⁺Dear Saint David Parishioners,

Isn’t it hard to believe that we are nearing the half-way mark of Lent? This is a good day to assess how we are doing during this season of renewal. We can check ourselves by examining how we are practicing the three hallmarks of this special time: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and ask:

Prayer
Have I carved out some extra time to let God speak with me by participating in the sacraments, reading scripture, or viewing religious content on the Internet or TV?

Fasting
Have I given up something, such as food or some other material thing, to demonstrate my dependence on God? Some authors suggest fasting from negativity and gossip in order to grow in charity.

Almsgiving
If I have fasted from treats during Lent or from some other type of entertainment, or from unnecessary shopping, then the money saved could be donated to those in need.

In our reading for this Third Sunday of Lent, Jesus got justifiably angry with the moneychangers, mainly because they were making money and material things their main priority in life rather than God. The challenge then at this point in Lent is to recognize the truly important priorities in life in order to achieve authentic JOY — putting Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last. Any other arrangement will and does not provide lasting joy.

God reminded the people of Israel and us: “I, the Lord, am your God… you shall not have other gods besides me.” We give praise and thanks because “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might have eternal life” (John 3:16). May zeal for God’s house consume us as we embark on the remaining weeks of renewal for our soul and lives!

In Mary’s Immaculate Heart, I am,
Sister Mary

Some Lenten resources can be found at:

https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/lent/

https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/

https://www.usccb.org/search?key=Lent

Saturday February 27th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday February 28th
9:00 am † For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday March 1st
6:30 am † Albert and Dolores Anderson

Tuesday March 2nd
6:30 am Mark Baumeister and Family

Wednesday March 3rd
6:30 am David Belasi

Thursday March 4th
6:30 am † Joseph & Mary Garofalo

Friday March 5th
6:30 am† Mary Di Gregorio

Saturday March 6th
8:00 am † Harry Weckerly, Sr. 4th Anniversary

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Tom Rufe, Ed Myers, & Elizabeth Savidge.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Transfiguration

Have you ever been to a place or event that you did not want to leave?  You are either having such a great time or you are moved emotionally with joy that you just do not want it to end.  I imagine that is what Peter was feeling on this mountain top.  He did not want the experience to end.  He had been lost and after following Jesus he begins to realize who Christ truly is.  Why would anyone want the opportunity of being in the glorified Lord’s presence to end?  This scene takes place after Peter hears Jesus tell him and the other Apostles, Jesus will have to suffer and die before He comes into His glory.  When Peter tells Jesus this should not happen, Jesus comes down hard on Peter telling him, “get behind me Satan!”  This is difficult for the Apostles to understand, so Jesus decides to plant the seed of hope in them.  He takes Peter, the future leader of the Church; James, the first Apostle to die for following Christ and John, the Apostle who will reveal the Final Revelation of the Lord, up to a mountain and gives them this gift of the vision of His Transfiguration.  Our Lord wanted to show them that the pain and suffering He will go through will not be for nothing.  It has a great reward.  This vision of Christ will also help them in spreading the word of who Jesus is.

As Jesus is transfigured, the Apostles see Him in conversation with Moses and Elijah.  Peter is so moved he makes the suggestion that they build three tents.  This is where the story goes full Old Testament.  We are on a mountain.  Moses and Elijah are there.  A bright cloud surrounds them, and God’s voice comes from it.  “This is my beloved Son, with who I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”  Now God the Father could have said, “This is Moses follow his laws” or he could have said, “this is Elijah, heed his prophesy.”  What He says instead is, “listen to my Son.”  The law and prophesy from the Old Testament revealing that Jesus is the author and fulfillment of both.  This revelation of who Jesus is transfigures the apostles.  Jesus has a mission for them.  They are not meant to stay on that mountain top in honor of Jesus.  They need to use this experience not only to prepare for what they are about to experience in Christ’s Passion and death but also to go out into the world to preach the Gospel.  They need to go out and help others transform themselves into the likeness of Christ.  We are all called to do the same.  We need to let others know we all have the opportunity and ability to be glorified in, through and with Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

May Jesus live in your heart forever,
Deacon Chris

“I am afraid that many of you have never really met Jesus one on one as a friend and don’t know him and his love for you, the love that will change your whole life forever.”

