Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:
Christmas Eve Mass: Time for the Christmas eve Mass will be 7:30 PM, Friday, 24 December.
Thank you: Once again severe conditions kept me from Mass in Dillingham this Sunday. Freezing rain closed down the runway in Dillingham and also the flying. Thank you Aileen for your second week in a row of offering a communion service. By the way, I changed the Mass time in King Salmon to Saturday at noon, which will hopefully allow me to have a better batting average in Dillingham.
Nativity Narrative: Bernina is working on a narrative for the children. Please contact her if your child would like to be involved in the play during Mass Christmas Eve.
Around the Mission: I was able to fly to Togiak, New Stuyahok, and Clarks Point this week. I took Penair to King Salmon because the weather was IFR when I left.
Happy Thanksgiving: I pray all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will be in Bend, Oregon eating turkey with my family this week. Currently I am stuck in Seattle in, GET THIS, a snow storm!!!
Have a great week and don’t forget to check our our website, www.holyrosaryalaska.org...Fr. Scott
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Announcements: Christ the King
Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners, here are the announcemtents for the week of Christ the King.
Gospel: Christ the King will one day be asking for our Passports. Please see Homily below.
Around the Mission: Due to fog last week I had to cancel going to Clarks Point on Friday and I missed Mass in Dillingham at Holy Rosary on Sunday because after mass in King Salmon I was fogged in. I did manage to fly to Togiak and back on Wednesday.
Thank you: Thanx to Aileen who celebrated a communion service Sunday. I called her from King Salmon 30 minutes before mass began in Dillingham. She did a great job with only 30 minutes notice.
Bend, Oregon: I will be traveling to Bend for Thanksgiving with my family and will be gone from Nov 22 to Dec 2.
Nativity Narrative: Bernina is choosing narratives for the children's nativity play during Mass on Christmas Eve. Please contact her if you have a child between the ages of four and nine, give a take a year or two.
Have a great week and see you Sunday...Fr. Scott
HOMILY
Christ the King C DLG 2010, 2 Kings, 2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43
Whenever I travel out of the United States I need a Passport. To travel around the world, everyone needs a passport. A passport is an official document that says I belong to the United States. I am subject to the laws of the United States. The USA will protect me when I am outside the country. It says that our laws may be a little different than another countries law. That means that if I do something against the law in one country, I have to be judged according to the laws in the United States.
The gospel tells us the kind of passport the King will ask us for. The details are a little different from this passport. Our passport to enter the Kingdom of heaven may not necessarily have our race, age, nationality, or culture.
Our passport to heaven will not have stamped on it “I was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church.” It won’t say I was married for 50 years and raised ten children. It won’t go into detail about how many Hail Mary’s I said each day.
The way we pray, worship, and what we believe are all important in our lives here on earth. These are all stepping-stones and landmarks that lead us to do what is really important.
The King of Heaven will ultimately judge us on what is REALLY important…that is, our behavior in relation to our neighbor who is in need. How do we relate to our neighbors?
Christ the King is our example: During his life on earth, he took pity on the poor, helped the defenseless, and was kind to outcasts.
One of the most difficult things for me before I became a priest was changing my Business oriented thinking. I set goals for myself. I used physical, financial, and social objectives to meet those goals. Setting goals is a great way to get along at work, at home, and at school. Goal setting works!
Goal setting does not work in the spiritual world. We cannot say that if we go to church every Sunday, if we pray everyday, then we will go to heaven. It does not work that way. We cannot have our visas stamped when we go to church, donate money, or join a prayer group.
When I decided to become a priest I had to get it through my head that goal setting does not work. I could not do something good and expect to get an immediate result. Treasure in heaven means just that: we may not experience the fruits of our labor until after we die. I had to learn that spirituality is something we grow stronger in everyday.
Spirituality has no immediate end. Our spirituality is eternal. It goes on forever, even after we die.
Probably the toughest thing for me to learn about spirituality was to let things go. It is easy for me to want to blame myself for all my faults and for the good things I do. In reality, it should be that God and I work together…share, in building up this Kingdom.
As we grow in our spiritual lives we learn a language. Our heavenly visas will be stamped with that language.
