Reflect and RESPOND to SCRIPTURE First Reading: Eli Was the Priest of the Temple in Shiloh
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH Sunday, January 17, 2021 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Reflect AND RESPOND TO SCRIPTURE First Reading: Eli was the priest of the temple in Shiloh. He raised Samuel and helped Samuel to hear God’s voice in his life. Who have you taught to hear God’s voice? Second Reading: Paul taught the Corinthians that believers should “glorify God in your body” by avoiding immorality. What do you think is needed to live a good, moral life? Gospel COLD HANDS WARM HEARTS In John’s account of the call of the first disciples, Jesus poses Our parish will hold its annual “Cold Hands, the question, “What are you Warm Hearts” collection in January and looking for?” February to provide basics for those in need. In your own spiritual journey, The first recipient is Hope Adult Center in Pontiac. It how do you know you have provides overnight shelter, meals, and medical services found Jesus? for the homeless. The next recipient is Matchan Nutrition Center. Matchan serves lunches twice a week and also provides clothes, food and personal hygiene products to their clients. The last recipient is CCRT (Catholic Community Response Team) which provides direct support and referral services for people in Pontiac. We need men’s, women’s and children’s hats, gloves and mittens, adult underwear and socks, and toiletries including soap, shampoo, body wash and deodorant. Our collection will be held January 30 through February 7, with sorting and packing to take place Monday, February 8 after the 9:00am Mass. WHAT’S OUR STORY? Thank you in advance for your generosity. God bless you! Christian Service Commission IS YOUR LIFE A GOOD STORY? HOW DOES GOD’S LOVE Family of Parishes Prayer STORY INTERSECT OR Father in Heaven, renew your wonders in our time, as though by a New Pentecost. COMPLIMENT YOUR Holy Spirit, increase your gifts in us to move boldly into Families of Parishes LIFE’S STORY with confidence. Deepen our desire for every person to encounter Jesus anew, grow daily as his disciples and give witness to his love and mercy. Join us in This is our mission! And, we embrace it anew. Father Kreft Hall on Jan 24th at 11am Grant that your Holy Church in Detroit, praying perseveringly and insistently (after the 10am Mass) with one mind, together with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and guided by St, Joseph, St. Anne and Bl. Solanus Casey, may increase the reign of the 1 family per table, and Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. please wear your mask. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen Page 2 Sacred Heart Catholic Church HEARTS On January 23, ON FIRE it is the feast day JANUARY 5 | SAINT VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA of St. Vincent of at Sacred Heart Saragossa. Vincent of Saragossa was one of the Church’s three most illustrious deacons, Where Faith is Known, the other two being Stephen and Lawrence. He is also Spain’s most Lived, & Shared renowned martyr. Ordained deacon by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, he was taken in chains to Valencia during the Diocletian persecution I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it and put to death. From legend we have the following details of his were already blazing. (Luke 12:49) martyrdom. After brutal scourging in the presence of many witnesses, he was stretched on the rack; but neither torture nor blandishments On November 22, 2020, the fourth anniversary of Synod 16, Archbishop Vigneron wrote a Pastoral Note on Families nor threats could undermine the strength and courage of his faith. of Parishes: Led by the Spirit on Mission. In the following Next, he was cast on a heated grating, lacerated with iron hooks, and weeks we will view and pray with excerpts from that Note. seared with hot metal plates. Then he was returned to prison, where the floor was heavily strewn with pieces of broken glass. A heavenly LISTEN to the Archbishop: Doubt is the gateway to brightness flooded the entire dungeon, filling all who saw it with bad habits. We must reject these bad habits and com- greatest awe. mit to rooting them out: As we make plans, decisions and strategies for the future, we need to put aside a After this he was placed on a soft worldly notion of the Church. Remember that it is Christ bed in the hope that lenient treat- who directs the mission and activity of the Church and ment would induce apostasy, since who will bring her without fail to her final destiny. torture had proven ineffective. Opening our minds, our hearts, and our plans to trust But