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GREETINGS FROM FR.SCOTT As
a priest I cannot publicly take a stance on who I recommend for
president. It is a serious matter. If someone quotes a priest for favoring one
candidate, that priest’s faculties can be taken away, i.e., cannot perform
any of the sacraments legally, and if they do, the sacrament is void. The
Gospel delves into the fine line between politics and religion. We are called to be responsible
citizens. That means to respect the
civil law, vote, pay our taxes, and be an active member of our civil society.
Most importantly, we are called to be Christians. Christians work for peace and work to bring
about justice. In order to bring about
justice, we cannot be neutral in the face of injustice. To put this gospel into context, many
people thought Jesus was a Zealot.
Zealots were members of a fanatical sect arising in Judea during the
first century A.D. and were militantly opposing the Roman domination of
Palestine. They used force to get what
they wanted. Like Zealots, Jesus mingled with the poor,
the sick, widows, and those who lived on the fringes of society. He challenged religious authority. He stirred up trouble in many places he
went. Unlike Zealots, Jesus rejected
violence. He taught his followers to
pray for their enemies. He taught them
how to bring about justice. He told
people to return good for evil. Jesus
was no Zealot! The lesson Jesus
teaches us today is that justice and equality comes from a community that is
converted by love. Not weapons. Not
fear. Not revenge. Jesus’ reply to pay Caesar what is due
Caesar and God what is due God, is a dilemma.
But it says this to us: one can indeed be loyal both to a religious
tradition and to a secular power. Here are a few of those dilemmas we face
every day. We have religious moral
standards on one side and we have secular moral standards on the other. We have our relationships at church and we
have them at school and work. We struggle
between doing what our boss at work tells us to due
and what Jesus wants us to do. We have
to feed our children but we also have to give money to the church. How is it possible to get along with both
religious tradition and secular power?
There is only one way. We need
Jesus Christ as our mediator. Jesus mediates through the Holy Spirit. In that second reading today the
Thessalonians were transformed through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can transform our lives as
well. One thing a priest can do is encourage you
to vote. Please vote for the candidate
you think has the best Christian morals.
Vote for the candidate who you think will defend the poor and help the
sick. Vote for the one who is for
equality and justice. And don’t
make your decision alone. Ask the Holy
Spirit for guidance. No candidate will
be exactly what you want. But through
prayer we can share our decision with God STEWARDSHIP Oct.9,
2011 $8,312.63 Last Year $6,886.02 Property Improvement $710.00 OLV School $50.00 Food Pantry $50.00 Daily
Mass Readings Monday
Oct. 17 Rom
4:20-25 Ps Lk
1:69-75 Lk 12:13-21 Tuesday Oct.18 2 Tm 4:10-17b Ps
145:10-13,17-18 Lk 10:1-9 Wednesday Oct.19 Rom
6:12-18 pS 124:1-8 Lk
1239-48 Thursday Oct.20 Rom 6:19-23 Ps 1:1-4,6 LK 12:49-53 Friday Oct. 21 Rom
7:18-25a PS 119:60,68,76-77 Lk 12:54-59 MASS
INTENTIONS Saturday Oct.15 5:00pm + Michael & Margaret Lajcsak Sunday Oct.16 9:00am For the People of the Parish 11:30
am + Frank Durso Monday Oct.17 9:00 am Tuesday Oct.18 9:00am Wednesday Oct.19 9:00am
+ Grace Mittlestead Thursday Oct.20 9:00am Friday Oct.21 9:00am FAITH FORMATION PRESCHOOL
— HIGH SCHOOL Registration
forms available after Mass and on line for all faith formation classes.
Please contact Julie at the office. 1st Reconciliation classes continue on Saturdays at
3pm. Students will celebrate their 1st
Reconciliation on October 22nd. Confirmation
classes are on retreat October 7-9th. Remember our teens in your prayers this
week. INQUIRY—RCIA Sunday
classes are ongoing. Please contact the office for information about this
group. YOUTH MINISTRY Youth Nights are every Wednesday
in the Old Church; 9th-12 graders are welcome for faith, food, fun, and
friends!! BLOOD
DRIVE—OCT 23 The
need is real. Give
blood: Save lives! Appointments
will be made on Sunday, Oct 8 & 9th and Oct 15 & 16. Please help fill
all the appointment slots to supplement the very low blood supply at this
time. Hospitals are in need of the your life saving
gift. CHRISTMAS
BAZAAR St.
Jude’s Quilt and Chat Christmas Bazaar will be Saturday Nov. 19th in the old
church. Several spaces are still available for handcrafted items.
Parishioners are encouraged to participate in this fun and profitable event.
A donation of $25 will be given to the church. Call Priscilla 357-3571 COMING EVENTS October 16 Roman
Missal Information 10am AB Schwietz will install Fr.
Scott at 11:30 am 17 Centering prayer
6:30pm 20 Rosary 7pm 22 1st
Reconciliation Retreat 9am-1pm 23 Blood Drive
10am-4:30pm Blood Mobile Roman Missal 10am Music Ministry ( All Choirs) 1:00pm 24 Centering Prayer 6:30pm 27 Rosary 7pm 29 6pm Free
Spaghetti Dinner OLV Raffle 30 Roman Missal 10am November 1 All Saints Day 9am &
5:30pm 2 All Souls Day Noon Mass only Blessings of the Graves Sacred Heart 1pm Announcements for Fr. Garret
must be submitted by Wednesday, noon for consideration. MUSIC MINISTRY TRAINING Parishioners who would
like to know more about the
music ministry are invited to a meeting with Fr. Scott on
Sunday, October 23 1:00pm. WORDLWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER November 4-6 at Holy Spirit Center, Anchorage WWME had been enriching joy filled marriages for over 40
years! Contact James and Shaharriet Houchins at 644-8677 or 230-5589. View the Inviting Video
at http://alaskawwme.org ROMAN MISSAL What”s
going on with the changes in the Roman Missal? For the next 4 Sundays, Fr. Scott will host
an information session between the morning masses to briefly introduce the
changes and answer questions. FOOD
PANTRY These are the items needed at the pantry: soup, vegetables, fruit grocery bags, egg cartons 357-3769 KNIGHTS
OF COLUMBUS The Knights have 2 opportunities for
parishioners: A donation of $10 to the Vocations Fund of Alaska will help
the archdiocese recruit young men and women to vocations in the church.
Donors will receive a special thank you pin. Students in grades 8-12 are invited to
submit essays on the topic “The Responsibility of the Catholic Citizen in a
Free Society.” The essays should be
500-750 words and are due November 15th. Please contact Steve Gabavics for
entry forms: steve.gabavics@gmail.com |