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THE CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL & ST. PETER May 16-17, 2020
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May you be ever joyful, particularly as you realize the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, bestowing upon you the gifts of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit touches our lives in ways which empower us to live out our faith. The gifting by the Spirit is obviously evident in the manner in which believers live their lives. One of the signs of the presence of the Spirit is the joy which a Christian has, even in the midst of trial and hardships, such as what we are experiencing during the Corona Virus times. It would be easy to blame GOD for the pandemic instead of seeing the Lord Jesus working through this crisis to draw us ever closer to GOD by spending more time in prayer, guided by the Holy Spirit. GOD is with us at this crucial time in our lives, leading us to focus on what is most important – our faith, our health, our relationships with other people, even if it is only at a socially safe distance and talking through a mask or on social media. The Holy Spirit continues to inflame the hearts of those who seek the Spirit’s presence. They are able to speak and act in a way that shows they are disciples of the Lord Jesus and shares in His mission and ministry. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can see the joy of the Lord in this situation, even though we may experience personal unhappiness and discomfort.
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CONFESSIONS
CONFESSIONS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – Please call at 315-469-6995.
Confessions will be at the rectory. Please enter the side door on the porch at the
rectory and turn right (see the sign posted on the entrance door). =================================================================================
THE CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL & ST. PETER
CONFESSIONS
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – Please call at 315-
469-6995. Confessions will be at the rectory.
Please enter the side door on the porch at the
rectory and turn right (see the sign posted on the
entrance door).
FAITH SHARING FAITH SHARING: The readings for May 17th, the Sixth Sunday of Easter: Acts 8:5-8,14-17; 1 Peter 3:15-18 and John 14:15-21. Jesus has said and done everything possible in the last few weeks in the Gospel readings to show his disciples, and all of us, how much he loves us and wants us to follow him. He loves us so much that he assures us that he will even send us a special helper to keep us on track, the Holy Spirit. He needs us to help everyone around us to understand who Jesus is through our words, and actions. What are some ways you can share Jesus with others? REGISTRATIONS for next year have been mailed out. Please complete and return in the envelope provided. We are planning for the fall and being back together again. Register early and save! SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION: If you have a child entering grade 2 or 9 this fall they are eligible for our sacramental programs. Those entering grade 2 will prepare for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Those entering grade 9 will enter our Chosen4 program which culminates with Confirmation in grade 11. If you need information or a registration packet contact Bonnie Barker at [email protected]. Bonnie and Stephanie continue to pray for you as we journey through the Easter season. We are looking forward to the day we can gather together and celebrate as a parish family. Blessings on everyone.
GOSPEL THIS WEEK
Sunday, May 17 - Jn 14:15-21
Monday, May 18 – Jn 15:26-16:4a
Tuesday, May 19 – Jn 16:5-11
Wednesday, May 20 – Jn 16:12-15
Thursday, May 21 – Jn 16:16-20
Friday, May 22 – Jn 16:20-23
Saturday, May 23 – Jn 16:23b-28
Sunday, May 24 – Mt 28:16-20
Psalter: Week II, page 111
Sixth Sunday of Easter – “Whoever loves me will keep my
word.” Are you called to bring the word of Christ to his
flock? Call Father Jason Hage (315) 470-1468 or
Thank you to all those who continue to support our church!
We still need and are grateful for your support! Please drop off your
donation at the rectory or send your gift through the mail or use electronic giving. You can now go to the web page and sign-up for
e-giving at www.stmichael-stpeter.org
Collection week of May 9-10 - $5,594.00
MAY 16-17, 2020
WORD OF LIFE
“As Americans, as Catholics and as pastors of our
people, we write therefore today to call our fellow
citizens back to our country’s founding principles, and
most especially to renew our national respect for the
rights of those who are unborn, weak, disabled and
terminally ill. Real freedom rests on the inviolability
of every person as a child of God.”
FOR THOSE SICK & CONVALESCING Michael Sopchak, Nancy Bush, Fred Mangine, Jaqueline
Steele, Thomas Aloi, Kimberly Schoemann, Donald & Ernest
Fenner, Lynn Gravina, Mary Caputo, Joan Kraus, Chris
Jones, Michael Mancuso, John Grim, Kathleen Ellis, John
Newmiller, Mike & Gerry Strojnowski, Elaine & Fred
Peterson, Rosemary Dileo, Noah Ramsay, Sally Heater,
Elizabeth Lyons, Alida Bender, Steve Kelly, Fran Vertucci,
Fr. Pedzich, Al Foraker
HAITI
As of Mother's Day, Haiti has 1,000 suspected cases of Covid-19. 151 Haitians have tested positive and there have been 12 confirmed deaths. The virus has been found in all provinces, but one. The 5 hospitals that are able to produce oxygen are all in Port-au-Prince. Any hospital that needs to refill their oxygen tanks, must send them to Port-au-Prince. The hospitals are having trouble ordering PPE. The local currency is devaluing, making food more expensive to buy. Please keep the people of our Twin Parish in your prayers.
BREAVEMENT: Please remember Joan (Dotterer) Bruzdzinski mother of Dc. John J. Falge, Marge Farzee who passed away this week and all family and friends who have passed away this month. May they rest in peace.
