211 Present Street, Missouri City, TX 77489, Phone: 281-969-7236 |Weekly Bulletin Vol. 16 No. 30 July 28, 2013 4th Sunday of period of Kaitha CHURCH SCHEDULE Holy Mass Sunday: 9:00 AM (Malayalam) (No English Mass until Sept 1st, Sunday) Monday - Thursday: 8:30 AM Friday: 7:00 PM Novena to St. Joseph, our patron Saint Saturday: 9:00 AM Novena to our Mother of Perpetual Help
Eucharistic Adoration & Night Vigil Every 1st Friday Starting with the Holy Mass @ 7:00 PM Confession Before and after weekday Masses
Charismatic Prayer on Saturdays Adult’s Prayer: at Bl. JP II Home @ 5:00 PM Kids’ Prayer: @ 5:00 PM Jesus Youth Prayer: @ 5:00 PM
CCE Classes (No CCE classes until Sept 1st, Sunday) Contact Information Office: 281-969-7236 Vicar: Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy Tel: 281 904 6622 Email: [email protected] Trustees: Augustine Vaniapurackal - 832-692-3456 John Babu - 832-520-9500 Jose Uthirakulath - 832-233-1480 Joy Chencheril - 832-577-6375
“Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” Mark 7:14-15 Parish Council
Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy (Vicar) 281 904 6622 1. Augustine Vaniapurackal -Trustee & ward member - St. Agnes-Lake Olympia & Lake Shore 832-692-3456 2. John Babu -Trustee 832-520-9500 3. Jose Uthirakulathu -Trustee 832-233-1480 4. Joy Chencheril -Trustee & ward member - St. Sebastian- Alief, Sugar Land, Katy 832-577-6375 5. Lisamma Joseph - Ward member - St. Antony's - Stafford 832-576-2136 6. Sunil Kurian - Ward member - St. Augustine-Sugar Land & Missouri City 281-450-4669 7. Vinoy Kurian - Ward member - St. Elizabeth - Riverstone & Colony Lakes 832-886-2566 8. Biju George-Ward member-St. Mathew-New Territory, Telfair, Sugar Land, Avalon Villages 832-455-9005 9. George Joseph - Ward member - St. George - Sharpstown & Westbury 281-844-0048 10. James Viruthukulangara-Ward member-St. Alphonsa-Sienna, Missouri City North, Alvin 713-530-8026 11. Bobby Joseph - Ward member - St. Thomas – Creek Stone 713-972-2620 12. Roychen Joseph - Ward member - Blessed Chavara-North Shore & Spring 713-478-9573 13. Bose Kurian - Nominated member 832-545-0054 14. Jose Manakalathil - Nominated member 281-731-4570 15. Salby Vincent - Nominated member 281-818-3733 Saint Joseph, 16. Sabeena Roncy - Nominated member 832-475-9962 17. Stacy Ouseph - Nominated member 832-453-5260 our Patron saint, 18. Anoop Kudakasseril - CCE staff member 832-684-5392 19. Geo Thayil - SJYAL member 281-630-8185 Pray for us! 20. Manju Maliekkal - Church Organizations 832-656-6335 21. Rev. Sr. Alphin MSMI - Pastoral Services 832-287-2926 22. Paul Joseph - Pastoral Council member 281-728-3222 23. Jessy Kurian - Pastoral Council member 281-857-6572
"One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
Liturgical Calendar, July 28, 2013 ALTAR SERVERS July 28, Sunday: 4th Sunday of period of Kaitha 1st Reading: Is 9:8-21 Punishment for false doings August 04 , Sunday 2nd Reading: 2Cor 10:7-18 (10:1-18)Be proud in the Lord Gospel: Mk 7:1-13 (7:1-23) Clash of Traditions Malayalam Mass @ 9:00 AM July 29, Monday; Feast of St. Martha 1st Reading: 1Jn 4:7-16 He who lives in love lives in God Sam Kurian Gospel: Jn 11:3-26 Jesus the life and resurrection July 30, Tuesday Kurian Pannapara 1st Reading: Jas 1:9-11 poverty and riches Gospel: Mt 18:1-5 Become like children July 31, Wednesday; Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola 1st Reading: 1Cor 10:31-11:1 Everything for the glory of God Gospel: Lk 14:25-33 A disciple of Jesus must give up everything LECTORS August 01, Thursday; Fifteen days fasting begins; Feast of St. Alphonse Liguori 1st Reading: Rom 8:1-11 We have freedom in Jesus Gospel: Mk 12:28-33 You are not far away from God’s kingdom August 04, Sunday August 02, Friday; First Friday; Night Vigil and Eucharistic Adoration 1st Reading: Jam 4:13-17 Boasting in arrogance is evil Gospel: Lk 9:57-62 Discipleship calls for sacrifices Malayalam Mass @ 9:00 AM August 03, Saturday; Feast of St. John Maria Vianny 1st Reading: 2Cor 1:3-7 Sharing in the suffering of Jesus 1st reading: Tom Cheeramkuzhy Gospel: Mt 9:35-10:1 Jesus feels pity on the people August 04, Sunday: 5th Sunday of period of Kaitha 2nd reading: Alphonse Kariampally 1st Reading: Is 28:14-22 I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet 2nd Reading: 2Cor 12:14-21 Paul who spends evedrything for others Gospel: Lk 16:19-31 (16:19-17:10) Show concern for the poor No English Mass until Sept 1st, Sunday
Read this bulletin online: www.stjosephhouston.org | Published by: Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy (Vicar, St Joseph Syro Malabar Catholic Church, Missouri City, TX) | July 28, 2013 Clash of Traditions ~Mk 7:1-13
What makes a person unclean or unfit to offer God acceptable worship? The Jews went to great pains to en- sure that their worship would conform to the instructions which God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. God's call to his people was a call to holiness: "Be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44; 19:2). In their zeal for ho- liness many elders developed elaborate traditions which became a burden for the people to carry out in their everyday lives. The Scribes and Pharisees were upset with Jesus because he allowed his disciples to break with their ritual traditions by eating with unclean hands. They sent a delegation all the way from Jerusalem to Galilee to bring their accusation in a face-to-face confrontation with Jesus. Jesus dealt with their accusation by going to the heart of the matter -- by looking at God's intention and purpose for the commandments.
