Rev. Vincent L. Parsons

Pastor Rev. Michael E. Wetovick

Associate Pastor

Sr. Vera Meis, C.S.J. Pastoral Minister

Mass Schedule:

(October - May) Saturday: 4:00 pm

Sunday: 8:00 & 10:30 am (June - September) Saturday 6:00 pm

Sunday: 8:00 & 10:00 am Monday, Tues, Wed, Friday 7 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays one hour prior to evening Mass or by appointment (632-2541)

Sacrament of Baptism Please call the Parish Office

ST. AGNES CHURCH

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 23, 2017

2314 Third Avenue, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69361 (308)632-2541 Mailing address: PO Box 349, Scottsbluff, NE 69363-0349 Fax: 308-632-2146 Website: www.st-agnes-church.com

Parish Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9am - Noon & 1pm - 4pm

Page 2 Year A July 23, 2017

As you continue your journey through this life, what will be your ultimate destination, heaven or hell? There are no other options to pick from at life’s end. This question should cause us more than a momentary pause to consider how we are living this life that God gifted to us. It is only ourselves, that control our destiny by our words and deeds in accordance with God’s will. It is easy for one to be tempted into believing that one is a moral and upright person, but on close examination of our daily lives may raise doubts about our real intentions in the care for others and our love for the Lord. These delusional beliefs about our character are often associated with a shortsightedness in developing meaningful spiritual goals and a failure to use moderation in personal desires. Free will does not give one permission to ignore rational thought. While the Lord knows that we as humans are often prone to fail, he is also aware the efforts that we make in resisting sin and our ongoing desire for reconciliation with Him. Ultimately, God will judge us by our lives and that decision is dependent on if we have led a faith-filled life.

Consider Jesus’ intent in today’s parable about the weeds found in the field of wheat. Are we able to recognize our sinful mannerisms that should stick out like weeds in the wheat? Do we suck up the nutrients of those around us to selfishly attain our personal needs? Do we insinuate ourselves into the church pretending to be part of the faithful to give ourselves a sheen of holiness, when we really have no regard for what Jesus teaches? If we have become a resolute sinner in the faith community, are we aware that we compromise those seeking admission into heaven? Jesus strongly emphasizes the need for us not to become weeds, for this foretells of the road to hell. If we find ourselves as being comfortable as a sinner, then our eternal life is absolutely threatened with unwavering pain and torment. For those with an attitude of disdain and disrespect for God, the path to hell seems obvious. However, we should not take on the role of judging sinners. We are admonished not to judge others; the Lord will be the ultimate judge of each of us. He and his angels will remove the weeds, the unrepentant sinners, from the fruitful crop and send them to the fires of hell. How we lead our lives does not go unnoticed by the Lord.

If we feel we have become a weed in the Lord’s field, now the time for conversion. God will identify us as worthy of being harvested for the promises of heaven if we transform our lives. The Lord gives all that we need to be productive members of the faith, but we must use His gifts wisely recognizing that we must prepare ourselves for Heaven and not focus on personal gain. The Gospels relate examples of many people who sought and received forgiveness because they accepted that there was only one path to take for real happiness, and that is through Jesus. The steps to ease our entry into Heaven are a few, but each is important:

1.Evaluation of one’s life in relation to the Lord. This is called an

examination of conscious 2.Confession of sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation 3.Allow Jesus to become a part of your body and soul by receiving the

Sacrament of the Eucharist 4.Pray frequently (more than once a day is recommended) for

assistance in leading a life that honors God 5.Temper one’s words and deeds, modeling yourself in the example

Jesus taught 6.Recognize that failure occurs often at steps 4 and 5. When this

occurs begin again with step 1.

As God’s faithful ones, we pray to continue to be the wheat planted by the loving hands of the Creator. We pray that our lives demonstrate our dependency on the Lord for His forgiveness and salvation. In our life’s efforts, we pray to be a part of the rich harvest the Lord offer for each of us.

