Express Announcements ~ June 19, 2016

Express Announcements ~ June 19, 2016

* Stop by and say “see you in Stafford” to Fr. Lino at his farewell receptions following the 10:30am and 2pm Masses this weekend in the Parish Life Center. Stop by and wish him well, and thank him for all the goodness he has brought to our parish family.

* A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, summer bible study begins June 23 at 9:45am in the Courtyard Meeting Room and will continue for the following five Thursdays, Registration is required and there is a $ 10 fee to cover the cost of materials.

* Join us for a reception and program at Holy Cross Academy on June 24 at 7pm to thank Fr. Don for being our pastor for 14 years. See page 9 for more information.

* Save the date. Our next annual Called and Gifted Workshop will be held on August 26–27, 2016. Mark your calendars and invite your friends!

* Click here for Mass, Confession and Devotions Schedules

Meditation on June 12, 2016 readings

Meditation on June 12, 2016 readings

Direct Link to Audio File: Meditation on June 12, 2106 readings

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 2 Sm 12:7-10, 13

Nathan said to David:
“Thus says the LORD God of Israel:
‘I anointed you king of Israel.
I rescued you from the hand of Saul.
I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives for your own.
I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah.
And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more.
Why have you rejected the LORD and done evil in his sight?
You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword;
you took his wife as your own,
and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites.
Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have looked down on me
and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’”

Then David said to Nathan,
“I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan answered David:
“The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 5, 7, 11

R. (cf. 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Blessed is the one whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Reading 2 Gal 2:16, 19-21

Brothers and sisters:
We who know that a person is not justified by works of the law
but through faith in Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Christ Jesus
that we may be justified by faith in Christ
and not by works of the law,
because by works of the law no one will be justified.
For through the law I died to the law,
that I might live for God.
I have been crucified with Christ;
yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me;
insofar as I now live in the flesh,
I live by faith in the Son of God
who has loved me and given himself up for me.
I do not nullify the grace of God;
for if justification comes through the law,
then Christ died for nothing.

Alleluia 1 Jn 4:10b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God loved us and sent his Son
as expiation for our sins.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 7:36—8:3

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
because she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others who provided for them
out of their resources.

Or Lk 7:36-50

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred day’s wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
because she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Express Announcements ~ June 12, 2016

Express Announcements ~ June 12, 2016

* Join us! Our PARISH PICNIC at Holy Cross Academy is TODAY, June 12, 3-7pm in the afternoon.

* The second collection this weekend is for the parish building fund.

* Save the date. Our next annual Called and Gifted Workshop will be held on August 26–27, 2016. Mark your calendars and invite your friends! Registration opens June 1.

* Join us for the Taizé Prayer Service on Monday, June 13 at 8:15pm. Now in our 9th year, we have met each month to pray for Christian unity in our community and in the world. All Christians are warmly invited; invite your friends! Please note that Taize for the month of July, will be moved to Monday, July 18 at 8:15pm.

* A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, summer bible study begins June 23 at 9:45am in the Courtyard Meeting Room and will continue for the following five Thursdays, Registration is required and there is a $ 10 fee to cover the cost of materials.

* Father Day Novena begins June 19. Cards and envelopes are available in the vestibule of the Church.

* Click here for Mass, Confession and Devotions Schedules

From Our Pastor ~ June 12, 2016

From Our Pastor ~ June 12, 2016

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

We come to the end of another school year and  there is always a moment when you get to stop and just take a moment to think where we have  been and where we are going. I was  outside  working this week and just stepped inside the church to take a minute to greet the Lord, and sat down and just looked around. Such a beautiful,  warm place, fitting for God and fitting for us.

I came across a photo (these are rare, as we never felt inspired to take photos before, nor were photos permitted!) of the church—how it looked and how different it is now. I include it here, because for me it is a symbol of us.

I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for all of you, the many people who make Saint Mary such an amazing place. Our vibrant parish life, commitment to worship and formation in holiness, our remarkable commitment to the wider community of Fredericksburg, our care for those in need, the hungry, the homeless. All the many Gifts you bring, gifts with which God has called you, gifts that you work to discover each day God gives us. You are the generous hearts required to keep our parish family going.

For a year of great work, it is time to give thanks to our leaders whose terms are coming to an end: our Parish Council under the leadership of Beth Merriman who is passing the role of leader to Julie Appleton; to Donna Hart and all our Stewardship Committee who continue to help our many ministries come together as one symphony and call forward the gifts that God has given our parish; to Regis Keddie and our Finance Committee who have every month kept  an eye on our temporal net worth and advised us well. And, of course, our Staff and Clergy who continue to support and be supported by our many volunteers who carry the Light of Christ forward everyday.

To you, our volunteers, a special thanks: those who work in most-often unknown ways to serve God and neighbor, particularly leaders of ministries whose work has impacted the lives of many people, known or unknown. Thanks. As the summer begins, I pray that you find a moment now and then to stop in and greet the Lord, and know the gratitude I feel. Look! says the Lord, I make all things new! You are the beauty, the brightness, the music, and the color that we have come to know in our parish home.

God bless you.

Fr. Don

sanctuary before