strengthened by faith in Christ in Jesus, even [and especially] in this moment in our Jesus and the hope of everlasting local Church is a concrete way to reject this bad habit. life, Vincent maintained an invinci- It is also easy to feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped for ble spirit and overcame all efforts, this work, so we begin to doubt God’s grace and allow whether by fire, sword, rack, or tor- the bad habit of spiritual lethargy to take root. The ture to induce defection. He per- long months of the pandemic…isolation…and facing severed to the end and gained the a priest shortage, [might allow] our prayer life to suffer, heavenly crown of martyrdom. He our devotion to cool…and we begin to take the weight is the patron saint of Portugal, vine of the world on our shoulders. This is not God’s plan for dressers, vinegar makers, vintners, his flourishing Church. wine growers, and wine makers. NOTE ON FAMILIES OF PARISHES: LED BY THE SPIRIT ON MISSION, PG 3 PRAY: Tear or cut off this prayer and keep it where you’ll remember to pray it throughout the week Come, Holy Spirit, to Sacred Heart Church and to our new Family of Parishes. Unite us with our sister parishes, St. Damien, St. Hugo, and St. Thomas More, as we reject these bad habits of a worldly notion of the Church and spiritual lethargy. Lead us into trust in Christ’s direction of our mission and activity. Encourage us to have confi- dence in God’s grace to maintain our prayer life and devo- tion so that we will not fall into spiritual lethargy. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Amen! ACT: What is this Note saying to me? Honestly ask In conjunction with the USCCB's Novena for Life, we invite you yourself if you truly believe (and act like you believe it!) to join as Archbishop Vigneron celebrates Mass for Life from that Christ is directing the mission and activity of our the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament at 11:00 AM on Church. How is your prayer life these days? Have you Saturday, January 23rd. fallen into “spiritual lethargy”? Commit to some spiri- tual “exercise” this week, Pray every day for protection Watch the Livestream at aod.org/livemasses, or register here from these “bad habits”. to attend the Mass in person at the Cathedral of the Most To read or to order the entire Note, “Led by the Spirit on Mission go to Blessed Sacrament (registration is required for in person Mass familiesofparishes.org. attendance). www.esacredheart.org Page 3 PRAYER FOR THE UNBORN Friday, January 22 Almighty God, our Father, you who have given us life and intended us to have it forever, grant us your blessings. SACRED HEART Enlighten our minds to an awareness and to a renewed conviction that all human Intercessory life is sacred because it is created in your image and likeness. Prayer Team Help us to teach by word and the ex- ample of our lives that life occupies the first place, that human life is precious because it is the gift of God whose love is infinite. Give us the strength to defend human Those who enter into intercessory life against every influence or action that prayer ministry make a decision to pray threatens or weakens it, as well as the strength to make every life more human specifically on behalf of our parish, our in all its aspects. community, our Family of Parishes and the world. The fruitfulness of evangeli- Amen. zation depends upon the graces called down through intercession. Join us as we pray this week: THINGS OUR PARISH CAN DO RIGHT NOW Lord, we pray In the Name of the TO PREPARE FOR FAMILIES OF PARISHES Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit: Since Synod 16, the Church in Detroit has been hard at work unleashing the Gospel and promoting renewal in our parishes and schools. Families of Parishes will enable ~ For Seminarians everywhere, especially parishes to collaborate in deeper and more intentional ways in order to better those preparing for ordination, that the advance the mission Christ has entrusted to us. Holy Spirit confirms their discernment of vocation and draws them more deeply The transition to this new model will happen for Sacred Heart, St. Damien Molokai, into the life of the Spirit. St. Hugos of the Hills and St. Thomas More in July 2021. Families of Parishes will involve changes in the way pastors will govern parishes, and it will also involve a ~ For the Holy Spirit to open the minds renewal of parish staffing structures. As parishes come together into Families, their and hearts of the parishioners of our staffs will begin to work together to become more effective in helping its parishioner new Family of Parishes—Sacred Heart, become true disciples of Christ.