hamburg,iowa september 17, 2017 24th sunday in ordinary time
TRANSCRIPT
St. Mary’s
Catholic Church
Hamburg,Iowa September 17, 2017 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Bulletins are online at—http://www.parishesonline.com/find/st-mary-church-51640
“Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s,” says Saint Paul. As wegather today at God’s invitation, let us be mindful that we belong tothe Lord, and pray for ways that we can be a reconciling presence inthe world.
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Theme: Reconciliation and Forgiveness
Sirach 27:30--28:7; Psalm 103; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35
People with clenched fists cannot shake hands
Graham Staines, an Australian missionary, along with his family, was working among the socially outcast lepers in the state of Orissa, India. On January 23, 1999, he, along with his two little sons – Philip and Timothy, were brutally burnt alive in their jeep by a group of Hindu fundamentalists led by one Dara Singh. The aftermath of this gory incident was nationally televised.
On the national TV, Mrs. Staines was seen asking Jesus to forgive her husband’s murderers. She prayed that Jesus might touch the heart of these murderers so that they may not do to others what they had done to her husband and children.
In the brutal murder of Mr. Staines and his children by Dara Singh and his gang, we see the triumph of barbarism, and in the forgiveness of Mrs. Stains, we see the triumph of faith and goodness; we see in her forgiveness the triumph of human spirit touched by Christ.
My dear beloved, hurt is not easily forgiven. Our impulse very often is to strike back, if not directly, then in more subtle ways -- denying forgiveness, giving the silent treatment.
There are plenty of people who feel a lot of hurt and pain as they remember incidents in their past. They feel they cannot forgive, much less forget, these incidents and especially the persons involved, whom they blame for their suffering. A wife cannot forget the occasion when her husband slapped her. A man cannot blot out from his memory the time when his in-laws humiliated him in public. A girl is quite sore and angry because the boy she was friendly with for years finally ditched her to marry someone else. A student is still bitter towards the teacher whom he holds responsible for his failure and consequent loss of a year at school. And the office executive is waiting for the opportunity to take revenge on his boss at work for blocking his promotion and getting him transferred.
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In these and other situations of the kind, many find it hard to forgive and forget. they feel a desire to retaliate and inflict as much harm as they themselves had received.
Reconciliation is today's theme. If we are to imitate divine mercy, then the challenge is to look beyond ourselves and our hurt to a God who never ceases to say, "I love you and, therefore, I forgive you."
In today’s Gospel, Jesus called His disciples to forgive one another unlimited number of times. No human relationship is ever possible without forgiveness. Someone said, “Successful married life is the union of two great forgivers.”
Today, we shall consider the necessity of forgiveness, the limit of forgiveness and the consequence of the refusal to forgive.
The necessity of Forgiveness
God in Jesus Christ had forgiven every Christian. God has taken the initiative to forgive us; therefore, we are indebted to him for His forgives and we are called to show our gratitude by reflecting His forgiveness to the others.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes it very clear that the forgiveness, which we have received from God, is enormous compared to the petty forgiveness we are called to extend towards others. In the parable, the first servant is forgiven more than what his fellow servant owed him. The demand to forgive the sins of others is necessitated by God’s enormous forgiveness of our sins. Someone said, “we are like beasts when we kill; we are like human beings when we judge; we are like God when we forgive.”
The limit of forgiveness
Peter was aware of the new righteousness taught by Jesus, and the call to forgive the others when Jesus taught the disciples to pray saying, “Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors (Mt.6:12).” Now, he wanted to know from Jesus the limits of that forgiveness. His own generous proposal was seven times, the traditional number of fullness. But Jesus calls us to forgive unlimited number of times. Jesus clearly indicated in today’s parable that no matter how much we forgive others, it is always nothing compared to the enormous forgiveness we have received from God.
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Consequence of the refusal to Forgive
Jesus in the sermon on the mount said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Mt. 5:7). Those who show mercy to others will receive mercy in abundance from God. Our refusal to forgive the petty sins of others will result in our own condemnation for our huge sin.
Secondly, if we refrain from forgiving others, we will hurt ourselves more than we could hurt our enemies. The benefit of forgiveness is, “It saves the expense of anger, the high cost of hatred and the waste of energy.”
May we heal ourselves by forgiving those who have hurt us, and thus receive God’s forgiveness in our lives.
"May the darkness of sin and night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the spirit of grace, and may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all. Amen" Saint Arnold Janssen
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Motivation for the week
A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE. They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE. The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?" The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."
LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.
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Why do we celebrate Catechetical Sunday?