Those are not my words. They are the words of Saint Mother Teresa. She said them to the sisters in her community who had already made a decision to leave everything behind. Saint Mother Teresa’s order, the Missionaries of Charity, live a radical life of poverty. They sleep on the floor. They have one dress that they wear. They don’t really own anything. They live to give themselves to people in all sorts of really difficult circumstances, and yet Mother Teresa said those words to her community. As we start this great season, Mother Teresa’s words come to mind. I am afraid that they are true for a lot of us in the Church today.

This past Wednesday we began the season of Lent, but I am afraid that it is so misunderstood by so many people. If we don’t get Lent right and we don’t get Easter right, then to be a Christian is to just follow a bunch of rules. What is Lent all about then? For myself, Lent for years was focused on me. What was I going to do? It became something like a self-help plan. We may have looked to Lent to see how good we can be in this season and what we could give up or what charity we could give to. But that is not what Lent is about. Lent is all about what God has done for us. It is a long preparation for the greatest week of the year: Holy Week. The greatest event to ever happen in the world happened on Good Friday, where He offered up his life, so that you and I can live.

Lent is a time for us to focus on Him and respond to Him by how we lovingly treat others. The readings on Ash Wednesday warn us not to make these 40 days external observances. They can easily become some sort of a check list for us, “Yep, did that and gave up this.” Lent is supposed to be a time of preparation for Holy Week and Easter, a time where we can say back to Saint Mother Teresa, “You are wrong, I have met Him and I do know Him. I know the cross did not happen for us, but He died for ME because that is Lent. This is the goal.” By the time we get to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, hopefully we can say I understand Jesus better and why He did what he did for me. Because I know him better now, I want to live my life for Him. I want to be different. I want to be great. I want to be heroic. I want to be Good. I want to be Holy. I want to give my life to others. I want all of these things because I have come to know Him as the greatest of friends.

This Lent think about why we are doing what we are doing in Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving. Are we doing these things to check the box or are we doing these things to get to know Our Lord and Savior better? My prayer for you, and please pray for me, is that we fight to choose the latter, where we come to understand more His passion, death and resurrection, that we come to know His Awesome Love and respond to others in same way!

Saturday February 20th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday February 21st
1st Sunday of Lent
9:00 am † For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday February 22nd
Chair of St. Peter
6:30 am † Deceased members of the Dominican Family

Tuesday February 23rd
St. Polycarp
6:30 am † Kate Gormley

Wednesday February 24th
6:30 am Patricia DiLeva

Thursday February 25th
6:30 am Evelyn McDaniels

Friday February 26th
6:30 am † Helen McMahon

Saturday February 27th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Tom Rufe, Vanessa Wismer and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf, Sr. & Michael J. Weathers.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

The Secret of a Loving Marriage and Family

Marriage and family life are a blessing and a gift from God. In the fulfillment of this Sacrament, the marriage of a Christian man and woman is a sign of the marriage between Christ and the Church. While marriage is a special blessing for Christians because of the grace of Christ, marriage is also a natural blessing and gift for everyone in all times and cultures. It is a source of blessing to the couple, to their families, and to society and includes the wondrous gift of co-creating human life. Marriage brings much happiness and many joys, but every couple eventually must deal with problems in the home, as there is no perfect marriage and family. Problems like finances, communication, and conflict resolution are all important to work through to cultivate strong, loving relationships. There is a secret to totally resolving these and other difficulties that even the best resources of marriage counselors cannot help you with.

Do you want to know the secret for building the type of marriage and family relationships you desire? The secret is this: If you want to experience marriage and family the way it was designed to be, you need a vital relationship with the God who created you and offers you the power to live a life of joy and purpose. Jesus Christ said: “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” And Psalm 16:11 tells us that in God’s presence is “fullness of joy.” God gives us a biblical plan for making family relationships work and then He gives us the power to follow that plan through a relationship with Him.

To establish a relationship with God, both spouses and their children must admit that they are sinners and seek His forgiveness and peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They should also thank the Lord Jesus for dying on the cross to obtain forgiveness of sins and ask Him to make them the kind of persons He wishes them to be. Parents must assist their children in realizing God’s tremendous love for them and be dedicated to their Faith Formation and preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation and Healing. Until COVID-19 is under control, weekly, virtual Mass attendance accompanied by a fervent Spiritual Communion are acceptable. Post COVID-19, faithful attendance at Sunday Mass with the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, along with occasional reception of the Sacrament of Penance must be faithfully observed, to deepen one’s relationship with the Lord.

