St. Mary’s Church 62 Warren Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 ! Telephone: 518 792 0989 ! Fax: 518 792 0251 ! Website: stmarysglensfalls.org ! ! April 7, 2019 !
Mass Schedule: Parish Staff Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM Rev. Thomas Morrette (ext. 120) Sunday: 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:15 AM Pastor Tues., Wed. & Thurs. 12:10 PM Rev. Desmond J. Rossi (ext. 127) Friday: 8:05 AM Parochial Vicar Exposition and Adoration of the Deacon F. David Powers (ext. 135) Most Blessed Sacrament Deacon Associate First Friday of the month 9 AM—3 PM Rev. Robert Hohenstein (retired) Wednesdays 1—9 PM
Rev. Liam Condon (retired) Sacrament of Baptism: Clergy Assistance First Sunday of the month at 12:30 PM Robin Mattes (ext. 110) Parish Secretary/Cemetery Representative Sacrament of Reconciliation:
Catherine DeSantis (ext. 125) Saturdays 3:00 - 3:45 PM Baptism Coordinator/Webmaster or upon request
Ann McCoy (ext. 130) Sacrament of Matrimony: Administrator for Finances For adequate preparation Jo Kaczmarek (ext. 115) arrangements should be made at least Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation six months prior to the desired date. Leona Stone, Assistant (Ext. 136) St. Mary's/St. Alphonsus Maria Polidore (ext. 121) Regional Catholic School: Pastoral Associate for Youth Ministry Patricia Balmer, Principal Susan DelSignore (ext. 113) Pre-School thru Grade 8— Pastoral Associate for Liturgy/Music 518-792-3178 Bill Englert (ext. 130) Maintenance
Glens Falls Hospital Chaplain Jim Kane and Theresa LaPoint, Trustees Parish and Cemetery Office Hours: Sister Donna Irvine, S.S.N.D. 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Closed 12-1 PM) 518-926-3532
St. Mary’s Church April 7, 2019 From Father Tom ! ! “Passiontide” ! ! Before the revision of our yearly church calendar in 1969, the last two weeks of Lent were called “Passiontide”. Technically, we no longer use the word but it is a good one, expressing the mood of the church during these last days of Lent. This time is to be considered “deep Lent” M a time to live in deeper fervor and resolve to enter into the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fast- ing and almsgiving. We’re drawing ever closer to the celebration of the Paschal Mystery M the passion, death and resurrec- tion of our Savior which we observe on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. To make visual what we live in our hearts, the statues and the crucifix in St. Mary’s will be covered in purple. This old custom is an effec- tive one M when we see them, we are startled! Our assumption: “Things look different here in an otherwise festive church. There must is something stunning going on. What is all this drab scenery telling me?” Covered purple statues and crosses force us to wonder and to look inward. The comfort of devotions and prayers in front of statues are put aside. Now the Church wants us to think on Christ alone and his passion and death! It’s time to focus on the central and amazing mysteries of our faith the Lord’s humility, His sacrifice and His eventual triumph. In the past, great sacred music has been written for Passiontide, taking as their theme the hours or days before the crucifixion of Christ. The Latin poem (which we sing at the Stations of the Cross), Stabat Mater , is a poem which describes Mary standing in front of her Son as he carries the cross and suffers death. The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary is observed during this time. The great hymns “O Sacred Head Surrounded ” and “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” are all extensions of the church’s deep meditation upon the astounding sacrifice of the Lord on the cross for us during this sacred time. So, use the next few weeks to focus more seriously than ever on the passion and death of the Lord. Take a crucifix in hand and ponder its lessons. Think of the love of Christ for humanity. Think of His love for you and me. Think of his humility, patience, obedience to the Father, the surrender of his will to God. Think of him forgiving enemies. If you and I can do this, how can we not help but be filled with love and gratitude when we celebrate His victory this Easter Sunday? ! “Unplanned” M a stunning movie ! I had the opportunity to view the film “Unplanned” this past week, shown at the Regal