|
HOLY
FATHERS PRAYER INTENTION
September
2018
Universal
Young People in Africa
That young people in
Africa may have access to education and work in their own countries.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST. MICHAEL PRAYER CARDS: Since we will be using the St. Michael prayer cards every mass we ask
that you please leave them in the pews.
PLEASE PRAY for the permanent deacons and their wives during their retreat this
weekend.
VIRTUS TRAINING Wednesday, September 19 at 6:00pm. In the coffee
room. Those that are in contact with minors or vulnerable adults such as
Eucharistic Ministers, Ushers, Sacristans, teachers and those that take
communion to the home bound MUST attend once a year or MUST have their online
bulletins current.
AN APPOINTMENT WITH GOD: On Thursday, September 20th the Blessed Sacrament will be
exposed from 7:00am until 12:00pm.
THERE WILL BE A
MEETING to discuss the
maintenance of the church on Thursday, Sept. 20th at 7:00pm in the Coffee
Room. Anyone who has an interest in helping maintain the church is encouraged
to attend. The focus of the meeting will be to determine how we maintain our
church building going forward. If you have any questions about the meeting,
please call Dave Krick 928-751-0040.
CCD Registration: Sunday, September 23rd after Mass in the Hall
and Monday, September 24th at
4:00pm in the hall.
FALL FESTIVAL:
Saturday, October 27th. If you are
interested in helping please contact Carlie in the office.
BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER
Bishop Wall has requested that a public mass be offered monthly for the
reparation for the sins of the abuse perpetrated by members of the Church. He
has also requested that the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel be said
after each Mass following the final blessing in order to combat evil.
PRAY FOR THE SAFETY of our brothers and sisters in NICARAGUA,
especially the priests and bishops who are risking their lives to try to keep
so many safe from harm during this difficult time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twenty-Fourth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Agnes Bojaxhiu was a
diminutive woman who was ordinary in some ways but extraordinary in all the
important avenues of life. Born on August 26, 1910 in Macedonia, she learned
from her youth the elements of faith, including the need to act on it. Agnes
began to practice her faith in a special context at age 18 when she joined
the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto, headquartered in Ireland. After a few
months, she was sent by her religious superiors to Darjeeling, India to
complete her initial formation. Her first assignment was to teach in a
Catholic school in Calcutta. There she experienced the poverty and pain of
her students and of those who lived in the area.
Agnes taught in the
school until September of 1946, and while on the train traveling from
Calcutta to Darjeeling, she received a new and powerful call to serve the
sick, the dying, the hungry, the naked, and the homeless. Her role was to put
her God-loving faith into action for the poorest of the poor. Agnes, whose religious name was Teresa,
sought and received permission from Pope Pius XII to leave the Loreto Sisters
and start her own congregation. This was the genesis of the Missionaries of
Charity, canonically established in 1952, and the start of the famous and
inspiring ministry of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa required her
sisters to take four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience, and finally, service
to the poor. For the next forty-five years, Mother Teresa and her community
brought the love of God to those who had nothing, and today over four
thousand Missionaries of Charity minister to Gods poor in one hundred and
twenty countries.
Todays readings challenge
us to demonstrate our faith. The prophet Isaiah speaks of a servant who will
suffer at the hands of persecutors and yet will not rebel nor turn back. This
Suffering Servant will experience the full abuse of the world, and yet he
will not fail in his mission. Why? Because God is present and will not allow
the servant to be disgraced nor put to shame. God is the help and refuge of
those who seek him. In the gospel, we hear St. Peter confess his faith in
Jesus, saying, You are the Messiah! Immediately thereafter Jesus reveals to
him what the future will hold, not only for the Messiah, but for all who
follow in his footsteps. The Christ, the anointed One of Israel, the Messiah
will suffer and be put to death. Now, we who bear Christs name as Christians
may not suffer a physical cross, but we must suffer a denial of self, pick up
our own crosses, and follow Christ. Being a disciple is not easy, but we know
that God is with us through the ups and down, the highs
and lows; the agonies and the ecstasies of life.
We who follow Jesus will suffer if we live our common
vocation to holiness well. Life throws us all sorts of twists and turns that
may not always be favorable. But we must not lose heart. Jesus walked a road
which brought him much pain, including the emotional trauma of being rejected
by his own people and the physical torture of Roman crucifixion. How can we
transform the Christian vocation to the cross into something that is
fulfilling?
What will be our response to Gods call to a life that,
at times, brings us suffering? St. James tells us that our response must be
to live a life of active faith. Our actions and works demonstrate the faith
we possess. As the apostle says, faith that is not practiced is thoroughly
lifeless.
So, how might we manifest
our Christian vocation to follow Jesus and to suffer? We do so principally by
living for others. Parents live for their children; teachers, physicians, and
other professionals live for their students, patients, or other clients.
Young people can live for those with whom they associate regularly, whether
they are found in the classroom, on the playground, or in the family room at
home.
Mother
Teresa of Calcutta became an international celebrity, not because she was
rich or powerful, but because of her quiet, unassuming dedication. She took
up the cross of Jesus by helping the poor carry their crosses. She lived an
active faith and challenged the world to follow her lead. Let us take up our
cross and follow our Master, knowing that he does not promise us a rose
garden today, but rather the promise of eternal life tomorrow. Richard
Gribble, CSC
|