Saint Maria Goretti Church Reverend Seth Wasnock, Pastor Reverend Dr
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Saint Maria Goretti Church Reverend Seth Wasnock, Pastor Reverend Dr. Michael Imbrogno - Deacon 42 Redwood Drive, Laflin, PA 18702 Telephone # 570-655-8956 / Fax # 570-655-1746 email: [email protected] www.stmariagoretti-laflin.org WELCOME SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM A warm welcome is extended to all who visit our faith Baptisms are scheduled by appointment. community. We hope you have received a warm greeting Please call the Parish Office at 5706558956. as you entered our church today for worship. Carry our ROSARY blessings home with you and be a light to your family. The Fatima Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet are recited PENANCE/RECONCILIATION each Friday morning after Mass (except on the First Friday Every Saturday 3:30PM4:00PM; First Friday’s from of each month). We invite men and women to join us in 8:30AM to 9:00AM or anytime by request or appointment. these beautiful acts of charity. Please do not hesitate to approach Father Seth at any time concerning your desire for confession. FIRST FRIDAY A Holy Hour with Benediction, Exposition and prayers is ST. MARIA GORETTI NOVENA held the First Friday of every month 8:00AM 9:00AM. Every Wednesday following the 8:00AM Mass. Confessions are offered from 8:30AM TO 9:00AM OFFICE HOURS Monday through Friday from 9:00AM to 2:00PM May 2, 2021 M Fifth Sunday of Easter PASTORAL NOTES SCRIPTURE INSIGHTS: When he brought Saul to the Apostles, Barnabas told the story of how in Damascus Saul “had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.” The phrase “spoken out boldly” uses a form of the Greek parrhesia, often translated in the New Testament as “boldness.” It combines the words for “everything” (pan) and “speaking” (rhesis). Words spoken with parrhesia say everything there is to be said. Parrhesia suggests the act of communicating ideas directly, bluntly, without elaborate logic and vague metaphorsN plain speaking. Parrhesia suggests not so much a talent of speaking as a habit of speaking candidly, born of honesty and simplicity. The word also came to be used for the inner attitude of confidence that lay behind this practice of plain speaking. Intimate friends and family nor- mally speak with parrhesia because they can speak without shame or fear of embarrassment or recrimination. Preaching the Gospel with parrhesia was prized in the early Church as strong evidence that the Holy Spirit had certified one’s authenticity as a disciple. This is what Barnabas saw in Paul. It is also something Luke himself saw and admired in the apostle, as we can see in his stories of Paul’s courageous speaking in the latter half of Acts. Paul himself once described the effect of this gift of bold- ness. When he found himself poised to receive a Roman sentence of death, he wrote confidently: “with all boldness [parrhesia], now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20). These uses of parrhesia help illumine the theme of confidence in prayer in today’s other texts. John’s letter says that Christians who act in love receive new assurance of God’s love that swallows up selfcondemnation. Freedom from selfcondemnation in turn nur- tures courageous boldnessJohn uses the parrhesiain prayer to God. This creates the confidence that we have received whatever we ask for from God. The passage from John’s account of the Gospel grounds this confident prayer in the indwelling life of Jesus (John 15:7). LITURGY AND LIFE: Spend time in your yard or take a walk to notice the plant life emerging from the ground and budding on vines. Give thanks for the wondrous glory of God’s creation. LIVE THE LITURGY (Inspiration for the week): Anyone familiar with gardening knows that proper and timely pruning is essential. The health of the plant depends upon it. An unpruned tree can quickly produce suckers that zap many of the essential nutrients from its body. Pruning requires patience and vision. Studies reveal that plants often respond defensively to being pruned, displaying reactions that are similar to hurt or discomfort. Pruning is not easy but necessary. A hard lesson for us to learn is that we also need to be pruned. We become far healthier when we allow God to stretch, refine, and form us into the best version of ourselves. The fruit that then comes from our vines will be more abundant, nutritious, and robust. Left to our own devices we can easily find ourselves running amuck and spiral- ing out of control. Without a proper vision and trust in the Master Pruner, we will never find the contentment we desperately desire. Nor will the work of the Gospel stand a chance of succeeding. PENANCE/RECONCILIATION: Every Saturday 