Theater in the Aviation Mall on Wednesday. This full length movie was sponsored by The Augustine Institute and several individual donors. It tells the story of a woman who was a clinical director of a Planned Parenthood facility and, after coming to her senses, left the organ- ization to become a pro life leader who now works for “Forty Days For Life”, a group she once vehemently opposed. The movie was one of the most powerful and compelling presentations about the value of human life which I’ve ever seen. The scenes were based on her experience, sometimes almost too painful to watch. The movie showed the callous and malicious mission of many in Planned Parenthood who attempt to cover up their aggressive work to promote abortion to make it easier and easier for women to terminate pregnancies. It showed examples of blind workers who, in their work, think themselves compassionate and “the helpers” of women. A few graphic scenes made it impossible for any viewer to doubt that abortion kills living unborn children in a violent, inhumane and horrifying way. I wish I could show the film to all who doubt such a fact. Though I know the devil can harden hearts to the point where grace can only hope to get in, I think the film would make the impact it sets out to make on anyone. Let us, then, keep working and praying to end abortion. In our state, we are now on the point of legalizing infanticide, if we already have not done so. To think that so called Catholic legislators and politicians have supported unregulated abortion and, now, infanticide, is repugnant beyond words. I pray God’s truth and mercy touch them. (For information on “Unplanned”, go to unplanned.com.) ! ! From Birthright ! ! Birthright is a wonderful organization dedicated to helping women in problem pregnancies. Its location is 1490 Saratoga Rd. in Ballston Spa. Currently, the organization is looking for volunteers to assist. They write this appeal: “There are several different types of personalities we need in the office. We need the quiet because they tend to listen to those who are hurting. We need the outgoing because they will be dependent upon the strength of their own strength. Most of all, we need those who will love. We need those who care enough to love those who may seem unlovable, who may not respond to that first gesture or to a kind word.” If you are one of these people, why not help out the pro life mission of the Church. Contact Susan Barry, (518) 885 4117. Like Birthright on Facebook: facebook.com/ballstonspabirthright. ! ! ! RPI Lenten Event this week ! ! This Wednesday, at the Cultural Center at RPI, a presentation on the Lenten topic of “The Church as Herald” will be given by Cr. Mickey McGrath, OSF, author and artist. The event takes place at 7:00 PM at 2125 Burdett Ave, Troy, is free and open to the public. Learn more about the event by going to https://chapelandculturalcenter.net/Lent2019 . Real people ! ! Last week, TIME Magazine published the names of the victims, all Muslims, who were killed on March 15 in New Zealand. Let us keep them, and all victims of mad terrorism, in our prayers. Ali Mahmoud Abdullah Al Madani, Atta Elayan (age 33), Haji Daoud Nabi, Sayyad Milne (age 14), Mucad Ibrahim (age 3), Naeem Rashid (50), Talha Naeem (21), Ghulam Husain, Karam Bibi, Zeeshan Raza (38), Syed Jahandad Ali (34), Sayed Areeb Ahmed (27), Farhaj Ahsan (30), Zakaria Bhulya (33), Kamel Darwish (38), Mozammel Haque (30), Mohammed Omar Faruk (36), Abdus Samad (67), Hafiz Musa Vali Patel (52), Khaled and Hamza Mustafa, Linda Armstrong (New Zealand born Muslim convert), Amjad Hamid, Matiullah Safi (55), Hussain al Umari (35), Tariq Omar (24, soccer coach), Osama Adnan Abu Kweik (37), Lilik Abdul Hamid (58), Maheboob Khokhar (65, retired manager and father), Asif and Ramiz Vora (father and son who had himself just become a father), Junaid Ismail (father of 3 children), Mohammed Imran Khan (38), Ashraf Ali Razat (58, visiting New Zealand), Mounir Sulieman (68, engineer), Ashraf Morsi (father of two children), Ahmad Gamaluddin Abdel Ghani, Ashraf al Masri, Mohsen Mohammed Al Harbi (63), Ansi Alibava (24, engineering student), Abdukadir Elmi (father of 9 children), Musa Nur Awale, Haroon Mehmood (40), Kamel Mohamad Kamel Darweesh, Sohail Shadid, Hosne Ahmed (44), Abdul Fattah Qasem Ibrahim Qasem, Farhaj Ahsan (30) and Maheboob Knokhar. !
