Third Week of Advent

Kathy Uncategorized, Weekly message

Who  did  you  come  to  see?  A version of this question is posed by Jesus many times in the Gospels. He asks it of Andrew and John when they begin to follow him. He asks it of Mary Magdalene in the garden of the resurrection. He asks it in today’s Gospel. “What did you go out to the desert  to  see?” There is something innately  human  about  “seeing.” Animals  have  eyes  —  some  with much more powerful vision than our own — but that’s not the kind of seeing Jesus is talking about. We could phrase the question several other ways. “What are you looking for?”  “What  are  you  longing  for?” “Whom do you seek?” It is in seeing for ourselves that our suspicions  or  hypotheses  are confirmed, that our desires discover their fulfillment, and that we can rest for a moment in certainty. John the Baptist  sought  certainty  of  Jesus’ identity. “Are you the one  who is to come,  or  should  we  look  for another?” Jesus sends word to him based  on  the  testimony  of  sight, observations  of  the  mighty  deeds Jesus has begun to work. “Go  and tell John what you hear and see.” God recognizes our desire to see. In the Incarnation, the Word is made flesh. The invisible is made visible. The supernatural is made manifest in an infant who can do little more than the most natural of movements as he feeds, cries, sleeps. We don’t need to wait for Christmas to see God. The work of God is all around us. Those blinded by sin “regain their sight.”  People  overcome backgrounds of poverty and violence to  make  world-changing contributions. Addicts grow and heal. Truth is spoken, and people listen. Let’s pray for the grace to see God’s movement  in  our  lives  this  week. How  have  you  seen  the  work  of God?

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Kathy Uncategorized

 This weekend, in every nation on earth, the Church rejoices that in Jesus Christ and by his victory over sin and death the Kingdom of God has come among us: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. This Feast of Christ the King, ushers us into the ‘New Year’ beginning with the First Sunday of Advent on December 1st. It is time to be purple (or violet) for a while. We are all aware that Advent is a season of preparation but unless we make sincere efforts to prepare for the coming of Christ it will just be another busy season. See how you can strengthen your dedication to the Lord and his Church.

So, how to do this?

1) Try to get to Church every weekend of Advent and participate in the Advent liturgy. You can even get an Advent wreath and light it at home and pray together as a family.

2) Come to Mass on weekdays as often as possible during Advent.

3) If you have not yet started probably this could be a good time to start praying together as a family.  

4) Look for a family who would appreciate your help during Christmas season or volunteer to serve someone in need.

5) Go to Confession so that your Christmas Communion will truly be holy. For the communities of St. Valentine and Our Lady of Loretto a special penance service will be on December 11, at 7.00 pm in Church.

These are just some of the suggestions; of course you can find many other things to do that can make your Advent and Christmas more meaningful. Let us hold one another in our prayers and I wish you all many blessings as we enter the new liturgical year.

May Jesus Christ Our Lord and King continue to rule our hearts and minds always.

Prayers for a Blessed Advent Season.

 

Fr. Socorro

   Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! 

This Thursday as we celebrate this great holiday first of all we need to pause and give thanks to God for the many gifts and blessings that have been bestowed upon us. For many of us, Thanksgiving Day is so full of activity that there is a tendency to forget what’s at the heart of Thanksgiving.  When we give thanks to God, our sole motive should be pure gratitude.  Thanking God for His blessings toward us and appreciating His blessings in our lives. God has surely blessed us far beyond our needs even to our wants.    Let’s be content with whatever He has given us to the point of being truly thankful by putting Him first in our lives.

 Secondly, it’s also a wonderful time to thank those around us for all the love that is shared and all that they do for us, making our lives so rich and full! So I take this opportunity to thank each one of you who have helped me in my ministry. Sometimes just being present in the Church or continuing to be a member of the parish is a great encouragement and support. So THANK YOU for that.

 Lastly attending Mass on Thanksgiving Day is an excellent way to enrich that holiday. We need to come together as a community of faith and give praise and glory to God. Our Mass is at 8.30 am.

 My prayers and blessing on you and your families this Thanksgiving Day and always.     

Once again, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

 Fr. Socorro

Weekly Message from Fr. Kishore

Kathy Weekly message

Today is the second to the last Sunday of the Liturgical year. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. So, as we come to the end of the liturgical year, the Church focuses our attention on the final days of the world, our own death and the Final Judgment. On this Sunday the Scripture Readings traditionally speak about “The Day of the Lord,” or the “Second Coming” of Jesus in glory as Judge at the end of the world.

 In the First Reading of today, Prophet Malachi tells the Israelites about “The Day of the Lord.” He warns them telling them that the Future is known to God alone, and God will bring healing and reward for the just who forearm themselves with words and works like peace, justice, mercy and truth, and retribution for the proud and evildoers. 

  St. Paul encourages us not to be weary of doing good. He suggests that our best preparation for the future is to devote our attention to present duties, to maintain a holy and wholesome balance between prayer and service, work and play, and to develop enduring family ties and values. Today’s Gospel passage warns that the date of the end of the world is uncertain.  Signs and portents will precede the end, and the faithful will be called upon to testify before kings and governors.  The Good News, however, is that those who persevere in faithfulness to the Lord will save their souls and enter God’s eternal kingdom. The question of us on this 33rd Sunday is: Am I faithful to the Lord? Do I  persevere in my faith? 

Confirmation & Eucharist Enrollment – 2019-2020

  This year our parish is blessed to have nineteen (School & Faith Formation) 8th graders who are going to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. They are going to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This Sunday Sacramental Enrollment is going to take place at the Noon Mass. I would like to request all of you to pray for our nineteen 8th graders, parents and sponsors. We are also blessed with eighteen (School & Faith Formation) children who are going to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (The Body and Blood of Christ). Let us pray that through their preparation they may understand well about the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist and grow in devotion to this everlasting food. 

 

God bless you! Have a great week.

Fr. Kishore Babu Battu SAC

 

Feast of All Saints

Kathy Weekly message

Towards the end of this week we will enter into the month of November. And as we all know on November 1st the Church gives us the opportunity to celebrate the feast of All Saints. Since it is a very important liturgical day, it is declared as a holy day of obligation, meaning that Catholics must observe it by going to Mass, as they do on Sundays. We will be having two Masses, 8.30 am and 7.00 pm.

 And here’s a little more information on The Feast of All Saints Day – November 1st.

 On this day we honor, venerate (and petition) those disciples of the Lord who have gone before us into the kingdom of heaven. And we hope that one day we, too, will be counted among their number. The Feast of All Saints does not simply recall the “hall of fame” saints such as Peter, Paul, Francis of Assisi, Margaret Mary, and Stephen. In fact we also honor all those countless disciples who have lived lives of faith, service and virtue and have thus entered into the joy of heaven. “This invites us to turn our gaze to the immense multitude of those who have already reached the blessed land, and points us on the path that will lead us to that destination,” Pope John Paul II. We thus have great reason to hope that this number includes the virtuous friends and family members who have preceded us in death.

Most saints were ordinary people like you and me who struggled with difficulties and personal failings before “getting their act together.” Saints were real people who had strengths and limitations, virtues and failings. There were saints who were grave sinners before turning their lives around. But if they could do it, we can too. Sainthood is not perfection; it is growth and consuming dedication to Christ and his Gospel.

Each and every one of us is called to holiness, not in some sterile, plastic way but amidst the messiness and trials of daily life and with the help of those around us. Holiness is a journey, not simply a destination. It is growing in the love of God and learning to do his will more completely. As we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, let us each embrace this journey and look to those who have gone before for inspiration and guidance. 

 All you Holy Saints of God – pray for us.