So, which will it be heaven or hell? Only you can determine your fate. May the Lord Bless You,

This Week’s Schedule Monday, July 24, 2017 Daily Mass (7am) Intention: †Frederick Snyder Communal Rosary (4:45pm) Liturgy of the Hours (5:05pm) Tuesday, July 25, 2017 Daily Mass (7am) Intention: †Michaela Rossi Tuesday Discussion Group (8am) Location: Garden Room Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Wednesday, July 26, 2017 Daily Mass (7am) Intention: †Alexandria Murillo Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Contemplative Prayer (6:00pm) Location: Office Basement Thursday, July 27, 2017 Daily Mass (9:30) Heritage Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Friday, July 28, 2017 Daily Mass (7am) Intention: Communion Service Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Saturday, July 29, 2017 Weekend Mass (6:00pm) Intention: †Dick DeForge By Donna DeForge & Family Sunday, July 30, 2017 Weekend Mass (8:00am) Intention: †Felix Koenig by Dominic & Zita Hans Weekend Mass (10:00am) Intention: For the Parish

Deacon’s Desk

Parish News

Page 3 sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Monday: Ex 14:5-18; Ex 15:1bc-6; Mt 12:38-42 Tuesday: 2 Cor 4:7-15; Ps 126:1bc-6; Mt 20:20-28 Wednesday: Ex 16:1-5, 9-15; Ps 78: 18-19, 23-28; Jn 20:1-2, 11-18 Thursday: Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b; Dn 3:52-56; Mt 13:10-17 Friday: Ex 20:1-17; Ps 19:8-11; Mt 13:18-23 Saturday: Ex 24:3-8; Ps 34:2-11; Jn 11:19-27 Sunday: 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12; Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130; Rom 8:28-30; Mt 13:44-52

LECTORS July 29, 6pm Nellene Mailander July 30, 8am Nichole Hoesing

10am Cindy Nelson SERVERS

July 29 & 30, 6pm Gregg Hartman & Austin Svitak 8am William & Jonathan Pieper 10am Chloe Burton & Jesse Claire McCaslin

MISSION CO-OP Sister Christina Meyer, a Sister of St. Joseph of Concordia, KS, will speak to us at the Masses on July 29-30. Many of you may remember Sr. Chris who was in ministry here before Sr. Vera came. She will speak on the ministry of their Sisters in Brazil. This is an opportunity for us to become more aware of the

Mission work of the Sisters of St. Joseph and to learn more about that ministry of the Church. There will be a second collection for this purpose at the Masses that weekend.

Attention Ministers!

Sunday Collections & ATW Giving

July 16 , 2017

Actual $4426.00 Budget $9000.00 Surplus (Deficit) $4574.00 Haiti/Uganda $1386.00

July 2017 Totals Actual $17118.62 ATW $5026.50 Budget $27000.00 Surplus (Deficit) $4784.88

July Ministers

Adult education Opportunity

Women, are you hungry to learn more about your Faith? Join us for

Lunch & Learn to explore the beauty of our Catholic Faith. We will be using the DVD series, Having a Mary Heart in a

Martha World. The group meets Wednesdays at noon to the Garden Room of the church. Bring a friend!

Volunteers needed The Foster Grandparent Program is in need of volunteers, age 55+. To find out how you can help and earn a tax-free stipend, call Cathy Schumacher at 308-633-3348.

This Week’s Readings As part of our ongoing celebration this year of St. Agnes’ 100th anniversary, former pastor Fr. Bob Karnish will preside at Masses the weekend of July 29 & 30. Follow-ing masses, refreshments will be served.

There will be a mandatory training for all extraordinary ministers and anyone that would like to be a extraordinary minister after each Mass on August 5th and 6th. Please plan to attend this important meeting. For more info call 308-631-6012 or 632-5555. Obviously, summer is a time when many folks are away on vacation. Even though we go away from time to time, Mass is still held three times each weekend. For those present at Mass, we have lay people who have

volunteered to be ushers, servers, extraordinary ministers, lectors and greeters. If you are one of these, please be sure to get a substitute when you are not able to be present at Mass. To find a sub, go to the web terminal for a sub list, complete with phone numbers: http;//ww.ministry schedulerpro.com?user=stagnes2314 If you don’t have access to the computer, please call Kathleen Roehl (632-7407). Thanks for being a responsible volunteer for St. Agnes!