Glens Falls Champions ! ! I was so happy to attend the first half of the final (and winning) game of our own high school heroes, the Indians, last Sunday in Cool Arena. What a terrific game and what a terrific team! Congratulations to you all! I must confess I had a hard time not rooting for the competition (Cardinal O’Hara’s from Buffalo M a Catholic school and all) but this is one time (and probably the only one) when I had to let my love for “our kids” and city trump my love for the Church! !
Annual St. Mary’s Raffle ! ! Raffle tickets for this year’s annual St. Mary’s Parish Raffle have been mailed out to all parishioners. If you haven’t received yours, please contact Janet Myette at 518 793 8518 to make arrangements to obtain them. Help us make our an- nual raffle a big success. Monies raised go to keeping our parish afloat. Winners will be chosen at the summer parish fes- tival on June 8 th .
Another Pro Life Event in our area ! ! St. Michael’s in So. Glens Falls will be hosting Kathleen Gallagher, Director of Pro Life Activities for the N.Y. State Catholic Conference on Wednesday, April 10 at 6:30 PM. Her presentation will be focused on how we as Catholics may best respond to the recently enacted N.Y. State Reproductive Health Act and it’s serious implications as regards greater access for abortions on demand among other very disturbing aspects of the law. Please join us for this most important presentation. We have to do something about the insanity of abortion and infanticide! !
Retirement Party for Sue DelSignore ! ! The parish is giving Sue DelSignore a retirement farewell on Sunday, May 19 th in the Great Hall from 12:30 M 2:30 pm. The following members of the committee ask you to call one of them to let them know if you may be coming so that we can make adequate plans for refreshments. Carol Brownell, 518 792 8991, Joan Mills 518 792 2376, Sandy DelSignore 518 793 3557, or Kathy Sexton 518 746 9089.
Upcoming The Paschal Triduum Holy Thursday, April 18 th at 7:00 PM in the church ! Good Friday, April 19 th a t 3:00 PM in the church ! Holy Saturday, April 20, “The Easter Vigil” at 8:00 PM in the church !
“How many people say, ‘I have done terrible things. I have earned my place in hell, I can’t turn back.’ But do they think about the mercy of God?” ! !!!!!!!!N Pope Francis ! Rules of Fast and Abstinence for Lent ! Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of complete fast and abstinence. All Fridays in Lent are days of absti- nence from meat. Every person 14 years of age or older must abstain from meat (and items made with meat) on the proscribed days. Every person between the age of 18 and 59 and a half must fast on the days proscribed. The sick and frail are excused from any of the above if it should impact negatively on their health. The Church asks all Cath- olics during Lent to perform some penance for their sins. The purpose of fasting is spiritual focus, self discipline and imitation of the suffering Lord. Beyond these prescriptions, Catholics are expected to develop a personal plan of choice for penance and spiritual growth during the Lenten season. ! ! ! What is the Paschal Fast? ! The Paschal Fast begins after the Holy Thursday evening Mass and continues throughout the Triduum until Holy Saturday night. These three days are the most solemn days of our Church year when we remember the Passion and Death of the Lord. During these days, Catholics are asked to eat only what is required and to observe a more contemplative and restrained life- style. Treats and desserts are held off until Easter. It is also appropriate to live out the character of the Triduum in greater silence and recollection, limiting television and social media. ! ! Palm Sunday Event: Dinner and a Visit with Saint Paul ! The year is 65 AD and Paul of Tarsus is under house arrest in Rome. You’re invited to visit the great saint during his captiv- ity where he will recount his days as a missionary. He’s eager to share the Good News of Jesus’ love and to strengthen you in faith and hope. On Sunday, April 14, “A Visit with St. Paul” !will take place at SMSA in the Great Hall. The performance is at 4:00 pm. This short play by actor Glenn Smith on the life of Saint Paul will be followed by a turkey dinner with the fix- ings. Cost is $10 adults, $5 children. Child care and crafts are available for children under 8 years old (children must arrive at 3:30 pm). Please call the rectory to make your reservations by April 8 th , 518 792 0989 (Ext. 110). Seating is limited.