Only when we give God total control of our lives and allow ourselves to be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, are we equipped to maintain a vital relationship with the Lord. Fervent prayer and frequent reception of the Sacraments will enable spouses and children to live by the Spirit. When all family members trust the Lord with every detail of their lives, the Holy Spirit will gradually increase the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that dwells within each one. Embracing and living out the secret of establishing a vital relationship with our God by each member will truly revolutionize your marriage and family life. With God in charge, life becomes an amazing adventure!

May God love and bless you!
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM

Saturday February 13th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday February 14th
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
9:00 am † For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday February 15th
6:30 am † Mildred Ostrander

Tuesday February 16th
6:30 am Intentions of the Keough Family

Wednesday February 17th
Ash Wednesday
6:30 am † Joy Burns
7:00 pm † Lawrence O’Brien

Thursday February 18th
6:30 am † Eileen Delzingaro

Friday February 19th
6:30 am † Edna Dougherty

Saturday February 20th
8:00 am † Charles Manning

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Tom Rufe and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Sr. M. Judith Ann Moeller, IHM, Donald Rieco, John Suchanic, & Michael Spagna.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

⁺Dear Saint David Parishioners,

Hope in God. He is always with us. We at times in life may feel like Job in today’s first reading. Job is feeling devastated after the death of his wife and children and the loss of all his belongings. He complains to his friends who suggest that his misfortune is due to some sin he committed; this is what people in those days believed. Job not only turns to his friends, who are not much of a consolation, but also to God and begs for relief from all his suffering.

Even though Job pours out his sorrows to God, he never denounces Him as the devil suggested that he would. Job does not despise God but instead proclaims, “The Lord gives and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21)! Now that is certainly deep faith, trust, and love of God! Eventually Job is blessed for his perseverance and receives many blessings, such as, a new wife, more children, and plenty of material goods.

At this point in time, nearly a year dealing with the pandemic, we may be feeling hopeless due to financial hardships, sickness, loss of a loved one due to COVID, or loneliness in not being able to visit others outside our household, etc. Perhaps after some time of mourning losses and discussing these with family and friends, which is definitely helpful, we must also take our worries and surrender them to Jesus, our Savior.

Jesus is with us every step of the way and wants to accompany us in good times and in bad. Like Job, we need to place our trust in God and allow Him to show us the way. How are we to know the way? To hear Jesus, we need to quiet our minds and hearts and spend time with Him in prayer so that He can gently comfort, console, and lead us. Sometimes in prayer, if you are like me, our minds will not shut down.  The to-do list may come to mind or other thoughts and responsibilities may distract us, both of which are normal. Each time these distractions arise, simply take a second to acknowledge them, and then ask the Holy Spirit to help you to pray. Jesus understands our diversions of mind. We cannot forget that He too was human. Recall how He instructed His followers, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This is how you should pray” (Mt. 6: 8-9). Jesus then taught them and us the Our Father.

Therefore, in faith and trust we can proclaim in today’s responsorial psalm, “Praise the Lord, Who heals the brokenhearted.” If you are feeling heartbroken, then allow Jesus to approach you and help you up so that you may be of service to others as Peter’s mother-in-law did after Jesus healed her. Jesus does not want us to be despondent but wants us to spend time with Him in prayer and allow ourselves to be strengthened with His grace for our ultimate destination, heaven. Safe travels!

In Mary’s Immaculate Heart, I am,
Sister Mary

Saturday February 6th
St. Paul Miki
4:00 pm† Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday February 7th
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
9:00 am† For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am† Intentions of the Presider

Monday February 8th
St. Jerome Emiliani & St. Josephine Bakhita
6:30 am† Jose & Victoria Salvador

Tuesday February 9th
6:30 am† Richard M. Gusherowski

Wednesday February 10th
St. Scholastica
6:30 am† Mary Fitzpatrick

Thursday February 11th
Our Lady of Lourdes
6:30 am† Margaret Morrow 1st Anniversary

Friday February 12th
6:30 am† Stephen Groch

Saturday February 13th
8:00 am† Anne Needham

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Mary Ann Volpe

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Year of Saint Joseph

December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021 
On the 150^th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church

       Catholics around the world rejoice over the Holy Father’s proclamation of the Holy Year of St. Joseph, which began on December 8, 2020 and ends December 8, 2021. The entire Archdiocese of Philadelphia is encouraged to spend this year growing closer to St. Joseph by honoring him, imitating his virtues and asking for his intercession. May this be a year of great grace for all of us as we more deeply entrust ourselves to the care of our spiritual father.