I hope the language stamped on my visa says this: I allowed Christ the King to be my shepherd. I learned to trust and follow God. I walk where the Lord leads. I lead others to the restful waters, to healing, and to love.
The idea is this: If we allow Christ to be our King, he will guide us along the right path. He will protect us outside of this world. He will admit us to the kingdom where he reigns, to the glory of god the Father (625 Words).
2 Samuel 5:1-3 – All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said: "Here we are, your bone and your flesh. In days past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back. And the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.'" When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron, King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD, and they anointed him king of Israel.
Colossians 1:12-20 – Giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross (through him), whether those on earth or those in heaven.
Luke 23:35-43 – The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Gospel: Christ the King will one day be asking for our Passports. Please see Homily below.
Around the Mission: Due to fog last week I had to cancel going to Clarks Point on Friday and I missed Mass in Dillingham at Holy Rosary on Sunday because after mass in King Salmon I was fogged in. I did manage to fly to Togiak and back on Wednesday.
Thank you: Thanx to Aileen who celebrated a communion service Sunday. I called her from King Salmon 30 minutes before mass began in Dillingham. She did a great job with only 30 minutes notice.
Bend, Oregon: I will be traveling to Bend for Thanksgiving with my family and will be gone from Nov 22 to Dec 2.
Nativity Narrative: Bernina is choosing narratives for the children's nativity play during Mass on Christmas Eve. Please contact her if you have a child between the ages of four and nine, give a take a year or two.
Have a great week and see you Sunday...Fr. Scott
HOMILY
Christ the King C DLG 2010, 2 Kings, 2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43
Whenever I travel out of the United States I need a Passport. To travel around the world, everyone needs a passport. A passport is an official document that says I belong to the United States. I am subject to the laws of the United States. The USA will protect me when I am outside the country. It says that our laws may be a little different than another countries law. That means that if I do something against the law in one country, I have to be judged according to the laws in the United States.
The gospel tells us the kind of passport the King will ask us for. The details are a little different from this passport. Our passport to enter the Kingdom of heaven may not necessarily have our race, age, nationality, or culture.
Our passport to heaven will not have stamped on it “I was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church.” It won’t say I was married for 50 years and raised ten children. It won’t go into detail about how many Hail Mary’s I said each day.
The way we pray, worship, and what we believe are all important in our lives here on earth. These are all stepping-stones and landmarks that lead us to do what is really important.
The King of Heaven will ultimately judge us on what is REALLY important…that is, our behavior in relation to our neighbor who is in need. How do we relate to our neighbors?
Christ the King is our example: During his life on earth, he took pity on the poor, helped the defenseless, and was kind to outcasts.
One of the most difficult things for me before I became a priest was changing my Business oriented thinking. I set goals for myself. I used physical, financial, and social objectives to meet those goals. Setting goals is a great way to get along at work, at home, and at school. Goal setting works!
Goal setting does not work in the spiritual world. We cannot say that if we go to church every Sunday, if we pray everyday, then we will go to heaven. It does not work that way. We cannot have our visas stamped when we go to church, donate money, or join a prayer group.
When I decided to become a priest I had to get it through my head that goal setting does not work. I could not do something good and expect to get an immediate result. Treasure in heaven means just that: we may not experience the fruits of our labor until after we die. I had to learn that spirituality is something we grow stronger in everyday.
Spirituality has no immediate end. Our spirituality is eternal. It goes on forever, even after we die.
Probably the toughest thing for me to learn about spirituality was to let things go. It is easy for me to want to blame myself for all my faults and for the good things I do. In reality, it should be that God and I work together…share, in building up this Kingdom.
As we grow in our spiritual lives we learn a language. Our heavenly visas will be stamped with that language.
I hope the language stamped on my visa says this: I allowed Christ the King to be my shepherd. I learned to trust and follow God. I walk where the Lord leads. I lead others to the restful waters, to healing, and to love.
The idea is this: If we allow Christ to be our King, he will guide us along the right path. He will protect us outside of this world. He will admit us to the kingdom where he reigns, to the glory of god the Father (625 Words).
2 Samuel 5:1-3 – All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said: "Here we are, your bone and your flesh. In days past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back. And the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.'" When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron, King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD, and they anointed him king of Israel.
Colossians 1:12-20 – Giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross (through him), whether those on earth or those in heaven.