! Lectio Divina ! Experience Lectio Divina Prayer Style with Joan Nolan from John Paul II Center for Woman & RCDA. All are welcome on Tuesday, April 9 th , 1 2:30 pm in the parish meeting room. Lectio Divina, literally meaning "divine reading," is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures. During Lectio Divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the Bible with the "ear of the heart," as if he or she is in conversation with God, and God is suggesting the topics for discussion. The method of Lectio Divina includes moments of reading (lectio), reflecting on, responding to, and resting in the Word of God with the aim of nourishing and deepening one’s relationship with the Divine.
!! The Shroud of Turin Documentary ! The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man who is alleged to be Jesus of Nazareth. It is kept in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, which is located within a complex of buildings which includes the Turin Cathedral, the Royal Palace of Turin, and the Palazzo Chiablese in Turin, Piedmont, northern Italy. The cloth itself is believed by some to be the burial shroud that Jesus was wrapped in when he was buried after crucifixion. The documen- tary will be shown on Tuesday, April 16 th 1 2 pm in the parish meeting room.
UPCOMING: Our annual Parish Festival will be held on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 in the Rectory parking lot and school playground. Also, coming in July, a huge parish rummage sale. Start now putting aside the items that will benefit the sale. !
!"#$%&'()*+%&#'' ! Those who wish to have loved ones remembered during Easter with a special memorial may make a donation toward our lovely Easter flowers in memory of loved ones. All donations may be put in the collection basket or mailed to the Rectory (Attn: Robin). The names of loved ones will be printed in the Easter bulletin. Must be th received by Monday, April 15 to be published in the bulletin. ! ! PLEASE PRINT. ! ! Name of Loved One______Given by ______! Phone Number ______! Amt. Donated ______! THE WEEK AHEAD ! Mon 8 ! ! Contemplative Prayer, 9 am ! Tue 9 ! ! Lectio Divina by Joan Nolan, 1 pm ! School Confessions, 1 pm ! Pastoral Council Meeting, 7 pm ! ! ! Monday April 8 NO MASS ! ! ! Wed 10 Exposition and Adoration of the ! ! ! Most Blessed Sacrament, 1 9 pm ! Tuesday April 9 Lenten Weekday ! ! ! 12:10 pm +Deceased Members of the Vincenzo and Penance Service at St. Michael’s, 1 pm Anna DeSantis Family M Bequest ! ! RCIA, 7 pm ! Thu 11 !! Liturgy of the Word at The Glen, 10:30 am +Teresa Deyoe by Sue DelSignore st +Alba Angelo by Francis, Michael, and Deadline April 21 Bulletin Cathy Angelo ! ! Walking With Purpose, 12:45 pm and +Richard Clairmont by Joyce Clairmont ! ! 6:30 pm ! Wednesday April 10 Lenten Weekday ! ! ! Chrism Mass, 7 pm (Cathedral, Albany) ! 12:10 pm +Donovan Family by Kathleen Spahn Fri 12 ! ! Food Pantry, 9 am 1 pm ! +Sharron Garrand by Bonnie and Paul ! ! Rosary, Novena, and Divine Mercy ! Thursday April 11 M Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and ! ! ! Chaplet, 2:30 pm ! ! 12:10 pm Martyr ! ! Lenten Fish Fry Dinner, 5 6:30 pm at ! +William J. and Jean W. Harris M Bequest ! ! ! SMSA Cafeteria +William Stuat by Joe and Maureen Hooker ! ! Stations of the Cross, 6:30 pm (Led by ! +Michelle Seymour by Maureen and Joe Family Faith Formation) ! Hooker !! ! Friday April 12 M Lenten Weekday / ABSTINENCE ! Sat 13 Confessions, 3 3:45 pm 8:05 am +Maureen Murray by SMA Class of 1963 Sun 14 ! Faith Formation, 10 11 am ! +Betty Hover by Teresa and Pete Milanese ! ! Dinner and Play on St. Paul, 4 pm ! Saturday April 13 M Vigil: PALM SUNDAY OF ! ! THE PASSION ! ! 4:00 pm +Marie DePan Herlihy by Titterington Family ! +Mary Ann Hoey Biddiscombe by Kay Hoey ! +Peter J. Bruno by Kathleen Pateman Last Lenten Fish Fry—Friday, April 12 th +Leo J. Kelly by Gagliardi Family Knights of Columbus Hosting ! Sunday April 14 M PALM SUNDAY OF THE ! 5 6:30PM SMSA Cafeteria ! PASSION ! ! 