith can attend classes and have the opportunity to become members of the Catholic Church.

RCIA is for adults who:

· Are interested in learning about the Catholic Faith

· Have never been baptized

· Have been baptized in another Christian faith and are interested in the Catholic Faith

· Are baptized Catholics who have not yet received the Sacraments of First Communion or Confirmation

· Are married to a Catholic and attend Mass and would like to take the next step to become a member of the Catholic Church

· Are Catholic but want to learn more about their Faith

RCIA is a spiritual formation process. Our classes have started and are held on Thursday evenings in the Parish Meeting Room at 7 pm.     

To register, or for further information, please contact Fr. Henry at 313-532-4394 x102.

Canonization of  Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin continued:

Mary Weekly message

Zelie developed breast cancer and “bore her cross with remarkable strength of spirit and with interior and exterior tranquility,” in the words of the Vatican decree. “She tried to console her family members and especially her young daughters.” She died at the age of 45, leaving Louis to care for their five young daughters: Marie, Pauline, Leonie, Celine, and Therese, who was only four at the time.

 Louis sold his business and moved 60 miles away to Lisieux, then a town of 17,000, so that his children could be near his brother-in-law and his family. Although Louis “enjoyed a certain wealth, he lived a simple and sober life, one estranged from riches and the vanities of the world,” in the words of the Vatican decree.

 Between 1882 and 1888, four of his five daughters entered religious life, with three of them entering the Order of Discalced Carmelites in Lisieux.

 In 1887 and 1888, Louis suffered several strokes and began to suffer from dementia. He was placed in a home for the mentally ill, but in time his brother-in-law’s family was able to care for him, as did Léonie, who had left her convent before entering another, and Céline, who would later follow in the footsteps of her other sisters and become a Carmelite. After another stroke and two heart attacks, Louis died in 1894.

One hundred years later, St. John Paul II declared that the Martins lived the virtues heroically, and following the miraculous healing of an Italian infant, Louis and Zélie were beatified in 2008. The miraculous healing of a Spanish infant paved the way for their canonization.

 The Second Vatican Council called upon spouses to “sustain one another in grace in the course of their whole life, and imbue their offspring, lovingly received from God, with Christian teachings and Gospel virtues.” Louis and Zélie Martin lived out the Church’s teaching heroically, and with their canonization in October, they will become universal examples of the grandeur of being a Christian husband and father, a wife and mother.  The end.