Luke 23:35-43 – The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Monday, November 8, 2010
Announcements: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners, here are a few announcements:
Gospel: The gospel is about the end-time. Please read the Homily below.
Nativity Narrative Play: Please contact Bernina Venua to get your 4 to 8 year old signed up for the nativity narrative that will be held on Christmas Eve at Holy Rosary Parish during Mass.
Thanksgiving Prayer: Thanksgiving is drawing near. Here are a couple of prayers that one can use for the Thanksgiving dinner blessing:
Prayer 1
Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ, Amen
Prayer 2
Thank you God for all the wonderful blessings,
For our daily meals and for clean drinking water.
Thank you for family, friends, and good health.
Thank for our lives.
Thank you for giving us your only Son Jesus.
On this Thanksgiving, we also give thanks for countless other
things you provide us with on a daily basis.
We pray for those less fortunate than ourselves who may have nothing to eat this day.
Amen.
Prayer 3
Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. Thank you for all the graces and blessings. You have bestowed upon us. Thank you for our food and shelter, our health, the love we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Lord, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year.
This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Amen
Around the Mission: On Thursday this week I was able to do some practice GPS approaches into New Stuyahok, Koliganek, and Levelock. After flying to Clarks Point on Friday I prayed the Rosary with Louise Gardner then had lunch with the children at the Clarks Point School. Saturday, because of fog, I waited and had Penair fly me to King Salmon and Naknek where I scheduled a house blessing with a parishioner from King Salmon and Had Mass Sunday at 9:00 AM. I then flew back to Dillingham for Mass at 12:30 on Sunday.
It was such a nice day Friday that I walked up to the village of Clarks Point after I landed on the dirt strip. Here are couple pictures I took:
Have a fantastic week and see you Sunday…Fr. Scott
HOMILY
33rd Ord C DLG 2010 End Time, Malachi 3:19-20;2 Thessalonians 3:7-12;Luke 21:5-19
Within 100 years after Jesus’ death, the earliest Christians thought the end of the world was near. We call that the end time or doomsday.
The end time is the final Judgment. The first judgment will be when we die and go to purgatory. The second judgment will be the final judgment or end-time. The final judgment is a general judgment when all are assembled before God and their relationship to God is made public.
A doomsday prophet is a person who predicts this final judgment. For example, because of the higher number of hurricanes, cyclones, and earthquakes this year, the end is near.
During the cold war in the 1960’s, people made bomb shelters in case the Russians nuked us. People were afraid. They were really scared that a nuclear attack would end the world.
Remember President Clinton and Y2K in 1999. Imagine, the entire world shutting down, planes crashing, warheads going off all around the country, and no electricity, water, or food…the end time. One guy I knew bought 30 bags of wheat to store in his basement in preparation for Y2K. The turn of the century is always a great time for doomsday prophets to emerge.
Regardless of whether or not the end time comes in our lifetime there are three realities we live with: (1) the end time will come, we just don’t know when and (2) we will always have war, famine, natural disasters and followers of Jesus will always be persecuted (3) Jesus tells us that we will know, without a doubt, when the end-time is near.
The readings give us advice on how to live our lives knowing that the end time is inevitable.
About doomsday, Jesus tells us not to follow the doomsday prophets. He says, “Awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” When the end-time is near, we will know it.
Paul, in Thessalonians, gives us advice. Paul believes in teaching by example. By living a good Christian life, Paul felt that others would see his example and follow it. You have heard the saying “like father like son.” Paul believed that his good actions would rub off on others.
Here is the advice he gives us about living with the end time looming over us: Work and earn the food you eat. Do not be lazy. Live in a spirit of harmony and unity with people. Do not let peer pressure sway you from your Christian beliefs. Hostility from others is not an excuse for us to be hostile ourselves. We are to persevere in holiness of life. Leave judgment to the Lord.
The message of the day is not a timetable for disaster. Our message is about happiness while we are living our lives on earth. We do that by putting our faith and hope in Jesus. By anchoring ourselves to Christ in these end times, we can turn a crisis into opportunity.
As we come forward to receive communion, let us take into our hands the anchor of our faith…the body of Christ. It will enable us to endure in hope until the end of time…whenever that may be (524 Words).
