Saint Cecilia Cathedral October 18, 2020: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary In today's Gospel Jesus says to "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's". Mother Church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha 701 N 40th Street, Omaha NE 68131 Holy Mass: Sunday 7:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:30 am, 5:30 pm, vigil 5:30 pm Saturday Saturdays 7:30 am | Weekdays: 7:00 am, 11:15 am Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your Know Your Faith majesty in sincerity of heart. rough our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Sunday Readings e 6rst reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 45:1, 4-6. e prophet, second-Isaiah, who lived in Babylonia with the exiled Jews, tells us, in God's own words, that he is the God, not only of the Jews, but of history and of the whole world. e second reading is from the 'rst Letter of St. Paul to the essalonians 1:1-5b. St. Paul praises his converts for their 'delity to God and to Christ his Son and tells them how they are ever in his prayers so that they would continue to be faithful to the call God had given them, a call proved by the many gi,s of the Holy Spirit bestowed on them. e Gospel is from Matthew 22:15-21. God's plan for man on earth was that he should live in the society of his fellowmen. Society must be governed, there must be authority which will direct the actions of the component members toward the common good, which common good is principally, though not exclusively, the material welfare of the members as a whole. As his ultimate end, however, man has his spiritual welfare. is government, this temporal power to rule and direct the human groups or societies or states, comes, therefore, from God for it is his will that such societies should exist. e answer of our Lord explicitly restates this fundamental norm of the divine natural law. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's;" the state authorities have a right to the obedience and cooperation in all things that tend to the material welfare of the state, provided always the spiritual welfare of the members is not impeded by the rulers' demands. As a partly spiritual being man is destined to be a citizen of a spiritual eternal kingdom, and while on this earth he has the duty and the possibility of preparing himself for citizenship in that kingdom. And since this kingdom is of a higher and much more important nature, man's primary aim in life must be to reach that kingdom. He must, in other words, 'nd out and ful'll his duties toward God; he must "give to God what is God's." is dual citizenship of man and the dual obligations that arise from it are the common knowledge of all from the natural law but are made more explicit still in divine revelation of which today's answer, given by Christ to the Pharisees, is a precise and perfect resume. We have duties to God and duties to our country and the ful'llment of the latter is part of the ful'llment of the former. We Christians have no doubts as to our obligations under these two headings. We ful6ll our duties to God by being faithful, loyal, active members of the spiritual kingdom, the Church, which Christ established on earth in order to lead us to our eternal kingdom. We ful'll our duties to our country by loyally obeying the just laws of the State, by paying all lawful taxes, and by contributing our share, whenever called on, toward the common good. (Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, catholicculture.org) Alpha at Cathedral: Why and How Do I Pray? What is Christian prayer? A relationship/conversation with God. Why pray? It is the most important activity in our life. We were created for it. We pray to God, When should we pray? through Jesus, with help of the Holy Spirit. Anywhere, any time. Alone, or with others. Rewards of prayer: Presence of God Does God always answer prayer? Yes, sometimes it is YES, sometimes it is NO, Peace sometimes it is WAIT. e important thing is to trust that God has your best Perspective interest in mind when He answers your prayers. Power Most remarkably Jesus gave us a most intimate term to use for God when we How do we pray? pray: Abba/Father. ree simple tips: One group’s consensus is that Keep it simple Prayer is so important for us and we want to spend more time in prayer Keep it honest It is helpful to learn from each other how and when we pray Keep it going We rely on our prayerful conversations with God to get through tough times ree simple words: It is a good idea to write down our prayer intentions and then later look at ank you them to see how God answered them Please As we develop our prayer life, we learn how to ask better. Sorry Having a Mass said for others is the highest prayer you can o@er them. Archdiocesan Mentorship Program Learn Your Faith Two Saint Cecilia parishioners and leaders (Ann Marie Goettl & Jenne Forman) are taking part in this program that equips lay people in their personal response to the call of sharing the Good News of Jesus and helping others become his disciples. rough practical, hands-on training, individuals are formed in the vision and skills necessary to further the Archdiocesan Vision and Priorities: One Church, Encountering Christ, Equipping Disciples, and Living Mercy. We will be updating you on their thoughts. Jenne writes of her experience so far . In September, we went on retreat at Broomtree Retreat center in Irene, SD. I love it there! I’ve always had wonderful experiences and going there feels like coming home. It’s my Galilee, a place of rest. Fr. Scott Traynor was teaching us about prayer. Prayer is a conversation with God. Usually, when we pray, we tell God all the things we need or want him to do for us, but we never really stop and ask him what his thoughts are. If you are desiring a relationship with a friend, you never just talk and talk then hang up the phone or leave your friend without 'rst listening and relating with your friend. It’s the same thing with God. In all conversations in prayer and life, you acknowledge what the other is saying, you relate what you’ve heard, receive what is the message being said, and respond to it. We are challenged to pray in quiet prayer for 30 minutes each day as our relationship with God is the most important one we have. I begin my day with 30 minutes of silent prayer with Scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to teach me each day to pray and grow closer to the Father. A question Fr Traynor asked us was, “If God were to tell me about you, based ONLY on what you have told God about your heart and life, what would he say? How well does he really know you?” Jesus is not a creeper. He knows everything about us, but he is also a gentleman, who allows us to reveal our hearts and desires to him in our own way. In revealing/relating our desires to him, he begins to reveal more of who we are by going deeper into the loving relationship with the Father. True prayer is a constant relating our desires to the Father and discerning why we desire what we desire. e end of all desire is union with God. Why do I desire companionship? Because ultimately, I desire intimacy with the Father. One grace I've received from this program so far is the grace to give myself permission to desire and ask for intimacy with God throughout my day at work - going back to the place I found rest in my prayer time in the morning, and remaining with Jesus even if I’m having a hectic day at work, I can always remain with Jesus in peace in my heart. We are pleased to equip Jesus' disciples! Saint Cecilia Grade School Saint Cecilia Child Care Center Julia Pick, Principal Denise Leibert, Director Website: stcecilia.net / Facebook: St.CeciliaSchoolOmaha Ruth Sepulveda, Assistant Director Email: [email protected] / Phone: 402-556-6655 3869 Webster St 402-553-1708 Saint Cecilia Grade School is an award-winning Catholic school, Monday - Friday 7:00 am - 5:30 pm founded in the Dominican tradition. We are committed to fostering a Christian learning environment Licensed center for children 6 weeks to 13 years. and proclaiming and modeling faith, worship, service and prayer. We believe that children learn through play! With our STEAM Lab incorporating these tools Our center contains classroom space and outdoor playgrounds. throughout our curriculum, we are able to offer A great place to start your Saint Cecilia Cathedral experience. a unique education to all of our students. School Masses are held on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8:30 am. Join Our Team Our Saint Cecilia Child Care Center has 4 positions open: Toddler 1 teacher full time Toddler 2 teacher full time 2 Roating positions part time Must: Be at least 19 years of age with a high school education Have at least 1-2 years experience in child care setting • Safe With You trained • CPR/First Aid (up-to-date) • Supervisory experience in a licensed childcare program • Fingerprints conducted at Troop A Headquarter • Safe Environment certi'ed.