7:30 am +Albert Marcantonio Jr. by Timothy and The fish fry hours are 5 6:30 and will be served in the Lucille Moriarty th school cafeteria. The cost is $5 for a child, $10 for an adult +Celia Duggan (40 Anniversary) by Family and $20 for a family. Menu includes: pollack, fries, cole +Deceased Members of the O’Brien Family slaw and fruit cocktail. and Friends by Family 9:00 am +Sharron Garrand by St. Mary’s Ushers ! +Nicholas Sommo Sr. by Louise Sommo PARISH MEMBERSHIP (please print) ! +Marie Girard by Louise Sommo ! +James and Anna Robinson by Joe Robinson Name: ! +Deceased Family Members of Richard E. ! ______McCarthy by Family Address: ! 11:15 am Intentions of the People of the Parish ! ! ! ______City: Zip Code: ! ! ______! ! Phone: ! ! ______! ! ! ! Check one: ! ! New Registration ____ Change of Address ____ ! Our Beloved Dead ! Moving out of Parish !____ ! ! ! ! Please pray for those who have died this past week: (Parishioners of St. Mary’s are those individuals who are ! ! formally registered and acve in our Parish. Please com- Genevieve “Bea” Fiore plete this form if you wish to join our Parish family.) ! Lillian D. Kiernan ! ! Joseph Pidgeon ! Please clip and drop in the collecon basket or mail to the ! Rectory. ! ! ! ! ! St. Mary’s Food Pantry ! ! Thank you to everyone who donated to our food ! pantry last week, we were able to help 71 families, ! 194 people!! This week the pantry is in need of: ! ! ! ! Ravioli / Spaghetti O’ s, Canned Tomatoes, Instant Rice, Chunky Soup ! ! Knights of Columbus , Glens Falls Council #194 Sacrificial Giving ! ! ! ! is an active Council supporting St Mary's and Our Land March 30 th M 31 st ! of the Annunciation parishes. We support our Pastors, ! school, religious education programs and multiple chari- ! ! Offertory ! $2,253.29 ! ! table organization across the area. Are you interested in ! ! Envelopes $4,398.00 ! supporting our Catholic community and enriching your faith? Our monthly meeting is the third Tuesday of the ! ! Total $6,651.29 ! ! ! ! month. We start with the Rosary at 6:45, followed by the 7:00 meeting. Refreshments are served after the ! Online Giving for March $4,556.37 ! meeting. If you have questions or are interested in ! learning more about the Knights contact Tim McNulty, ! ! Other: ! (518) 728 7739. You can also find out more about the ! ! Candle $154.50 ! Council on our website: http://www.kofc194.com/ ! ! ! ! Attendance ! St. Mary’s Faith Formation Program March 30 th N31 st ! ! th th Our 5 and 6 grade Faith Formation Students will be lead- ! ! 4 pm ! ! 240 ! ing Stations of the Cross on Friday April 12 th . Please come ! ! 7:30 am 108 ! and share this special experience with us. ! ! 9 am ! !186 ! ! ! 11:15 am 218 ! Registrations for next year’s Faith Formation program are ! ! Total ! ! 752 ! coming home soon. They are also available on line, in the meeting room and at the rectory. First Communion rehearsal is Tuesday April 30 th at 7pm Youth Ministry First Communion is Saturday May 4th at 11am Sunday, April 7, 11:15am, 7th Grade Faith Formation Mass. All welcome. Please contact me if you have any questions. ! Youth Project Our teens will be selling Hoffman's [email protected] CarWash Tickets to raise funds for SLEEP IN HEAVEN- Happy spring! Sincerely, Leona Stone ! LY PEACE ( www.shpbeds.org ). SHP builds beds and de- livers them to children who do not have their own bed. We will be holding a Bed Building Day at St. Mary's on May Family Faith Formation 18th. Tickets are $10(same price as at Hoffman's) and ! can be purchased online at: On Palm Sunday (April 14 th ) there will be an oppor- http://www.hoffmanhelpinghands.com/fundraisers/ tunity to attend a presentation and enjoy a family SMYSHP or paper tickets are available from one of the teens. turkey dinner in the Great Hall. Hope these new ! opportunities to grow as a faith community will be Good Friday, April 19th Youth FoodFAST Retreat convenient for all. ! grades 7 12 invited to participate in our annual 24 hour ! FAST for high school & college students and 8 hours for Jo Kaczmarek ! grades 