Malachi 3:19-20
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, And the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays; And you will gambol like calves out of the stall
2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food.
Luke 21:5-19
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.
Gospel: The gospel is about the end-time. Please read the Homily below.
Nativity Narrative Play: Please contact Bernina Venua to get your 4 to 8 year old signed up for the nativity narrative that will be held on Christmas Eve at Holy Rosary Parish during Mass.
Thanksgiving Prayer: Thanksgiving is drawing near. Here are a couple of prayers that one can use for the Thanksgiving dinner blessing:
Prayer 1
Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ, Amen
Prayer 2
Thank you God for all the wonderful blessings,
For our daily meals and for clean drinking water.
Thank you for family, friends, and good health.
Thank for our lives.
Thank you for giving us your only Son Jesus.
On this Thanksgiving, we also give thanks for countless other
things you provide us with on a daily basis.
We pray for those less fortunate than ourselves who may have nothing to eat this day.
Amen.
Prayer 3
Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. Thank you for all the graces and blessings. You have bestowed upon us. Thank you for our food and shelter, our health, the love we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Lord, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year.
This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Amen
Around the Mission: On Thursday this week I was able to do some practice GPS approaches into New Stuyahok, Koliganek, and Levelock. After flying to Clarks Point on Friday I prayed the Rosary with Louise Gardner then had lunch with the children at the Clarks Point School. Saturday, because of fog, I waited and had Penair fly me to King Salmon and Naknek where I scheduled a house blessing with a parishioner from King Salmon and Had Mass Sunday at 9:00 AM. I then flew back to Dillingham for Mass at 12:30 on Sunday.
It was such a nice day Friday that I walked up to the village of Clarks Point after I landed on the dirt strip. Here are couple pictures I took:
Have a fantastic week and see you Sunday…Fr. Scott
HOMILY
33rd Ord C DLG 2010 End Time, Malachi 3:19-20;2 Thessalonians 3:7-12;Luke 21:5-19
Within 100 years after Jesus’ death, the earliest Christians thought the end of the world was near. We call that the end time or doomsday.
The end time is the final Judgment. The first judgment will be when we die and go to purgatory. The second judgment will be the final judgment or end-time. The final judgment is a general judgment when all are assembled before God and their relationship to God is made public.
A doomsday prophet is a person who predicts this final judgment. For example, because of the higher number of hurricanes, cyclones, and earthquakes this year, the end is near.
During the cold war in the 1960’s, people made bomb shelters in case the Russians nuked us. People were afraid. They were really scared that a nuclear attack would end the world.
Remember President Clinton and Y2K in 1999. Imagine, the entire world shutting down, planes crashing, warheads going off all around the country, and no electricity, water, or food…the end time. One guy I knew bought 30 bags of wheat to store in his basement in preparation for Y2K. The turn of the century is always a great time for doomsday prophets to emerge.
Regardless of whether or not the end time comes in our lifetime there are three realities we live with: (1) the end time will come, we just don’t know when and (2) we will always have war, famine, natural disasters and followers of Jesus will always be persecuted (3) Jesus tells us that we will know, without a doubt, when the end-time is near.
The readings give us advice on how to live our lives knowing that the end time is inevitable.
About doomsday, Jesus tells us not to follow the doomsday prophets. He says, “Awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” When the end-time is near, we will know it.
Paul, in Thessalonians, gives us advice. Paul believes in teaching by example. By living a good Christian life, Paul felt that others would see his example and follow it. You have heard the saying “like father like son.” Paul believed that his good actions would rub off on others.
Here is the advice he gives us about living with the end time looming over us: Work and earn the food you eat. Do not be lazy. Live in a spirit of harmony and unity with people. Do not let peer pressure sway you from your Christian beliefs. Hostility from others is not an excuse for us to be hostile ourselves. We are to persevere in holiness of life. Leave judgment to the Lord.
The message of the day is not a timetable for disaster. Our message is about happiness while we are living our lives on earth. We do that by putting our faith and hope in Jesus. By anchoring ourselves to Christ in these end times, we can turn a crisis into opportunity.
As we come forward to receive communion, let us take into our hands the anchor of our faith…the body of Christ. It will enable us to endure in hope until the end of time…whenever that may be (524 Words).