Jesus gave an example of how their use of ritual tradition excused them from fulfilling the commandment to honor one's father and mother. If someone wanted to avoid the duty of financially providing for their parents in old age or sickness they could say that their money or goods were an offering "given over to God" and thus exempt from any claim of charity or duty to help others. They broke God's law to fulfill a law of their own making. Jesus explained that they void God's command because they allowed their hearts and minds to be clouded by their own notions of religion.
Jesus accused them specifically of two things. First, of hypocrisy. Like actors, who put on a show, they appear to obey God's word in their external practices while they inwardly harbor evil desires and intentions. Second- ly, he accused them of abandoning God's word by substituting their own arguments and ingenious interpreta- tions for what God requires. They listened to clever arguments rather than to God's word. Jesus refers them to the prophecy of Isaiah (29:31) where the prophet accuses the people of his day for honoring God with their lips while their hearts went astray because of disobedience to God's laws.
God in his mercy freely offers us pardon, healing, and grace for overcoming sin and evil in our lives. But to receive God's mercy and help, we must admit our faults and ask for God's pardon. Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings our sinful intentions and deeds into the light of our conscience that we may recognize them for what they are and call upon his mercy and grace for pardon and healing.
1st Friday Night Vigil & Adoration On Next Friday, August 02, 2013, After 7:00 PM Holy Mass We incorporate the powerful spiritual weapons such as the sacraments of Holy Mass and Reconciliation, the power of the mysteries of the holy Rosary, the Chap- let of Divine Mercy at 3:00AM, the Stations of the Cross, and other prayers while we adore Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament with enough quiet time to Listen to the Holy Spirit. These Vigils are powerful. Please do come and join us. God Bless!
Read this bulletin online: www.stjosephhouston.org | Published by: Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy (Vicar, St Joseph Syro Malabar Catholic Church, Missouri City, TX) | July 28, 2013 PARISH CALENDAR IMPORTANT DATES & EVENTS TO REMEMBER Vacation Bible School 2013 - Kingdom Rock July 31, August 1 &2 Registration going on; $40.00 / Child Wednesday-Friday October October 5th, Saturday Church Picnic at Kitty Hollow Park, Missouri City. November November 2nd & 3rd, Combined celebration of the 10th year Anniversary and Parish Bazar. Saturday & Sunday St. JOSEPH WOMENS FORUM ORGANIZING PARISH FAMILY RETREAT AND COUNSELING BY REV. SR. ELSUES MSMI ON AUGUST 3RD SATURDAY FROM 10:30 AM—4:00 PM PARISH FAMILY PICNIC DAY October 5th, Saturday at Kitty Hollow Park, Missouri City ***** VBS - 2013 *****
JUL 31– AUG 2
Vacation Bible School on July 31, August 1 &2 Registration started; Reg. Fee: $40/Child Admission from KG to children going to 6th grade
Read this bulletin online: www.stjosephhouston.org | Published by: Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy (Vicar, St Joseph Syro Malabar Catholic Church, Missouri City, TX) | July 28, 2013 The WORD OF GOD of Peace and Comfort Luke 8:21 “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
John 20:27 Matthew 20:26-28 "Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger "Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you here and see my hands, and bring your shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did hand and put it into my side, and do not be not come to be served but to serve and to give his unbelieving, but believe.”" life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are they who are persecuted for Galatians 2:20 the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the "yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in kingdom of heaven." me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has Matthew 5:44 loved me and given himself up for me." “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” Saintly Wisdom “Nothing would be done at all if one waited until one could do it so well that no one could find fault with it.” Blessed John Henry Newman
Spiritual Reflection Benedict XVI, Message for the Twenty-sixth World Youth Day - Madrid (2011) Dear friends, in every period of history, including our own, many young people experience a deep desire for personal relationships marked by truth and solidarity. Many of them yearn to build authentic friendships, to know true love, to start a family that will remain united, to achieve personal fulfilment and real security, all of which are the guarantee of a serene and happy future. True enough, it is important to have a job and thus to have firm ground beneath our feet, yet the years of our youth are also a time when we are seeking to get the most out of life. Is this simply an empty dream that fades away as we become older? No! Men and women were created for something great, for infinity. Nothing else will ever be enough. Saint Augustine was right when he said “our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you”. The desire for a more meaningful life is a sign that God created us and that we bear his “imprint”. God is life. To set God aside is to separate ourselves from that source and, inevitably, to deprive ourselves of fulfilment and joy: “without the Creator, the creature fades into nothingness” (Gaudium et Spes, 36). In some parts of the world, particularly in the West, today’s culture tends to exclude God, and to consider faith a purely private is- sue with no relevance for the life of society. Even though the set of values underpinning society comes from the Gospel – values like the sense of the dignity of the person, of solidarity, of work and of the family. For this reason, dear friends, I encourage you to strengthen your faith in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are the future of society and of the Church!
