Saint Isaac Jogues Parish
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SAINTSAINT ISAACISAAC JOGUESJOGUES PARISHPARISH 8149 Golf Road, Niles, IL 60714 ♦ 847.967.1060 ♦ Fax: 847.967.1070 ♦ Website: http://sij-parish.com Parish Mission Retreat Afternoon “Live Lent: Seeing, Confessing, Professing” Presented by: Fr. Jeremy Thomas First Sunday of Lent March 9, 2014 Page Two First Sunday of Lent March 9, 2014 TEMPTATION SUNDAY: middle of the Garden of Eden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The evil one tricks them. They “go for the lure.” The devil contradicts “Devil’s Food for Thought”? the Lord’s command. He assures the gullible Adam and Eve that not only will they not die, but they shall “be like gods who know what is good and Temptation is a seduction. It is a well-baited lure what is evil.” They are caught! They sin! Then in the “sea of humanity,” a magnet attracting an they recognize only their own nakedness. They iron will. Temptation comes from the world, the hide from God in their shame. Their own sin multi- flesh and the devil. The world’s “lure” is an envi- plies through the sins of their descendants. ronment of sin and bad example. The “magnet” of the world is conformity to popular pressure. Every The story of the Garden prefigures the second parent has heard the argument: “But everybody is great demonic temptation in the Gospel account of doing this or that.” Our Lord’s Temptation in the Desert. It is the re- versal of the “Fall of Man.” The flesh wells up from the polluted “spring” of concupiscence - - the tendency to give in to per- Pope Emeritus verse desires. It is the hereditary tendency to sin . Benedict XVI . to follow lower urges rather than right reason. describes the The lure of the flesh is often summarized in the temptation as Seven Deadly Sins - - pride, avarice, lust, envy, Jesus’ “descent gluttony, anger and sloth. The magnet of the flesh into the perils is self-indulgence and the abuse of God-given gifts besetting man- of body and soul. kind.” Jesus is the “Second Ad- The Devil’s own temptations are called “demonic.” am.” The dif- They have their origin through the instigation of the ference is clear evil one. The devil’s “method,” Fr. John Hardon in its opposition. tells us, is “to encourage every form of avarice or Jesus not only selfishness, in order to lead one to pride, and resists tempta- through pride to all other sins.” tion but engag- es in a kind of This Sunday rebuttal of the could well be devil’s seductive called logic and his “Temptation appeal to human appetites for self-satisfaction, ac- Sunday” or the claim, and earthly power. The Lord triumphs “Devil’s Food for through fasting, prayerfulness, and humble service Thought.” The of God alone. Book of Gene- sis tells the fa- On this “Temptation Sunday,” we have much to miliar story of learn. We have a choice to be like Adam and Eve the Fall of Man. or like Christ. Lent is our desert. Our fasting and It is the first de- abstaining, our personal sacrifices and acts of pen- monic tempta- ance are the best preparation for the inevitable tion. Adam and “lure” and “magnet” of temptation. But of all the Eve know that familiar Lenten traditions and customs, few can they are forbid- compare with a renewed commitment to steward- den by God to ship and almsgiving. Stewardship puts into practice eat of the fruit of the Lord’s parting formula for dismissing the devil: the tree in the Page Three First Sunday of Lent March 9, 2014 “The Lord your God shall you worship and PARISH MISSION RETREAT AFTERNOON Him alone shall you serve.” Begin your Lenten Journey by coming to our Par- Stewardship is essential to worship and service. It ish Mission Retreat Afternoon TODAY! Father is the use of the gifts of creation to honor the Cre- Jeremy Thomas made his introduction at all the ator, and not to worship and serve ourselves. The Masses today and now invites us to join him for an Catechism of the Catholic Church describes afternoon of Scripture, silence, personal and group Almsgiving as: reflection, and ritual before the Blessed Sacrament and concluding with Benediction. “money or goods given to the poor as an act of penance or fraternal charity.” During the retreat Desert Reflections for a Lenten Sacred writers insist that “almsgiving is as good as People: Seeing, Confessing, Professing, Fr. Jeremy penance for sin . Fasting is better than prayer, will guide us in meditations which reflect on the but almsgiving is better than both.” postures of Lent as shown by the Blind Man, the Samaritan Woman and Lazarus, Martha and