St. Agnes School Foundation News

Recently a newsletter was published by the St. Agnes School Foundation Office and sent out to many people. If you did not receive one, extra copies are available in the church message centers.

Living Stewardship Now “Whoever gives to me, teaches me to give.” —Danish proverb

Page 4 July 23, 2017

For centuries, the only Eucharistic Prayer we heard as Western Catholics was the old Roman Canon, usually recited in a low voice by the priest, in Latin. By the 1940s, many Catholics were learning to follow along with the actions of the priest by means of a bilingual missal, with Latin on one side and English on the other. Drawings of the priest’s position at the altar, moving from one side to the other, or bowing or standing with uplifted hands at the center, helped the readers stay on track. The Roman Canon is a long prayer, and since it was done every day for every occasion, priests had a way of galloping through it. Even though long, its structure is fairly simple, with the consecration and sacrifice clearly marked out. Sadly, this surviving prayer had triumphed over many treasures of our tradition that emphasized other dimensions of Eucharist. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy in 1963 did not call directly for new Eucharistic Prayers, but that direction was inevitable. Discussion began almost immediately, and by 1967 the Vatican approved three new Eucharistic Prayers. In 1974, the Congregation for Worship unveiled the experiment of two Eucharistic Prayers for Masses of Reconciliation, and three for Masses with Children. At last, a period of creativity and enrichment had begun. —Rev. James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Our experience of the world is often an experi-ence of opposites: truth and lies, goodness and evil, beauty and ugliness. They are found in inti-mate proximity, often on the same page of the newspaper or in the same half-hour news report, and intertwined in the same human heart. Their existence is connected to human freedom as well as to the power of sin and evil in our world. Jesus tells a parable that makes the same point as the author of Wisdom: God’s exercise of power is tempered by leniency and mercy; God’s justice is balanced by lov-ing-kindness. Our desire to pull up and destroy the weeds prematurely could destroy the good wheat. While the interpretation in the Gospel ap-plies this image to different groups in a community, we can also hear this parable as referring to the weeds and wheat, the evil and goodness resid-ing in the heart. Jesus says God’s active presence in the world is something as small as a mustard seed and as fragile as a pinch of yeast, yet each contains a power that, when released, will bring about growth and expansion. In the mean-time, the challenge is being as patient with others as God is, while working with God to purify our own hearts. Last week Jesus warned about the sluggish heart; today he pictures a contaminated heart, good penetrated by evil. But the power of God is stronger than the power of evil and death. Be patient, and remain open to the workings of God’s grace.

—James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R. Copyright © 2013, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

The first reading today, from the book of Wisdom, makes its point over and over, at least five times in five verses! God is mighty, but lenient to all. God’s power is shown in kindness and clemency, not in harshness and condemnation, and those who govern God’s people must govern in the same way, with kindness. This loving kindness and gentleness is not contrary to God’s might, but is a direct result of God’s primacy over all. Who are we, then, to judge what is in the hearts of our fellow Christians and all people, when God commands justice with love and clemency? Likewise, the Holy Spirit makes up for our ignorance of what we

need, speaking in a language we do not yet under-stand. But God knows our needs before we do, un-derstands the intercessions of the Spirit, and helps us in our weakness. This is our hope: God’s mercy, power, and love. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.

Treasures from our tradition

L i v i n g O u r C a t h o l i c Fa i t h

Page 5 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary time

Please use this form to select your nominations for these two prestigious awards. These awards will be presented at the St. Agnes Premiere Dinner and Auction November 17, 2017 at the Civic Center in Gering, Nebraska.

Distinguished Alumni Award

This prestigious award is bestowed to a former St. Agnes student in recognition of outstanding achievement through his or her contributions to the arts, business, education, government, humanities, science and philanthropies. The recipient must be an individual who, in deed or action, has brought honor to themselves, to St. Agnes School and to their community. Nomination Criteria:

Must have attended St. Agnes School Must be at least 25 years old Nominee may be deceased Nominee’s Name:_______________________________________________ Age: _______ St. Agnes Student: YES______ NO_____ Attendance Dates:____________________ Address:___________________________________________________________________ City, State, ZIP:_____________________________________________________________ Phone:________________________Email:_______________________________________ Qualifications/Achievements: (Please use additional paper if needed.)