In 1935, the Vatican published On the Better Care and Promotion of Catechetical Education, a document that asks every country to acknowledge the importance of the Church’s teaching ministry and to honor those who serve the Christian community as catechists. For the first few years after Catechetical Sunday was established, national catechetical congresses were held in conjunction with the celebration. Beginning in 1971, the USCCB’s Department of Education began producing materials to help parishes celebrate the event at the local level. When the Committee on Catechesis, now named the Committee of Evangelization and Catechesis, was named by the Conference as a standing Committee, it continued to publish Catechetical Sunday materials each year. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has designated the third Sunday in September as Catechetical Sunday. Those whom the community has designated to serve as catechists will be called forth to be commissioned for their ministry. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity
➢ to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel.
➢ Catechetical Sunday is an opportunity for all to rededicate themselves to this mission as a community of faith.
What Does the Word “Catechetical” Mean? The word might be more familiar than you think. Many Catholics have used the word "catechism" for years, and they know it has something to do with the compendium of the Church's teachings. The root word, "catechesis," is from a Greek word meaning "to echo, or resound." Catechesis is the act of resounding or bringing the Church's teachings to the world. A catechist is one who teaches in the name of the Church.
Why do we have a special day set aside to commission catechists? Catechesis is a distinct and special ministry in the Church. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear, “Catechesis is intimately bound up with the whole of the Church’s life . . . her inner growth and correspondence with God’s plan depend essentially on catechesis” (no. 7). This ministry of teaching in the name of the Church has a profound dignity, which is why catechists are formally commissioned by the Church. It is only fitting that we set aside a day to highlight this ministry and invite the entire church community to think about our responsibility to share our faith with others.
How are parents, the primary catechists of their children,
recognized on Catechetical Sunday? Parents are truly the primary catechists of their children. They prepare the soil and plant the first seeds of faith. On Catechetical Sunday, we not only highlight the work of catechists in parishes and schools, but we also commend parents and guardians and encourage them to take seriously their role of making their Catholic households a place where faith is passed on to the next generation. This is why the rite of blessing of catechists used on Catechetical Sunday includes an optional blessing of parents and guardians. (source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Kudos! “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses ( Evangelii Nuntiandi – Papal Encyclical # 41 )
In the light of the above, I wish to congratulate our dear catechist who have dedicated their time to teach and witness to the faith. To parents and guardians, never relent in this journey with your children. May this seed yield and eternal harvest. Fr. Raphael
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For students like Amina, in Benin, Africa, the free, nutritious meal the Food for Education program provides is often the only meal of their day. It’s a strong incentive to stay in school. CRS witnesses the benefits of the program and is concerned by a proposal in Congress to eliminate it. Learn more at: crs.org/you-did-it-for-me
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Attention Married Couples: "God reveals Himself through the Love
of a couple" Attend a Worldwide Marriage
Encounter Weekend. Upcoming Dates;
October 27-29 @Cedar Falls. November 10-12 @Iowa City For
information and to register go to iowa-wwme.org or call 563-608-3305 or
email: [email protected] Help us to support the Church's Initiative on marriage! Couples who attend Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends not only rediscover the joy, intimacy & romance in their relationships but also become more active in their parish. Together, we are making marriages, families and our Church stronger & healthier.
Today is Catechetical Sunday —
There will be a special blessing during Mass for all our Catechists. Af ter coffee and doughnuts downstairs, we (parents and children) will meet at the Parish Center at 9:50. Parents, this is a good time to come over and help your child find classrooms, and get a tour of our learning center. This will take about 20 minutes, as we will also have a short Scavenger hunt to find emergency exits, fire extinguishers, tornado safe area, and Rally point in case of a fire. We will then as a group go across the street to the park for games.
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NEXT SUNDAY, SEPT. 24 ———CHILDREN’S MASS. Fr. will celebrate mass for the children either downstairs or at the house.
A visiting priest will conduct the mass for adults at the same time. We hope to have a 100% turnout!
Classes will begin in full force after masses are complete.
Keep On ForgivingThen Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)
Based on Matthew 18:21-22
PETER ANSWERED MANY JESUS SINS FORGIVE HOW LORD ASKED TIMES BROTHER SEVEN
A P T Z U H W J E S N N M H HA W U K G T K E S X G X Q D XH T K G T W U S M A N Y I D BE K A J I B F U B C G E U K GA F S T I M E S U K O O C U WM W K W N B O T G P E T E R AO P E R G R E L P W W O X H TF A D X B R O T H E R G H X EK O N A F X S D C R Z L Q W YX E R S V Q J L E I L O Z R QE Z B G W Q D Q D V O R K P HE N Z Y I E J P Z L M D J I OS W U Q H V R S E V E N A C WW L B Q L L E E I I F W C A CH U S I N S K T D C F X M T C
Copyright © Sermons 4 Kids, Inc. • All Rights Reserved • www.sermons4kids.com
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St. Mary’s Calendar
Coming Soon………….
