Lent Almsgiving This Lent our almsgiving offering will be given to the Society of St Vincent de Paul. You will find envelopes in the pews with a St Vincent de Paul label. According to custom, you are asked to make a sacrifice of eating one small meal in place of a large one and place the difference of the cost in your almsgiving offering. Please return your offering by Easter. The Society of St Vincent de Paul operates with the generosity of YOU. Thank you for your generosity.
If You Give Everything, You’ll Gain Everything
Fr. Dwight Longenecker
Being brought up in a Bible-believing Protestant home, I had to memorize verses from the King James Version of the Bible. I’m glad I did. Not only did I learn God’s word by heart, but the words were written in my heart. They’re in there. Down deep.
One of the verse I had to learn was, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.” It is a question of priorities, and it is really very simple: Put God first and everything else falls into its proper place. Put God first and you shall have all things according to their worth.
The converse is therefore also true: Put something else first and you will lose all things, and the surprising thing is that you will eventually also lose the thing that you put first. Here are some examples: …
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/longenecker/if-you-give-everything-youll-gain-everything
Bible: Acts of the Apostles 10
Chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles begins with the first Church Council the Catholic Church has ever had. The Council of Jerusalem made a major pivotal decision on the issue of circumcision. Circumcision was established by God as mandatory for all Jewish men in order to partake of the covenant God offered to Abraham (Lv 12:3 &Gen 17:1-14). But in this process, the people are becoming more and more aware that they are not a sect of the Jewish faith. Peter challenges those present to put their faith in the promise of the grace of Jesus the Christ (Acts 15:7 & 11). Continue reading “Bible: Acts of the Apostles 10”
Syria: Nuns Have Narrow Escape from Death
A religious Sister in Damascus has told how she, fellow nuns and students narrowly escaped death February 20, 2018, when the sky “turned black” on one of the deadliest days of the conflict in the Syrian capital.
Describing the situation at her convent in the Bab Touma district of Damascus’s Old City, Sister Annie Demerjian said that a rocket landed very close by and that had it exploded she and some of the university students “would have been wounded or killed”. …
https://zenit.org/articles/syria-nuns-have-narrow-escape-from-death/
Sin Is Spiritual Leprosy
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVP0uoXdIj0]
Parish Bulletins on our Parish App
The new Parish App offers quick access to current and past bulletins. Want to knwo what is going on in our parish right away. Just take a quick look at our parish bulletin in our parish app.
To download the Parish App on your smartphone just text the word, App to 88202.
Questions and Answers About Lent and Lenten Practices
Q. Why do we say that there are forty days of Lent? When you count all the days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, there are 46.
A. It might be more accurate to say that there is the “forty day fast within Lent.” Historically, Lent has varied from a week to three weeks to the present configuration of 46 days. The forty day fast, however, has been more stable. The Sundays of Lent are certainly part of the Time of Lent, but they are not prescribed days of fast and abstinence.
Q. So does that mean that when we give something up for Lent, such as candy, we can have it on Sundays? …
https://zenit.org/articles/questions-and-answers-about-lent-and-lenten-practices/
Bible: Acts of the Apostles 7
Chapter twelve accounts the death of the First Apostle James and the arrest of Peter. Herod wants to be popular among the people and has many guards to guard him. The biblke states that there were four squads of four guards. Doing the math, that means sixteen guards were guarding Peter to keep him in jail. He was shakled by “double chains”. Two chains are holding Peter in place and two guards are right next to him on each side. Two guards are right outside the door and the others are about the place. Sounds like he is heavily guarded. Does this have anything to do with the resurrection of Jesus and only the two at Jesus’ tomb? Who knows. Either way, Peter getting out is not a very likely prospect.
Winter Olympic Gold Medalist Speaks of Catholic Identity in Fast-Paced World
It is common for bobsledders to reach speeds of 80 to 90 miles per hour in international races. While this may make for thrilling competition, Olympic gold medalist Curt Tomasevicz — no stranger to flying on ice — has a deep appreciation for slowing down.
The Shelby, Nebraska, native recently helped to organize a retreat at a Benedictine monastery. This was a reminder for him of what is most important in life. Despite a decorated career that includes not only an Olympic gold and bronze medal, but also three gold, two silver and five bronze medals at the World Championships — he knows that he cannot take them with him when he departs from this life. …
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/winter-olympic-gold-medalist-speaks-of-catholic-identity-in-fast-paced-worl
Happy Thanksgiving! We Have A-Lot to Be Thankful For
We have so many things to be grateful for. No matter how dark our lives may get, God is always there and still loves us. When humanity seems to have left you, no longer cares or even hate you; you still have Jesus at your side. That alone is worth giving thanks.