To you, O blessed Joseph
(Ad te, beate Ioseph)

To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also.

Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.

As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

This prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII in his 1889 encyclical, Quamquam pluries. It especially recommended to be prayed at the end of the Rosary.

Saturday January 30th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday January 31st
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
9:00 am † For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
6:30 pm Intentions of the EPIC Youth and their Families

Monday February 1st
6:30 am Intentions of the Neas Family

Tuesday February 2nd
Presentation of the Lord
6:30 am † Patricia Troilo

Wednesday February 3rd
St. Blasé & St. Ansgar
6:30 am Intentions of the Neas Family

Thursday February 4th
6:30 am † Dorothy Ross

Friday February 5th
St. Agatha
6:30 am † Millie DiBrino

Saturday February 6th
St. Paul Miki
8:00 am † Jeanie Lombardi

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Joseph Lavalle.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Saturday January 23rd
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday January 24th
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
9:00 am † For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday January 25th
Conversion of St. Paul
6:30 am † Millie DiBrino

Tuesday January 26th
Ss. Timothy & Titus
6:30 am † Patricia Troilo

Wednesday January 27th
St. Angela Merici
6:30 am Intentions of the Neas Family

Thursday January 28th
St. Thomas Aquinas
6:30 am Intentions of the Keough Family

Friday January 29th
6:30 am Edith Santone

Saturday January 30th
Mem. of Blessed Virgin Mary
8:00 am † Mary Garofalo

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Teresa Higgins

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.
(Mark 1:17)

Jesus throughout His ministry is moved with compassion for the men and women of this world in so many ways. He is moved with compassion in how he deals with sinners and the sick. He is moved with compassion to suffer and die on the cross for us. True compassion is one of the lures that He puts in the water to capture men and women’s hearts. To be fishers of men and women in this world means we have to have that same compassion for each other, but in order to do that we have to catch His bait first.

Compassion, what a concept! The movie The Good Catholic has a scene that stuck with me on compassion. Brother Ollie makes a speech: “We all like to think we are compassionate. We might say to each other hope you feel better, our thoughts and prayers are with you, I am so very sorry for your loss. Compassion is a funny thing, though, because when you find out where the word compassion comes from, its real origin, it turns out the word actually means to suffer with, not to pity, not to feel sorry for, not to send hugs to someone’s Facebook page, but to suffer with.”

Jesus suffered with! He suffered with the sick, the lame, the blind, the deaf. He suffered with St. Peters mother-in-law, the women caught in adultery, the roman centurion whose son was sick. He suffered with St. Peter who denied him on the cross, St. Paul who persecuted and killed at least one Christian. He suffered with St. Stephen the first martyr and all the martyrs. Jesus suffered with sinners and He suffers with you and me, not because we deserve it, but because of his unconditional love for us.

Are you and I capable of doing the same for others?

Are you and I willing to suffer with, not because others deserve it, but out of love for others?

Are you and I capable of suffering with our loved ones and even our enemies?

Are you and I capable of suffering with someone else, to take on their pain, to carry someone’s cross for a moment by listening to them and trying to understand and feel their pain?

Are you and I able to give others a real hug when they need it?

Are you and I capable of suffering with someone who is hurting, who is completely lost, who is down in life and to show them they are not alone in this world?

Are you and I willing to suffer with someone with less than us, less money, less stuff, less freedom, less choice, less privileges, less basic human rights?

Are you and I willing to suffer with someone who is deep in repetitive sin and needs not judgement from us, but love right now?

Are you and I truly able to suffer with others?

Will we?

The Voice of God

God loves us individually and gradually reveals Himself to us throughout our lives. When God approached Samuel, He was gentle, so He didn’t frighten him by revealing His presence all at once. Calling softly to Samuel in his sleep was a way to reach out to him to make His presence known. God’s revelations are often like that, a gentle and slow revealing of His presence. It’s a peaceful, gradual certainty that grows slowly over time. That is a sure sign that it is God who is revealing Himself and His will to you. His voice is more like a gentle nudging or tugging that you continue to notice until He gets your attention, like a child who stands respectfully and patiently from afar until you become aware that he would like to talk to you.

