Monday, June 6, 2011

Announcements: Pentecost For June 12, 2011

Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Baptism: Justine Wassily holds Trista Jean Nicole Wassily, the newest member of our Catholic Church. Esther Floresta (left) is the Godmother. The baptism took place at Holy Rosary in Dillingham, June 5, 2011.


One Bread One Body: Thank you for all of your generous support. We have almost reached our goal of $2,000!

Fr. Nelson: Fr. Nelson will be coming for a two week visit starting June 15. He will than leave to go on vacation to the Philippines and return August 14 to begin his assignment here.

Gospel: Pentecost is about receiving the Holy Spirit. God took stock in us to protect His investment. He did that by sending us the Holy Spirit. Please see the homily and readings below.

Fleet Blessing: Thank you Angela and Robert Clark for organizing the 24th annual Dillingham Blessing of the Fleet. It was a wonderful occasion for all. I was very pleased with the turn out of the community, especially for the support of all the pastors.

Have a wonderful week...Fr. Scott

Homily and Readings:


Pentecost, DLG. 2007, God Stock; Acts 2: 1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7&12-13; John 20:19-23

Today is Pentecost. It’s the day when God sent his spirit among the people. Why did he send his spirit? I would like to explore this question by using an analogy of the Stock Market. Imagine for a minute that we are Stocks that God owns

If we were God’s Stock in OT times, we might have been called preferred stock. After all, there were only a few chosen people that God bought stock in, for example, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and King David to name a few.

Being God’s stock in the OT meant that if we did not follow God’s rules, God would give us another chance, buy us back, or redeem us. The Israelites, on the way to the promise Land, lost faith in God and turned to sin many times. But the merciful God was always there to buy back his shares and give his chosen another chance.

During Jesus’ life, God’s Stock portfolio expanded. Jesus message was that God wanted to buy stock in every human individual, not just a few chosen people. In the financial industry, the term “diversified portfolio” is used when a smart investor buys several different types of investments, such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

God’s new portfolio was well diversified because it included people from all over the world. It included people of every age and race. And God paid a high price for us. His only son, Jesus, died for our sins on the cross and redeemed us.

This brings us to Pentecost. In the finance industry, I might say that God sent the HS to protect his stock, that is, each of us. In a sense, he did. God has to protect each of us so we don’t go astray, so we don’t become lost.

In the spiritual world, I think God sent the HS at Pentecost because he loved us so much. The HS is a gift to help us gain eternal life. The HS gives us the strength to stave off anything life has to throw at us. It helps us to sift through the garbage in our daily lives and choose what is right, and true, and good. The HS nudges and badgers us to do the honorable thing.

Have you ever been in a situation when you knew you had to do something but you really didn’t want to? Have you ever had to confront a person at work who has been bothering you? Have you ever needed a change in your life but you couldn’t quite put your finger on what it was you needed to do? Well I have. Should I quit my job and go to college? Should I go to the seminary? Should I say something about the unethical acts going on in the work place?

If we are in touch with the HS and if we allow this free gift from God to work through us, to guide, strengthen, and teach us, then we will have the answers and the motivation to take the right action.

To conclude, ask yourself, how am I performing in God’s portfolio? Am I increasing in value, decreasing, or staying the same? Do I call on the HS in times of confusion and actively seek the good? Or do I just do what everybody else is doing? Heavenly Father may the HS you sent us at Pentecost inspire our actions and lead us to everlasting life (575 Words).

Acts 2: 1-11
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."

1 Corinthians 12:3-7&12-13
Therefore, I tell you that nobody speaking by the spirit of God says, "Jesus be accursed." And no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

John 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

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