Blog Archives - Roncalli Newman Catholic Parish

God's fidelity

10/31/2018

A thought for the day
Wednesday, the 30th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Wolfgang of Regensburg
Readings for today’s Mass

Many of the psalms have long been a source of comfort, support and encouragement to many. They extoll the goodness of the Lord as giver of life, as nurturer, lover, forgiver. The psalmists reveal to us a God of deep compassion who longs for us to know the Lord. Today's psalm reminds us of the unwavering fidelity of the Lord. Even when we are at our worst, the Lord is faithful in all ways.
In times such as these, while it is good to remember God's faithfulness, it might also be a good time to rededicate ourselves in faithfulness to God's word and covenant. One session of the daily news will tell you we are coming up pretty short of the expectations of the covenant. At a time when we should be taking care of the poor, protecting the widows and orphans, when we should be welcoming the immigrants and strangers, we hear instead of multiple bomb threats, mass shootings, racial, religious, cultural and all kinds of bigotry. We have become a people that breeds hatred and intolerance, that fosters division, violence and self-interest. Whatever happened to our end of the bargain? It seems we are not all the faithful ones who bless the name of the Lord, nor do all our works give thanks to God.
Still, The Lord is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The Lord pays attention to us. Spend some time with the Lord today. Perhaps we can again learn something about faithfulness. It might be time to revisit the covenant.

A little goes a long way by Carl Koch

10/30/2018

A thought for the day
Tuesday, the 30th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Alphonsus Rodriguez
Readings for today’s Mass

Eleven dead in a Pittsburgh synagogue shooting! Nine killed at bible study session! Dozens dead and wounded by Las Vegas gunman. US leaves Paris climate agreement. Hundreds of thousands flee on flimsy boats across the dangerous seas to Europe. On and on the news heralds the chaos that seems to permeate our world. What is a Christian to think and do?
In the Gospel today, Jesus exhorts us to build the kingdom or reign of God. What does that mean? He provides two homey images. The kingdom is like a mustard seed -- the tiniest seed Jesus knew. Planted and watered, the Palestinian mustard plant typically grew to 10 feet tall. Or the kingdom was like yeast in dough that causes it to rise and rise.
God's reign will come about when we do what WE can to plant the seeds of the Word in justice and peace and act as yeast to slowly, marvelously turn wheat into a wonderful bread to feed the world.
We read about the dramatic, all too often tragic, events, but we need to recall that all over the world, seeds are growing quietly and steadily and yeast is rising.

Be kind

10/29/2018

A thought for the day
Monday, the 30th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Narcissus of Jerusalem
Readings for today’s Mass

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love. There is so much to love about Paul's letters. He has a way cutting to the bone with simple, but profound words of wisdom. Today, he offers a litany of morally good behavior that is part of a response to God's gift of faith. He sums it all up with something that was at the heart of everything Jesus was trying to teach: Be kind to one another. Be the neighbor, compassionate and forgiving. Don't hold on to anger, but seek reconciliation. Just be a decent person. So many of Jesus' sermons and parables reflect aspects of the golden rule - Do to others. . .
At face value, it all seems so simple. Walking the talk is tough, but it is worth the struggle. Is there one person who needs you to be neighborly? Look for an opportunity to be kind, compassionate and forgiving toward who needs that from you. Don't let the sun go down on whatever stands between you and a neighbor.

What do you want

10/28/2018

A thought for the day
Sunday, the 30th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Simon & Jude
Readings for today’s Mass

When i take students to serve supper at Sally's, i always remind them to ask folks if they want what is being served. Not everyone wants everything, and it respects their individuality by giving the option to decline. Furthermore, we have no business assuming what the other wants. It's good to let them tell us.
That's what stands out for me in today's gospel. Before he recovered sight for the blind Bartimaeus, even tho it seemed rather obvious, Jesus asked the blind man what he wanted from him. I want to see. he said. And Jesus obliged.
That's a good thing to remember if you get involved in our Mt. 25 Projects, reaching out to the city's poor and homeless. We tend to be fix-it people. Our response to someone's need might be; I know what you need. Here, let me fix it. Or: You need this or that. Let me help you. i know what i think someone needs, but that isn't always what the other wants from me. It is easy to give someone a few bucks, but what if they just want to sit and talk to someone? A couple bucks just doesn't do it for that person.
Follow the example of Jesus, don't assume to know what others need or want. Open the door to a conversation and ask them. Introducing yourself is a good place to begin.

All are called

10/27/2018

A thought for the day
Saturday, the 29th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Bartholomew of Vicenza
Readings for today’s Mass

He gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ. Paul has some really rich imagery of the Church as the body of Christ, the best of which is seen in 1 Corinthians, but he alludes to it here in the Letter to the Ephesians. Paul's point is that every baptized Christian has a role in building up the Church, the Body of Christ. The image of the Church, as the Body of Christ, includes everyone; and everyone comes with gifts that the Church needs. It would be a great loss to the Church to ever ignore the gifts others bring to the ministry of the Church. While the ordained represent our primary leadership, we must never overlook the leadership potential of the unordained. This includes lay women as well as lay men. All are responsible for the life of the Church. No one can be denied the full exercise of the gifts God has given for ministry in the Church. If one member of the Body goes unrecognized or unused, the rest of the Body misses out.
What gifts do you bring to the table? Have you discovered your role as a minister of the Church building up the Body of Christ?