THE ELABORATE FUNERAL A man stipulated in his will that he wanted $30,0000
spent on his funeral. That he wanted all his friends to
say “Wow, that was some funeral.” Well after the
funeral, a good friend went up to the widow and said
“Gladis, that was really a nice funeral, but not a $30,000
one. Where did all the money go?
Gladis replied: “Well I gave $6,500 to the funeral home,
$500 to the church and $500 to the woman that served
the luncheon.” The friend did some quick math
calculations and said “That’s only $7,500. Where did
the other $22,500 go? And Gladis replied “Oh I spent it
on the memorial stone” and her friend replied “That
must have been some memorial stone. How big was it?”
And Gladis replied 2 ½ carats.
THE CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL & ST. PETER
“HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE
FATHER”
The Ascension of the Lord
The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is one of the great
solemnities in the Christian liturgical calendar and
commemorates the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven.
Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the
fortieth day of Easter. However, some Roman Catholic
provinces have moved the observance to the following
Sunday. The feast is one of the ecumenical feasts (i.e.,
universally celebrated), ranking with the feasts of the Passion,
of Easter, and Pentecost.
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From the Pastor’s Desk
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Even with the availability of Kindles, Nooks, and iPads I
still like to wander around bookstores, especially the
independent bookstores. I feel there is something about
holding a ‘real’ book in your hands that can’t be replaced by
the new electronic devices.
On a recent trip I was in one of these stores. I was browsing
through the card racks. There was a card featuring a small
figure wearing a stove pipe hat with the following caption:
“Mere words cannot express . . . ” Upon opening the card, I
read: “. . .how glad I am that you’re out of my life.” Cards
like this can be found in the “broken relationships” section of
some stores. It’s a rather sad card. It’s dark. It’s a sad
commentary on our society. I wouldn’t like to receive such a
card, would you?
A recent survey of Americans asked which problem did they
see as the most serious in our society? The number one
answer of course was the Corona Virus. Other answers ranged
from unemployment to violence in our schools; from AIDS to
abortions; from women’s rights to the environment. There is,
however, a problem greater than all of these. It’s a problem
that kills more teenagers through suicide than do drugs. It’s a
problem that causes many husbands and wives to put their
marriages at risk by committing adultery. It’s a problem
which paralyzes many of our homeless people in despair as
they wander our city streets. The PROBLEM is loneliness
and the need to be loved. If there is a need, in all of us
humans, it’s the need to be loved. If there is an insatiable
___________________________ MAY 16-17, 2020 craving, it’s the need to be loved. Even in the midst of many
people you can still feel alone, unappreciated and unloved.
Christian psychologists and counselors now believe that the
fear of abandonment and its resulting loneliness underlies
most dysfunctional behavior and causes one to do bizarre
and seemingly self-destructive things in order to fulfill
one’s deepest longings. This great desire often finds people
looking for love and fulfillment in all the wrong places.
This need won’t be fulfilled by drinking, doing drugs, a
shopping spree, illicit love, social media or the internet.
We need to move out of the darkness and into the light of
Easter. Columnist Margaret Renkl wrote in the New York
Times:
My siblings and oldest friends call more
often now, and I know it’s because they’re
worried. Every online gathering, every
phone call, every just-saying-hey email
carries an undercurrent of mortality. Even
if we don’t say it out loud, we recognize that
our time for checking in may be running out.
We have always been mortal beings, but
until life serves up memento mori like the
new coronavirus, people tend to spend each
day as though they had an endless supply of
days. As though they had all the time in the world to say, ‘I love you.’ (April 13, 2020)
As Renkel observes, in times of darkness or fear or
loneliness, there is light. A light that leads to a new
gratitude for those people who bless our lives with love.
This light of wisdom and new life, for those who believe, is
Jesus Christ. The revelation of God in our midst.
Jesus knew what would fill our emptiness and take away
our fears. He promised the apostles that he would never
leave them. Christ promised to send the PARACLETE.
This word has been translated in many different ways. It’s
‘the comforter,’ ‘the counselor,’ ‘the helper,’ ‘the
advocate.’ The literal meaning of the word is “someone to
stand by you.” The important thing is that Jesus clearly
knew all about being abandoned. He knew the ache of
loneliness, so he gives us a promise. Jesus says: “I will not
leave you orphaned.” (John 14:18) This gift of himself
and his presence through the gift of the Holy Spirit would
solve the problems of our loneliness and our need to be
loved forever.
His promise is fulfilled. But this Holy Spirit is not forced
upon us. We have to open our hearts to receive and be
filled by this Spirit. Jesus is ever a part of our lives if we
only allow him to be so. The only reason we can be free
from this loneliness, from this lack of love, is because Jesus
Christ is forever a part of our lives. We are “Easter
people” with whom the Lord Jesus desires to live. The
Lord lives with us and is in us. The risen Jesus becomes
the very center of our lives. His life becomes our life, our
hope and our glory. You are not alone. “Let all the earth
cry out to God with joy.” (Psalm 66 ) May Christ, the
light of God’s compassion and love, illuminate your life
with his presence.
