Announcements" 9th Sunday Ordinary Time Year A

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Mass Times:
Ash Wednesday: Mass at 12:15 PM
Holy Week: Holy Thursday and Good Friday 5:30 PM
Easter: Easter Sunday at 10:00 AM

Around the Mission: This week our Cherokee Warrior II is in the hanger at King Salmon. Larry Tibbetts is checking out the Alternator problem and doing an annual inspection. I am in Anchorage to attend the archdiocesan priest convocation. We will be reviewing the changes to the Roman Missal.

Possible New Parishes: Since the Archbishop is moving me in July, 2011, there are three possible parishes I may be assigned two, Sacred Heart in Wasilla, Saint Michael in Palmer, or Holy Cross in Anchorage. I visited Sacred Heart on Sunday and Con-celebrate both Sunday masses.

Gospel: The readings explain how we can build our lives on solid foundations and why it is important to do so. Please see readings and homily below.

Thank you: Thanx to Aileen Walsh for providing a communion service on Sunday. Because of Aileen’s enthusiasm and love for our church we are able to consistently offer the Eucharist every week at Holy Rosary in Dillingham, whether or not I am stuck in bad weather of attending conferences in Anchorage.

Have a fantastic week and see you Sunday!

Homily and Readings:

9th Ord A DLG 2011, Huff and Puff, Deuteronomy 11:18,26-28,32; Romans 3:21-25&28; Matthew 7:21-27

When I was in grade school I told a few lies. It seemed to me that it was easier to lie than to tell the truth. Sometime I would start a fight with my brother and I would tell my mom that I didn’t do it. But the problem was, we would usually both end up getting into trouble. It was like my mom knew I was lying, but she would never actually say that I was lying.

I think parents have a seventh sense, they know when we are lying. The problem is, when they finally say, your lying, it is the one time you are telling the truth.

As I grew up it seemed like the more I would lie, the more trouble I would get into. And to top that off, usually after I told a lie, I would feel really bad inside.

One day, I was about 12 years old, I overheard my dad and mom talking about my grandfather. They said that he was the most honest man they knew. They said he always told the truth no matter what. From that day on I tried extra hard to be honest. I wanted to be just like my grandpa.

Being honest is one way to start a brick foundation. The readings tell us other ways to build a strong spiritual foundation and why its important.

I am sure we are all familiar with the story of the three little pigs. The first pig built his house out of straw, the second sticks, and the third stone. The wolf came to eat the pigs. The pigs ran into their houses. The wolf huffed and puffed and blew the houses down and ate the pigs. Well, not all the pigs. The stone house could not be blown down.

Similarly, Christians continually build a brick foundation by choosing to live a life for God. Bricks get replaced with straw and sticks when we choose to live lives for ourselves. Why is this important?

Straw House no Wolf: Jack is going along fine in life. His faith seems good. He lies, cheats, and takes things from work…after all he is entitled to them…he works there. He swears around his friends but never around church. He Believes in God. He attends church every Sunday.

Brick House no Wolf: Susie used to lie but she stopped. She gossips, but she is trying to stop…really struggling. She goes to church regularly. One of here good qualities is that she always tries to do what she says she is going to do.

All of a sudden a wolf appears. Wolves in our lives are always unexpected. They come in the form of financial difficulties, death, sickness, marital problems, sexual misconduct, prison, and loss of job.

When a wolf appears, all our faith, hope, and love go on trial. There is no way to fool a wolf. How well we hold up when a wolf appears is the true test of faith. Our foundations are tested. Weak foundations mean wolves will penetrate deeply. Strong foundations mean wolves will not penetrate quite as deeply and maybe not at all.

Building our house out of brick means that we have a genuine reverence for the Lord. A strong foundation proves that we are doing the will of the Father. A strong foundation shows that we are people of integrity who mean what we say. It means that we practice what we preach, not only at church, but at home, at work, at school, and on vacation (590 Words).

Deuteronomy 11:18,26-28,32
"Therefore, take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Bind them at your wrist as a sign, and let them be a pendant on your forehead. "I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse: a blessing for obeying the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today; a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today, to follow other gods, whom you have not known. Be careful to observe all the statutes and decrees that I set before you today.

Romans 3:21-25&28
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Matthew 7:21-27
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.' "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."