Meditation on May 22, 2016 readings

Meditation on May 22, 2016 readings

Reading 1 Prv 8:22-31

Thus says the wisdom of God:
“The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
from of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.”When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2a) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place —
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Reading 2 Rom 5:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Alleluia Cf. Rv 1:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”

Express Announcements ~ May 22, 2016

Express Announcements ~ May 22, 2016

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* Don’t forget – come join us! Our second annual Parish Mulch Night with Pizza and Beer and other beverages has been rescheduled for this Tuesday night, May 24. Please come with your rakes, shovels, gloves and wheelbarrow and let’s get the parish campus mulched! We will begin at 5:30pm.

* The Second Collection this weekend is for our Parish Building Fund.

* This year’s Corpus Christi procession will follow the 7pm Mass on Saturday, May 28. Such processions throughout Christian history have been practiced as public witnesses of faith and blessing. We will set up an altar outside for prayers along the way, and return to the church for solemn benediction. Please join us.

* Marriage Renewal Mass and Reception: A Mass of thanksgiving for the gift of Marriage and the renewal of vows will be held on Friday, June 10. Please RSVP to the parish office by Wednesday, June 1.

* Mark your calendars: Our PARISH PICNIC at Holy Cross Academy is Sunday, June 12 in the afternoon.

* Please be sure to notify us if you have moved recently or are planning to move so that we can keep your contact information current in the parish! Thank you!

* Click here for Mass, Confession and Devotions Schedules

From Our Pastor ~ May 22, 2016

From Our Pastor ~ May 22, 2016

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,IMG_3232

When the Community Give was coming up this year, Sister Susan Louise said that she hoped that we might at least match the giving level from last year, maybe even break $20 thousand. Well, we thought, it couldn’t hurt to appeal to the parish  in a special way this year, especially since we are  hoping to start construction on the Holy Cross Academy expansion in the spring of 2017. It  will take us at least a year, probably, to receive the permits from Stafford County, so we need to move as quickly as we can on this.

Little did we realize that you good people of Saint Mary would actually more than double our best hopes! It really is a testament to the faithfulness of your generosity. Especially following only one week after our more-successful-than-ever biennial School Auction. Between the two events, we are now about $140,000 closer to our goal. I am so proud of us!

We still have to get a final, tight number on how much the improved facilities at Holy Cross Academy will cost, but it will probably be somewhere in the ballpark of $1.8 million. The diocese requires that we have half up front, or $900 thousand, to sign the contracts and get started.

With the money that Sister has been faithfully saving all the years since the school opened, plus the amount that we have raised in these two events, we still need to find about $500,000. We will be putting our heads together in the next weeks and gathering our best efforts toward this goal. If any of you have any ideas that you would like to share, or if you would like to be involved in making this dream a reality, please call me or Sister Susan Louise.

The expanded facilities will not allow for an increase in the number of students in the school as we believe that to expand to a third track of classes in all grade levels would be risky. However, in order to stay competitive in primary education, we simply need to have additional spaces which will allow the successful instruction of technology, science, music and art. The first year I was here (nearly 15 years ago!) Sister was already talking about the need for a cafeteria and these spaces. For all these years, a typical day might include setting up 500 chairs in the gym for school Mass, then taking them down for gym classes. Then the lunch tables and everything needs to be moved in for lunch periods, then taken down again for afternoon activities, which may include gym classes, or a school performance, or other event. Not to mention the scheduling conflicts for after school activities, athletics, and the after school Aviat Care extended day program which all need to compete for the one large space. A new cafeteria will take all that out—except Mass, of course—and let the gym be the gym, with a new, real gym floor.

By locating technology, art and science and music in their own spaces, we free up existing homerooms to accommodate language classes, and specials in math and other resources for children. And Sister finally will see realized the thing she had hoped for, perhaps most of all, a chapel where classes, maybe even individual grades, can go for prayer and an occasional class Mass, to experience more intimately the love and presence of God in their lives.

Thanks for all you’ve done so far, and in advance for what is yet to come!

God bless you.

Fr. Don

Meditation on May 15, 2016 readings ~ Pentecost Sunday

Meditation on May 15, 2016 readings ~ Pentecost Sunday

 

Direct Link to Audio File : Meditation on May 15, 2016 readings ~ Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost Sunday

Reading 1 Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Or Rom 8:8-17

Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.

Sequence – Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Or Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”