The call by Kristin Johnson

10/26/2018

A thought for the day
Friday, the 29th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Peter of Alcantara
Readings for today’s Mass

Our baptism calls us to many things. An obvious answer to this call is to live a life that reflects the way Jesus taught us to live. St. Paul, in our first reading, brings to light something else our baptism calls us to. Through our baptism we became part of God’s family and, much like the individual families we all belong to, this “holy family” is made up of people who are all on a different part of their faith journey. We are reminded to be aware that not all our brothers and sisters in Christ might be in the same spiritual place as we are. For those who are struggling we can be a source of strength, comfort, compassion, and help. For those who are flourishing we can learn from them and lean on them during times when we might struggle. Perhaps there are people in your “holy family” that seem stuck, or stubborn, unwilling to grow in relationship with Christ and to nourish their own spiritual lives. For these folks we are called to patience. Let our own lives be a reflection of our own relationship with Christ, that others may see the joy it brings us and the strength if provides during times of trial.

Women of the kingdom

10/25/2018

A thought for the day
Thursday, the 29th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão
Readings for today’s Mass

For the past weeks, we've been hearing from Paul's letters to the Galatians and the Ephesians. One of them started with a greeting of Beloved. One started with O stupid Galatians! Most of the other readings all began with Brothers and Sisters. Paul does not typically refer to brothers and sisters anywhere in his letters. No one can argue a degree of gender bias throughout the Old and New Testaments, and certainly within Paul's letters. So where are all these brothers and sisters coming from?
Well, Mother Church is more broadminded than you might think, certainly more so than the biblical writers. In preparing the Lectionary of the daily readings, the Church recognises that the words of God are spoken to all, not just men. The fragments of Paul's letters that make up the daily readings are therefore addressed to the brothers and the sisters. .Women too have a role and responsibility, as equal members of the body of Christ, to hear the words of God and to work to build the new kingdom. They too are invited in.
In scripture, women had some very significant roles. They tended to Jesus' needs while the men grumbled. Women were with him at the foot of the cross while most of the men ran away. Women were the first to experience the risen Christ and share the news with the men who were somewhere behind closed doors.
So, women, never sell yourself short on your importance within the Church and the kingdom. While some contemporary prayer still errs - ...for us men and for our salvation..., listen for those other more inclusive lines - The grace and peace of our Lord be with you all. The kingdom is offered to everyone. That's why we say All are welcome in this place.

Be prepared

10/24/2018

A thought for the day
Wednesday, the 29th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Anthony Mary Claret
Readings for today’s Mass

You must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. When i was doing my undergrad studies, i learned something about planning ahead. It did not serve me well to wait til the end of the semester and then bust my butt to get everything done in time. In grad school, quarters began with a comprehensive look at the syllabi so i knew what lay ahead. By the end of the term, i was usually ready for the end times and fared well.
Of late, Jesus has been offering a warning not to rest on our laurels and dally the time because salvation is coming at an unknown time. It will serve us well to be ready. You might not get a second chance.
So much of life hinges on what we don't know is going to happen tomorrow. There is a story of a man whose harvest did not fit in his barns, so he tore down the barns and built bigger barns so he could enjoy all his fat. What he didn't was he would die the next day.
All of our hard work can never prepare us for planning interruptus; those things that seem to come out of nowhere when we least expect; those things we were not ready for. Again i call to mind the latin phrase at the end of all my emails, While you have the time, do something good. The only time you have is now. We never know when we are going to run out of time.

Wait and watch by Carl Koch

10/23/2018

A thought for the day
Tuesday, the 29th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - John of Capistrano
Readings for today’s Mass

The Brothers who ran my Catholic boy's high school had a practice that I remember fondly, even over 50 years later. Each class had one boy who was the bell-ringer. At the start of class, he rang the bell and said, "Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God." After a short pause the Brother or lay teacher started class. Then at the half-hour, the process was repeated: the bell rang, we were reminded of God's presence, we paused. A quarter of my classmates were Jewish, so this prayer was just fine with them too.
Today's Gospel exhorts us to be prepared, to be ready for God. Indeed, God is always with us, every moment, every day, under all circumstances. If I just keep an open heart and remember "God's holy presence," then I can live in peace.
Create your own practice of the presence: maybe when you walk into a room, silently say, "Peace" or "God be with us." It can become one of those sustaining habits.

Got too much?

10/22/2018

A thought for the day
Monday, the 29th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00, 11:15am and 8:30pm when school is in session
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - John Paul II
Readings for today’s Mass

Several years ago, a friend complained about not having enough kitchen cupboard space for all of her dishes. She ended up remodeling the kitchen and added more cupboard space. Several years after that, she found herself wondering what happened to all the extra space she had. Her cupboards were again in the situation they were in before the remodel - not enough room.
Few people i know are different. We like to accumulate things but don't like to downsize when room gets tight. i can be like the man in the gospel parrabel who builds bigger barns in which to keep all his extras. It would seem so much simpler to give away what is beyond our need. That is what Jesus would tell those who struggle with having too much.
Catholic social teaching on the topic would offer something similar. To be sure, no one would say it is good to have too little. In our world of plenty, poverty is an evil, not a virtue to strive for. In fact, i think Jesus would say it might be good to have more than is needed, but only after everyone has at least enough.

Eagle Catholic

is a daily devotional based on the Mass readings of the day, the saint of the day or any other topic worthy of reflection in light of Catholic tradition.
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