September 17— Catechetical Sunday
September 24th —Children’s Mass Religious Ed classes begin
October 1—Service at the Ambassador in Sidney@ 1 pm
READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 17-24
Sunday: Sir 27:30--28:7/Ps 103:1-4, 9-12/Rom 14:7-9/Mt 18:21-35
Monday: 1 Tm 2:1-8/Ps 28:2, 7-9/Lk 7:1-10Tuesday: 1 Tm 3:1-13/Ps 101:1b-3ab, 5-6/Lk 7:11-17Wednesday: 1 Tm 3:14-16/Ps 111:1-6/Lk 7:31-35Thursday: Eph 4:1-7, 11-13/Ps 19:2-5/Mt 9:9-13Friday: 1 Tm 6:2c-12/Ps 49:6-10, 17-20/Lk 8:1-3Saturday: 1 Tm 6:13-16/Ps 100:1b-5/Lk 8:4-15Next Sunday: Is 55:6-9/Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18/Phil 1:20c-24, 27a/Mt 20:1-16a
Baby Shower— Catholic Charities Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program is preparing for the Council Bluffscommunity baby shower during October. Our goal is to providewomen with information about the Catholic Charitiesprogram and help for those coping with domestic violence.Consider contributing onesies, sleepers, socks, blankets, babytowels and washcloths, diaper bags, diapers and wipes.For more information, contact Katie at 712-256-2059 or Martha at 712-256-2059 ext. 109.
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ST. MARYS HAPPENINGS
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9-2—John Moody 9-5—Mike Callahan 9-5—Isaac Hutt 9-6—Teresa Jamison 9-6—Robert Burkhiser 9-8—Rosie Callahan 9-8— Keely Mount 9-12—Lisa Phillips 9-16—Terry Travis 9-18—Anne Hendrickson 9-20—Carolyn Maher 9-21—Marice Carter 9-21—Andrea Clark 9-22—Tiffany Lyons 9-22—Travis McGinley 9-24—Kim Dowling 9-25—Lloyd Sebek 9-25—Gloria Green 9-30--RandyDuncan
. YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS
9-10–2017 Tithes—$1938.43 Plate—$75.00 Coffee—$56.94
Farmers Mkt.—$21.00
Thank You!
PRAY FOR THE SICK Greg AndersenGrady SechtReese Kemp
James DowlingLeRoy Herscheid
Noah HoweBarbra VannoyMary Lou MillerDottie DankofLloyd SebekIsacc Durr
Robert & Nancy DaltonBrenda Ziolkowski
Todd QuickHarold &Verona Mitchell
Joel LogginsFrancis NahkunstKenneth Russell
Bill LongHenry Johnsen
Lawrence DuBoisAngie Witter-Childers
Pat SheldonJoe Kirk
Tim KonecnyGene SparksJeffry Sweat
PRAY FOR THOSE SERVING IN THE
MILITARY
CHRIS HINES BRANDON LOGGINS
DUSTIN BRAKE JOSH SIMMONS
TREVOR ANDERSON JACOB ANDERSON JUSTIN PHILLIPS
DERRICK HUBARD STEVEN ANDERSON
Happy Anniversary! 9-20—Louie & Judy Becker
2017
Sept. 17
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:30
Sept. 24
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:30
October 1
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:30
October 8
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:30
October 15
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:30
Greeters and Ushers
Joe & Robbi Travis
John & Joyce Travis
Beth & Greg Phillips
Jim & Ruth Folkes
Dan & Lori Goodman
Eucharist Ministers
Denny Travis
Vince Hilton
Robbi Travis
Bill Green
Joe Travis
Dan GoodmanDenny & Joella
Travis
Anne Hendrickson
Annie Wakefield
Servers Alex Dewhirst
Brady Lorimor
Mason Hodges
Cameron Whitehead
Joseph Roberts
Ryan Roberts
Cale Phillips
Ethan Roberts
Garett Phillips
Tate Mount
LectorKathleen Lorimor
Carolyn Maher Mark Gude Dave Dowling Michael Gallagher
Mass Setup Rosie Joe Travis Rosie Joe Rosie
Cantor Beth Kim Laumann Cara/Emily/Kayleigh Beth Kim
Accompanist Donna Nancy Pitts Kate Nancy Donna
Coffee and Donuts
Dan & Lori Goodman
Family
Tim & Donna Whelan
Annie Wakefield
Jeff & Lisa Phillips Robert & Mary
Burkhiser
Henry & Helen Martin
Lisa Welch
Wash Linens Annie Wakefield Annie Wakefield Bev Finnigan Bev Finnigan Bev Finnigan
PASTOR PASTORAL ASSISTANT BOOKKEEPERDIRECTOR OF FAITH
FORMATION
Fr. Raphael Assamah 712-246-1718 Shen(office)
712-246-8876 (c)
Cheryl Phillips 712.382.2668 (h) 712-350-0169 (c)
Anne Hendrickson Bookkeeper
712.382.2432
Scott Mayberry 712.374.3300