Malachi 3:19-20
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, And the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays; And you will gambol like calves out of the stall
2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food.
Luke 21:5-19
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Announcements: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners, here are a few announcements:
Gospel: Resurrection gives us hope for life after death. Please see the Homily and readings below.
Gray Water System: The gray water system has been repaired. Check out the story and pictures on www.holyrosaryalaska.org. Thank you JD Bennis for donating your time and talent. While the heavy equipment was being unloaded, Jerry, a neighbor, come by with his dog to apply for some work. We hired him on the spot.
Gospel: Resurrection gives us hope for life after death. Please see the Homily and readings below.
Gray Water System: The gray water system has been repaired. Check out the story and pictures on www.holyrosaryalaska.org. Thank you JD Bennis for donating your time and talent. While the heavy equipment was being unloaded, Jerry, a neighbor, come by with his dog to apply for some work. We hired him on the spot.
Children’s nativity Narrative: During the homily this Christmas, children will be acting out the nativity. If your children would like to have a part, i.e. shepherd, angel, wise man, Mary, or Joseph, please contact Bernina, Angie, or Diana.
First Communion: May 22nd, 2011, will be a First Communion Mass. If you have a child six years or older please let me know so I can start training. We already have three children signed up.
Have a great week and see you Sunday…Fr. Scott
HOMILY
32nd Ord C DLG 2010 Heaven 2 Mac 7: 1-2, 9-14; 2 Thes 2:16 – 3:5; Luke 20:27-38
What happens when we die?
The Sadducees believed that when you died, that was it…blackness….A kind of hell. We believe that Hell awaits those who do not have a friendship with God, do not believe in God, and condemn the Holy Spirit.
In the Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that there is life after death. Jesus believes in the resurrection. In the gospel Jesus says, “Resurrection is not the continuation of this life, but its complete transformation by the living God.
When we die, Catholics believe that living a Christian life insures that our soul will go to purgatory. Purgatory, according to the Catechism says, “Those who die in the state of friendship with God but are not fully purified, are assured of their eternal salvation. However, they must undergo a final purification to obtain the perfection of love and holiness needed to enter heaven.” In other words, everyone will spend time in purgatory, some longer than others.
When Jesus comes to earth for the second time, our Creed tells us, He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” The last line says, “We look for the resurrection of the dead.”
All the dead will rise when Jesus comes again to judge the living and the dead. In the final resurrection, our bodies will be transformed, though we do not know precisely how. The manner of our resurrection exceeds our understanding and imagination and is accessible only to our faith.
What is Heaven like?
The Church teaches that, “Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the stat of supreme, definitive happiness. There will be perfect communion with the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Mother, the angels, and saints.”
We do not really know what heaven will be like…it is beyond our human imagination. Many scholars have tried to describe it;
1. The physical body will be replaced by one that cannot decay…it will last forever. So, a main reason to marry is to raise children…to keep the Christians from dying off. In heaven, no one dies…so getting married and having children is not necessary.
2. Relationships will exist. We will probably be reunited with people who we knew on earth. However, there are new relationships in heaven. We will be united with countless brothers and sisters in Christ. Something we can never achieve on earth.
3. We will be like angels, says Jesus. That means that we will probably have a different kind of body, real, and recognizable, yet not restricted as it is now. Paul says it best in the second reading today, “the future is bright, real, and fulfilling, however tough life is now.”
So when we think about your own death or grieve over those loved ones who have died, let these readings today give you hope.
The resurrection of Jesus assures us that death is not the end of existence…a dark nothing. Have hope that when our loved ones die, or when we die, our resurrected life will be qualitatively better than life on earth; our bodies will never die, and our relationships will be transformed.
Let this hope of resurrection provide comfort and strength to face the difficulties of life and the loss of people we love (539 Words).
2 Maccabees 7: 1-2, 9-14
It also happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: "What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors." At the point of death he said: "You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. It is for his laws that we are dying." After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words: "It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again." Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing. After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way. When he was near death, he said, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the God-given hope of being restored to life by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."
2 Thessalonians 2:16 – 3:5;
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word. Finally, brothers, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified, as it did among you, and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people, for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you (both) are doing and will continue to do. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.
Luke 20:27-38
“Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her. Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called 'Lord' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
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