Silence, solitude, and prayer are the basic elements that facilitate a greater awareness of God’s presence in our lives and His will for us. Jesus, who was both human and divine, set an excellent example for us by choosing silence, solitude, and prayer to commune with His Father and accept His will. It is these same three elements that Samuel practiced as he was off by himself, asleep in silence, and had been praying in the temple.

God is in control of our lives and sometimes He wants us to come to know His will by taking care of things ourselves, making mistakes, learning from them, and thus growing in the development of our character and in holiness. Sometimes, God will send His Holy Spirit to reveal His will to us, but when He does this, it is usually to benefit others, as well as ourselves.

We usually know what is best for our lives deep down inside. There is just so much noise, distractions, stress, and pressures from other people that we do not feel very close to God or have the ability to “listen” with the ears of our heart. Holiness, direction, and guidance from God, is not just for saints and prophets. God wants each of us to enter into a deeper relationship with Him and most especially, with His Son, Jesus.

The next time you feel a gentle tugging on your heart, it may be a call from the Lord to come away for awhile and speak with Him. He has something He needs to talk to you about. Like any good relationship though, it is always a good thing to seek His company when you have something on your mind or on your heart. God is always there to care about you and listen to you, when you approach Him in silence, solitude, and prayer with the words of Samuel, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

God love and bless you!
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM

Saturday January 16th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday January 17th
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
9:00 am † For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday January 18th
6:30 am Special Intention

Tuesday January 19th
6:30 am † Doctor Julio Vassalluzo

Wednesday January 20th
St. Fabian & St. Sebastian
6:30 am † Mike Curcio

Thursday January 21st
St. Agnes
6:30 am † Richard M. Gusherowski

Friday January 22nd
St. Vincent
6:30 am † Marianne Galvin

Saturday January 23rd
Mem. of Blessed Virgin Mary
8:00 am † Joan Bergiven

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Joanne Watson.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

Saturday January 9th
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday January 10th
Baptism of the Lord
9:00 am † For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday January 11th
6:30 am † Bill Hardknock

Tuesday January 12th
6:30 am † Teresa McFadden

Wednesday January 13th
St. Hilary of Poitiers
6:30 am † Harold Kormos 1st Anniversary

Thursday January 14th
6:30 am Special Intention

Friday January 15th
6:30 am † Patricia Troilo

Saturday January 16th
Mem. of Blessed Virgin Mary
8:00 am † Lorraine Hendricks

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Janet Klabe & Dorothy Flynn.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.\

---

Sick List Information

Please call the parish office (215-657-0252) or email jmmarlin@stdavidparish.org/mmahon@stdavidparish.org if you would like to add or remove someone’s name from the prayer list. If you are aware of someone who is no longer sick please let us know so that we can ensure that there is room for others in need of prayer. Also, reducing the list allows for those who need prayer to be more apparent.

⁺Dear Saint David Parishioners,

It is amazing to me that God the Almighty, sent His Son, Jesus, to become one of us in the form of a little baby. That baby underwent everything that we humans endured, except sin. Today’s feast celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. We know that Jesus had no need to be baptized, since He was sinless, and yet His love for each one of us is so unconditional, that He, the spotless, sacrificial Lamb, would take upon our sins and ultimately save us from the gripping power of the devil through His death and resurrection. How are we able to overcome the temptations the devil throws our way? The truth is – we cannot on our own – but with God’s grace, “all things are possible.”

At our own baptism, we began our grace (God’s life in us) journey. Original sin was washed away, and we joined God’s family the Church. Our own families and educators then continued our faith formation by imparting to us the teachings of the Catholic faith by word and example. As a result of their efforts, we then work to put what we have learned into practice daily.

We are not expected to live our faith alone – no, we are a community of believers living and striving to be witnesses to all those we meet each day. Obviously, we are not professional evangelists, but by giving good examples and sharing our faith by the way we live with our families, friends, and coworkers, others may think to themselves, “See how those Christians love one another.”

As we end the Christmas season today and continue to work on our New Year’s resolutions, perhaps the realistic challenge for 2021 could be, to be all that we know God is calling us to be, that is, more like His Son, Jesus, “with whom He is well pleased.” Each one of us is God’s beloved child, He lives and breathes, and has His being within each of us. He became one of us so that our joy may be complete in Him and in one another, for we are the Body of Christ.

Therefore, on this feast, we hear our heavenly Father who “grasps us by the hand,” speaking tenderly to us individually as He did to His beloved Son,

“ _______ (Your Name), you are My very precious son/daughter, I love you more than you could ever imagine; with you, I am well pleased.” 

