Memo from Msgr. Raun - Tuesday, September 15th, 2020
| My dear family, Greetings in the Lord Jesus, as we prepare for the Lord's Day...... BENEFITS OF WORSHIPING DURING "Why,God?" HARDSHIPS When we go through difficult seasons, one of the first things we ask is why? Why now? Why us? But simply asking God “why” isn’t always that productive. We should also be asking: what can I learn from this? Asking “what” gets our focus back where it needs to be...on our Father. Another way to get our focus back where it belongs is to worship God. Here are some benefits of worshiping during your ‘why?’ seasons: Worship Puts Our Focus in the Right Place Often when we are going through trials, the trials somehow get bigger in our minds than who God is. And the longer we dwell on the circumstances the more they seem to grow. But when we focus our thoughts on who God is, we see our circumstances start shrinking. A modern hymn puts it well: Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace. Over and over in scripture, we read about how mighty God is. When we are surrounded by obstacles we need to remember that God is all powerful. God said, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind, is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27). WORDS OF WISDOM FROM CARDINAL SARAH Cardinal Sarah is the Cardinal in charge of the Vatican department that oversees Worship and the Sacraments. He has just issued a letter "Let Us Return to the Eucharist With Joy", that was read and approved by the Pope before it was made public, so it carries the highest authority of the Church. Concerning returning to Mass as soon as possible..... "As much as the means of communication perform a valued service to the sick and those who are unable to go to church, and have performed a great service in the broadcast of Holy Mass at a time when there was no possibility of community celebrations, no broadcast can replace personal participation. On the contrary, these broadcasts alone risk distancing us from a personal and intimate encounter with the incarnate God who gave himself to us not in a virtual way, but really, saying: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (Jn 6:56). This physical contact with the Lord is vital, indispensable, irreplaceable. Once the concrete measures that can be taken to reduce the spread of the virus to a minimum have been identified and adopted, it is necessary that all resume their place in the assembly of brothers and sisters, rediscover the irreplaceable preciousness and beauty of the celebration of the liturgy, and invite and encourage again those brothers and sisters have been discouraged, frightened, absent or uninvolved for too long." Cardinal Sarah then addresses those who say the Bishops have no right to make special requirements during the pandemic (like having to wear a mask, receiving Communion in the hand, and so forth)... "A sure principle in order not to err is obedience. Obedience to the norms of the Church, obedience to the Bishops. In times of difficulty (e.g. wars, pandemics), Bishops and Episcopal Conferences can give provisional norms which must be obeyed. Obedience safeguards the treasure entrusted to the Church. The measures given by the Bishops and Episcopal Conferences expire when the situation returns to normal." The whole text of his excellent letter can be found at : https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-cardinal-robert-sarah---let-us-return-to-the-eucharist-with-joy-58368? 40 DAYS OF PRAYER ! We as a parish family are going to have for six weeks not a political campaign but a spiritual campaign – 40 Days of Prayer! This will start the weekend of September 19-20. A spiritual campaign is where we as a parish focus in on just one thing – learning how to pray, and to pray better! There are four things that we are going to do. Each week the Sunday sermon will be about an aspect of prayer. Then during the week, we will have small groups meeting by Zoom to listen to a presentation by me on prayer, followed by time for discussion and prayer. Then each day we will commit to spend quiet time with God in prayer and meditating on His Word. As your pastor, I’m asking you to commit to these simple things for six weeks – attend or at least listen to our parish Sunday Mass, join a Zoom small group for a weekly meeting, give time for daily prayer and time to meditate on God’s Word. HOW TO REGISTER FOR A 40 DAYS OF PRAYER SMALL GROUP: go to https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElcOCgrD8uGtNE52-4Xqm1ujQrW6VWIufn Most likely easiest to copy and paste into your browser! OR - go to the parish website and click on the link! ADORATION UNDER THE STARS : We are going to kick this spiritual campaign off with "Adoration Under the Stars" on Sunday, September 20th, at 7:30 pm. This will be an outdoor Holy Hour held in front of the Parish Hall. We will be able to stay in our cars, and listen to everything through our car radio. We will have prayer, sacred music, and end with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. I do hope any of you will be able to join us for this Spirit-Filled time of Eucharistic Worship! REGISTRATION FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES : All religious education classes are starting! They are being offered both in-person and on-line, according to the wish of the parents. This includes First Confession, First Communion, and Confirmation Classes. All you have to do is go to the parish website (stanm.org), or call the parish office (892-1511). Friends, it is absolutely critical that our children and teens continue their religious learning and receive their sacraments at this time. REMEMBER : OUR NEW LIMIT FOR PEOPLE AT MASS IS UP TO 300 PERSONS. HOW TO GO TO MASS: 1. All Masses - just show up. But remember that we have to close off the church when we reach 300 people in attendance. 2. Wear a mask. 3. Be prepared to receive Communion in the hand. IF WE REACH 300 PEOPLE AT A MASS, and a person arrives after that, they will be invited to come to another Mass, or they can go to their car and wait, and they will be allowed to join the Communion line at the end of Mass. We are now broadcasting every Sunday Mass on our new low-wattage FM transmitter, at 106.5 FM. You can receive this signal from anyplace in the parking lot of the church. Communion outside the doors of the Fr. D'Arco Parish Hall is distributed after the Sunday 9 am Mass for those who do not yet feel comfortable going inside the church. CONFESSIONS: Weekdays: 8 am and 5 pm Saturday: 8 am and 2:30 pm EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT : Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm BAPTISMS, MARRIAGES,SICK CALLS and FUNERALS are all taking place, albeit under the restrictions mandated by the Archbishop and the Governor. Just call the parish office and we will gladly help you with the preparations needed. PLEASE SHARE ALL THIS INFORMATION WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET! HOLINESS TIP : Quotes from one of the greatest Christian teachers of the 20th Century, C.S. Lewis...…. “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE: Some more play-on-words.... Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older. One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get! OUR PRAYER FOR THE DAY: today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.... O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforward all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object. Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen. I send you my fatherly blessing, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen ! Msgr. Doug Raun |
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