7 & 8. The day will include prayer, games, activi- ties, film, guest speaker, service project while fasting on only water and juices. See our website for details and per- ! mission & sponsor forms. Participants will ask for dona- tions to support SLEEP in HEAVENLY PEACE. Info: BANNS OF MARRIAGE ! Maria Polidore [email protected] or 792 0989 Nicholas McMurry and Elizabeth Conley ! ext.121. To be married on April 27, 2019 in St. Mary's D a i l y B r e a d ! Thursday, April 11, 2019 Gn 17:3 !9; Jn 8:51 !59 Y our Monday, April 8, 2019 Dn 13:1 9, 15 17, 19 30, 33 62 name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a or 13:41c 62; Jn 8:12 20 They suppressed their conscienc- host of nations. !My sophomore is studying the Holocaust in es; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven, and history class, so together we watched the 1993 movie, did not keep in mind just judgments. Try reading today’s “Schindler’s List.” At the end of the movie, the “Schindler passage from the Book of Daniel with the #MeToo move- Jews” gather to thank Oskar Schindler and present him with ment in mind. When people of authority transgress so a ring, binding him to those 1,100 souls he saved. The ring egregiously, I find myself wondering if they believe in a is engraved with words from the Talmud: “Whoever saves final judgment, or heaven or hell or karma. How do they one life saves the world in time.” Meanwhile, my seventh do it? The two elders in today’s reading are described as grader is reading Refugee by Alan Gratz, an excellent novel having “suppressed their consciences.” Well, isn’t that we that tells the story of three refugee children. One is Josef, a all do when we sin? For most of us, conscience wakes up, German Jewish boy whose family is aboard the ill !fated S.S. and we are genuinely sorry for the action that is out of St. Louis, the ship of German Jews refused entry into Cuba character. It is when we allow ourselves to be lulled into and the United States and returned to Europe. Over 200 of a state of moral somnolence that we start failing to notice those Jews died in concentration camps. There are more our transgressions or worse, justify our poor treatment of than 6,000 descendants of the Schindler Jews. How many descendants of the Jews on the S.S. St. Louis was the world others. Then, what was once out of character becomes our character. A thorough examination of conscience is a good denied? We are poorer than we need to be. God of Abra- preparation for Holy Week. Generous God, please give me ham, help us find ways for the children of Abraham to live in peace and forgive us when we do not regard each other the grace to say what I believe and do what I say. as brothers and sisters. Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Nm 21:4 9; Jn 8:21 30 The peo- Friday, April 12, 2019 Jer 20:10 !13; Jn 10:31 !42 We are ple complained … . I thought of poor Moses and his com- not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a plaining tribe in a most unlikely setting. Last June, my man, are making yourself God. Was Jesus crazy, a con art- mother in law treated her children, including me, to an ist, or the real deal? This question was the introduction to Alaskan cruise. There was a copious amount of food, much my graduate Christology class. A quick internet search re- variety, displayed beautifully and available at all hours. veals a number of attempts at diagnosis, usually with the During the first days in the dining room, one heard yummy conclusion that Jesus doesn’t fit the bill for mental illness. noises N murmurs of approval and satisfaction from the And if he was a con man, he certainly wasn’t in it for per- passengers. Then, as the cruise progressed, one detected sonal gain. So is he the real deal? I believe so, but I have to irritation among the murmurs: They ran out of someone’s confess, as someone who only dips into very shallow theo- favorite dessert; the servers were difficult to understand; logical waters and spends the rest of my energy on more day the potatoes