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HOLY
FATHERS PRAYER INTENTION
October, 2019
Dialogue and Reconciliation in the Near East:
That a spirit of dialogue, encounter, and
reconciliation emerge in the Near East,
where diverse religious communities share their
lives together.
If you would like to put one in the bulletin please
call the church office.
OUR PARISH:
RCIA:- The lesson On November 18th is The Saints, Instructors, Ed
& Diane Fritz.
MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MASS will be held in the coffee room to save on the
cost of heating the church.
ST.
VINCENT DE PAUL meeting Monday,
November 18, 2019 at 10:30am.
THANK
YOU! We would like
to thank Susan Ely for volunteering as our new Church Cleaning Coordinator.
Thank You Susan and Blessings to you and your family.
VOLUNTEER
NEEDED! St. Peter's Parish is needing a volunteer
coordinator for the 2020 annual Fiesta. If interested please contact the
Church office at 333-4423.
SOCIAL LIFE COORDINATOR! St. Peter's Parish is needing
a volunteer for the Social Life Coordinator Ministry. If interested please
contact the Church office at 333-4423.
If interested please contact the Church office at
333-4423.
THANKSGIVING AND OUR COMMUNITY:
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St. Vincent De Paul and the Youth
Group are sponsoring the Thanksgiving Food Drive. Please bring in
non-perishable food items to the narthex on Sunday November 24th.
Food baskets will be distributed on Monday the 25th at 10am at the
hall.
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The annual Community
Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday, November 24th at
6:00pm at the Presbyterian church behind the Springerville Post Office.
Everyone is welcome.
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There will be an offering taken
in both food items and money for the Round Valley Cares Food Bank. Turkey
distribution will take place on Monday, November 25th at the food
bank, 109 C St. Springerville at 8:00am. First come first served, 400 turkeys
are available.
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The annual Reason for the Season
Concert will be Monday, December 9th at 6:00pm at the Round
Valley High School Auditorium. Father Anselm has been asked to give the
Christmas message and he has accepted. Lets all be there to support him and
listen to some great music pertaining to the true meaning of the Advent and
Christmas seasons.
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HOMILY FOR THE THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR
C.
MAL. 3:19-20, 2THES 3:7-12, LK 21:5-19
BY REV. FR. ANSELM CHIGOZIE AMADI
THEME: PREPARING FOR THE IMMINENT
END
EVENT OF THE END TIME: The end time phenomenon is one event with double
effect. On that day, different persons will experience different effects of
the same event. The great theophany will be to evildoers, a consuming fire
and to the righteous, healing rays. It is the same divine person who is both
a consuming fire (Heb 12:29), and he sun of justice (Mal 3:20). It is the
quality of human life that makes the difference. As straw and dry wood are
consumed in flames, while gold is purified by it; so are evil men subject to
destruction while the virtuous shine in glory on the day of the Lord. To
prepare for that great day, Saint Paul admonishes us to present ourselves as
golden vessels of honor in the household of God. For there are cheap vessels
made of wood or clay, while some noble ones are made of silver and gold.
Hence Saint Paul says, If anyone purifies himself from what is
ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to
the master of the house, ready for any kind of good work(2 Tim 2:22). As
gold is purified by fire and straw destroyed by same fire, so will it be on
the last day for the righteous and the unrighteous respectively. Let us
improve the quality of our lives to the golden standard.
FROM TEMPLE OF STONES TO THAT OF
THE SPIRIT: As Jesus in the
gospel prophesies the destruction of the temple, he specifically employs the
stone imagery, thus, The days will come when there will not be left a stone
upon another stone that will not be thrown down. By implication, the
physical temple and its aesthetics are mere figures that are bound to end
while the spiritual temple with believers as its living stones is to substitute
the former. About this Saint Peter writes, Come to him; to that living
stone, rejected by men but in Gods sight chosen and precious; and like
living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy
priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ. As Christ predicts the destruction of the temple he implies that the
temple is just a shadow pointing to the reality: the body of Christ. Types
and shadows have their ending while the reality remains eternal, and to that,
we should aspire.
When God said to David, your son will
build a temple for me (1kgs 8:19); he actually referred to Jesus, the son of
David (Matt 1:1, 9:27, 12:23 etc). Solomon was a shadow of him who is has the
title The son of David. Solomon though a son of David; is not qualified
with the definite article the son of David. Only Jesus enjoys this
prerogative. More still, the Angel speaking about the birth of Christ says,
The Lord God shall give him the throne of his father, David (Lk 1:32). So
it is certain that the temple built by Solomon, made of stones, could only
prefigure that which was to come. When Jesus challenged the Jews saying,
Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up (Jn. 2:19), he was
speaking in fulfillment of the ancient prophecy Your son will build a temple
for me. In the fulfillment of this prophecy, we are privileged to become
part of the building as living stones. We are like living stones built up
securely on Christ, who is the cornerstone of the entire structure.
We adorn this spiritual temple, no
longer with perishable pearls and material decoration but ornaments of
virtues and holiness. Since everything in nature, even the beautiful temple
of stones, is subject to corruption, change and decay, our vocation is to
adorn the temple of God with imperishable spiritual life of holiness. When
the physical temple crumbles, the eternal and spiritual edifice endures. When
the beauty of their precious stones fades, the glory of living stones of the
spiritual temple shines on. In this case, earthquakes, wars and rumors of
wars, persecution and all what not, do not threaten, but enhances it.
In conclusion, therefore,
Jesus tells us in the prediction of the temples destruction that all the
attractive things we marvel at are subject to change and decay; ranging from
our magnificent cathedrals to our opulent castles, the glories of this world
with all the pomp and pageantry that go with worldly achievements; all will
pass away. To prepare for that imminent end, we need to set our edifice on
the firm foundation of the Eternal Rock of ages, by so doing, we secure our
spiritual goods.
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