March 8, 2015
Express Announcements ~ April 17, 2016

Express Announcements ~ April 17, 2016

* Preparations are underway for Holy Cross Academy’s 8th Biennial Benefit Auction and Dinner to be held on April 23, 2016! The goal of this year’s event is to begin the expansion plans of the school, to include a cafeteria, chapel, and rooms dedicated to music, art, science, language and technology. For ticket information please contact hcaauction@holycrossweb.com.

* Saint Mary Parish Night Out 2016:  Join us for an evening of dinner and  dancing to the Andrew Thielen Big Band, Friday, April 29 at the UMW Jepson Center, Cash Bar 6-11pm, 7pm Dinner & Dancing. $75 person. Last year tickets sold out! Reserve yours now— see page 8 for details—its time to step it up, Fred!

* We are putting the finishing touches on our 2015-2016 Parish Directory and would like to hear from you! If you wish to OPT OUT from having your information listed the Directory, please contact the parish office no later than April 22. We only need to hear from you if you DO NOT want your information published. If you participated in the program, Lifetouch has your information and intention on file.

 

From Our Pastor ~ April 17, 2016

From Our Pastor ~ April 17, 2016

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter Season. It is right about now that I wake up in the morning and don’t feel tired any more. I’m hoping that’s tomorrow…

Also about this time, after we’ve had a lot of focus on events and reflection, we have written our thank you notes, before we look to the next projects on the horizon it is good to do some housekeeping and respond to some questions and concerns that seem to come up frequently. So, in no particular order of importance, here are some replies.

1. Amoris laetitia, the new apostolic exhortation of the Holy Father on the life of the family and marriage and sexuality is the most recent grist for the mill of popular media. I have been confronted by a number of people who have heard a little of this and a little of that about it, I ask them where they heard it. Well, CNN. MSNBC. FOX. Last I checked none of these had a concern for Church teaching, or even a vested interested in Truth without a spin. I would advise everyone to read the document (if he would only write a short document!) and we can talk. I will probably start a parish discussion group, as we did with Laudato si’ last summer, to sift through it together and get to the bottom of what Pope Francis wants to say. The first thing people want you to think is that “it” is all changing. First we must determine what “it” is, and then evaluate change in the context of Tradition and the Church, removing the many misconceptions that often cloud the conversation from the outset. Not all change is bad, either; it wouldn’t hurt us to try to be more compassionate, loving, welcoming. For now: study, prayer and discernment.

2. Lately when our Eucharistic Ministers go to the hospital to take Communion to the sick, they report back that the list of Catholics is very short. Many suspect that there are more Catholics than we know about. The only way we find out about you or your loved ones in the hospital is if you tell us. Please call our parish office and let us know you would like a visit on Sunday from one  of our folks. Apparently, when you register at the hospital, it isn’t enough to say you are Catholic, you must actually request to receive pastoral care. Then your name will be put on a list. But the best advice is just to call us to be sure.

3. A new family, at the New Family Welcome Meeting on one of the fourth Sundays of every month, told me the reason they wanted to join our church is that they heard we were so understanding about babies in church. On the one hand I’m glad to know we are kid friendly but I sure don’t want us to get a reputation that we are promoting bad behavior during Mass! As I thought about it more and more, it isn’t the children who are misbehaving, though: it’s beyond their control. At the risk of sounding like a broken record (I’m dating myself), please use the cry room! It isn’t a play room, it is a quiet place to go when children break out in song at the wrong time. When parents don’t take their children out and it continues, and continues… it is so hard to concentrate (priest and congregation) and truly disrupts the purpose of why we all came. Remember the wise, old adage: “Good intentions are like crying babies. They should be carried out immediately.”

4. Maybe related to #1, but predating the arrival of Amoris laetitia, a number of people have asked about the nature of excommunication, particularly where marriage outside of the Church is concerned. In fact, it was one of the questions in the 8th grade question box the other day. The word “excommunication” conjures up movie scene memories of the Inquisition and people in black hooded robes stamping out the paschal candle upside down in the dirt, declaring somebody a heretic or declaring exile.

That is simply not the case. The word literally means “from Communion“—a situation where an individual’s discipline of life and formation of conscience does not agree with the law of the Church, and therefore separates that individual from the sacraments.

You actually can’t stop being a Catholic, you are  always a member. Baptism can never be revoked. You still have your pew. Nobody is ever thrown out of the Church, though active participation may be limited for a time. For now, we must do what we can to stay alive in the sacraments. Priests, deacons and delegated laity are here to do what is necessary to heal and regularize these situations through the spiritual and canonical processes that form a part of the life of the Church. There is no sin too great that the love of God can’t conquer! It is we who must draw near.

God bless all of you.

Fr. Don

 

Meditation on April 17, 2016 readings

Meditation on April 17, 2016 readings

 

Direct Link to Audio File: Meditation on April 17, 2016 readings

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 13:14, 43-52

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga
and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism
followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them
and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them,
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5

R. (3c) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Rev 7:9, 14b-17

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Alleluia Jn 10:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 10:27-30

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

 

Meditation on April 10, 2016 readings

Meditation on April 10, 2016 readings

Reading 1 Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41

When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders, did we not,
to stop teaching in that name?
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles
to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Rev 5:11-14

I, John, looked and heard the voices of many angels
who surrounded the throne
and the living creatures and the elders.
They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,
honor and glory and blessing.”
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth
and under the earth and in the sea,
everything in the universe, cry out:
“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor, glory and might,
forever and ever.”
The four living creatures answered, “Amen,”
and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ is risen, creator of all;
he has shown pity on all people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 21:1-19

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Jesus said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

or JN 21:1-14

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “ am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.