3:30PM4:00PM or anytime by request with appointment. Please do not hesitate to contact Father Seth at any time concerning your desire for confession. N.B.: Father Seth will also be hearing Confessions during the First Friday Holy Hour beginning at 8:30am and ending at 9:00am. QUESTIONS OF THE WEEKNINVITE PARISHIONERS TO REFLECT AND RESPOND TO SCRIPTURE First Reading: Luke tells us how the conversion of Saul (Paul) and the acceptance by the disciples of him helped facilitate peace in the Church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. What do you think is needed to bring about peace in our Church today? Second Reading: John teaches his community that believing in Jesus and loving one another is the heart of God’s commandment. How would you assess yourself in following this twofold command? Gospel: Using the metaphor of a vine and branches, Jesus urges his disciples to “remain in me” in order to bear good fruit and thereby glorify God. What would be some examples of “good fruit” that you have produced? RE: PROLIFE MOTHER’S DAY CARNATION SALE (The ProLife Center in WilkesBarre will not be conducting the ProLife Carnation Sale this coming Mother's Day weekend.) "Due to the Pandemic we have lost our major FundraisingDrive, 'The Mother's Day Carnation Sale.' Any donation to help keep the ProLife Center in WilkesBarre open would be greatly appreciated. Thank You." Sincerely, Betty Caffrey, Director (5708261819) Pennsylvanians for Human Life, 31 Hanover Street, Wilkes Barre, Pa. 18702 May 2, 2021 M Fifth Sunday of Easter Weekend of April 2425, 2021 EXTRA COLLECTION Sacrificial Offering $3,290.00 LAST WEEKEND APRIL 2425 Easter 110.00 Thank you for your generous support of last week’s Diocesan Collections Catholic Home Missions Appeal. As a parish, we Care & Education of Priests 182.00 raised $386.00 to help strengthen the Church at home Catholic Home Missions 314.00 and ensure that the Gospel is spread across the United States. If you missed the appeal, it’s not too late to give! Just visit www.usccb.org/homemissions. Thank you for your continued generosity in supporting your parish. LEBANESE A LA CARTE TO GO Sunday, May 16th starting @ 11AM Corner of Park Ave & Dana Street, WilkesBarre MONSIGNOR GRAY MERIT AWARD A la carte menu: APPLICATIONS DUE NEXT FRIDAY, MAY 14 Kibbeh Nayeh $6 Arras Kibbeh (fried) $6 Each year we offer the Monsignor Gray Merit Award Green Beans & Rice $6 to our high school seniors. Letters have been sent out Grape Leaves $5 to all our students who are seniors this year with an Hummus $4 application for this award. If you are a 12th grade stu- PREORDERS ONLY by May 8th *Bake Stand with Assorted Lebanese Desserts dent from St. Maria Goretti Parish and did not receive *Proceeds to Benefit Aid to Lebanon a letter with the application, please contact the parish Contact: Lisa 5705074193 office at 5706558956. Cynthia 5704063661 EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS Branching Out Isn’t Always What It’s Cracked Up to Be “That’s a really beautiful tree branch. Man, would you look at the bark on that thing? The others are real duds, but that lowhanging branch has really got it all together.” I’ve never heard anyone say this. Maybe I just need to hang out with more arborists, but I can’t recall ever hearing someone admire the particular beauty of a single branch. When someone comments on a tree, it’s usually the whole tree N perhaps a visual element of it, like the color of the leaves or its height. But people don’t usually zero in on one branch. Maybe that’s because usually, if one branch is looking a little weak, chances are every other branch is, too. The Bible tells us that when we bear fruit as good everyday stewards, it is for the Father’s glory. We are the branch on His magnificent tree. What we have is from Him, and what we do likewise points back to Him. We also tend to reflect how well the other branches around us are incorporating the nutrients coming their way. That’s all fine and good in theory. In practice, it can be an arduous exercise in humility. When I do something virtuous or charitable or kind, there is a part of me that wants to stand out for it. I think that’s true for all of us. We’ve given of ourselves in some way or overcome some human temptation to accomplish a little bit of good in this world, and even though we know God sees us, we’d really love for everyone else to see it, too. It’s a struggle, for sure. But we need to remember that our fruit belongs to the whole tree.NTracy Earl Welliver, MTS ©LPi READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF May 2nd, 2021 Sunday 5/2: Acts 9:2631/Ps 22:2627, 28, 30, 3132 [26a]/1 Jn 3:1824/Jn 15:18 Monday 5/3: 1 Cor 15:18/Ps 19:23, 45 [5]/Jn 14:614 Tuesday 5/4: Acts 14:1928/Ps 145:1011, 1213ab, 21 [cf.