Happy New Year blessings to you and your loved ones!☺

In Mary’s Immaculate Heart, I am,
Sister Mary

Changed Forever

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of Our Lord. We recognize the visit of the three Magi who were searching for the new king of the Jews. Led by a star to a simple stable to find Jesus Christ, Our Lord. It is no coincidence that they followed a heavenly light to find the Light of the world. It took a light set apart from this world. A light that would not be able to be blocked from the distractions of this world. A light that led them along a path where at the end they would be changed forever. Our own path to Christ can be very similar. The only difference is that instead of a Heavenly Star lifted high we follow the heavenly perfect sacrifice of the cross lifted high for all to see. The result is still the same. We are changed forever.

How do we know the Magi were changed? They did not take the easy way home. Through their encounter with Christ, they recognized the evil that lay ahead of them if they did not change the way they were going. Herod and the sins of jealousy and deceit were along the path they had come. They had become enlighten by their finding of Jesus, so they were able to find a different path home. Although it would have been so easy just to retrace their steps, they chose a more difficult way. A way to avoid the sins of Herod and this world.

Our own encounter with Christ has the same effect. Once we find our way to the cross of Our Lord we are fundamentally changed forever. We can look back on the difficult path we traveled to find Christ and know that those steps should be avoided. Sometimes, though, those paths cannot be avoided. We can still change those paths, not by finding a different way, but by taking Christ along with us down those paths. By meeting Christ in prayer and in the sacraments, there is no path too dangerous. It is during those dangerous times where Christ protects us from danger from outside and from within. We can use our Blessed Mother who is a great example of a difficult but holy road. She watched her beloved son grow and become the man God meant him to be, only to see him betrayed and crucified. How could she deal with such tragedy? Because she took the whole life of Christ and treasured it and always reflected on it in her heart. She had total and complete faith in her Son and our Heavenly Father. Her faith is what truly changed her forever, just as our faith will do the same.

May Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Deacon Chris

Saturday January 2nd
Ss. Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen
4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners

Sunday January 3rd
Epiphany
9:00 am † For those affected by COVID-19
11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider

Monday January 4th
6:30 am † Phyllis Talese

Tuesday January 5th
6:30 am † Elizabeth Lodge

Wednesday January 6th
6:30 am † Richard M. Gusherowski

Thursday January 7th
St. Raymond of Penafort
6:30 am Special Intention

Friday January 8th
6:30 am † Blanca I. Perez

Saturday January 9th
8:00 am † Deceased members of the Link & Simpson Families

---

Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick …  Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Nina Ferraro, Robert Farrell and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.

… all those who are deceased … Rita Schwartz & Josephine Gallo.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

One time a child came up to me and asked me what did God do before he created the universe? I didn’t know how to answer that, so I copied what the Pope said when he was stumped by the same question. He said before creating the world, God loved because God is love. After that answer he just looked at me and said, “Oh, okay,” and walked away. I got off easy that day!

One of the hardest things to accept and understand in our lives is God’s love for us. It is really hard to comprehend that He loves us personally, much more than we would ever know. It is hard to comprehend that we were created out of love, because sometimes God’s love appears lost in this fallen sinful world. We can get caught up in all the bad news of the world and think that He forgets about us. Think about all of the tragedies that happened this past year. Did we dwell in our anger towards God for allowing these things to happen? Do we think he must not love us for allowing it to happen? Do we think he must not be as all powerful as we thought because He didn’t stop it? If we perpetually think this way, we start to see Him as a Father that falls out of love with his children. We project onto God human flaws where He becomes a flawed Father in our eyes.

We cannot allow ourselves to fall into that trap, because when we do little by little we can get discouraged and angry. We begin to think that we are unloved and then hopelessness creeps in. God shows us his love in so many ways and today we see this in a very special way on the feast day of the Holy Family. We see that God loved us so much that he decided to walk with us.

On this Feast Day, know that Families have a special place with God. His love knocks on the door of families, and find families who love each other, who bring up their children to grow in their faith, and help them move forward in their relationship with Christ. In families there are huge opportunities to create and develop a society centered around truth, goodness, and beauty. In families, there are great opportunities to know that we are loved by one another despite real faults in each other. Families are one of the best ways to witness Our Father’s love for world.

This year my prayer for you is that all of our families have hearts open to God’s love because when we do, we will see that His Love is life-changing.

God Bless,
Fr. Windle