Friend of St. Agnes Award This service award is given in honor and recognition of an individual that has provided extraordinary service through volunteerism and support to St. Agnes School. The recipient can be alumni, faculty, support staff, clergy, parents, parishioners or community members. Nomination Criteria: Must be at least 25 years old Nominee may be deceased

 Nominee’s Name:_______________________________________________ Age: _______ Address:___________________________________________________________________ City, State, ZIP:_____________________________________________________________ Phone:________________________Email:_______________________________________ Dedication & Service to St. Agnes: (Please use additional paper if needed.)    Nominator’s Name:_______________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________ City, State, ZIP:__________________________________________________ Phone:__________________________Email:__________________________

Return form by August 31, 2017 to:

St. Agnes School Foundation * PO Box 2214 * Scottsbluff, NE 69363-2214

ST. AGNES CATHOLIC SCHOOL HALL OF FAME NOMINATION FORM

Page 6 July 23, 2017

Stewardship Opportunities Over 200 children and young people, preschool through grade 12, will sign up this fall to learn more about Jesus and the Catholic faith. You can help them learn and grow by becoming a catechist. We are currently looking for grade school catechists on Sunday mornings. Middle school catechists , 9th grade CYM leaders, and Confirmation catechists on Wednesday evenings. As you nurture the faith of our young, you will learn and grow as well! As one long-time catechist put it, “I learn so much from the children!” We provide you with training, materials, and support. Classes begin in September-October. If interested or for more information, contact Terri Calvert at 635-1362 (RE Office) or Email dre@st-agnes-church.com

All women of the parish are invited to study the book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Meeting on Wednesdays at Noon in the Garden Level of the Church. For more information contact the RE Office at dre@st-agnes-church.com

Celebrating Sunday for

Catholic Families Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30

On the Way to Mass: Have you experienced a time when you did something that you thought that God would never forgive? On the Way Home From Mass: Weeds will always be weeds; they will never become flowers or fruit. Are we like weeds if we disobey God? Living the Word: We believe in a God who loves us unconditionally. We are God’s children through Baptism. Even though evil exits in the world and bad things happen sometimes, God forgives our sins and welcomes us into heaven. We need to aim our lives on God, and stay focused on loving God and each other. Find a morning or evening Mass in your neighborhood this week, and attend as a family. Receive Holy communion joyfully, and give thanks to God for his unconditional love.

Celebrating Sunday for Catholic Families 2016-2017

Find Us On

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Parish Website

www.st-agnes-church.com

Pope Francis’ July Intention

Lapsed Christians That our brothers and sisters who have strayed from the faith, through our prayer and witness to the Gospel, may rediscover the merciful closeness of the Lord and the beauty of the Christian life.

Family Calendar for this Week

Sunday - July 23rd Watch closely at Mass for something cool you haven’t seen before. Monday - July 24th Host a family tournament with a board game of your choice. The winner picks dinner. Tuesday - July 25th Pray for all the foreign missions today. Wednesday - July 26th Celebrate the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ grandparents. Thursday - July 27th Pick a story from the Old Testament and read it together at bedtime. Friday - July 28th Make a time capsule and have everyone contribute something. Open it at the end of summer. Saturday - July 29th In honor of St. Martha, clean the house and share a special meal.

Partners in Faith - June 2017

Religious Educa on Program Email—dre@st-agnes-church.com Religious Education Office—308-635-1362

Page 7 sixteenth Sunday in ordinary Time

All of us who belong to God’s kingdom can accomplish great things for the Lord. To teach this idea, Jesus talked of how the mustard seed, the smallest of all

seeds, grows into a large bush where birds live. Follow the path from each seed to find what it will grow into someday.

In Matthew 13:43, Jesus promises a happy ending for “the children of the kingdom.”

Find out what will happen someday by following the instructions on each window and at the bottom.

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