Read this bulletin online: www.stjosephhouston.org | Published by: Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy (Vicar, St Joseph Syro Malabar Catholic Church, Missouri City, TX) | July 28, 2013 SAINT OF THE WEEK : St. Alphonsa Feast day: July 28 Patron against illness 1910 - 1946 She was born as Annakkutty (little Anna) in Kudamaloor, a village in the princely state of Travancore which was under the British Raj (now pre- sent day Kottayam district, Kerala, India) to Joseph and Mary Mut- tathupadathu. She was baptized on 27 August 1910 at Saint Mary's Church in Kudamaloor under the patronage of Saint Anna. Anna's moth- er died when she was young, so her maternal aunt raised her. Anna was In 1916 Anna started her schooling in Arpookara. She received First Communion on 27 November 1917. In 1918 she was transferred to the school in Muttuchira. In 1923 Anna was badly burned on her feet when she fell into a pit of burning chaff. This accident left her permanently dis- abled. When it became possible, Anna joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation. She arrived at the Poor Clares convent at Bharananganam on Pentecost 1927. She received the postulant's veil on 2 August 1928 and took the name Alphonsa. In May 1929 she entered the Malayalam High School at Vazhappally. Her foster mother died in 1930. On 19 May 1930 she received her religious habit at Bharananganam. Three days later she resumed her studies at Changanacherry, while working as a temporary teacher at the school at Vakakkad. On 11 August 1931 she joined the novitiate. Anna took her permanent vows on 12 August 1936. Two days later she returned to Bha- rananganam from Changanacherry. She taught elementary school, but was often sick and unable to teach. In December 1936, it is claimed that she was cured from her ailments through the intervention of Blessed Ku- riakose Elias Chavara, but on 14 June 1939 she was struck by a severe attack of pneumonia, which left her weakened. On 18 October 1940, a thief entered her room in the middle of the night. This traumatic event caused her to suffer amnesia and weakened her again. Her health continued to deteriorate over a period of months. She received extreme unction on 29 September 1941. The next day it is believed that she regained her memory, though not complete health. Her health im- proved over the next few years, until in July 1945 she de- FEAST DAYS veloped a stomach problem that caused vomiting. July 28,Sun: St. Alphonsa She died on 28 July 1946, aged 35. She is buried at Bha- July 29,Mon: St. Martha rananganam, Travancore (present day Kerala) in the Dio- cese of Palai. July 30,Tue: St. Peter Chrysologus Her tomb in Bharananganam has become a pilgrimage site July 31,Wed: St. Ignatius Loyola as miracles have been reported by some faithful. The mira- July 01,Thu: St. Alphonsus Marie Liguori cle attributed to her intercession and approved by the Vati- July 02Fri: St. Eusebius of Vercelli can for the canonization was the healing of the club foot of an infant in 1999. July 03,Sat: St. Lydia Purpuraria
Read this bulletin online: www.stjosephhouston.org | Published by: Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy (Vicar, St Joseph Syro Malabar Catholic Church, Missouri City, TX) | July 28, 2013 Grand Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of our Church !!! Combined celebration of the 10th year Anniversary and Parish Bazar on November 2nd and 3rd (Saturday and Sunday)
Saint Joseph, St Joseph our Patron Syro Malabar saint, Catholic Church Missouri City, Texas, USA Pray for us!
Our Major Arch Bishop Our Holy Father Cardinal Our Bishop Our Vicar Pope Francis George Alenchery Mar Jacob Angadiath Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy
Read this bulletin online: www.stjosephhouston.org | Published by: Rev. Fr. Jacob Christy (Vicar, St Joseph Syro Malabar Catholic Church, Missouri City, TX) | July 28, 2013