Category: Parish News & Events

Where is your Focus?

I am constantly amazed by the patience and goodness of the Lord. Today’s readings highlight that for me. Why; because I believe in God, my Father. I believe in Jesus Christ, His Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit. I know He hears my voice. I know He is in the world around me.

How can I know that? Faith. I have the Word in Sacred Scripture to guide me. Scripture today is calling us to be obedient to His Word and teachings.

My pastor beautifully explains where our focus should be at this time.

“It seems that we are given new parameters for our gatherings and protocols for our personal interaction almost daily. Please be patient with this. Our public officials and medical leaders are evaluating the progress of the disease daily. They will give directions for public health and safely accordingly.

Please comply with the directives of the Governor and the National and County Departments of Health.

Don’t take on the attitude that you know better than them. It is easy to do. Remember, you are a member of the Body of Christ. It is not about you or me, it is about all of us. The directions we are being given may very well be more about “all of us” than about you personally. They may be personally and socially inconvenient and costly to you personally. It is easy to be dismissive of them. It takes a lot of humility to allow someone other than yourself to lead, to follow their directions. This does not mean that you don’t think for yourself. To this point the Governor and Health Department’s directions have been implemented and sound reasons for them have been set out for us. It is humility to listen to the reasons, to weigh them, and then to comply when there is sense to them.

Few people know how to make a Spiritual Communion. A Catholic would do this when they are justifiably prevented from participating in Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday. Here are the directions:

Making A Spiritual Communion
Set aside ten or fifteen minutes. You can gather with your children and lead them in this process.

Make the Sign of the Cross over yourself.

Pray:
I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned in my thought and my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

If you want you can read from one of the Gospels in your bible or read the readings of the day from a hand missal or on line at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/

Spend a moment offering prayers of petition for those the world, for those you love or for those you know are in need.

Pray the “Our Father”

Pray:
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us (grant us peace). (3x)

Pray:
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Close your eyes, picture Jesus standing next to you and pray:
Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to possess you within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart, I embrace you as already being there, and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. My beloved Jesus, inflame this heart of mine, so that it may be always and all on fire for you.

Amen

Pray the “Hail Mary.”
Holding you all in prayer,

Father Jim Chelich”

Contact the author

Beth is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

Reading 1 Hos 14:2-10

Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”

I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”–
Because of me you bear fruit!

Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.

Responsorial Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17

R.    (see 11 and 9a)  I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you.”
R.    I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?”
R.    I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“There shall be no strange god among you
     nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R.    I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
R.    I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.

Verse Before the GospelMt 4:17

Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Gospel Mk 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
“You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

A Man of Peace

I think we can all agree that we are in the midst of a strange, confusing, uncertain, and in some ways, scary time. A lot of people are suffering from illness, from unstable financial or professional situations, from hopelessness, from boredom, from anxiety, and from a plethora of other things. It feels appropriate to me that this pandemic occurred during Lent, a time in which we have already given something up or added something to our daily routines so that we may better unite our sufferings to Christ in His suffering on the Cross. We live in a time of noise: traffic, radio, television, social media, news, etc. As a teacher on “extended Spring Break” for the next 3 weeks, I have found myself constantly checking my work email for more news about how the school year will progress, checking social media for updates about how my friends are keeping themselves entertained at home, checking my phone for more news about how this virus is spreading and how it is affecting our society. But as I thought about the readings today and about the man St. Joseph was, I realized that the only way we will get through these current times is with a peaceful mind and a joyful heart.

In the Gospels, St. Joseph says nothing. Not one word. Yet we know so much about his character from his actions. He was a generous man; when he found out Mary was pregnant before their marriage, he decided to “divorce her quietly” rather than cause a scandal and her to live in shame. He was a faithful man; when an angel appeared to him telling him not to be afraid to take Mary into his home, Joseph did exactly as the angel instructed him. He was a caring man; when Jesus remained in Jerusalem after Passover and Mary and Joseph were looking for their son, Joseph worried about Jesus. Despite the many hardships that Joseph endured and the many times he had to protect his family, he remained faithful to the Will of the Lord.

The responsorial psalm today says, “The promises of the Lord I will sing forever; through all generations, my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness, for you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.”

This is something that Joseph understood and lived out every day of his life. May we look to St. Joseph as a source of hope and inspiration for faith in our Redeemer and His Will.

In this time of uncertainty and suffering may continue to unite our suffering ever more fully to Christ in His Passion.

Contact the author

Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO and teaches English Language Development and Spanish to high schoolers. She is married to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others. Check out more of her writing at https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com.

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16

The LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David,
‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”

Responsorial Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

R.    (37)  The son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R.    The son of David will live for ever.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R.    The son of David will live for ever.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R.    The son of David will live for ever.

Reading 2 Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22

Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.

Verse Before the Gospel Ps 84:5

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord;
they never cease to praise you.

Gospel Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.

or

Lk 2:41-51a

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them.

– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.