were cold. And so on. It is so easy to take for !to !day pursuits, it doesn’t matter that much to me. I happily granted our blessings and demand more. I’m reminded of a profess what my church teaches and live by that profession question: Which is worse, to be rich and feel poor, or to be as well as I can, knowing all the while that I could be poor and feel rich? I would rather be the latter, and the wrong. If it’s good enough for Pascal (look up Pascal’s only way I know that makes this possible are daily expres- Wager) and that faithful old Narnian, Puddleglum (The sions of gratitude. Generous God, make me grateful. Silver Chair by C.S.Lewis), it’s good enough for me. Lov- Wednesday, April 10, 2019 Dn 3:14 20, 91 92, 95; Jn ing God, give me the grace to follow the example of Jesus, your Son, and live a life of dedication, generosity and love. 8:31 42 We are descendants of Abraham and have never ! ! ! Saturday, April 13, 2019 Ez 37:21 28; Jn 11:45 56 been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, “You will be- [Caiaphas] prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the come free”? Sometimes, our prison cells are locked from nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into the inside. And as our cells can be comfortable even cozy, one the dispersed children of God. While on a preached we may not recognize our imprisonment and resent anyone retreat, participants were encouraged by the Jesuit leader to who suggests we aren’t free. The adjoining cells are often find that passage in Scripture that “jumps off the page,” one filled with like minded people, and together we commit that seems to define our life and our mission. I was sur- those most devious of sins: sins of omission. We see peo- prised to discover how obvious my passage was: “That all ple without necessities to live, but they aren’t in our cells. may be one” (John 17:21). Both of today’s readings are We know other mothers are in anguish about the suffering about God’s desire for unity; about bringing together the of their children, but they aren’t our children. There is war, children of God who have been separated, creating one peo- violence against the innocent, suicide of loved ones, abuse ple with one shepherd, together the one true God. God’s of drugs and alcohol, but these problems are far away … desire for our unity does not change. What changes is who until they aren’t. Sometimes, what forces us to open the we include as “God’s children.” In the first reading, known doors of our cells is when some terrible thing happens in- as the “Two Sticks” reading (Ezekiel 37:15 !19), the children side and we find that we aren’t free where it counts the of Israel are limited to the descendants of Judah and the de- most: to welcome those whom Jesus commanded us to scendants of Ephraim, two tribes who have been distant. welcome N those people on our margins that we did not These are the ones God will unite into one nation, no longer see upon whom our salvation, our ultimate freedom, divided. In the Gospel, Jesus comes to gather the depends. Loving God, free me from attachment to my “dispersed,” the other sheep of John 10:16. Who do we in- clude as God’s children? And perhaps more importantly, comfortable life and my fear of the unknown so that I may who do we exclude? God of all peoples, grant me the grace know true freedom in you. to see every person, beloved by you, as my brother, my sister. ! HOME IMPROVEMENT GALLERY, INC. Radloff Funeral Home, Inc. Independently Owned & Operated 136 WarrenWa rre n Street,S tre et, GlensGl ens Falls,Fa lls , NYN Y 30 PROGRESS BOULEVARD / QUEENSBURY, NY 12804 www.northernmechservices.com Carpet/Hardwood • Vinyl Flooring T: 518-745-1820 • Ext. 209 Laminate • Roofing • Vinyl Siding • Windows F: 518-745-7736 10 Saratoga Ave • S. Glens Falls, NY 12803 518-793-9623 George D. Polunci, Service Manager 745-5097 • Fax 745-5099 518-798-377851 8- 79 8- 37 78 [email protected] email: [email protected] MARK RADLOFF, L.F.D. 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