Mary. He In the spirit of the season, be dedicated to Charity! will address personal prayer life, spiritual honesty, Charity expresses itself in many ways but none are healthy relationships, the joy of discipleship and much more eloquent than stewardship and almsgiving. more. In that way we can triumph over the temptation to be self-sufficient. In Christ, we are called to be A free will offering will be taken up for the retreat self-surpassing! afternoon. The Spiritual Life Commission looks forward to welcoming you, your families, friends and neighbors! -Fr. Luczak Following the retreat there will be a pot luck dinner in the Holy Family Room. You can still sign up after Mass today! Even if you do not sign up ahead of time, please know that you are welcome to stay! LENTEN PRAYER FOR THE WEEK Please note that we will host a session on Monday, Scripture: Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to March 10 at 9:30 a.m. and show a video of the re- be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and treat talks and the closing prayer ritual. So if you forty nights…the tempter approached… are unable to come Sunday, consider coming Monday Reflection: ``The threefold test is aimed at Jesus’ core: and allow yourself to share in the experience. his identity, his fidelity, and the covenant God made with the Israelites….What stands in my way in accept- ing that I am a beloved child of God? How can I stay LOOKING AHEAD… true to my identity as such? What fears do I need to let Labyrinth Walk, Thursday, 3/20, 6-8:30 p.m. in the Holy go of in order to live the prayer, ‘Jesus, I put my trust in Family Room and 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Friday, 3/21. Take you?’ In this holy season of lent, how deeply do we ac- a meditative walk on a canvas maze patterned after that in the cept that God is the source and reason for our exist- Chartres Cathedral. Ministers of Care will be on hand to help ence? (From Transform Us, O Lord! C Our Sunday guide you in the experience. We do ask that you walk the Visitor, c2013) maze either in stocking feet or with provided booties over your Prayer: “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a shoes. steadfast spirit renew within me…Give me back the joy Gorskie Zale, the Bitter Laments, will be sung in Polish and of your salvation and a willing spirit sustain in me.” English in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday, From Psalm 51 March 23rd, 3 p.m. in Church. Led by Fr. Jason Torba and Action: Attend the Parish Mission Retreat and then members of The Lira Singers, it will include hymns which con- share with someone some of the blessings you received! sider the passion & Death of Our Lord, lamentations which express sorrow for sins, and sympathetic conversations of the soul with the Blessed Mother. All are welcome! Page Four First Sunday of Lent March 9, 2014 In that context, there will also be the World Meeng of Families due to take place in Philadelphia in September 2015. May we all, then, pray together so that through these events the Church will undertake a true journey of dis- cernment and adopt the necessary pastoral means to help families face their present challenges with the light and strength that comes from the Gospel. I am wring this leer to you on the Feast of the Presentaon of the Lord in the Temple. The evangelist Luke tells us that the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph, in keeping with the Law of Moses, took the baby Jesus to the temple to offer him to the Lord, and than an el- derly man and woman, Simeon and Anna, moved by the Holy Spirit, went to meet them and acknowledged Jesus Leer of Pope Francis to Families as the Messiah (cf. Luke 2:22-38). Simeon took him in February 02, 2014 his arms and thanked God that he had finally “seen” salvaon. Anna, despite her advanced age, found new Dear Families, vigor and began to speak to everyone about the Baby. It is a beauful image: two young parents and two el- With this leer, I wish, as it were, to come into your derly people, brought together by Jesus. He is the one homes to speak about an event which will take place at who brings together and unies generaons! He is the the Vacan this coming October. It is the Extraordinary inexhausble font of that love which overcomes every General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which is be- occasion of self-absorpon, solitude, and sadness. In ing convened to discuss the theme of “pastoral chal- your journey as a family, you share so many beauful lenges to the family in the context of evangelizaon”.