January 17, 2021 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time SANCTITY OF LIFE WEEKEND! a truly “life and death” issue. life in all of its stages during this Year of Our Church holds to the belief Faith by being radiant examples of and teaches that “every human Christ’s welcoming and forgiving love in life is sacred from the first our world.” “While we contemplate the moment of conception until the great losses over these past fortysix final moment of natural death.” It years, let us never forget God’s great is our Catholic belief that all mercy and His promise of hope for the human life has dignity and value future.” and that each human life is truly a May the Lord bless us all that we will gift from God. So, we join have a deep respect for all human life; together in prayer, especially this and by the grace of God, may we all weekend, to celebrate the Sanctity know and one day enjoy the fullness of of All Human Life. life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Under the leadership and I could find no more fitting quotation direction of our present Holy from Scripture as I conclude this Father, Pope Francis, and in reflection than the one found in the 30th concert with our United States chapter of the Old Testament Book of Catholic Bishops, we are asked to Deuteronomy: “Choose life then that you pray for and to do what we can to and your descendants may live.” And in promote the Gospel of Life the Gospel, Jesus expressed His mission wherever that is possible. and ministry that is no less our own: “I Let us pray together that the came that you may have life and have it Pastoral Notes “preborn” as well as the “un to the full.” born” will be offered the same 2021 Week of Prayer for Christian Roe vs. Wade 48th Anniversary! opportunity that our own parents Unity January 18 25th Today, we are commemorating lovingly provided for usNthe This week, from Monday, January “Sanctity of Life Weekend” and truly Godgiven gift and the 18th January 25th, we are invited to remembering the 48th Anniversary of blessing of our own personal pray, during the octave, with every Roe vs. Wade on January 22nd, the human life. person who professes the Christian Faith, tragic and historic decision of the U.S. As the official document from as we commemorate the annual Christian Supreme Court, which in practical terms, the office of the United States Unity Octave. officially allowed abortions to take place Conference of Catholic Bishops The theme for 2021: “Abide in my under the guaranteed protection of the expressed it, “...During this Year love...you shall bear much fruit.” So, this law. of Faith, we are given a special week, let us pray each day as Jesus I want to express a note of deep opportunity to acknowledge the prayed: “...Father, may they all be one in gratitude to all of you who publicly great tragedy of abortion and to us that they may believe it was You who support the right to life: to our Knights of make reparation for our part. We sent me.” Columbus Council, to all who offer are invited to rededicate ourselves assistance through our parish Right to to transforming a culture of death Peace and Joy in the Lord Whom We Life activities, and to all of you who into a culture of life, while always Serve, promote a positive expression, within the trusting in God’s mercy. Let us Fr. Tom law, for what remains, even in our time, enhance our mission of promoting Page 2 www.stpwl.org GOSPEL MEDITATION ENCOURAGE DEEPER EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP RECOGNIZE UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS January 17, 2021 Christ Is Anything but Ordinary 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time We’re about to dive headlong into week two of Ordinary Time, and we need to admit, after the hustle Our faith is not just about ideas. It’s really about having and bustle of the holidays, things are indeed looking an encounter with God and, in particular, the Risen more ... ordinary, at least in our spiritual lives. Christ! Once we give ourselves over to the notion of God’s presence, we have to train ourselves to listen for The transcendent highs of the Christmas season are God’s voice and be attentive to God’s call. Having flatlining a bit and the vivid imagery of the Nativity companions on our faith journeys is so incredibly scene has faded. The solemn anticipation of the important as they can help us finetune our listening Advent season is by now a distant memory. skills and discern God’s voice from others we may be hearing. Faith is all about having these profound Are you bored yet? encounters not only with God but with our brothers and sisters, and creation itself. Anyone or anything that is Here’s a secret: I think that Ordinary Time can alive with God’s presence becomes an occasion for God actually be quite extraordinary, if we’re really living to speak and call us to deeper graces and experiences. out our baptismal call. “Come, and you will see.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus pointblank asks Andrew, The example and teaching of Jesus, the lives of the who is following him after hearing John the Baptist’s saints, those living among us and those glorified in testimony: “What are you looking for?” He’s asking heaven, and the wonder and beauty of creation can all us the same question. serve to help us listen more clearly and assist in positioning ourselves for this profound God meeting. It What are you looking for? Why are you following is an encounter that can quickly and easily lead to a me? Is it for the Christmas cookies and the Advent friendship and intimate intertwining of our souls to their carols? Is it for the King’s Cake on the Epiphany? Is Maker, making a claim on us like no other. Then, the it for the feeling we get on Christmas when we just Word of God moves from being just a body of ideas to know God has done a wondrous thing? something we simply accept and do. The person of Jesus Christ swiftly moves from being just a good prophet in None of those things are bad, but they are not what word and deed to the incarnate presence of God Himself, Andrew was looking for, and they were not what the Lamb of God. The voice leads us to the Person Christ promised him when he said, “Come, and you behind it. will see.” Andrew was looking for the Messiah N the One who makes even Ordinary Time extraordinary. The Gospel is hard to follow. We can intellectually The One who can sanctify the longest and dullest of debate whether what Jesus said is really what we are todo lists, on the longest and dullest of days. The asked to do. The Gospel ideas do not always make sense One whose peace can reign in our homes on January in our practical, secular world. The person of God 25, not just December 25. always does. We can debate the practicality and sense of ideas and doing so often keeps the more difficult ones at Remember what you are looking for. Come, and you a safe distance away from us. Jesus said to love our will see. enemy, but we really don’t need to do that, our minds try to convince us. It just doesn’t make sense. Yet, if we are N Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS truly in love with the God who is behind the voice of those words, they make perfect sense. Our deep and ©LPi intimate love of this God would even find us laying down our lives for Him if necessary. Speak Lord, your servant is listening. ©LPi Page 3 ADMINISTRATION Gay Pousho, Business Manager 248-698-3100 WEEKLY OFFERTORY COLLECTION SUMMARY Parish Office Update: Covid Protocol CHRISTMAS OFFERING as of 01/05/21 $165,408.60 In an effort to keep both parishioners/ visitors and our parish staff healthy and WEEK OF 01/10/21 ACTUAL BUDGET DIFFER- safe, the Parish Office is instituting new ENCE protocol for visiting the parish. When WEEKLY $10,529.20 visiting the office, please follow the OFFERTORY guidelines below: ONLINE GIVING $8,046.50 Please ring the buzzer (to the right of the main doors) upon arrival to TOTAL $18,575.70 $18,692.31 ($116.61) best serve you, you will be asked the reason for your visit and will then get the direction of entering, etc. YEAR TO DATE $456,915.21 $523,384.68 ($66,469.47) If you are dropping off an item or picking up an item, we have two Please use blue or black ink when writing checks! Thank You! tables inside the entrance area, one for pickup and one for dropoff. TO REGISTER FOR ONLINE GIVING, VISIT WWW.STPWL.ORG Your item should be on that table. Please wear a mask when entering ELECTRONIC GIVING the building. To make your Sunday contribution electronically: If your visit requires entry If your bank offers free bill pay, we suggest into the Parish Offices, please you use that service OR go to our website ENTER sign the Health Assessment This Week’s Readings at OLLonline.org and click on “Parish: form (located on the dropoff then :Online Giving”. Either method allows table) and use the hand Monday, January 18 you to choose the frequency : one-time, sanitizer.